Longest time for an album to return to No.1 in the UK

Pink Floyd’s (UK) five-track masterpiece Wish You Were Here spent one week at No.1 on the UK Official Albums Chart on 4 October 1975. A 50th-anniversary CD/LP box set re-issue – featuring previously unreleased demos and mixes, alternate versions, live performances and a replica 7” single of “Have a Cigar” – returned the album to the top of the UK chart on 25 December 2025, 50 years 82 days (and 104 chart weeks) after its first reign.

Other re-issued album (all packaged with various bonus material) that have taken a significant number of years to return to No.1 on the UK Official Albums Chart include Abbey Road by The Beatles (49 years 252 days between 31 January 1970 and 10 October 2019), Goats Head Soup by The Rolling Stones (46 years 354 days between 29 September 1973 and 17 September 2020) and Exile on Main St. by The Rolling Stones (37 years 353 days between 10 June 1972 and 29 May 2010).

The revival of Wish You Were Here on the UK albums chart also saw Pink Floyd "shine on" as the act with the longest gap between their first and most recent No.1 album.