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The Official Albums Chart celebrates its 60th anniversary next month, and we've got some big celebrations lined up
27 June 2016
By Rob Copsey

Get your party poppers poised and birthday cakes in the oven, because this summer marks the 60th anniversary of the UK's Official Albums Chart!

Next month is exactly 60 years since Frank Sinatra’s Songs For Swingin’ Lovers became Britain’s first ever Number 1 album, when the inaugural Albums Chart was published in Record Mirror on 22 July 1956. Seven decades and nearly 1,100 Number 1s later, and the chart is now a cultural institution.

It's a big birthday (the chart's diamond anniversary no less!), and we've got lots planned to celebrate. On OfficialCharts.com, we'll be marking the occasion throughout the summer with a series of special features and interviews on the beloved format, kicking off in early July with the unveiling of the 60 biggest selling albums of all time.

We'll also be revealing the favourite albums of artists, music fans and industry experts on social media throughout July. We really want to hear which is your ultimate long player - tweet us with the hashtag #MyFavouriteAlbum to get involved.

Partners of the Official Charts Company MTV and BBC Radio 2 are also celebrating with us with a series of special programming, including the reveal of the biggest selling albums of the MTV years hosted by Roman Kemp, which premieres on MTV Classics on July 4, while Radio 2’s Steve Wright will present a special Bank Holiday Monday celebration of the UK’s all-time best-selling albums.

They'll also be a major in-store "60 at 60" albums campaign at retailers including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, Amazon and Morrison this summer, promoting some of the UK's biggest selling albums.

Official Charts chief executive Martin Talbot said: “We’re delighted that we can celebrate 60 years of the Official Albums Chart this summer. The album has long been the committed music fan’s format of choice, whether you love Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Queen, Oasis, Adele, or any other artist over the past six decades.

"The albums chart is the pinnacle of weekly album superiority and this anniversary is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the music artist’s body of work, which is particularly apt after a past year which has seen great new titles by the likes of Adele, Beyonce, David Bowie, Drake, Radiohead and many others."

More news on all of this will be coming your way very soon. Follow @OfficialCharts on Twitter (remember to tell us your #MyFavouriteAlbum) and Facebook for the latest updates, and check out the Official Albums Chart Top 100, published on OfficialCharts.com every Friday at 5.45pm.