The 10 best-selling vinyl albums of 2022: The 10 best vinyl deals available on Amazon this week
Welcome back to Far Out’s weekly vinyl corner feature, where we look to bring you a tempting selection of records from some of our favourite artists, bargain vinyl deals to look out for, and unmissable limited-edition releases. This week, we’re looking at the top ten best-selling albums of 2022, as reported by the Official Chart Company earlier this week.
Vinyl sales grew for the 15th consecutive year in 2022, rising to 5.5 million units, the highest level since 1990, when …But Seriously by Phil Collins was the year’s biggest-selling studio album.
The return to plastic has steadily climbed since the invasion of streaming services in the late 2000s. While the weightless, highly accessible and practical format is great for discovering and consuming swathes of new music while you’re out and about, there’s nothing like coming home to a bit of vinyl.
Fellow collectors out there will agree if there’s an artist or album you love, there’s always a good reason to have the turntable at the ready and a 12″ slot reserved on the shelf for inevitable expansion. The sound quality of vinyl brings something more hearty and vibrant with its analogue warmth and crisp definition that there really isn’t a substitute for.
So if, like me, you have a soft spot for these groovy discs of plastic, allow me to walk you through ten hot picks for this week. The list includes some classics from Fleetwood Mac and Arctic Monkeys, alongside some brand-new essentials from Taylor Swift and Harry Styles.
The following selections have been handpicked by Far Out Magazine, and as a result, we may earn from qualifying purchases.
The 10 best vinyl deals available on Amazon this week:
1. Taylor Swift – Midnights
At the start of 2022, most people’s money would have been on Taylor Swift topping the album sales lists. Her tenth studio album, Midnights, followed 2020’s Evermore, an album that further widened her fanbase and kept the world waiting for two years.
Swift described Midnights as “a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams.” The soaring release is home to such hits as ‘Anti-Hero’, ‘Lavender Haze’, ‘Midnight Rain’ and ‘Snow on the Beach (feat. Lana Del Rey)’.
Available for purchase here for £28.94.
2. Harry Styles – Harry’s House
Harry Styles released his highly anticipated third studio album back in May 2022. Harry’s House marked the best first-week sales in Styles’ career. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 113,000 album-equivalent units, becoming the fastest-selling and best-selling album of 2022 in the country.
In a 7/10 review, Far Out said of the album: “I’ve already seen people call Harry’s House style over substance, but here’s the thing: style is half of the game. In fact, I think the more he leans into his own unique style, the better he’ll get, album after album. Regardless, this does indeed make things clear: Harry Styles is one who does his homework. And when he hits the nail on the head—which, again, is more often than not—boy, is it a dream come true.”
Available for purchase here for £24.33.
3. Arctic Monkeys – The Car
Back in October, Sheffield’s finest, Arctic Monkeys, released their seventh studio album, The Car. The LP marked the group’s first release since the star-bound Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino of 2018. The album returned to planet Earth but maintained the explorative, mellow energy that has some fans divided.
In a 4.5 star review, Far Out said: “You’re swaying in the sun, and it’s a perfect escape from reality, just in time for the shimmering last night finale that has you dreaming of the drama of romance like few albums you can remember. Just as Turner closes the show and croons in such style that marble statues hang their heads, “Sometimes, I wrap my head around it all, and it makes perfect sense,” The Car is a journey you’ll wanna take again.”
Available for purchase here for £24.49.
4. Liam Gallagher – C’mon You Know [Amazon Ocean Blue]
After the former Oasis frontman’s return to form with his emphatic debut solo LP, As You Were, in 2017, he returned to the studio with his usual swagger to create yet another brilliant collection of instant anthemic classics. His second LP, Why Me? Why Not was released in 2019 and consolidated the singer’s reign surpassing the solo success of his brother, Noel.
Last year, the younger Gallagher brother proved his solo flourish to be a mainstay with the excellent C’mon You Know, which features highlights like ‘Diamond in the Dark’ and ‘Everything’s Electric’. In a 7.8/10 review, Far Out described the album as “moving with the times and embracing a pinch of weirdness, Gallagher has shown why the musical landscape is much richer with his presence.”
Available for purchase here for £17.32.
5. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
With Rumours, Fleetwood Mac created one of the 1970s’ most popular albums. The pop-rock release is a masterclass from start to finish, with the endlessly talented, feuding bunch of musicians pouring pure emotion into the cauldron. What resulted was a finely balanced selection of timeless classics.
Rumours is bulletproof, both commercially and artistically. The album is home to the likes of ‘Dreams’, ‘Don’t Stop’, ‘Go Your Own Way’, ‘You Make Loving Fun’, ‘The Chain’, and, of course, the late Christine McVie’s ‘Songbird’.
Available for purchase here for £19.29.
6. Wet Leg – Wet Leg
The girls from the Isle of Wight, Wet Leg, have brought something original to the table with their brand new eponymous debut LP. “I wanted to write fun songs, I didn’t want to indulge sad feelings too much, I wanted to write stuff that’s fun to listen to and fun to play,” Rhian Teasdale said of the debut. “But then, the sad seeps through, as well. Wet Leg was originally just supposed to be funny. As a woman, there’s so much put on you, in that your only value is how pretty or cool you look. But we want to be goofy and a little bit rude. We want to write songs that people can dance to. And we want people to have a good time, even if that might not possible all of the time.”
This Domino Records release is a must for any indie/post-punk lovers out there looking for something modern and intriguing to their collection. The LP comes with a free MP3 download code and a printed inner with liner notes and lyrics.
Available for purchase here for £22.22.
7. The 1975 – Being Funny In A Foreign Language
Rivalling Arctic Monkeys’ The Car, Matty Healy and The 1975 dropped their fifth studio album, Being Funny In A Foreign Language, in October 2022. The release marked the band’s most considered and interminably listenable release to date, with highlights like ‘Part of the Band’, ‘About You’, and ‘Oh Caroline’.
“Every record I’ve made, I convinced myself that I had so much to prove, so it had to be about everything that ever happened, everything that’s happening now, and everything that could ever happen. But on this record, I said, ‘Instead of a magnum opus, what about more like a polaroid?” Healy told Pitchfork of the new record.
Available for purchase here for £19.92.
8. Arctic Monkeys – AM
Released in 2013, AM was Arctic Monkeys’ fifth studio album. It came with an anthemic sound removed from the raw indie band we welcomed in 2006, but was a highly enjoyable listen all the same. Alex Turner made a statement that kept fans hungry for more. They had to wait five years before the next instalment, and it wasn’t what most people were expecting.
AM also marks the band’s last heavier rock release before Turner, and the boys resculpted their sound to something lighter and more introspective in 2018’s Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino. AM was highlighted by its punchy singles: ‘R U Mine?’, ‘Do I Wanna Know?’, ‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?’, ‘One for the Road’, ‘Arabella’, and ‘Snap Out of It’.
Available for purchase here for £21.89.
9. Fontaines DC – Skinty Fia
Few rock bands have enjoyed the rise to such widespread acclaim in recent years as Dublin’s post-punk sensation Fontaines DC. After nearly a two-year wait, Fontaines have followed up their dark and brooding second studio album, A Hero’s Death, with the critically acclaimed Skinty Fia.
‘Skinty Fia’ is a term used colloquially in Ireland as an expletive. The title roughly translates to English as ‘the damnation of the deer’; its meaning has been diluted through generations. Part bittersweet romance, part darkly political triumph – the songs ultimately form a long-distance love letter, one that laments an increasingly privatised culture in danger of going the way of the extinct Irish giant deer. The album is home to the catchy singles’ Jackie Down the Line’ and ‘I Love You’ but holds much more to be explored thanks to the band’s versatility and Grian Chatten’s poetic lyrics.
Available for purchase here for £19.99.
10. Muse – Will of the People
In August of 2022, Muse dropped their ninth studio album, Will of the People. The self-produced genre-hopping collection came as a welcomed return to form following a run of less-than-memorable albums. It was the band’s first release since 2019’s Origin of Muse.
Will of the People was an unmitigated success, both commercially and critically and showed Matt Bellamy and the crew at the heights of their creativity. Particular highlights on the album are ‘Won’t Stand Down’, ‘Kill or Be Killed’, ‘Ghosts (How Can I Move On)’ and ‘Compliance’.
