The All-New Chart Updates Thread

[Si Hunt]

I was hoping we could have a dedicated thread for Matt to keep us updated with the mid-weeks and final chart rundowns every week.

So guys, who's going to be number 1 on Sunday by last reckoning?

Si.

[Pip Madeley]

Probably some chick with a synth squawking out an old Don Henley song in double time, backed (and I'm only guessing here) by an epileptic with a drum machine.

All sirens, whoops and whistles.

[Si Hunt]

And you could lock your door at night. And tea tasted like proper tea. And you still had enough left for a happeth of chips on the way home...

Si.

[Pip Madeley]

I remember the days when the DJ would just turn up at the disco, spin a few cuts, tell you his birthday was coming up and maybe ask the owner of a green Vauxhall Viva to shift it from the fire exit.

Now they don't even introduce the records.

[Milky Tears]

The Sun/Teletext were reporting HMV's guff about the battle for the top between The Beatles and Oasis, but Westlife's album is still out in front. Westlife are 14,000 ahead, according to NME.


Still looks like Take That are selling twice as much as Bunt.

[Simon R]

How can anyone in this day and age release an album called "The Love Album"? It smells of BO and fried food.

[Milky Tears]

The Sun started their Stop The C*cks campaign yesterday, but I fear it's too late to stop Westlife. Today's issue claims they are 15,000 copies ahead.

[Paul Clement]

Westlife will probably win out, but I predict it will be there album that ends up in the shops bargain bins and on boot fair stalls first.

[Milky Tears]

The Sun's Victoria Newton sounds even more bitter than me.


http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,4-2006540859,00.html

Westlife set to win chart race

November 25, 2006

TOMORROW will be remembered as The Day The Music Died.

William Hill have now stopped taking bets on whether PESTLIFE will beat OASIS to No1 when this Sunday’s album chart is revealed.

The latest midweek figures show the Oirish crooners have shifted 159,000 copies of their dreadful release The Love Album, while Oasis’ Stop The Clocks has sold 139,000. There’s still time for Oasis fans to prevent this grave miscarriage of musical justice if they mount a giant stampede on record stores up and down the country.

But I’d say it is less likely to happen than MICHAEL JACKSON taking over from KONNIE HUQ as the new Blue Peter presenter.

This week I risked a barrage of abuse from Westlife fans when I called on Bizarre’s loyal army of readers to help thwart the boy band. hitting No1 with my Stop The Clocks campaign. And while you put up a brave fight, I fear the end is nigh.

Tomorrow, barring divine intervention, I’m afraid De Loife will be crowned No1 — thereby sounding the death knell for British music as we know it.

They saw off rock’s Holy Trinity of THE BEATLES, U2 and Oasis in what will go down in pop history as Black Sunday — or should that be Sunday Bloody Sunday?

Perhaps it is now time for LIAM GALLAGHER to show his mettle and prove he really IS God and the saviour of rock ’n’ roll. Above I’ve conjured up a frightening image of how the future might look should the likes of Westlife and G4 conquer our once great nation.

Stools, cheesy covers and plastic grins will become obligatory for any budding rock star hoping to crack the British charts.

I’ve got my design wizards to mock up how BONO, PAUL McCARTNEY, Liam and NOEL GALLAGHER would look if they were forced to adopt the Westlife way.

I’m sure Britain’s stool manufacturers are rubbing their hands with glee.

What's the problem? Westlife only usually top the chart for one week. Oasis/something else will knock them off next Sunday.


I think Wet Wet Wet have still spent more weeks at the top of the UK singles chart... even though Westlife have had about eleven more number ones.

Their album chart performance is also a complete joke. About six weeks at number one with seven albums! Talentless ****ish gimps!

Sadly, it won't stop the OCC/VH1 having a "UK Number Ones Weekend/Countdown" and claiming that Westlife are "Bigger Than The Beatles" when they bag their 18th chart-topper sometime in 2008/09.

I'm still looking forward to Louis Walsh's death!!

[Dave Tudor]

I love Victoria Newton. :

[Larry]

well neither WestLife or Oasis has ever had much appeal to me so I certainly won't be rushing out to buy the cd's..

[Rob McCow]

It makes me so cross I could almost care!

After some of the neanderthal comments the Gallaghers have made this week, I'm glad their album won't be at No#1.

[Milky Tears]

Take That will keep them off as well. I forgot about them earlier.

[Matthew T]

Pleasing to see that Snow Patrol have now overtaken Arctic Monkeys to have the biggest selling album of the year.

[Milky Tears]

But Robbie Williams will pass them all to hit 2 million UK sales by the end of the year. That's what usually happens. Well, it would if folk were still buying his album in large numbers this year.

Will he make an "OMG!! Surprise Appearance!!" at the Take That w*nkathon on ITV1 next Saturday? Or will he turn up on The X Factor semis? A suicide attempt story on the front of the Sun before the end of the month? Anything to boost those sales for Crimbo.



Pity the Bunt. Was she really only 57 copies behind Akon?

That All Saints comeback has been worth it.

I am disgusted that Radio 1 only played 10 seconds of a track from Westlife's excellent new album!!

[Milky Tears]

Massive week for albums and a half of a massive sales report nabbed from Music Week:

Westlife tops healthy albums chart
Source: MW

Christmas finally arrived last week, with the latest in the blockbusting Now Thats What I Call Music series and albums from Westlife, Oasis, The Beatles and U2 principal players in giving sales a massive 38.7% boost week-on-week to 4,476,165, writes Alan Jones.

Easily the years highest sales tally, it is also 4.1% up on the same week in 2005, when 4,299,237 albums were sold. Artist album sales last week improved by 35.5% to 3,492,666, while multi artist compilations leapt forward by 51.6% to 983,499.

The biggest contribution to the latter and overall total came from Now! 65, which started slowly but eventually sold 235,804 copies; thats well down on the stellar 284,254 start made by Now! 62 in the same week last year but well up on the 197,098 start made by Now! 59 exactly two years ago. Now! 65 sold more than four times as many copies as the number two compilation, Pop Party 4, which dips 1-2 even as its sales increase by 25.6% to 54,322, the highest of its five week career.

The battle for artist album chart honours was the fiercest of the year. The four combatants - Westlife, Oasis, The Beatles and U2 - have previously scored 35 number one albums between them. The Beatles contributed 15 of them, followed by U2 (nine), Oasis (six) and Westlife (five).

After a closely contested battle, it was the band with the fewest number ones - Westlife - who emerged triumphant, selling 219,662 copies of The Love Album to debut at the summit. Their eighth album and sixth number one, it provided the years third highest tally for an artist album (behind The Arctic Monkeys and The Killers latest albums) and their own second best opening weeks sales, trailing only Coast To Coast, which opened in 2001 with sales of 234,767.

The Love Albums first week sales are only a little higher than Face To Face, which opened with sales of 216,879 last year.

Of the Irish groups previous albums, Allow Us To Be Frank, debuted at number three in 2004 with sales of 91,523. while chart-toppers Turnaround sold 154,169 in 2003, Unbreakable sold 187,940 in 2002 and World Of Our Own sold 178,106 in 2000. Westlifes 1999 self-titled debut opened at number two with 83,053 sales

Although Westlife were ahead all week, they were closely attended throughout by Oasis career-spanning Stop The Clocks compilation. Stop The Clocks actually outsold The Love Album on Saturday, when it was purchased by 38,904 buyers compared to The Love Albums 35,333.

Meanwhile, The Beatles; Love and U2s 18 Singles both attracted upwards of 100,000 punters, to ensure an all new top four for the third time in 2006. All comprising primarily of completely of previously released material, albeit (with a twist in the case of Love), the Oasis, Beatles and U2 albums provided 2006 sales highs for albums in second, third and fourth place.

Oasis six regular album releases all debuted at number one, but none of their three other albums has done so. Their oddsnsods set The Masterplan (1998) peaked at number two, their live album Familiar to Millions (2000) reached number five and Stop The Clocks, debuts at number two this week, on sales of 213,289.

Thats the highest sale for a number two album this year, beating the previous best by Andy Abrahams Impossible Dream (176,689). A Stop The Clocks EP sold 20,858 copies and would have entered the singles chart at number four last week but was ineligible, as it contained four songs.

Love - George and Giles Martins widely acclaimed mash-up of Beatles tracks to accompany Cirque De Soleils Las Vegas show - got off to a brisk start last week, selling 173,517 copies to debut at number three. Its the Beatles 26th Top 10 album; among groups only The Shadows have had more (27), though 16 of them were as Cliff Richards backing band. Love made a much brisker start than Let It Be Naked, which opened at number seven exactly three years ago on sales of 54,558. The Beatles hits compilation 1 is the 21st centurys fifth biggest album, with sales of 2,700,996 to date.

Home to current single and Green Day collaboration The Saints Are Coming, the newly recorded Window In The Skies and 17 other tracks (making a total of 19 in all despite its title), U2s 18 Singles album debuts at number four on sales of 101,083. Its U2s 18th chart album, and their first single disc compilation, though Best Of 1980-1990 (available as a two disc regular edition, and three disc set including B sides) has sold 1,919,678 copies since 1998, and Best Of 1990-2000 (ditto) has sold 871,765 since 2002.

The arrival of four high profile debuts at the same time as a big improvement in the overall market meant that many albums increased sales but slipped down the chart.

The Sound Of Girls Aloud was the first such example, falling 4-7 while its sales climbed 10.2% week-on-week to 54,639, while Razorlights self-titled set is another faller in the Top 10, declining 7-9 with sales up 7.1% at 40,818.

Top 10 titles not mentioned above all have declining sales: George Michael;s Twenty Five is down 1-5 with sales of 73,681; Janiroquais High Times compilation ebbs 2-6 on sales of 55,150; The Sugababes Overloaded migrates 3-8 on sales of 45,991; and Angelis self-titled debut falls 5-10 on sales of 39,463.

Robbie Williams Rudebox continued its rapid descent, falling 14-20 although it sales improved 3.4% to 26,854.

Now the biggest selling album of 2006, Snow Patrols Eyes Open saw its sales rise by 35.9% to 35,911 while it stalled at number 12.

Senegal born, US raised Akons debut album Trouble made its maiden chart appearance at number 31 on sales of 9,132 in February 2005, topped the chart 11 weeks later, and has subsequebtly sold 500,000 copies. Despite the fact that first single Smack That (with Eminem) topped the chart last week, Akons second album Konvicted is also making a sluggish start, debuting at number 22 on sales of 23,761. In America, where Akon singles occupy both of the top two places on the Hot 100, Konvicted debuts at number two.

Other new entries to the Top 75: The Fron Male Voice Choir - 60 strong and with an average age of over 60 - make a robust debut at number 13 on sales of 35,762;; The Foo Fighters debut at number 35 with Skin And Bones on sales of 17,363 four years after earning their only number one album with One By One; Jools Hollands latest, Moving Out To The Country, sold 14,080 copies and arrives at number 45; Tom Waits triple disc set Orphans sold 11,958 copies, good enough for a number 48 placing; The Carpenters Ultimate Collection sold 10,767 copies to debut at number 53, a notch ahead of Bolton Swings Sinatra, Michael Boltons jazz-styled tribute to old blue eyes,, which sold 10,751 copies; The Very Best Of Gloria Estefan, in at number 57 with 9,510 sales; metal mayhem at number 64 with Killswitch Engages As Daylight Dies moving 7,532 copies; The Corrs latest compilation Dreams - The Ultimate Collection sneaks in just above the bar with sales of 7,243 earning it a lowly number 67 debut.

Meanwhile, any thoughts Matt Willis might have had that appearing in Im A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! would raise his profile and chart status are sorely and surely dashed by the number 66 debut of his solo set Dont Let It Go To Waste on sales of 7,252. Willis, Lest we forget, Willis was a member of Busted, who sold 2,658,700 copies of their two studio and one live albums, and his two solo singles Up All Night and Hey Kid, peaked at seven and 11, respectively.

A final note on albums: All of the top 56 artist albums sold more than 10,000 copies last week, compared to 48 the previous week, while it required 5,805 sales for One Voice by Michael Ball to prop up the Top 75, 41.5% higher was required for Frank Sinatras My Way to hold the same position a week ago.

Now 65 would be number one....



if they hadn't split the album chart back in 1989.

[Milky Tears]

Bunton woz robbd!!

Westlife tops healthy albums chart
Source: MW

The album markets dramatic improvement contrasts with a modest 1% hike in singles sales to 1,335,008, even though the new number one Patience by Take That - sold 61,978 copies, a tally beaten only by singles from Gnarls Barkley and The Scissor Sisters so far this year.

Securing the ninth number one of their career and the fifth in a row - albeit more than 10 years after the fourth - Take That jump 4-1 with Patience on sales, as mentioned above, of 61,978. Thats the highest weekly sale for a number one for 11 weeks. The first single from Take Thats eagerly awaited new album Beautiful World, which is out today (27th), Patience is their first ever climber to number one - all of their previous chart-toppers debuted in pole position.

This years Children In Need single, Downtown by Emma Bunton, sold 30,582 copies last week, and sprints 24-3 as a result. Of six previous Children In Need singles this century, all but one peaked higher. Shane Ritchie (2003) and Will Young (2002), reached number two, while Girls Aloud (2004) and S Club 7 (2001 and 2000) reached number one. Last years Night To Remember by Liberty X could climb no higher than number six. Downtown is a cover of Petula Clarks 1964 numbet two hit, and provides Buntons eighth solo hit.

Buntons single held second place all week, but was finally relegated to third spot when Akon & Eminems Smack That had a better Saturday and sneaked ahead, on sales of 30,639.

Elsewhere in the Top 10, dipping sales mean lower positions for Justim Timberlakes My Love (down 2-4 on sales of 21,718), Westlifes The Rose (3-5, 16,686), Beyonces Irreplaceable (5-6, 16,472), Fedde Le Grands Put Your Hands Up For Detroit (6-7, 13,928) and All Saints Rock Steady (7-8, 11,202). Girls Aloud and The Killers re-enter the Top 10 with Something Kinda Ooooh! And America moving 12-9 and 14-10 on sales of 10,583 and 10,571, respectively.

Red Hot Chili Peppers secure their 20th Top 40 hit with Snow (Hey Oh), which jumps 50-16 this week on sales of 7,804. Its the third single from the bands Stadium Arcadium album, following Dani California (number two) and Tell Me Baby (also number 16). The album spent three weeks at number one in May/June, and climbs 65-62 this week on sales up 40.4% at 7,888. It has sold 598,809 copies since its release 29 weeks ago, and is the years ninth biggest seller.

Climbing 87-27 on sales of 4,311, Who Knows is the fourth single from Pinks album, Im Not Dead, but is fully released and unlikely to progress any further, making it the lowest charting of her 16 hits to date. Previous singles from Im Not Dead - Stupid Girls, Who Knew, and U & UR Hand - all charted much higher, reaching four, five and 10, respectively. Im Not Stupid is doing well, moving 28-25-24-18 in the last three weeks, while increasing its sales to 534,190 (including 27,846 last week) to beat 2003 predecessor Try This, which has sold 486,132 copies.

Finally,download sales alone provide Nelly Furtados All Good Things (Come To An End) with a number 13 debut.. Furtados ninth hit in total, it s the third from her current album Loose, and sold 9,363 copies. It helps Loose to rebound 45-36 on the album chart on sales of 17,181. The album will pass 300,000 sales on Tuesday, and is already a much bigger seller than Furtados last album, Folklore.

That's easily the longest Music Week report I've ever read! Online or in the mag!!

[Matthew T]

Singles

1 Take That
2 Akon
3 Booty Luv
5 Nelly Furtado

Top 10
Muse

Top 15
11 Fratellis - 15 copies behind Razorlight at 10
Killers

Top 30
Chasing Cars would be 22!
Fish Go Deep
Damien Rice

Top 40
Get Cape Wear Cape Fly
LostProphets
Mariah (All I Want For Christmas) would be 39
Fratellis *re entry*

Top 50
Jamelia *downloads*

Top 90
Scissor Sisters *downloads*

Albums
1 Take That (4k lead & just under 50k sales)
2 Oasis
3 Il Divo
4 Westlife
5 Beatles

Top 15
G4

Top 20
Katie and Peter

Thats poor for Jamelia and Scissor Sisters. The new SS single is incredibly dull though.

[Milky Tears]

Matt's back!

Didn't want it to look like I was hijacking your thread.



Looks like Take That and Oasis are heading for about 150-200,000 by the end of the week. Il Divo will probably take them all, though.

[Dave Tudor]

I'll never be a big fan of Take That, but I have to say well done to them for getting their first number one in ten years and proving their longevity. To be fair, it's not a bad song, either.

I can find nothing good to say about W*nklife, though - beating U2, Oasis and The Beatles to number one proves there is no justice in the world. There's just no excuse for it - I just find them truly, truly hateful.

[Simon R]

On the one hand I applaud Westlife for breaking the "three albums then out" rule that most pop acts live by. This is what, the 8th year of their career and they seem to be more popular than ever where as many other acts have long since falled by the wayside. Or Westside. There's clearly a demand for them and if they were having reasonable selling top 40 albums and the occasional top 10 hit I wouldn't mind...but to be on course to have had the most number ones of any act is just depressing. If they were original songs then it wouldn't be so bad but surely more than half their hits have been covers and the other half dreary identikit ballads, with one or two actually decent uptempo exceptions.

So I say good on them for still going but boo and hiss for being so popular.

[Milky Tears]

Take That are still top of both charts and I think Il Divo might've passed Oasis by now. They've been closing the gap all week.

[Milky Tears]

Take That top the album chart, Il Divo enter at two, Oasis at three and Westlife down to foreskin (probably Louis')...

The Fron Male Voice Choir's 'Voices of the Valley' climbs into the top ten, Katie and Peter make the top twenty and Girls Aloud are still in the top ten.







Apologies for replying to my own post again!

[Matthew T]

Il Divo were only 2,000 copies behind Take That!

166,000 v 168,000.

[Matthew T]

Where do you go for your chart info anyway James, are you a member on CHC?