Taylor Swift and Human Nature maintain the top two album spots on the ARIA chart this week.
Last weeks top two entries stay put this week, with “1989” by Taylor Swift spending a second week at No.1, and it is newly certified ▲Platinum in sales, whilst Human Nature’s “Jukebox” (newly Gold ●) is at No.2 again.
Earning not only the highest new entry this week, but his personal highest charting album here in Australia is Calvin Harris with his fourth studio album entitled “Motion”, which is new at No.3 and contains the three Top 10 singles “Summer” (HP-4), “Blame” (HP-9, TW-19) and now “Outside” (TW-8), also with new entry “Open Wide” (TW-77). This is his third album to enter the ARIA Albums chart, with his second set “Ready for the Weekend” making it to No.39 in August 2009 and his third album “18 Months” debuting and peaking at No.5 in mid-November 2012, plus that album only spent a single week within the Top 10, so if “Motion” stays within the ten next week, it will become his longest Top 10 run in Australia.
Ed Sheeran holds at No.4 with his “x” album and back up two places to No.5 is the ‘Frozen’ Soundtrack, whilst Triple J’s “Like a Version Vol.10” holds at No.6 this week, and former chart-topper “5: The Gray Chapter” by Slipknot is down two spots to No.7 this week. Currently on a national tour are The Hilltop Hoods, who see their set “Walking Under Stars” jump back up four places to No.8, also helped by the albums first Top 10 single this week “Cosby Sweater” (TW-9). Dropping back down one spot to No.9 is Barbra Streisand with “Partners” and dropping seven places to No.10 is the debut album for Flight Facilities, “Down to Earth”. You might also notice that seven of the Top 10 albums are all current or former No.1’s.
NEW PEAKS & MOVERS: Ahead of this weeks releases of the new Foo Fighters album “Sonic Highways”, there have been screenings of the documentary of the same name on TV, and the anticipation of a new album by The Foo sees their “Greatest Hits” set leap back up forty-nine places to No.15 this week, and Ed Sheeran’s “+” is back up seventeen spots to No.19. Ahead of her new national tour next week, Katy Perry’s “Prism” (No.1 this week in 2013) is back up eight places to No.32, and climbing back into the Top 50, up seventeen spots to No.39 are Human Nature with their festive set “The Christmas Album”, whilst also climbing back into the Top 50 are “Essential Michael Jackson” (81 to 47), “The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac” (98 to 49) and “AM” for Arctic Monkeys (80 to 50).
DOWN DOWN: “rose ave.” (HP-2) for You+Me is down three places to No.13 after three weeks within the Top 10, and the other dropout is last weeks No.9 debut for Ben Howard “I Forget Where We Were” which plummets forty-nine places to No.58 this week. George Ezra falls eight to No.27 with “Wanted on Voyage” and “Oz” by Missy Higgins is down eleven to No.29. “747” by Lady Antebellum drop twelve places to No.34 and Alt-J is down eight to No.35 with “This is All Yours”. Dami Im falls twenty-one places to No.41 with “Heart Beats” and U2 see their “Songs of Innocence” drops nineteen to No.43. Also leaving from last weeks Top 50 are Sheppard (44 to 56), Rodriguez with “Cold Fact” (35 to 57), Vance Joy (39 to 60), Pharrell (45 to 63), The Preatures (46 to 67), C.W. Stoneking (38 to 68), Maroon 5 (26 to 92) and Rancid (34 to 97), whilst leaving the Top 100 from last week fifty are Dillon Francis (#33), Lanie Lane (#42) and T.I. (#43).
The sixth studio album for Eurythmics lead singer Annie Lennox debuts at No.16 this week entitled “Nostalgia”, and is her second album of covers as her album “Medusa” (HP-5, March 1995) was too, and this is her first new entry since December 2010’s “A Christmas Cornucopia” (HP-76). Coming in at No.18 is Melbourne act The Smith Street Band, whose third studio album “Throw Me in the River” becomes their first ARIA Albums chart entry.
Led Zeppelin have re-issued two more of their original albums, with their fourth set “Led Zeppelin IV” (HP-2×8, peaked in April, May & June 1972) returning at No.21 this week, and their fifth album “Houses of the Holy” (HP-1×3, peaked early June 1973) is back in at No.33.
The fourth studio album for The Black Veil Brides comes in at No.23 and is self-titled; becoming their third ARIA Albums chart entry, with their previous album “Wretched & Divine” (HP-17), which charting in mid-January 2013 being their best effort so far. One place lower at No.24 is Yusuf (aka Cat Stevens) with his fourteenth studio album “Tell ’em I’m Gone”, and this is his first new entry since 2009’s “Roadsinger (to warm you through the night)” (HP-35, May 2009).
James Blunt debuts at No.36 with the “When I Find Love Again (EP)” with the title track coming in at No.38 over on the singles chart, with the last two Top 50 debut being Hand of Mercy with their third studio album “Resolve” new at No.45, which is one place lower than their other chart entry, their second album “Last Lights” (HP-44, late August 2012). And new at No.46 is local country artist Lee Kernaghan with his second seasonal album “Driving Home for Christmas”. His first was “The Christmas Album” which climbed to No.31 in December 1998.
Lower 50: The DVD for “The Fault in Our Stars” was just released here in Australia, which helps the soundtrack to jump back up twenty-three places to No.51, whilst “The Very Very Best of” for Crowded House is up a massive forty-three places to No.52, after which collections for The Eagles (#53) and Bee Gees (#54) return to the Top 100. Spandau Ballet are promoting their new documentary “Soul Boys of the Western World”, which helps their new compilation “The Story: The Very Best of” up twenty-four places to a new lower fifty peak of No.59. Further returning albums come from Rise Against with “The Black Market” (#61), Imagine Dragons and “Night Visions” (#62), “Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection” for Katy Perry (#74), “Swings Both Ways” by Robbie Williams (#77), “Blackbird” by Dan Sultan (#81), “Goin’ Your Way” by Neil Finn & Paul Kelly (#87), “Utopia” by 360 (#88), “Random Access Memories” by Daft Punk (#95), “Harlequin Dream” by Boy & Bear (#99) and Alt-J’s previous set “An Awesome Wave” (#100), whilst collections for Pink (#70), Red Hot Chili Peppers (#76), Air Supply (#83), Neil Young (#85) , Frank Sinatra (#86) and Blink 182 (#94) also return to the Top 100.
The 36th studio album for Neil Young entitled “Storytone” enters at No.55 this week, becoming his second album entry this year, as back in early June he made it to No.46 with “A Letter Home”, plus he returns at No.85 with his “Greatest Hits” collection too. And the second and final lower fifty entries this week is The Devin Townsend Project with their sixth album “Z2” which is new at No.72, and it surpasses their only other ARIA Albums chart entry “Epicloud” which made it to No.80 in early October 2012.
Written, Compiled and Researched by Gavin Ryan.
