No.1 on iTunes in 97 countries just three weeks ago, Taylor Swift's Reputation now leads the list in just four, with impetus now passing to U2's Songs Of Experience.
A companion release to 2014's Songs Of Innocence, Songs Of Experience is the Irish rock legends' 14th studio album, and was No.1 on iTunes in 45 countries as we went to press on Friday (December 1) just hours after its release.
How Songs Of Experience fares on official charts, we'll find out in the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile, Reputation continues atop the charts in Australia, Canada and The USA but loses leadership of the chart in Austria (1-3), New Zealand (1-4), Portugal (1-8), Switzerland (1-13) and Norway (1-16) while continuing to decline elsewhere.
Noel Gallagher is perched atop the UK albums chart for the third time since going solo with his latest High Flying Birds effort, Who Built The Moon?, taking pole position just seven weeks after brother and former Oasis colleague Liam's As You Were topped the list. Gallagher's album also opens at No.2 in Ireland, No.7 in Japan, No.12 in Italy, No.14 in Argentina, No.17 in Flanders and Germany, No.21 in The Netherlands, No.31 in Wallonia, No.37 in South Korea and No.50 in Sweden.
The Book Of Souls: Live Chapter commemorates Iron Maiden's lengthy world tour in support of their massively successful 2015 album The Book Of Souls, and debuted last week at No.5 in Germany, No.8 in Sweden, No.17 in Italy and The UK, No.21 in Flanders, No.23 in The Netherlands, No.32 in Wallonia, No.36 in Japan and No.46 in Ireland. It falls, in some cases enormously, in all of them but scores a raft of new debuts, opening at No.1 in Croatia, No.5 in Switzerland, No.7 in Spain, No.8 in Finland and Hungary, No.10 in Austria and Portugal, No.15 in Argentina and Greece, No.17 in Australia and The Czech Republic, No.19 in Norway, No.28 in Poland, No.35 in Slovakia, No.40 in France, No.44 in Canada and No.49 in The USA.
Fellow hard rock veterans Black Sabbath's The End - a recording of their final concert in their home city of Birmingham - charted in seven countries last week but made the Top 10 only in Germany, where it smashed its way to No.2. It falls to No.16 in that country this week but now debuts in Hungary (No.10), Austria (No.13), Poland (No.14), Switzerland (No.14), Norway (No.20), The Czech Republic (No.26), Slovakia (No.56) and France (No.153).
Up 10-3 in Croatia, 43-8 in Greece and 18-9 in South Africa, Sam Smith's second album, The Thrill Of It All, falls 1-2 in Denmark, the last remaining of the eight countries in which it reached No.1. It remains Top 10 in The UK (2-2), Norway (2-3), Sweden (2-3), The USA (2-3), Australia (4-5), Ireland (4-5), Canada (4-6), New Zealand (6-7) and Flanders (8-9).
Morrissey's 11th solo album in a career spanning nearly 30 years, Low In High School made the Top 10 in the UK and Ireland and charted in seven other territories last week. It is down in them all, but now debuts at No.18 in Austria, No.20 in The USA, No.36 in Spain and Switzerland, No.71 in France and No.81 in Australia.
Finally, the newly expanded edition of Little Mix's Glory Days triggers jumps of 46-3 in The UK and 33-8 in Ireland, and re-entries in The Netherlands (No.16), Flanders (No.23), Italy (No.56), Germany (No.77) and Wallonia (No.139) for the 2016 album.
