| 1 | A | B | C | D | E | F |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2 | List of best-selling albums in the United States - More than or equal to 20 million copies |  |  |  |  |  |
| 3 | Year | Artist | Album | Label | Shipments (Sales) | Certification |
| 4 | 1976 | Eagles | Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) | Asylum | 38,000,000 | 38× Platinum |
| 5 | 1982 | Michael Jackson | Thriller | Epic | 33,000,000 | 33× Platinum |
| 6 | 1976 | Eagles | Hotel California | Asylum | 26,000,000 | 26× Platinum |
| 7 | 1971 | Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin IV | Atlantic | 23,000,000 | 23× Platinum |
| 8 | 1980 | AC/DC | Back in Black | Atlantic | 22,000,000 | 22× Platinum |
| 9 | 1977 | Fleetwood Mac | Rumours | Warner Bros. | 20,000,000 | 20× Platinum |

Question: What was the best-selling album in the U.S. before Michael Jackson's Thriller, and for how long did it hold this record?
Answer: Their Greatest Hits was the best-selling album in the United States, and it stayed the best-selling album in the U.S. for some years (1971–1975), until it was surpassed by Michael Jackson's Thriller.