Last Friday the 8th of January was the 69th Birthday of music legend David Bowie and also the day that he released his 25th studio album entitled “Blackstar”, then two days later on the Sunday he passed away from his struggle with cancer, and as his album was already on track to take over the No.1 spot from Adele, it was then cemented to the top of the retail and digital sales charts and lands at No.1 on the ARIA Albums Chart this week.
“Blackstar” becomes the 752nd No.1 Albums in Australia (1965 to 2016) and the 603rd for ARIA (1983 to 2016), plus the first new No.1 set for 2016 and also the 399th Album to debut at the top of the Australian Albums chart. This album was also his fourth for the Columbia/Sony label, and now becomes the labels 38th No.1 album in Australia, but first since September 2014’s “Partners” for Barbra Streisand. This is also the third No.1 album in Australia for David Bowie, but his first on the ARIA Charts, as his two previous chart-topping sets were “Scary Monsters” (6-Oct, 1980 for 5 weeks), and then the second ever album to debut at No.1, “Let’s Dance” (25-April, 1983, 1 week), both of which return to the albums chart this week.
This is the seventh album with a ‘Star’ in its title to reach the top here, the last being The Hilltop Hoods with “Walking Under Stars” (18-Aug, 2014) and the sixth with a ‘Black’ in the name, the last of which was “Stack is the New Black” by Short Stack (24-Aug, 2009). “Blackstar” also becomes the 145th album by an English act to make it to No.1, and the 209th Solo Male act to score a chart-topping album, plus David becomes the equal third English Solo Male Act with the most No.1 albums here, behind Elton John and Rod Stewart (7 each), then Robbie Williams (4 #1’s) and then also with three No.1’s in Oz are John Lennon and Michael Crawford.
Adele and her seven week running No.1 album “25” drops down a place this week to No.2, but is newly certified 8x▲Platinum in sales after which David Bowie leaps up seventy places from last weeks position for his most recent compilation album “Nothing Has Changed: The Best of” which is spending its first weeks in the Top 10 at No.3 having previously peaked at No.13 in late July of 2015 when his costume exhibition was on display in Melbourne for several months. But David also returns to the Top 10 with his 2002 compilation “Best of Bowie” which comes back in at No.9 this week, and it also scores his first week in the Top 50 and Top 10 for that album, as it previously peaked at No.53 in March of 2004 and is one of the thirteen albums within the Top 50 this week from David Bowie, equalling the thirteen that Michael Jackson achieved in July 2009 after his passing, but David outdoes Michael by having seventeen albums within the Top 100, a feat which previously had seen fourteen albums in 2009 in the Top 100 at once for both The Beatles and M.J.
Justin Bieber and his “Purpose” album drop two places to No.4 this week, but it also picks up a 2x▲Platinum sales certification, and holding at No.5 is Elvis with “If I Can Dream”. The fourth entry to the Top 10 this week and the second highest NEW entry is the new album for Adam Brand entitled “Adam Brand & The Outlaws“, which comes in at No.6 this week and is the eleventh studio album for Adam Brand and by entering so high the set becomes his fourth Top 10 album and Top 10 debut in the same week. Dropping four places each are “1989” by Taylor Swift and “x” by Ed Sheeran to No.7 and No.8 respectively, whilst the TV Soundtrack for the soon-to-be-screened mini-series “Molly” (in Feb on Ch.7) is down a place to No.10, but is now Gold (●) in sales.
UP: With an upsurge in Bowie product flooding the chart, the first album to rise outside of the Top 10 is the self-titled 1988 album for Tracy Chapman, up six to No.29, plus her “Greatest Hits” set is back up to No.33 also. The recent sideshows (after the Falls Festival) for Halsey helps her “Badlands” album back up to No.31 and another FF act to benefit this week are Disclosure as “Caracal” jumps fourteen spots to land at No.44.
DOWN: The four albums leaving the Top 10 this week are lead by Coldplay and “A Head Full of Dreams” (HP-2, WI10-5) which is down four to No.11, spending its first week outside of the Top 10, and is now ▲Platinum in sales. After a single week back in the ten, Sam Smith drops back down six to No.12 with “In the Lonely Hour” (HP-1×2, WI10-52) and right behind him is The Weeknd with “Beauty Behind the Madness” (HP-1×1, WI10-12) which is down five to No.13 and finally falling seven to No.17 is One Direction and their fifth album “Made in the A.M.” (HP-2, WI10-5). “Dark Sky Island for Enya is down seven to No.24 and halving its position from last week is the Twelfth Man album “The Very Best of Richie” which is down thirteen to No.26, but now ▲Platinum selling. The self-titled X-Factor 2015 winners album for Cyrus drops twelve to No.28 and Chris Brown with “Royalty” plus the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” soundtrack are both down ten to No.32 and No.34 respectively. Last weeks highest entry for Rachel Platten, “Wildfire”, is this week down twenty-six places to No.38 and falling fifteen to No.40 are Tame Impala with “Currents”, whilst XF #2 act Louise Adams sees her self-titled set fall twenty places to No.43, and lastly James Blunt and his “I’ll Take Everything” falls seventeen spots to No.48. Falling into the lower fifty are Courtney Barnett (29 to 51), INXS (28 to 53), Adele’s “19” (37 to 54), “Frozen” soundtrack (41 to 55), Tina Arena (33 to 58), Birds of Tokyo (42 to 60), Conrad Sewell (43 to 63), Fleetwood Mac’s “Greatest Hits” (26 to 64), Dr. Dre (40 to 66), Little Mix (38 to 69), Florence + the Machine (39 to 73, now ▲Platinum), 5 Seconds of Summer (44 to 74), and the only album leaving the Top 100 from last weeks Top 50 is the self-titled album for Hozier (#34).
BOWIE: As I mentioned previously, David Bowie has thirteen albums in the Top 50 and seventeen within the Top 100, so after the three within the Top 10 comes the new entry at No.14 of “The Best of 1969 – 1974”, and the two other albums in that series also debut this week, with “The Best of 1980 – 1987” in at No.30 and “The Best of 1974 – 1979” is new at No.49, making it five compilation albums within the Top 50. Now his returning albums are lead by the No.21 return of his classic fifth studio album “The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars” which peaked at No.11 in late 1972 and is back in at No.21 this week, followed a few places lower at No.23 by his 24th and last charting studio album “The Next Day” (HP-2, peaked late March 2013).
Most of the returning albums are from his 70’s & 80’s period and the next returning for David is his sixth album “Aladdin Sane” (HP-7, peaked June 1973) at No.35 followed by his last chart-topping album in Australia, his 15th album “Let’s Dance” (HP-1×1, April 1983) back in at No.37. Another few places lower is his eighth set “Diamond Dogs” (HP-3×2, peaked June 1974) at No.41, his twelfth album “Heroes” (HP-6, peaked Jan 1978) returns at No.42 and his first charting album here and his fourth studio album “Hunky Dory” (HP-38, March 1972) is back at No.45.
Bowie returning albums in the lower fifty start with his first #1 set in Australia, “Scary Monsters” (HP-1×5, peaked Oct 1980) at No.52, whilst the 1989 box-set of his earlier material entitled “Sound + Vision” is new at No.72 after which he has two more returning albums in “Low” (HP-10, peaked March 1977, LP#11) at No.83 and finally back in at No.95 is “Station to Station” (HP-8, peaked March 1976, LP#10).
The film “Straight Outta Compton” has just been released on DVD and Blu-Ray and the soundtrack to the film was also issued last week, which this week debuts amongst the many Bowie albums at No.15, and is the seventh album title to chart for the former L.A. super-rap-group.
Lower 50: “+” for Ed Sheeran jumps back up sixteen places to No.68 and “Revival” by Selena Gomez is back up twenty places to No.71. “Cry Baby” for Melanie Martinez rises twelve to No.75 and further returning albums come from Lana Del Rey with “Honeymoon” (#79), “Morning Glory?” by Oasis (#84), “Listen” for David Guetta (#85), “Yourself or Someone Like You” by Matchbox 20 (#91), “Every Eye Open” by Chvrches (#92), “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen (#97) and finally at #100 is The Wiggles’ “Hot Potatoes: The Best of”, whilst there are NO new entries in the lower fifty this week.
Written, Compiled and Researched by Gavin Ryan.
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