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Artist News
Chart update – w/c 29 Jun 2009
By CMU Editorial | Published on Monday 29 June 2009
Various people I’ve spoken to in the last few days have been pondering what the most fitting tribute to Michael Jackson would be. I saw one guy on Saturday morning wearing a homemade t-shirt, and a group of Londoners turned out for an impromptu moonwalk outside Liverpool Street Station on Friday evening, but it seems that most people just rushed out to buy as many Michael Jackson CDs as they could.
As a result, Jackson has the number one album this week, with his 2003 compilation ‘Number Ones’. Also in the top ten, at seven, is ‘Thriller’, and you’ll find another four Jacko albums in the top 20 and a total of seven in the top 75. In fact, if you stretch it out to the top 200 there are eleven Michael Jackson and Jackson Five albums in the chart. Which is quite a lot. Although ‘Thriller’ appears twice, with the 25th anniversary edition of the album at 45. That still counts, though. And ‘Thriller’ is also still the biggest selling album of all time.
In the singles chart Jackson has 16 solo singles in the top 75, with that number rising to 20 if you include Jackson Five songs too. However, none managed to break the top ten, with the highest entry being ‘Man In The Mirror’ at 11. But the fact that none have made the top ten doesn’t stop this being a mighty achievement – because these chart positions are based almost exclusively on less than two days of sales. All but two albums (‘Number Ones’ and ‘Thriller’) and one single (‘Thriller’) are new entries on the chart, and those that were already there weren’t even inside the top 100. In total, Jackson accounts for over 300,000 record sales across both charts this week.
HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo told the BBC: “Once we had the announcement of his death people came into our stores and we had large crowds. Fortunately we had a lot of stock because we had been preparing for the O2 concerts, but sadly we didn’t expect to sell them for this reason”.
There is a Jackson at number one in the singles chart, but it’s not Michael. La Roux vocalist Elly Jackson admitted to the BBC that getting her first number one single with ‘Bulletproof’ was a slightly bittersweet moment, as Michael had been a major influence on her. However, she should be pleased that this single looks like it may outsell previous single, ‘In For The Kill’, which is already one of the biggest selling singles of the year, beaten only by the rubbish Lady GaGa’s keeps putting out.
Other new entries in the top 40 singles chart this week are Florence And The Machine with ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’ at 12 and Basement Jaxx with ‘Raindrops’ at 21.
In the album top 40, Take That and Lady GaGa both break back into the top ten, and there are new entries from Neil Sedaka, Jack Penate, Gossip, Dream Theater, Regina Spektor. There are a number of sharp rises worth noting, too, with Keri Hilson, up from 61 to 22, Noisettes, up from 54 to 24, The Script, up from 47 to 26, Duffy up from 64 to 36, and most notably, Calvin Harris, whose debut album ‘I Created Disco’ rises from 124 to 40 this week.
The charts are blamed on the boogie by The Official Charts Company.
