Lee Kernaghan remains for a second week at the top of the ARIA Albums chart with “Spirit of the ANZACS”, the album picking up a Gold sales certification this week too.
“Spirit of the ANZACS” is the first album by a local artist to hold the top spot for a second consecutive week since August 2014 when The Hilltop Hoods’ “Walking Under Stars” (TW-17) spent its first two chart-weeks at the top spot. Trying to topple Lee from No.1 are two current touring solo male artists, Ed Sheeran with “x”, which is back up three places to No.2 and now spending its 41st (out of 41) week within the Top 10 {the last such stretch was achieved by the ‘Frozen’ Soundtrack last year} and jumping up eight to a new peak of No.3 is the other tourist, the self-titled album for Hozier.
There are five former and current No.1 albums within the top six this week, with the most recent former chart-topping album down two places to No.4 this week, Kendrick Lamar with “To Pimp a Butterfly”, followed by Taylor Swift with “1989” and “Title” by Meghan Trainor, both up two places each to No.5 and No.6 respectively, and also back up two to No.7 is Sam Smith with “In the Lonely Hour”.
The highest new entry of the week comes in at No.8, the sixth studio album for UK dance act The Prodigy entitled “The Day is My Enemy”, which becomes the bands sixth album to chart here (five albums and one best of) and also their fifth Top 10 album. Their last album from March 2009 “Invaders Must Die” debuted and peaked at No.3, whilst this becomes the bands second ‘Highest New Entry’ of the week award, as their third studio album “The Fat of the Land” debuted at No.1 on 13th of July, 1997.
Last weeks highest new entry for James Bay “Chaos and the Calm” drops down six places to No.9 this week, and the second Top 10 debut is new at No.10, Van Morrison with “Duets: Re-Working the Catalogue”, which becomes only his fifth Top 10 album in Australia, and his last was with his 30th album “Down the Road” which debuted at No.9 and climbed to No.7 in May 2002. Plus this is his first Top 50 appearance this decade, as his last two entries “Born to Sing: No Plan B” (HP-65, Oct 2012) and the 40th Anniversary Edition of his third album “Moondance” (HP-88, Nov 2013) both charted lower down.
UP: Ed Sheeran’s first album “+” is back up to No.13 this week, and has been re-certified 5x▲Platinum in sales, whilst the Vance Joy tour and new Top 20 single helps his album “Dream Your Life Away” back up to No.20. Paolo Nutini toured here this past week, and his April 2014 album “Caustic Love” (HP-6) returns to the charts at No.29, whilst the soundtrack for ‘Furious 7’ is up three places to a new peak of No.33, but will most likely jump next week as the film opened at the end of the chart sales week (Thursday April 2nd). Human Nature are back up eleven spots to No.35 with “Jukebox” and The Veronicas’ self-titled set is back up eight to No.36, whilst the Fleetwood Mac tour announcement for later in the year again helps “The Very Best of” collection to jump up thirty-three spots to No.37, whilst also back into the fifty are Ariana Grande with “My Everything” (63 to 43) and “Fearless” for Taylor Swift returns to the Top 100 at No.46.
DOWN: After a single week within the Top 10, both “Sometimes I Sit and Think…” (4 to 11) for Courtney Barnett and “Run” (6 to 14) by Alison Wonderland drop out this week, whilst the former No.1 “Fifty Shades of Grey” (4 weeks) Soundtrack drops down five to No.15 this week after seven weeks within the ten. Mark Knopfler is down eleven to No.23 with “Tracker”, Troy Cassar-Daly and “Freedom to Ride” drops twelve places to No.25 and down ten to No.26 is Damien Leith with “Songs from Ireland”. The Eagles’ “Selected Works 1972-1999” is down twelve to No.34 and Mark Ronson falls eight to No.40 with “Uptown Special”, which achieves Gold (●) in sales, whilst Action Bronson see their “Mr. Wonderful” debut from last week fall fifteen places to No.41. Madonna tumbles twenty places to No.44 with “Rebel Heart”, Xavier Rudd descends twenty-seven spots to No.45 with “Nanna”, San Cisco are down nineteen to No.47 with their second album “Gracetown” and after debuting at No.31, “The Definitive Collection” for L.R.B. is down nineteen to No.50. Dropping hard from last weeks fifty are Luke Bryan (34 to 51), Chris Brown & Tyga (38 to 52), Kelly Clarkson (39 to 62), Katy Perry’s “Prism” (49 to 68), Roxette (48 to 76), Drake (47 to 78), Laura Marling (30 to 85) and leaving the hundred from last weeks Top 50 are Earl Sweatshirt (#33), Sleeping with Sirens (#42) and Modest Mouse (#43).
Coming in at No.12 is the “Dance with Me (EP)” by local act Short Stack, followed at No.16 by the eighth studio album for Finnish act Nightwish entitled “Endless Forms Most Beautiful”, which becomes the bands third chart entry here, and now their highest charting here, as they previously peaked as high as No.42 in October 2007 with their first entry here and their sixth album “Dark Passion Play”.
Twenty years ago next week (9-April-1995) Newcastle act Silverchair saw their debut album “Frogstomp” debut at the top spot (and something which would go on to happen to ALL five of their studio albums), and this week the 20th Anniversary Edition of the album returns to the chart at No.19. A few places lower at No.21 is the eighth studio and fourth album entry here for Death Cab for Cutie entitled “Kintsugi”, with the bands last two studio albums debuting within the Top 10 first week; “Narrow Stairs” (HP-6, May 2008) and “Codes and Keys” (HP-7, June 2011).
French house artist Hugo Pierre Leclercq goes by the stage name of Madeon, and his debut album “Adventure” comes in at No.31 this week, with the final Top 50 entry this week going to Rose Carleo from Fremantle, W.A. and her second album “Time is Now” coming in at No.38, which becomes her first ARIA Albums chart entry.
Lower 50: “Motion” for Calvin Harris is back up twenty-one spots to No.54 and “Triple J’s Like a Version Vol.10” is down eight to No.58 but it does pick up a ▲Platinum certification. “Essential” for Michael Jackson is back up twenty-three spots to No.59 and Taylor Swift sees her “Red” album also jump up thirty-four to No.66, and The Angels’ “Greatest Hits” is up twenty-four spots to No.72, whilst the Pink collection is back up nineteen to No.75. A heap of returning albums include best of sets for Crowded House (#56), Neil Diamond (#83), Zac Brown Band (new peak of #87), ABBA (#88) and Johnny Cash (#98), whilst albums for Jimmy Barnes (#57), Katy Perry (#60), “Pitch Perfect” soundtrack (#61), “AM” for Arctic Monkeys (#65), John Legend (#71), Neil Finn & Paul Kelly (#82) and Paul solo with his “Merri Soul Sessions” (#93), Beyonce (#86), Milky Chance (#91), 5 Seconds of Summer self-titled set (#97) and back in at 100 are #1 Dads with “About Face”.
The two new entries in the lower fifty are Three Days Grace with their fifth studio album and third entry here entitled “Human” at No.63, with the band first charting with their self-titled debut set in April 2004 (HP-47) and then their third album “Life Starts Now” (HP-77) charted in September 2009. One place lower at No.64 is the sixth studio album and first chart entry here for Hamilton, New Zealand metalcore band Antagonist A.D. and their set “Haunt Me as I Roam”.
Written, Compiled and Researched by Gavin Ryan.
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