UK's first ever vinyl chart launched as sales surge

Britain's chart compiler on Monday launched the country's first official chart of vinyl records, reflecting a 20-year high in sales.

"We're delighted to launch the UK's first Official Vinyl Albums and Official Vinyl Singles charts on OfficialCharts.com," said Martin Talbot, the organisation's chief executive.

"With vinyl album sales up by almost 70 percent already this year, vinyl junkies could well have snapped up two million units by the end of this year," he added, a tenfold rise over six years.

Nearly 1.29 million vinyl LPs were sold in the UK in 2014, up from 780,674 the previous year. The figure surpassed sales for 1996, when 1.08 million vinyl records were sold at the height of the "Britpop" movement.

Vinyl sales hit a low in 2007, when just 205,292 units were shifted.

This year's first quarter figures reveal the top-vinyl sellers to be "Chasing Yesterday" by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, followed by Led Zeppelin's "Physical Graffiti" and "AM" by Artic Monkeys.

Gallagher's band also leads the year's single sales, with "Ballad of the Mighty" and "The Dying of the Light" occupying the top two spots.

US pop punk band Future Hearts top the weekly album chart with "All Time Low" while dance act Underworld scored the number one single with "Baby Wants to Ride".