Let's face it, if you want to rule the world, you'll have to crack the USA, so let's look at the official soundscan album sales ('91-'07. I don't have '08 at hand)
We'll take out the country shit: 5 spots in the top 10 (from Garth Brooks #1 to Shania #10) Also disregard oldies (Beatles #2, Floyd #9) retired boy bands and any solo artists. Note, Eminem (#12) ranks way behind people like Garth, Celine and Mariah, but ahead of Elvis (#16), Britney (#18), or Clapton (#19). Michael Jackson ranks a lowly 61st! Indeed, Sinatra (#31) has proven to be more relevant over the past two decades than Jackson.
This leaves proper, active, semi-relevant bands, some of them more metal than rock, no pop but there's a bit of hip-hop:
#5 - Metallica - 48.670m
13 - U2 - 32.087m
17 - Pearl Jam - 29.373m
27 - Creed - 25.922m
38 - Guns n Roses - 23.641m
41 - Green Day - 22.864m
46 - Red Hot Chilli Peppers - 21.547m
54 - Linkin Park - 19.709m
58 - Limp Bizkit - 19.264m
64 - Beastie Boys - 18.827m
67 - REM - 18.318m
74 - Van Halen - 17.909m
75 - Korn - 17.784m
80 - Outkast - 17.230m
92 - Nickelback - 16.185m
Note a complete absence of any UK based bands. I'll repeat, you cannot be taken seriously as a band, if you do not succeed in the US market. The Stones and Beatles did, as did Led Zep, AC/DC, even Queen.
Creed have just reunited. PJ, and Green Day could still challenge U2 if they get their act together. That ship has sailed for REM, GnR and RHCP. At the current rate it will probably take Coldplay
another 10 years to crack the top 50.
This album-for-album comparison between two bands never really made much sense to me.
The only comparison that makes any sort of sense (worldwide numbers):
THE SUPER-PROMISING DEBUT
Boy (1980) 3mio
Kill Em All (1983) 3mio
LIVE CULT BAND, COLLEGE RADIO, BRINK OF EXPLOSION
October - War - UABRS - Unforgettable Fire + WAIA 3+8+8+8+2=27
Ride The Lightning - Master of Puppets - And Justice For All 5+6+1+9=21
MEGASTARDOM
Joshua Tree - Rattle & Hum - Achtung Baby 25+14+17=56
Metallica - Live Shit:B&P 17+15/3=22
FALL FROM "PUBLIC GRACE"
Zooropa - Pop 8+6=14
Load - Reload 7+5=16
RECLAIMING THE THRONE
ATYCLB - HTDAAB - NLOTH 12+9+?
St. Anger - Death Magnetic 4+ >2m
compilations
u2: 1980/90/00 16/2+5
garage inc 5/2
s&m 7/2
Worldwide Totals:
Metallica - 74,787,338
U2 - 160,5 million.
Note that Metallica didn't manage to cash in during their most popular era, and haven't really come back convincingly. The gap with any of the other bands on the list will be bigger in U2's favour.
Some random points:
Off the wall did not meet expectations, despite the ok-is singles success and some critical acclaim (does a grammy mean anything?). Most of its sales only came AFTER Thriller. They really tried everything, but back then black artists could not cross-over to white audiences yet. For
Thriller MJ's record company had to
blackmail MTV to get the
Beat It and
Billy Jean videos played.
U2, when recording their first songs, wanted to be like the Jam, the Police and the Clash, in terms of singles success, even contemplated being a singles only band. They quickly figured out it wasn't their thing, so they took a different route, building a live fan base and selling albums first and foremost. They used to mention the Jam a lot more than the Who, who obviously influenced the Jam. Note that neither the Who, nor the Police, nor the Clash can be found in the top 100, but the Police have sold as many albums as Coldplay and together they have sold as many as the Who.
Pure pop artists from Mariah (#3) to Madonna (#32) follow completely different rules anyway, there is no competition with real bands.
Having seen KoL live, I can only attest that they are talentless time wasters who produce the ultimate in faux alternative rubbish. They are not taking anyone's mantle, as they aren't even the new Matchbox 20 or Nickelback.
Coldplay are mind numbingly boring plagiarising MOR fools. I hope Joe Satriani takes them to the cleaners, gets their albums banned from sale, repossed from the public and destroyed, as well as a cease and desist order on them ever performing anything live.