Journey's 'Greatest Hits' Scores Rare 800th Week on Billboard 200

Journey's Greatest Hits album has reached a rare plateau by notching its 800th week on the Billboard 200.

Only two other acts, Pink Floyd and then Bob Marley, have ever achieved this feat. Dark Side of the Moon got there in 2012, while Marley's Legend hit 800 weeks just last September.

Journey's Greatest Hits made its Billboard 200 debut back on Dec. 3, 1988, boasting a pair of Top 5 hits, four Top 10 hits, and three Top 20 hits — along with lower-charting must-have favorites like "Lights," "Any Way You Want It," "Send Her My Love" and "Wheel in the Sky." The LP peaked at No. 10 on Feb. 11, 1989; certification for 10 million in sales followed in 1999.

Fans weren't the only ones who found themselves putting these old favorites in perspective. "I forgot how good they were! The stereo separation, the echoes, the snare drum sounds," Steve Perry told the Tampa Bay Times after putting together a sequel, 2011's Greatest Hits 2. He added that Neal Schon's "guitar is stupidly amazing, and completely still to this day underrated in my opinion."

A 2006 reissue added "When You Love a Woman," Journey's 1996 No. 12 reunion smash — just before Greatest Hits returned to the charts again. The LP was certified 15-times platinum in 2008 and 18-times platinum back in January. By then, the formula for the Billboard 200 had changed – several times.

How the Billboard 200 Has Changed

Beginning in May 1991, catalog titles like the Journey compilation were largely deemed ineligible for the main album chart. That restriction was lifted in 2009. The Billboard 200 chart has since shifted to ranking the most popular LPs based on their so-called "overall consumption." This combines pure album sales and equivalent spins from streaming services.

Bob Marley's compilation has now logged 830 weeks on the chart. Though released in 1984, Legend didn't actually enter the Top 10 until 2014, when the LP soared to No. 5 after being priced at just 99 cents in the Google Play store.

Dark Side of the Moon remains the all-time leader with 989 weeks. Metallica's self-titled 1991 album is at No. 4 with 747 weeks. The Top 5 is rounded out by Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits by Creedence Clearwater Revival, which reaches 689 this week.

Nick DeRiso is author of the Amazon best-selling rock band bio 'Journey: Worlds Apart,' available now at all major bookseller websites.