As per DrPepper at chart-refugees, MJ probably performed best of all releases last week with the Thriller Box selling for £9.99 generating £59,940 of sales and DSTYGE selling at £4.99 generating £32,480 for a total of £92,420!
If Madonna sold at an average price of £2.49 then she generated £91,950 - however with downloads the average price is likely to be lower.
UK
Number Ones - UK Top 200 Album Chart
Week #93 (19/02/06): #59
Week #94 (26/02/06): #52
The Essential (2 CD) - UK R&B Album Chart
Week (26/02/06): #40
"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - UK Top 50 Singles
Week #01 (26/02/06): #17
Source: Music Week
With the effect of The Brits waning, Valentine's Day behind us and cold weather affecting much of the country, sales of albums dipped by 20.8% to 2,341,112 last week, marginally ahead of the year's lowest tally and exactly 3% down on the same week last year, writes Alan Jones.
Taking advantage of a soft market, Jack Johnson surfs 6-1 with In Between Dreams, which increased its sales by 22.2% last week to 46,749, and tops the list for the first time on its 44th appearance in the Top 75.
The album was released a year ago this week, and sold 8,915 copies that week to debut at number 48. Its cumulative sales now stand at 701,917.
Three ot her albums by Johnson climb this week - On And On (63-51), Brushfire Fairytales (74-57) and the Curious George soundtrack (73-69). Johnson's success come a week after he reached number one in America for the first time with the Curious George soundtrack. In Between Dreams peaked at number two in the US behind 50 Cent's The Massacre last March.
In an unsually tight top five, where Johnson's sales narrowly shaded former chart champs The Arctic Monkeys (46,011), KT Tunstall (43,814), The Kaiser Chiefs (42,227) and Neil Diamond (40,338).
Diamond is one of only three acts to have a new album debut on the Top 40 this week - and all are over 60 years old.
At 65, Diamond is the oldest, and his 12 Songs album is his highest charting album of new material since 1980, when his Jazz Singer soundtrack reached number three. As its tritle suggest, 12 Songs comprisies a dozen new Diamond compositions. It is the veteran singer's 37th chart album since Gold provided him with his first taste of success in 1971, and marks a major improvement on his last studio album, 2001's Three Chord Opera, which peaked at number 49, and has thus far sold only 20,779 copies.
Joining Diamond in the pensioners pop bonanza, 60 year old Dolly Parton debuts at number 35 with the covers set Those Were The Days, while 61 year old Ray Davies, best known as the Kinks' lead singer, follows a place behind with his solo debut Other People's Lives.
One of country music's finest singer/songwriters in her own right, Parton's new album Those Were The Days is a set of covers, many performed as duets with the artists for whom they were originally hits. Thus Mary Hopkin appears on the title track, Kris Kristofferson assists on Me & Bobby McGee and Judy Collins harmonises on Both Sides Now. The result, apart from a pleasing album, is a number 35 debut for Parton this week, on sales of 6,438. Those Were The Days is Parton's 11th chart album.
Although a volatile relationship with brother and fellow band member Dave often threatened to tear the Kinks apart, the group's writer, singer and pivotal member Ray Davies stayed true to the band for more than 40 years, never releasing a solo album - until last week, when he released Other People's Lives, an excellent selection of new songs, which attracted 6.079 buyers, and debuts at number 36 as a result. Davies has piloted The Kinks to 14 chart albums, starting with their self-titled debut, which reached number three in 1964.
Meanwhile, after consecutive number four hits with Lay Your Hands and No Worries - the first two singles from his platinum album Sanctuary - former Blue boy Simon Webbe has to settle for a number 16 debut for third single After All This Time this week on sales of 6,627. Webbe's album, however, jum ps 18-13 to claim the highest position of its 15 week chart career, and increases sales for the sixth week in a row to 21,189, taking its overall sales to 417,855.
Singles sales held up fairly well last week, falling 0.77% to 1,114,519, with Top 10 debuts for new singles by Madonna, Corinne Bailey Rae, Westlife and The Darkness. Sales at the very top were higher, with Madonna's Sorry making its expected debut at number one, with sales 9.8% higher than retiring chart champ Meck's Thunder In My Heart recorded a week ago.
Madonna's last single, Hung Up, was one of her biggest hit singles yet, and her first to spend 10 weeks in the Top 10. Follow-up Sorry sold far fewer than the Hung Up did on its first week (36,928 compared to 105,128) but still outpaces all other singles to become Madonna's 60th hit and 12th number one, moving her ahead of Melanie C, with whom she previously shared the honour of being the femal e artist with most number ones.
Madonna's span of number one is also the best for a female, with 20 years, seven months and a day elapsing since Into The Groove became her first number one in 1985.
Leeds lass Corinne Bailey Rae is one of the most hotly tipped artists for a long time. Her introductory single Like A Star didn't make a huge impression when it was released last October, reaching number 34 on first week sales of 3,114 but follow-up Put Your Records On explodes onto the list at number two this week, on sales of 26,271. Bailey Rae's self-titled debut album is out today (27th), having won massive critical acclaim and is expected to make a similarly large splash.
Westlife's unprecedented opening run of top five smashes rises to 20 this week, as new single Amazing debuts at number four on sales of 16,316. It's the third single from the group's current album Face To Face, following t he number one You Raise Me Up and When You Tell Me That You Love Me, a duet with Diana Ross, which got to number two. Face To Face dips 49-50 this week, the lowest position of its 17 week chart career, but sales of 4,124 take its cume to 1,200,923.
The Darkness' new single Is It Just Me debuts at number eight. While that equals the debut/peak of their last single One Way Ticket, its sales (9,326) are 32% down on the 13,637 copies that One Way Ticket required for the same result last November. The One Way Ticket To Hell And Back album - home to both singles - remains absent from the Top 75 for the ninth week in a row , slipping 78-79 on sales down 17.7% at 2,593, while its cumulative sales at 184,036, are barely more than an eighth of those of their barnstorming debut, Permission To Land.
Finally, and to the surprise of most observers, there is no place in the Top 10 for Michael Jackson.
If the idea of the series of Jackson reissues was to give the so-called King Of Pop the same sort chart presence that King Of Rock (and, in a strange way, his late father in law) Elvis Presley achieved last year, when his catalogue registered 17 top five hits in as many weeks, it all went horribly wrong last week, when the first single in the campaign, Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough sold a mere 6,509 copies to debut at number 17. The simultaneously released Thriller - not chart eligible as it includes a collector's box to house the remaining releases in the series - fared even worse, with sales of exactly 6,000.
Singles
01 Madonna 36,928
02 Corinne Bailey Rae 26,271
04 Westlife 16,316
08 The Darkness 9,326
16 Simon Webbe 6,627
17 Michael Jackson - Don't Stop 6,509
Michael Jackson - Thriller 6,000 (NCQ)
Albums
01 Jack Johnson 46,749
02 Arctic Monkeys 46,011
03 KT Tunstall 43,814
04 Kaisers 42,227
05 Neil Diamond 40,338
13 Simon Webbe 21,189
35 Dolly Parton 6,438
36 Ray Davies 6.079
50 Westlife 4,124
79 Darkness 2,593
http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/charts/comment.html
CHART COMMENTARY from JAMES MASTERTON
27/02/06
from uk.launch
See, I told you things were about to get busier. Seven Top 20 new entries are capped off by a brand new Number One single this week - and who else could it be?
Hard on the heels of 'Hung Up', (itself still a Top 20 hit) comes Madonna's second single from 'Confessions On A Dance Floor' in the shape of 'Sorry'. The track continues her current disco vibe albeit without any Abba samples this time around and despite the acclaim heaped upon its predecessor this in some small way is actually the superior pop record. The track gives the legendary star her 12th Number One single in all and for the second time this decade she clocks up back to back chart-toppers ('American Pie' and 'Music' in 2000 being the last occasion). As any chart student should know, only four other acts have had more Number One singles than Madonna. Westlife are just ahead on 13, Cliff has had 14, The Beatles 17 whilst Elvis remains the all-time King with his run of three last year taking him to 21 in total.
Whilst Madonna then doesn't really need any more Number One singles it is actually a shame to see her this week outsell someone who really does deserve one. Corinne Bailey Rae began her career as a member of mid-90s indie rockers Helen but in recent months has been the name to drop just about everywhere as potentially one of the biggest new stars of the year. Her first single 'Like A Star' barely grazed the Top 40 when it was released back in October but since then her stock has risen somewhat. Second single 'Put Your Records On' charges into the chart to land smack at Number 2 and in a very nice way proves all the hype correct. The single itself is a fabulously breezy slice of British soul, Rae's voice eeriily reminiscent of Macy Gray's but with the added benefit that it is less grating to listen to over a period of time. This isn't pop or even R&B but somehow manages to be far and away the coolest Top 3 hit we've heard so far this year.
The tedium of every single Westlife release flying to Number One is now long behind us but the Irish group still have an amazingly consistent chart record. This week they reach yet another milestone with their 20th consecutive Top 5 hit as 'Amazing' becomes the third single from their current album 'Face To Face' to hit the charts. Yes, the single is nothing we haven't heard before and in fact set against the Corinne Bailey Rae track just above it sounds almost cloyingly plastic, not that their many fans seem to care.
The final Top 10 new entry this week goes to The Darkness who it appears have some catching up to do if they are to live up to the success of their 2003 debut album 'Permission To Land'. Despite the title track managing a solid Number 8 chart placing when released last November, their album 'One Way Ticket To Hell And Back' has sold next to bugger all in comparison with its predecessor and is currently sitting comfortably at the very bottom of the album chart. Hence you suspect a lot is riding on its second single 'Is It Just Me' which this week also slips into the chart at Number 8. The single sees the group in reflective mood on a mid-tempo rock track which sees them sounding more like Queen than ever and comes complete with their usual tongue in cheek trademarks - right down to the lavish video that winds up with Justin Hawkins marrying himself. It's nothing that is going to set the charts on fire though and you can't help get the feeling that whilst we still like The Darkness we don't find them as amusing as we did - and that is to the detriment of their appeal.
After opening his account with two rather fine Top 5 singles (his last single 'No Worries' being the kind of underrated pop song that has the capacity to send chills up your spine) Simon Webbe has to content himself with a minor Top 20 placing for third single 'After All This Time' which lands at Number 16. In truth it is as much as the single deserves for whilst it attempts to play up the sotto voce strengths of the voice of the former boy band star, the production errs on just the wrong side of dull to have anything more than a passing appeal.
Just below Simon Webbe though is possibly one of the more fascinating releases of the week. Aside from the more fanatical element of his fanbase (those who mistakenly believe liking his music has to go hand in hand with an unquestioning approval of his lifestyle) Michael Jackson has a huge problem on his hands. Not even the very worst elements of the "MJ" character the press created for him in the 80s came close to the damage done to his personal reputation by his child abuse trial last year. Acquitted he may have been but the questionable nature of his friendships with little boys and the revelations into his personal habits would normally be more than enough to finish the career of any celebrity.
His one lifeline is the fact throughout his career it was always possible to set aside MJ the man and concentrate on Michael Jackson the performer who through most of the 80s and 90s was sublime. He didn't become a superstar through sleeping in oxygen chambers and keeping chimps, he did so by making some of the best selling albums of all time. Hence a neat way of reminding people of this is to take a leaf out of his late father in law's book and re-release much of his back catalogue one week at a time in some form of collectible set. So it is that last week the "MJ Visionary" series launched.
As with the Elvis collection last year, the opening week of the campaign saw two releases. First came 'Thriller' which as it was accompanied by a box to collect the entire set of discs in was chart ineligible. Alongside it is 'Don't Stop Til You Get Enough', originally a Number 3 hit in 1979 and the first release of his post-Motown solo years, kicking off the campaign for his first solo album proper 'Off The Wall'. However whereas all the Elvis Presley re-releases charged into the Top 10 at the very least, this first Jackson single limps rather miserably into the Top 20 with barely 6,000 copies sold. Whilst at first sight this doesn't bode well for future releases, it is worth remembering that the major selling point of these reissues is that they are all on double-sided discs with the CD single on one side and the DVD of the video on the other. Once we get into the 80s and see the likes of 'Beat It' and 'Bad' start to appear, the appeal of the singles is likely to grow. Here's hoping anyway - Jackson needs people to forget the little boys and concentrate on how good he used to be before he can even consider asking the public to buy some new material. This should be an interesting few months.
Before we finish this week it is worth noting the activity at the lower end of the Top 40 which sees a sprinkling of new entries from the rather more credible end of the musical spectrum. First up at Number 19 are Reading band Morning Runner who finally make the Top 20 with their third single release. Debute hit 'Gone Up In Flames' hit Number 39 back in August but their second single 'Be All You Want Me To Be' could only limp to Number 44 back in October. This breakthrough chart hit bodes well for the release of their debut album which is set for release next week.
Just below at Number 21 are Maximo Park who are still struggling to break out of the midrange. Their last single was the re-released 'Apply Some Pressure' which hit Number 17 but their latest single (the sixth of their career so far) 'I want You To Stay' now becomes their first to miss the Top 20 since their chart breakthrough at the start of last year. 'Graffiti' remains their biggest hit for now, charting at Number 15 back in May 2005.
Just below are The Delays who must surely have been hoping for a slightly better showing for new single 'Valentine'. The single is taken from their much-anticipated second album and is their fifth Top 40 hit so far. Their best run of hits to date came back in 2004 when the 'Faded Seaside Glamour' album yielded a string of hits, the biggest being 'Long Time Coming' which hit Number 16 - a chart peak which must surely at the very least have been the target for 'Valentine'.
Finally just to give the Americans a look-in are We Are Scientists who notch up a second UK Top 40 single with the followup to 'The Great Escape' which sneaked a look at Number 37 in October last year. Just to prove that you should never try to be too prescient with your song titles, 'It's A Hit' does only slightly better and breaks the Top 30 with a Number 29 entry point.
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/articl...t_id=1002075320
Madonna, Jack Johnson Take Lead On U.K. Charts
February 27, 2006, 10:40 AM ET
Paul Sexton, London
Madonna's "Sorry" (Warner Bros.) became her second consecutive U.K. No. 1 single from the album "Confessions on a Dance Floor" yesterday (Feb. 26), while Jack Johnson's "In Between Dreams" (Brushfire/Island) surged to No. 1 in its 44th week on the album chart. "Sorry" hit the top even as its predecessor "Hung Up" continues to hold down a place in the U.K. top 20, where it fell 16-20 in its 16th chart week.
Runner-up to Madonna, in a spectacular chart feat for an artist largely unknown six months ago, is "Put Your Records On" (Good Groove/EMI) by singer/writer Corinne Bailey Rae, which enters at No. 2. The 26-year-old's self-titled EMI debut album is out today; her first headlining U.K. tour begins March 27.
Britain's No. 1 single for the last two weeks, "Thunder in My Heart Again" (Apollo/Free 2 Air) by Meck featuring Leo Sayer, fell to No. 3, while Irish hitmakers Westlife returned at No. 4 with "Amazing" (S/Sony BMG). The Darkness, whose sophomore album "One Way Ticket to Hell...And Back" (Atlantic) has been a sales disappointment, nevertheless scored a second top 10 hit from it with "Is It Just Me" at No. 8, the same peak achieved by "One Way Ticket" in November.
Sony BMG's Dual Disc campaign of Michael Jackson reissues, "Visionary -- The Video Singles," which will feature limited edition re-releases of his classic tracks and their video clips between now and June, proved initially less successful than the company's previous Elvis Presley series. The first release, "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," only managed a No. 17 debut.
On the album chart, the Johnson set raced 6-1 to end Arctic Monkeys' four-week reign with "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" (Domino), which dropped to No. 2. Last week, sales of "In Between Dreams" doubled following his Feb. 15 victory in the best international breakthrough act category at the BRIT Awards. Another winner that night, K.T. Tunstall, continues to see sustained sales for the album "Eye to the Telescope" (Relentless/Virgin), which was up 4-3 in its 57th chart week.
There was also an impressive chart return for Neil Diamond. "12 Songs" (Columbia), which came out last fall in the United States but was held for U.K. release until last week, entered at No. 5. That's Diamond's best-ever ranking in the U.K. for an album of new studio recordings. He also hit No. 5 in the summer of 1996 with "The Ultimate Collection" and No. 1 in 1992 with "The Greatest Hits 1966-1992"; his last top 10 album of new songs was "Primitive," which reached No. 7 in 1984.
Further down the chart, there was a No. 35 entry for Dolly Parton's "Those Were The Days" (EMI) and a first-ever solo appearance on the album chart for Kinks frontman and songwriting giant Ray Davies, with "Other People's Lives" (V2) at No. 36.
James Blunt's "Back to Bedlam" (Atlantic) is No. 1 for a sixth consecutive and seventh aggregate week on the European Top 100 Albums chart, while "Nasty Girl" (Bad Boy/Atlantic) by the Notorious B.I.G. with P. Diddy, Nelly, Jagged Edge and Avery Storm reaches the top of the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles survey after holding at No. 2 for four weeks.
