Arctic Monkeys retain album chart crown
14 May 2007 - 09:37:36


Unexpectedly surviving the release of new albums from Travis and the Manic Street Preachers to spend a third week at number one, the Arctic Monkeys’ second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare sold 39,488 copies last week, to take its 20 day tally to 349,078, writes Alan Jones.

That’s enough to move it up to fifth place in the year to date table, behind Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black (600,825), Take That’s Beautiful World (535,704), Life In Cartoon Motion by Mika (453,061) and Yours Truly, Angry Mob by The Kaiser Chiefs (388,877).

While that’s an impressive achievement, its sales so far still trail the massive 363,735 first week tally of the Arctic Monkeys’ 2006 debut Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, and the fact that neither Travis nor the Manic Street Preachers - both acts with multiple platinum million sellers to their credit - were able to sell even 40,000 copies of their new albums on their first week in the shops underlines the frailty of the current market.

For the second time in as many weeks, the Manic Street Preachers snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Last week, their single Your Love Alone Is Not Enough surrendered its midweek lead to finish at number two, and this week their new album Send Away The Tigers does likewise. It was number one on all of the midweek sales flashes but its final sales of 38,769 place it just behind Favourite Worst Nightmare. The Manics’ 10th chart entry, it at least made a much better start than their last album, 2004’s Lifeblood, which debuted and peaked at number 13 on first week sales of 23,990, and has still sold fewer than 80,000 copies.

First single Closer surpassed its three immediate predecessors, reaching a peak of number 10, helping Travis to secure their sixth straight Top 10 success with new album The Boy With No Name, which sold 36,291 copies last week to debut at number four. The album brings Travis’ UK career album sales to 4,967,619, of which The Man Who sold 2,671,356 – more than half. However, its biggest debut came from follow-up The Invisible Band, which entered at number one in 2001 on sales of 199,697, compared to debut album, Good Feeling’s 7.746 start.

Dismissed by critics as “exceedingly odd, even for Bjork”, the Icelandic singer’s 2005 soundtrack album Drawing Restraint 9 was a rare commercial failure, reaching only number 141 on the album chart, and selling fewer than 8,000 copies. New album Volta finds her in more commercial mode, and debuts at number seven on sales of 20,456. It is her sixth Top 10 album, a span which takes in all of her regular album releases since leaving The Sugacubes. It includes collaborations with Timbaland, and Antony & The Johnsons lead singer Antony Hegarty.

A week after introductory single No Man’s Land peaked at number 43 to become her smallest hit since 1995, and spoil a run of 13 consecutive Top 40 singles for Beverley Knight, the British soul veteran’s new Music Soul City set still debuts at number eight on sales of 17,686. Knight’s 2006 compilation Voice: The Best Of, reached number nine, and has become her biggest album to date, with sales of more than 272,000. Her 2002 album Who Am I remains her highest charting set, reaching number seven on its way to sales of 233,000.

Album sales overall dipped by 6.6% last week to 2,040,939, and are perilously close to dipping back below the 2m mark. They were 7% down on same week sales of 2,195,218 in 2006. The singles market continues to be more robust, and improved last week by 9% to 1,475,938 units.

McFly return to claim their seventh number one from 12 releases since their 2004 debut. The trio’s latest hit, which sold 30,693 copies last week, is a double A-sided single containing their brand new version of Jellyfish’s 1991 number 51 single Baby’s Coming Back, and Transylvania, a track from their latest album, Motion In The Ocean. McFly’s haul of 21st century number ones equals that of Eminem, and is bettered only by Westlife, who have had nine. Outgoing champ Beyonce has had five, as have The Sugababes.

Despite its number one debut, the McFly single hasn’t helped their latest album, Motion In The Ocean, which has sold only 192,031 copies since release 27 weeks ago, and remains well outside the Top 200, with weekly sales counted in hundreds rather than thousands.

In a singles chart where, historically, a number one would claim 8-10% of total sales, downloads have radically altered the shape of the market, and McFly captured a minuscule 2.07% of the market with Baby’s Coming Back/Transylvania.

But it was enough to relegate Beyonce & Shakira to number two, after three weeks at the top. Their Beautiful Liar duet suffered a 16.8% reduction in sales to 25,129 but increases its cumulative tally to 155,698.

It just keeps getting better for Akon, whose latest single Don’t Matter was physically released last week, and responds by making another leap. The track has climbed for seven weeks in a row, moving 140-82-45-33-17-12-11-3 so far, while selling 59,982 copies, including 22,226 last week alone. Meanwhile, Akon’s Konvicted album ends a 10 week absence from the Top 20, and improves its chart placing for the sixth time in a row, moving 21-17 on sales of 9,133. Don’t Matter is Akon’s sixth straight Top Five hit as primary artist, his entire output.

After dithering in the teens for several weeks, What I’ve Done by Linkin Park was finally released physically last week and responds by becoming the highest charting of their 11 hits to date. Moving 39-13-15-18-17-6, the track sold 15,957 copies last week and is the first single from their third album, Minutes To Midnight, which is released today (Monday 14). Their previous highest charting hit, In The End, reached number eight in 2001, though its sales of 125,000 are dwarfed by the Linkin Park/Jay-Z mash-up Numb/Encore, which peaked at number 14 but has sold 236,000 copies.

Achieving a much higher position in the chart than they did in the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday when they finished joint 22nd out of 24, Scooch improve their tally of Top 40 hits to five, with Flying The Flag (For You). The band’s first single since 2000, it sold 16,491 copies last week to debut at number five, thus equalling their previous best, achieved in 2000 by More Than I Needed To Know. Despite its miserable showing in Helsinki, it is the highest charting Eurovision entry domestically since 1997, when Katrina & The Waves’ Love Shine A Light reached number three.

Meanwhile, a week after reaching number two, the Manic Street Preachers’ Your Love Alone Is Not Enough slides to number eight on sales of 12,965. Last week we erroneously suggested that it was the second consecutive MSP single to jump 26-2. What we meant to say was that it mirrors the move made by their last single, Empty Souls, which FELL 2-26, rather than climbed 26-2 as Your Love Alone Is Not Enough did last week.

Finally, Maroon 5’s Makes Me Wonder is number one in the airplay chart, and that exposure help it to win a number 19 debut on sales of 7,362 downloads. The first single from the band’s new album, It Won’t Be Soon Before Long, thus tops the peak positions of their last two singles. Although it will be hard pressed to beat This Love and She Will Be Loved, which peaked at three and four here respectively in 2004, Makes Me Wonder is already the band’s biggest hit in America, where it has topped the Hot 100 for the last fortnight

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Singles
01 McFly 30,693
02 Beyonce & Shakira 25,129
03 Akon 22,226

05 Scooch 16,491
06 Linkin Park 15,957
08 Manic Street Preachers 12,965
19 Maroon 5 7,362

Albums
01 Arctic Monkeys 39,488
02 Manic Street Preachers 38,769

04 Travis 36,291
07 Bjork 20,456
08 Beverley Knight 17,686
17 Akon 9,133