Forty Licks by The Rolling Stones becomes the band’s first set to reach three years — 156 weeks — on the U.K.’s Official Albums chart. CIRCA 1972: Rock and roll band “The Rolling Stones” pose for a portrait in circa 1972. (L-R) Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, Bill Wyman, Mick Taylor. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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In less than a month, the Rolling Stones will release a new album titled Foreign Tongues. The group’s upcoming twenty-fifth studio LP quickly follows Hackney Diamonds, which arrived in 2023. The Rolling Stones began promoting Foreign Tongues properly in early May by delivering the single “In the Stars,” though the rockers had actually quietly dropped “Rough and Twisted” under the pseudonym the Cockroaches in mid-April.
Before Foreign Tongues has a chance to reach the charts in the United Kingdom – where it will almost certainly hit No. 1 in a few weeks – a beloved compilation by the superstars helps the band reach a milestone it has never seen before.
The Rolling Stones Reach a Chart Milestone
Forty Licks from the Rolling Stones barely manages to hang on and find space on the Official Albums chart, the 100-space list of the most-consumed albums and EPs in the U.K. That tally blends both sales and streams to show what British music lovers are consuming, not only purchasing or streaming. Forty Licks dips to No. 98 as it reaches 156 weeks – exactly three years – on the competitive tally.
The Rolling Stones Have Never Hit This Figure
Forty Licks is the first release by the Rolling Stones to make it to three years on the Official Albums chart. Actually, it’s the only collection by the rockers to hang on for a year, let alone three.
The band’s self-titled debut effort, which hit the Official Albums chart in April 1964, came closest to a year, but missed out on that milestone by just one week. It remains the outfit’s second-longest-charting title. Another set named Rolled Gold: The Very Best of the Rolling Stones found space on the chart for 50 periods.
Forty Licks Benefits From Streaming
These days, a select group of popular albums – and especially compilations – tend to spend long stretches on the Official Albums chart due to a phenomenon that occurs in a number of nations. Many albums rosters include not only sales, but also streaming activity. Continued plays on collections like Forty Licks, as well as hugely popular traditional studio LPs, ensure that even if those projects aren’t selling very well, they can often rank among the 100 most consumed.
This change in how people listen to the music they love and in how the charts are compiled helps explain why it took one of the most famous bands of all time until 2026 – more than 60 years after the musicians first appeared on the Official Albums chart – to make it to a landmark that quite a few newer acts reached much more quickly.
The Rolling Stones Slip Slightly on Several Charts
Forty Licks appears on two rankings in the U.K. this week, and it descends on both of them. The compilation slides from No. 76 to No. 82 on the Official Albums Streaming chart. The fact that the compilation is counted among the 100 most-played on sites such as Spotify and Apple Music – but does not appear on any sales tallies – further highlights how it has been able to remain on the Official Albums roster for so long.
Forty Licks Nearly Reached No. 1
The Rolling Stones nearly nabbed another leader with Forty Licks on the Official Albums chart, but the compilation stalled in second place instead. The set did not perform nearly as well on the Official Albums Streaming rundown, where it peaked at No. 48. Despite that fact, Forty Licks is up to 147 weeks on the streaming list – less than 10 fewer when compared to the main albums ranking.