“1989” by Taylor Swift retains its No.1 position for a sixth non-consecutive week on the ARIA Albums Chart, plus it’s the second two-week run the album has achieved since it initially debuted at the top the weeks of the 3rd and 10th of November, 2014.
The last album to accumulate six or more weeks at the top was the INXS collection “The Very Best” (Feb to April 2014) which eventually notched up seven weeks at No.1. Taylor has now racked up as many weeks at No.1 from her three chart-topping albums as Coldplay, Silverchair (five No.1’s each), Live, Missy Higgins, Bruce Springsteen (three #1’s) and Dido (two #1’s), and is equal 60th on the list of ‘Accumulated Weeks at No.1: Albums (1965-2014)’, plus she also moves from fifth to fourth on the same list for this decade behind the eleven weeks notched up by Eminem during the 2010’s.
The entire top three albums are the same as last week, with 2014’s No.1 selling album “x” by Ed Sheeran at No.2 and Sam Smith stays put at No.3 with “In the Lonely Hour”, but leaping into the top five and spending its first week within the Top 10 is George Ezra with his debut album “Wanted on Voyage”. The album notches up its half-year mark this week (26 weeks) and it formerly peaked at No.16 in late September, and this week it leaps sixteen places to land at No.4, pushing down the “Frozen” Soundtrack to No.5 in the process.
The second Soundtrack within the Top 10 this week is the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ album, which is back up two places to No.6 helped by the recent DVD and BR release of the film, and this climb pushes down The Hilltop Hoods two places to No.7 with their former No.1 set “Walking Under Stars”. The entire top seven albums have all notched up double digit weeks on the chart, and the first single week act to appear is also spending his first week within the Top 10, the self-titled album for Hozier jumps up ten places to No.8 helped by his current No.2 single in the country “Take Me to Church”. Returning to the Top 10, up two places is the third and self-titled album The Veronicas and dropping down three places to No.10 is the One Direction album “FOUR”.
NEW PEAKS & MOVERS: With four singles within the Top 100 this week, and the fifth single from the album debuting within the Top 50, Calvin Harris’ latest set “Motion” is back up a couple of places to No.12, whilst jumping back up eleven places to No.15 is Barbra Streisand with her former No.1 album “Partners”, whilst also back into the Top 20 this week is ‘Like a Version Vol. 10’ up five to No.18 and Vance Joy is up seven to No.20 with “Dream Your Life Away”. With a late October 2015 tour for Neil Diamond announced, his current studio album “Melody Road” is back up thirty-seven places to No.27, and a May tour for Alt-J sees their current set “This is All Yours” back up sixteen spots to No.28, whilst their previous album “An Awesome Wave” sneaks back in at #100. With the new video released for the Sia track “Elastic Heart” this past week, her album “1000 Forms of Fear” is back up eighteen spots to No.34 and re-entering the Top 100 within the fifty this week is Milky Chance with “Sadnecessary” at No.35 and the 1982 collection for Queen “Greatest Hits” at No.49.
DOWN DOWN: After one week back within the Top 10, leaving this week are “The Very Best” for INXS and “Built on Glass” for Chet Faker, both down four places to No.13 and No.14 respectively, whilst dropping ten places to No.16 is AC/DC with “Rock or Bust” after five weeks within the Top 10, the album though is still at No.1 in Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland as of this past week. “LiveSOS” for 5 Seconds of Summer drops eight to No.24, whilst their self-titled album is down thirteen spots to No.32, the “Sounds of the 80’s” compilation drops eight to No.41, Coldplay is down fourteen places to No.45 with “Ghost Stories” and after returning at No.38 last week, the “Greatest Hits” collection for Fleetwood Mac drops twelve spots to No.50. Dropping out from last weeks fifty includes the self-titled album for Marlisa (47 to 57), Abba (50 to 59) and Slipknot (48 to 73), whilst leaving the Top 100 from last weeks Top 50 is the inevitable drop for Michael Buble and his “Christmas” album from No.36.
Lower 50: With the film in wide release around the country now, the ‘Annie’ Soundtrack jumps up twenty-nine places to a new peak of No.52 this week, whilst the recent DVD release of “Begin Again” (HP-35) helps its soundtrack to leap back up thirty-seven places to No.56. “30 #1 Hits” for Elvis Presley is back up ten places to No.63, the “Rocket Man” collection for Elton John leaps up twenty-three spots to No.67, Sheppard jump back up fourteen places to No.70 with “Bombs Away”, and D’Angelo is back up seventeen spots to No.81 with “Black Messiah”.
Returning albums this week come from Asgeir (#68), London Grammar (#74), Glass Animals (#79), and Rodriguez’s “Cold Fact” (#84), Pink’s “The Truth About Love” (#88), James Blunt (#91), “Fearless” by Taylor Swift (#98) and the collection for the Red Hot Chili Peppers (#71). The only new entry to the chart this week is debut album for German electro DJ and producer Robin Schulz and his set “Prayer”, which comes in at No.66 and features his collaboration with Lilly Wood & The Prick and their former No.7 song “Prayer in C” (TW-50), plus his remix of the Mr. Probz track “Waves” (HP-3, TW-80), and the new single “Sun Goes Down” featuring Jasmine Thompson.
Written, Compiled and Researched by Gavin Ryan.
