Muse holding off any Resistance to top spot

10:36 | Tuesday September 15, 2009

The Helium 3/Warner Bros release is currently outselling its nearest six challengers combined with nearly 70,000 sales so far this week, according to early retail reports. The album appears almost certain to become the band’s third UK chart-topper.

Running it closest is Revelation, the newly-issued album from Peter Andre on the Conehead label, which is a few thousand sales ahead at this stage of the Roc Nation/Atlantic-issued The Blueprint 3 by Jay-Z, another new release this week. Other new entries to the Top 10 this coming weekend could come from Mercury’s Pixie Lott, David Gray with his Polydor debut, Roadrunner/Warner’s Porcupine Tree and Megadeth, and Vertigo/Mercury’s Mark Knopfler.

The spate of new entries will sweep away most of the existing Top 10, with the current number one, the Decca-issued Vera Lynn retrospective We’ll Meet Again – The Very Best Of, the only non new entry likely to retain a top five place. The four EMI-issued Beatles remastered albums that debuted in the Top 10 will also make significant drops, although at this point in the week they are still among the 20 biggest sellers.

The singles sector cannot quite match the album’s market hive of new release activity but there could well be two new entries in the top two led by Island’s Taio Cruz with Break Your Heart. It is presently more than 10,000 sales ahead of Celebration, the lead-off single from Madonna’s new Warner Bros best of.

The other big singles story is an expected double-digit climb into the top five by the Columbia-handled Shakira. Her single She Wolf on last Sunday’s chart was a new entry at 25.

Meanwhile, Mercury’s Pixie Lott, whose single Boys & Girls rose 73-1 on last Sunday’s chart, has a battle on to retain her top-five status.

Outside the 10 expect brand new entries from acts including Fueled By Ramen/Atlantic’s Paramore, Epic’s Paloma Faith and an EMI/Parlophone-issued Cliff Richard & The Shadows single to mark their farewell tour together.

The full midweek singles and albums charts are on Musicweek.com.