The album became an instant success in the UK, being certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry two months after the album's release[1] and topping the UK Albums Chart for three weeks. It was also Buddy Holly's first number 1 album on the chart.[3] The album was somewhat less successful in the United States peaking at number 55 on the Billboard 200,[4] but ended up crossing over to the Country Albums chart, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1983.[5]
In 2003, it was ranked number 92 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,[6] maintaining the ranking in the 2012 update and dropping to number 166 in the 2020 reboot of the list.[7][8]
^ abWarwick, Neil; Jon Kutner, Tony Brown (2004). The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles & Albums, Third Edition. London: Omnibus Press. pp. 31, 516. ISBN1-84449-058-0.