Charts analysis: Elbow make it a hat-trick of No.1 albums

Leadership of the album chart changes for the ninth straight week, with Elbow’s eighth studio album, Giants Of All Sizes, becoming their third in a row to debut at No.1, on first week consumption of 27,257 copies (including 1,554 from sales-equivalent streams). It also debuts atop the vinyl and cassette album charts, with sales of 3,584 and 206, respectively. The Bury quartet previously topped the chart with Little Fictions selling 39,643 copies on debut in February 2017, and The Take Off And Landing Of Everything opening at No.1 on sales of 46,211 copies in March 2014. Elbow's fifth studio album, Build A Rocket Boys! secured their highest yet first week sale of 78,177 in 2011, when it was No.2 behind Adele's 21. Their fourth album, The Seldom Seen Kid, debuted and peaked at N0.5 on sales of 28,276 copies in 2008 - beating 2001’s Asleep In The Back (No.14 debut/peak, 10,656 first week sales), 2003’s Cast Of Thousands (No.7, 19,024), and 2005’s Leaders Of The Free World (No.12, 20,560) - and remains by far their biggest seller, with a to-date tally of 1,104,100, more than nine times as many as Little Fiction’s to-date tally of 121,046 sales. Elbow frontman Guy Garvey’s only solo album, Courting The Squall, in 2015. It debuted and peaked at No.3 on first week sales of 11,748, which have since climbed to 62,821. Its sales having fallen in each of the previous 12 weeks that followed its debut at No.1, Ed Sheeran’s No.6 Collaborations Project increased consumption a modest 6.33% week-on-week, and climbs 3-2 (13,001 sales). Soundtrack sets Bohemian Rhapsody (12-7, 5,778 sales) by Queen and The Greatest Showman (15-9, 5,350 sales) return to the Top 10. The rest of the Top 10: Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent (5-3, 10,779 sales) by Lewis Capaldi, Hollywood’s Bleeding (4-4, 10,568 sales) by Post Malone, PTSD (6-5, 7,592 sales) by D-Block Europe, Abbey Road (2-6, 7,174 sales) by The Beatles, Why Me? Why Not (8-8, 5,504 sales) by Liam Gallagher and Over It (7-10, 5,197 sales) by Summer Walker. His breakthrough single Outnumbered continues to climb but, after debuting at No.1 last week, Irish singer/songwriter Dermot Kennedy’s Without Fear album dives to No.14 (4,537 sales). Simple Minds’ Live In The City Of Angels (9-82, 1,398 sales) and The Darkness’ Easter Is Cancelled (10-158, 950 sales) also exit the Top 10. Bohemian Rhapsody’s return to the Top 10 (see above) coincides with the debut of Never Boring, a new compilation of the solo work of Freddie Mercury, which is the highest of 11 Top 75 debuts, opening at No.18 (3,642 sales). A more extensive CD/DVD version of the collection – Never Boring: Solo Box Set – opens at No.133 (1,076 sales) There is also a Top 200 return, following the release of a ‘special edition’, for Mercury’s 1985 No.6 solo debut Mr. Bad Guy (No.87, 1,359 sales), and a 30-26 climb (2,753 sales) for Queen’s The Platinum Collection. Meanwhile, the release of a new pink vinyl version of Queen’s 1978 No.2 album Jazz, exclusive to HMV, helps that album to a No.74 re-entry (1,449 sales) – its first appearance in the Top 75 since March 1981. Metal Galaxy, the third studio album by female Japanese heavy metal duo Babymetal, becomes their second Top 20 entry, debuting at No.19 (3,445 sales). It debuts at No.3 in Japan, on sales of 73,096 copies. Both No.1 albums in their original studio incarnations in 1979, there are new ‘The First Recordings’ versions of Replicas (No.31, 2,442 sales) and The Pleasure Principle (No.3, 2,364 sales), which were the second and last album Gary Numan cut as Tubeway Army, and the first under his own name, respectively. They consist primarily of previously released early versions, outtakes and Peel Sessions. Also new to the chart: True 2 Myself (No.22, 3,320 sales), the debut album by 18-year-old New York rapper Lil Tjay, Two Hands (No.34, 2,418 sales), the fourth album for New York indie quartet Big Thief, whose last album, U.F.O.F, was released only 22 weeks earlier, debuting and peaking at No.41; Black Anima (No.45, 2,144 sales), the ninth album and sixth chart entry (all between No.42 and No.48) for Italian goths Lacuna Coil; Fandom (No.52, 1,817 sales), the third album, and highest of two chart entries for Texas rock/pop trio, Waterparks; 2020 (No.54, 1,793 sales), the sixth album and first chart entry for 38 year old Geordie folk/rock singer/songwriter Richard Dawson; Gold (No.59, 1,728 sales), the fifth chart album in all for Swedish group Ace Of Base, and their first for 20 years, housing all 13 of their hits in a 3 CD, 46 song mid-price set; and The Truth Ain’t What It Used To Be (No.69, 1,534 sales), the second album by Wayward Sons, whose 2017 debut, Ghosts Of Yet To Come, reached No.71. Now That’s What I Call Music! 103 is No.1 compilation for the 13th week in a row (4,440 sales). Overall album sales are up 2.17% week-on-week at 1,755,169, 4.90% above same week 2018 sales of 1,673,258. Sales-equivalent streams accounted for a record 1,235,524 sales, 70.39% of the total. Sales of paid-for albums are up 3.84% week-on-week at 519,645, 22.94% below same week 2018 sales of 674,319.

Rising Star: Toast Press' Annabel Crowhurst

The biz's brightest new talents tell their stories. This week it's the turn of Toast Press senior publicist Annabel Crowhurst. Has music turned out to be what you thought it would be? “Truthfully, I had absolutely no idea what it would be like to work in music when I graduated. I definitely had a very glamourised perception of the industry when I was growing up, so when I started a three-month internship at Sony in 2013, it had a lot to live up to. Something that really stands out as living up to ‘the dream’ is how much passion the people I have worked with have for music, despite their age, background or level of seniority.” How hard is it to break into PR? “I feel like I’ve been exceptionally lucky with my own career. Meeting Toast Press co-owners Ruth and Beth Drake eight years ago came at the perfect moment, as my internship at Sony came to an end. I’ve worked with them ever since, which is testament to what brilliant women, bosses and publicists they are. For others out there, I know it can be a lot more difficult. My advice would be to keep knocking on people’s doors, reading magazines and websites, writing for local sites about new music and most importantly, mastering the art of the perfect cup of tea.” What’s it been like to work the Slowthai campaign? “It has has been the absolute highlight so far. From the offset, he has made sure that his team has felt like a family and I have learned a lot from working like that. He’s the most honest, enthusiastic and entertaining person to spend time with. He’s met everything we’ve put in front of him with the best energy. I truly believe Nothing Great About Britain is an album that will end up defining this generation.” What’s the future of music press? “The role of music press is constantly changing, but I believe it’s in a really healthy place. In an age that is fast becoming dominated by streaming numbers and social media, it’s more important than ever to tell the story of an artist and press is the natural way to do that. There’s also always so many incredible new magazines that keep appearing with a refreshing appetite to champion new music.” What’s your one wish for the music biz? “That we keep pushing to make the industry as sustainable as possible. My heart still sinks slightly when artists insist on having endless bottled water on shoots, and the pressure they are under to wear a new outfit for every show. There’s already been a really positive shift in the last year. I’m proud to work with Billie Eilish who is trying to make her world tour in 2020 as green as possible, including an eco-village at each venue where fans can learn about climate change.” ANNABEL’S ]RECOMMENDED TRACK: Gracey – Different Things

'I've been educated by others': Dirty Hit's environmental clean-up act

Jamie Oborne tells Music Week how his label is making its operation more sustainable... “We’ve been thinking about it since around spring of this year. It’s looking at ...

Interviews

subscribers only

Dishing the Dirt: Team Dirty Hit on the rise the independent label

Crowned Independent Label Of The Year at the Music Week Awards back in May and home to The 1975, Wolf Alice and more, Dirty Hit is riding the ...

Interviews

subscribers only

Hitmakers: The songwriting secrets behind Lost Without You

Freya Ridings wrote Lost Without You at her lowest ebb, and when the music industry doubted its potential, she didn’t give up. Now, it’s an indelible hit heading ...

Analysis

subscribers only