Like the singles chart this week, we have a first time Canadian artist debuting in the No.1 spot on the ARIA Albums Chart, rapper and RnB singer The Weeknd sees his second studio album “Beauty Behind the Madness” come straight into the top spot in Australia.
“Beauty Behind the Madness” becomes the 740th No.1 album in Australia (1965 to 2015) and the 591st for ARIA (1983 to 2015), plus the first for the Republic record label through Universal, whilst it is also the 387th album to debut at the top of our album charts. Plus it’s the first time that both the words ‘Beauty’ and ‘Madness’ have appeared in a No.1 album title, but the second with ‘Behind’ attached to the title, the other being the U2 album “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” (November 2000).
The new No.1 album becomes the 23rd performed by a Canadian artist, with the last being the fourth time that Michael Buble’s “Christmas” album went to the top (15-Dec-2014) and The Weeknd becomes the tenth Canadian act to reach the No.1 spot and the new No.1 album becomes the 205th by a solo male artist and he also becomes only the fourth Canadian Solo Male act to reach the top, the other three are Justin Bieber (two #1 albums), Michael Buble (#5) and Bryan Adams (#2).
The Weeknd also debuted at the top of the UK and USA albums chart this week, and this new entry becomes his third overall entry here, as he first charted with the compilation of his mix-tapes entitled “Trilogy” (HP-93, Nov 2012) and then his first studio album “Kiss Land” (HP-30, Sept 2013) spent only a single week within the charts. Now his new album has three songs within the Top 100 this week, “Earned it” (#100), “The Hills” (#27) and “Can’t Feel My Face” (#5).
Ashley Nicolette Frangipane goes by the stage name Halsey, who sees her debut album “Badlands” enter at No.2 this week ahead of the fourth studio album and third entry here for UK act The Foals, coming in at No.3 is “What Went Down” (it entered at the same position in the UK LP charts this week too). Their last album “Holy Fire” debuted and peaked at No.1 in February 2013, and prior to that they charted with their second set “Total Life Forever” (HP-68, entered May 2010, peaked February 2011).
“Compton” for Dr Dre is back down two places to No.4 but will keep floating within the Top 5 as the film “Straight Outta Compton” opened around the country this past Thursday (3rd Sept) whilst back up one place to No.5 is Taylor Swift with her “1989” album, meaning that she is within the Top 5 on both the singles and albums chart this week. Last weeks No.1 debut of “Immortalized” for Disturbed drops down five places to No.6 this week and holding at No.7 is Ed Sheeran with his “x” album which racks up a new certification of 7x ▲Platinum.
Melbourne based indie-folk act The Paper Kites see their second album “TwelveFour” debut at No.8 this week, giving them their first Top 10 entry, as this new set surpasses the No.17 peak that their debut album “States” achieved back in early September 2013. The only other album from last weeks Top 10 debuts that survives for a second week is Bon Jovi with “Burning Bridges”, falling six spots to No.9 and down two to No.10 is Jimmy Barnes’ “Best of The Soul Years”.
UP: The ‘Furious 7’ soundtrack is back up again this week, climbing seven to No.21 and the N.W.A. effect sees last weeks re-entries climb to new peaks this week, with their first “Greatest Hits” up ten to No.24 and their debut album “Straight Outta Compton” leaps fourteen spots to a new peak of No.39, meaning that this twenty-five year old album is now spending its first week within the Top 50 (it peaked at No.51 in late July 1990). Lee Kernaghan is back up eight to No.35 with “Spirit of the ANZACS” whilst the new Drake chart entry “Hotline Bling” helps his album “If You’re Reading This it’s Too Late” to jump back up forty-four spots to No.41, although the song is not on that album, and last weeks lower fifty entry for Teddy Tahu Rhodes “From Broadway to La Scala” is up fifteen places to a new peak of No.44.
DOWN: After one week back in the Top 10, “Two Strong Hearts” (HP-1×3, WI10-6) for John and Olivia is back down a spot to No.11 this week, Meghan Trainor leaves the Top 10 with “Title” (HP-1×2, WI10-30) dropping down three to No.12 and after one week apiece in the ten, dropping out this week are Rob Thomas and “The Great Unknown” from 4 to 15 and Short Stack with “Homecoming” which drops fifty places to No.55 this week. Rubens drop six places to No.20 with their “Hoops” album, whilst the No.1 album from three weeks ago, “Venom” for Bullet for My Valentine this week falls fifteen spots to No.26 and Dead Letter Circus see their “Aesthesis” fall eighteen this week to No.30. Luke Bryan tumbles fourteen spots to No.33 with his “Kill the Lights” album and Vance Joy drop four to No.36 with “Dream Your Life Away” which is celebrating its one year anniversary on the charts by achieving ▲Platinum in sales, whilst a re-packaged edition of the album came out on Friday too. “Stages” for Josh Groban is down eleven to No.37, “Sweet Talker” by Jessie J drops sixteen to No.38, “The Very Best” for INXS is down twelve to No.42, Adam Lambert is losing “The Original High”, as he deflates sixteen places this week to No.43 and falling eleven is Sia’s “1000 Forms of Fear” to No.46 and Gurrumul tumbles seventeen places to No.48 with his “Gospel Album”, whilst dropping down into the lower fifty this week are “Guardians of the Galaxy” soundtrack (42 to 54, and only its second week ever in the lower fifty), “Frozen” soundtrack (39 to 56, first week out of the Top 50 in its 88 week run), Bad//Dreems (33 to 64), Years & Years (49 to 66), Kendrick Lamar (44 to 75), Ghost (20 to 81), Szymon (21 to 100) and dropping out of the Top 100 from last week fifty are Carly Rae Jepsen (#37), Soulfly (#45), Kip Moore (#46) and The Devil Wears Prada (#47).
The third studio album for New Zealand artist Gin Wigmore entitled “Blood to Bone” debuts at No.13 becoming her highest charting album here, as her first two entries were “Holy Smoke” (HP-69, Oct 2009, LP#1) and “Gravel & Wine” (HP-29, April 2012, LP#2). Whilst Brisbane band The Last Dinosaurs see their second album “Wellness” come in at No.18 this week, ten places lower than their debut album “In a Million Years” (HP-8) achieved in March 2012.
Sony recently acquired the back catalogue of music legend Van Morrison and released a huge batch of his back catalogue for the first time digitally last week, and now this week he enters at No.23 with a new collection of his works entitled “The Essential”. New at No.27 is the second live album for Icehouse entitled “Icehouse in Concert”, although their first live set from 1987 “Live at the Ritz” failed to chart. The 22nd studio album for UK metal-masters Motorhead entitled “Bad Magic” debuts at No.29 this week, becoming the bands FIRST EVER Top 50 albums chart entry, although the band have charted with six albums in the past (5 studios, 1 best of) and their last entry was back in early November 2013, “Aftershock” (HP-90), none of them reached the Top 50 previously.
The fifth studio album for US pop duo Beach House entitled “Depression Cherry” comes in at No.34, surpassing the peak that their only other entry achieved back in May 2012, “Bloom” (HP-40). The final new entry within the fifty this week is by Maddie & Tae who are a US country duo made up of Madison Marlow and Taylor Dye and their debut album “Start Here” is new at No.49.
Lower 50: Galantis blast back up thirty-nine places to No.52 with their debut set “Pharmacy” and returning to the hundred at No.53 is David Guetta with his “Listen” album. Imagine Dragons also leap back up thirty-nine spots, to No.58 with their “Smoke + Mirrors” album and Muse see their “Drones” album fly back up fourteen spots to No.59, the album also landing its first Gold (●) sales certification too. The second charting N.W.A. collection “The Strength of Street Knowledge: The Best of” is up twenty-nine places to a new peak of No.69 and thanks to a tour re-packaging the Maroon 5 album “V” is back up thirteen places to No.80. Further returning albums this week are from Icehouse with their best of set “White Heat: 30 Hits” (#76), “Jack Ü” (#86) for Skrillex and Diplo, The Eagles “Selected Works 1972-1999” (#88), “Home” by Rudimental (#92), “Blurryface” by TwentyOnePilots (#98) and “Nanna” by Xavier Rudd at #99.
The tenth studio album for Swedish melodic metal band Soilwork debuts at No.60 entitled “The Ride Majestic”, which becomes their second entry here, as their ninth album “The Living Infinite” (HP-90) charted back in March 2013. A few places lower at No.62 is “The Second Album” for the Adam Eckersley Band, which as the title suggests is his second album, whilst his debut set “The First Album” (HP-52) charted back in March 2014.
The soundtrack to the new Australian film ‘Holding the Man’ debuts at No.68 this week featuring classic tracks by T. Rex, Dragon, Masters Apprentices, Bronski Beat, Pete Shelley, Bryan Ferry, Rockmelons and a new track by Rufus Wainwright. The debut album for Californian artist Tim Wheatley entitled “Cast of Yesterday” is new at No.72 and one place lower is 2013 The Voice finalist Ms Murphy with her first albums chart entry entitled “Dirty Soul” at No.73. And the final entry is the eighth studio album and first chart entry here for Southern California death metal band Nile and the set “What Should Not Be Unearthed” is new at No.94.
Written, Compiled and Researched by Gavin Ryan.
