Charts analysis: Shed Seven score second No.1 album of 2024

Going for (Liquid) Gold: Seven acts with prior No.1s released new albums last Friday. Only one could debut at the chart apex – so it’s condolences to Nines, Ed Sheeran, Michael Bublé, Lady Gaga, The Lumineers and Gilbert O’Sullivan, and congratulations to Shed Seven, whose latest release, Liquid Gold, is a celebration of their trigesimal (30th) anniversary as a recording act, and in which they reimagine highlights from their catalogue in new, orchestral versions alongside new track All Roads Lead To You. Effecting a change in leadership of the chart for the ninth straight week, Liquid Gold racks up first week consumption of 25,622 units (14,955 CDs, 7,885 vinyl albums, 142 cassettes, 2,314 digital downloads and 326 sales-equivalent streams), arriving at the summit less than nine months after their sixth studio album, A Matter Of Time, earned the veteran alt-rock band their first ever No.1 on consumption of 17,756 copies. Shed Seven formed in York in 1990. Founder members Rick Witter, Paul Banks and Tom Gladwin and later recruits Tim Wills and Rob Maxfield are responsible for both A Matter Of Time and Liquid Gold, which earn Shed Seven the rare honour of securing two No.1 studio albums in the same calendar year. Several groups – including Led Zeppelin, Slade and Blue – have had two studio No.1s in a year, where one was a belated chart-topper from a previous year but the only groups to have two No.1 studio albums top the chart in the year of their release before Shed Seven are The Beatles and The Monkees. The Beatles did so in 1963, 1964 and 1965, whilst The Monkees did so in 1967, with their first two albums, The Monkees and More Of The Monkees (the first of these titles being a 1966 US release which didn’t come out here until 20 January 1967). Interestingly, the covers version of Liquid Gold – which was released in nine CD, 11 vinyl variants, one cassette plus several digital editions – includes Shed Seven’s take on You Can’t Do That, the original of which is on one of The Beatles 1964 No.1 albums, A Hard Day’s Night. Of the other acts with No.1 to their credit, the rest will be mentioned elsewhere in this column, but we should mention that The Lumineers’ concert set, Live From Wrigley Field, and Gilbert O’Sullivan’s Songbook – new versions of his old songs – fall short of the chart, on sales of 215 and 620, respectively. Had they pursued a different release strategy, it would likely be Bring Me The Horizon (BMTH) who would be celebrating their second No.1 album this week, rather than Shed Seven. BMTH’s seventh album, Post Human: Nex Gen, dropped digitally 18 weeks ago, debuting at No.5 on consumption of 10,250 units. It roars back onto the chart at No.2 this week, after being released physically for the first time, with consumption of 20,771 units including 7,763 CDs, 7,074 vinyl albums, 4,322 cassettes, 630 digital downloads and 982 sales-equivalent streams, and is five sales from becoming their eighth silver album with to-date consumption of 59,995 units. London rapper Nines’ sixth, and apparently final album, has the appropriate title Quit While You’re Ahead, and preserves his record of reaching the top five with every release, opening at No.4 (16,308 sales). Marking the end of his ‘mathematics era’, Ed Sheeran’s +--=÷× Tour Collection – which includes only previously released studio recordings, despite its title – becomes his eighth Top 10 album but the only one not to reach No.1, debuting at No.5 (12,285 sales). Dance, No One’s Watching is London-based jazz quintet Ezra Collective’s third album and their first Top 10 entry, opening at No.7 (9,966 sales). Their 2019 debut You Can’t Steal My Joy, peaked at No.70, and 2022 follow-up Where I’m Meant To Be reached No.24 when first released, and No.31 after it won the Mercury Music Prize the following year. The rest of the Top 10: Short n’ Sweet (2-3, 19,236 sales) by Sabrina Carpenter, The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess (3-6, 10,153 sales) by Chappell Roan, The Highlights (8-8, 7,483 sales) by The Weeknd, Time Flies: 1994-2009 (7-9, 7,132 sales) by Oasis and Hit Me Hard And Soft (11-10, 6,879 sales) by Billie Eilish. Blossom’s fourth No.1 album, Gary, beats a much hastier retreat from the summit than its predecessors, slumping to No.52 (2,694 sales). Also exiting the Top 10: The Tortured Poets Department (10-11, 6,395 sales) by Taylor Swift, Brat (9-12, 6,294 sales) by Charli XCX, In Waves (5-58, 2,567 sales) by Jamie xx, 143 (6-162, 1,295 sales) by Katy Perry and the now uncharted I Am (929 sales), No.4 last week for Tom Walker. Manchester rock quartet Pale Waves reached the Top 10 with their first three albums but fourth, Smitten, looks like missing out, debuting at No.13 (6,165 sales). Similarly, all seven prior albums by Newcastle alt-rock band Maximo Park have made the Top 15 but eighth effort, Stream Of Life, debuts at No.21 (4,545 sales). He has five No.1 albums under his belt, but Canadian crooner Michael Bublé’s 16th chart album - new compilation, The Best Of – occupies considerably lower ground on debut, opening at No.53 (2,666 sales). Lady Gaga also has five No.1s but similarly comes nowhere near a sixth with her surprise release Harlequin - a companion to the upcoming film Joker: Folie à Deux, in which she stars as Harley Quinn (sic). Comprises jazz standards and released only digitally at this stage, it delivers her 10th chart album, but has to settle for a lowly No.59 debut (2,547 sales). Also new to the Top 75: Mountain Music (No.46, 2,932 sales), the fourth and lowest charting album by Scottish singer/songwriter Nina Nesbitt; and You’ll Be Alright, Kid (No.47, 2,797 sales), the first album by 24-year-old Californian singer/songwriter Alex Warren. On the compilation chart, The Greatest Showman soundtrack is No.1 on consumption of 2,514 units (117 CDs, 49 vinyl albums, 43 digital downloads and 2,305 sales-equivalent streams), topping the list for the third week in a row, the 11th time this year, and 51st time in total. Overall album sales are up 2.80% week-on-week at 2,450,347 units, their highest level for 19 weeks and 10.58% above same week 2023 sales of 2,215,831. Physical product accounts for 345,453 sales, their highest level for 23 weeks, and 14.10% of the total.

Charts analysis: Sabrina Carpenter at No.1 on singles chart for 17th time in 2024

Already No.1 for more weeks in a calendar year than any female soloist in the 70-year history of the singles chart, Sabrina Carpenter tops the chart for the 17th time this year - actually, in the last 22 weeks – with Taste securing its fifth straight week at the summit on consumption of 53,149 units (635 digital downloads and 52,514 sales-equivalent streams). It thus matches the five weeks that Please Please Please spent at No.1 but still trails the seven weeks that her first chart-topper, Espresso, spent at the summit earlier this year. Last week we mentioned that Carpenter was only the third act in chart history to spend a minimum of four weeks at No.1 with their first three chart-toppers, emulating The Beatles and Wet Wet Wet. Upping that to five, only The Beatles have previously achieved it. We also mentioned last week that “Carpenter has now eclipsed Ariana Grande (15 weeks) to move second behind Ed Sheeran (23 weeks) for most weeks at No.1 in the 2020s”. We meant Olivia Rodrigo not Ariana Grande, so apologies for that. Of Sheeran’s 23 weeks, incidentally, only 16 were solo, the others being from collaborations, so Carpenter has now had more weeks at No.1 solo than any other act in a year in the 2020s. The last act to spend more weeks at No.1 solo in a year was still Sheeran, however. He spent 18 weeks at No.1 in 2017, 14 with Shape Of You and four with Perfect. Carpenter continues to have three songs in the top five, with the aforementioned Espresso remaining at No.3 (40,124 sales) and Please Please Please dipping 4-5 (36,197 sales). Chappell Roan remains Carpenter’s greatest threat, with introductory hit Good Luck, Babe! at No.2 (43,909 sales) for the second week in a row, and fourth time in total; while there are new peaks for her other concurrent hits, Hot To Go! (9-7, 28,986 sales) and Pink Pony Club (21-15, 18,798 sales). Die With A Smile continues to grow for Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, with a 4.33% expansion in consumption to 37,564 units hoisting it 5-4. After pausing at No.10 last week, Somedays also reaches a new peak, climbing to No.9 (26,892 sales) for Sonny Fodera, Jazzy & D.O.D. The rest of the Top 10: Backbone (6-6, 30,075 sales) by Chase & Status and Stormzy, Kisses (7-8, 28,720 sales) by Bl3ss, CamrinWatsin and Bbyclose and, climbing into the Top 10 for the third time, Guess (11-10, 24,993 sales) by Charli XCX & Billie Eilish. The Emptiness Machine departs the Top 10 after two weeks for Linkin Park, falling 8-12 (22,850 sales). Their highest charting single to date, peaking at No.4, it was the introductory hit from their upcoming album, From Zero, their first for seven years. A second track from the set – Heavy Is The Crown – debuts at No.66 (7,094 sales) becoming their 23rd hit. Californian singer/songwriter Alex Warren’s debut hit, Carry You Home, rallies 39-32 (13,278 sales) to surpass the No.36 peak it previously attained, and is joined in the chart by his new hit, Burning Down (No.35, 12,406 sales), the highest of five new entries to the chart this week. Warren’s first album, You’ll Be Alright, Kid (Chapter 1), is home to both singles plus near hits Save You A Seat (No.98) and Before You Leave Me (No.80), and is released today (27th). Also new to the Top 75: Speyside (No.70, 6,524 sales), the third hit for American indie/folk band Bon Iver; Teflon Don (No.72, 6,460 sales), the 33rd hit for rapper Future; and I Only Smoke When I Drink (87-73, 6,459 sales), the first hit for 29-year-old London DJ/producer Milo Harvey Hywel Evans as Nimino. Increasing consumption for the seventh week in a row, Gigi Perez’s viral first hit Sailor Song climbs to No.11 (23,847 sales) this week, after getting stuck at No.13 a week ago. There are also new peaks for: The Door (16-13, 20,715 sales) by Teddy Swims; I Love You, I’m Sorry (18-17, 17,662 sales) by Gracie Abrams; Embrace It (36-20, 16,970 sales) by NDotz; Wildflower (34-23, 15,186 sales) by Billie Eilish; Diet Pepsi (45-37, 12,322 sales) by Addison Rae; Keep Up (72-51, 8,725 sales) by Odetari; Disco (59-56, 8,209 sales) by Surf Curse; Too Cool To Be Careless (66-64, 7,257 sales) by Pawsa; and I Adore You (73-69, 6,579 sales) by Hugel, Topic & Arash feat. Daecolm. Christmas is now less than three months away, and Kelly Clarkson is one of the first off the starting blocks with new Christmas fare, releasing You For Christmas today (September 27). Already, however, the seasonal perennials are beginning to flex their muscles – and none more than Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You. Released 30 years ago next month, it increases consumption for the eighth week in a row, improving 13.86% to 1,750 units in the latest frame. This lifts its cumulative consumption to more than five million units – 5,001,461 to be precise. As such, it is the sixth biggest song of the last 30 years – behind Shape Of You (6,360,593) by Ed Sheeran, Mr. Brightside (5,903,563) by The Killers, Someone You Loved (5,723,849) by Lewis Capaldi, Perfect (5,504,332) by Ed Sheeran and Something About The Way You Look Tonight/Candle In The Wind (5,050,306) by Elton John - and the biggest by a female soloist. On a tangential theme, the only month that beats December for namechecks in the titles of hit songs is the one that draws to a close next Monday – September. Earth, Wind & Fire’s song of that title – No.3 in 1978 and No.25 in a new mix in 1999 – has seen a 31.21% increase in consumption in the first three quarters of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, and jumps 126-82 on the Top 200 Combined Tracks chart, with unadjusted consumption of 10,049 units this week. That is its highest tally since that 1999 revival, and owes much to a TikTok celebration last Saturday of 21 September, as mentioned in its lyrics. It is now just weeks away from being certified quadruple platinum for Kantar (Millward Brown) era consumption of 2.4m units, ending this week on 2,374,176. It is, incidentally, one of the lesser-known Christmas songs in a retitled 2014 mix which substitutes ‘25th night of December’ for ‘21st night of September’, and ‘Dancin’ in December’ for ‘Dancin’ In September’ but otherwise makes no concessions at all. Overall singles consumption is down 0.51% week-on-week to 29,072,774 units, 10.28% above same week 2023 consumption of 26,363,022 units. Paid-for sales are up 2.62% week-on-week at 298,070, 12.46% above same week 2023 sales of 265,057.

Charts analysis: Blossoms top 20,000 sales with fourth No.1 album and first indie release

Leadership of the album chart changes for the eighth week in a row, with melodic Manchester/Stockport indie quintet Blossoms’ fifth studio album, Gary, delivering their sixth Top ...

Analysis

subscribers only

Digital Discourse: Sammy Andrews on AI personalisation for artists

Deviate Digital CEO Sammy Andrews guides you through the ever-changing tech world... For many years, the dream of large-scale personalisation has tantalised bands, brands and marketers alike. The ...

Analysis

subscribers only

Centre Stage: Mark Davyd on why the government should support music mavericks

You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever is the debut album by Scottish post-punk band Orange Juice. Released in February 1982 via Polydor, it can’t be said that it ...

Analysis

subscribers only