This weeks No.1 debut is the first compilation album in over thirteen years to claim the top of the ARIA Albums Chart, as Triple J’s “Like a Version Volume 9” claims the top spot.
Almost every volume of the Triple J series has achieved a chart placing, with the first volume in charting in May 2005 (#27) followed by three {two didn’t chart} in September 2007 (#24), and then 4 (#34-Nov 2008), 5 (#29-Dec 2009), 6 (#2-Nov 2010), 7 (#5-Nov 2011) and volume 8 (Oct 2012) made it to No.3, so this new edition is not only their first No.1 but it becomes the fourth consecutive Top 10 entry for the series. The last compilation to reach No.1 was back in late September 2000 when the album “Music from the Opening Ceremony of the 27th Olympiad” spent three weeks at the top during the Sydney Olympics, and it’s the twenty-fourth various artists album to make it to No.1 since “Hitwave ‘81” (14-Sep-81).
During the 1980’s the national Albums Chart allowed compilations to chart alongside regular albums, and in turn there were twenty-two albums that reached the top, the last being “Hits of 89 Volume 1” in April 1989, and in July 1989 ARIA started a separate compilation albums chart, with the specification that if a comp had a majority of previously unreleased material on it, then it was allowed onto the mainstream chart.
With “Like a Version” becoming the 24th compilation to reach No.1, it is also the first No.1 for an ABC Music album ever, and the new number one becomes the 687th No.1 in Australia (1965 to 2013) and the 546th for ARIA (1983 to 2013). It’s the fourth album with ‘Like’ in its title, the most recent being “…Like Clockwork” for Queens of the Stone Age (13-June-2013) and it’s the first ‘Version’ to appear in a No.1 album title. The new No.1 debut is the 341st to debut at No.1 and is the thirtieth chart topping album for the year.
James Blunt debuts at No.2 with his fourth album entitled “Moon Landing” becoming his fourth consecutive Top 10 album in the process, as his first two albums both hit No.1 “Back to Bedlam” (HP-1×12) in 2005 and “All the Lost Souls” (HP-1×1) in September 2007, whilst his November 2010 set “Some Kind of Trouble” originally peaked at No.8 in the first few weeks of entry, but hit No.5 in June 2011. Lead single from his new album is “Bonfire Heart” (HP-3) which is at No.7 this week.
Lorde is down a place to No.3 with “Pure Heroine”, holding it’s top three status due to her current tour of the country, whilst debuting at No.4 is the album “Reset” for Tina Arena, her seventh studio album, and her first Top 10 since “Songs of Love & Loss” hit No.3 back in December 2007. “Reset” becomes Tina’s sixth Top 10 album (five studio and 1 GH set) and her eleventh album overall (7 studio, 2 GH and 2 Live albums).
Last weeks No.1 debut for Pearl Jam, “Lightning Bolt” drops four places to No.5 this week, whilst the previous No.1 to them, “Bangerz” by Miley Cyrus is down three places to No.6 this week. Avicii is down two places to No.7 with “True” and Jessica Mauboy halves her position from last week, by dropping four places to No.8 with “Beautiful”. Imagine Dragons are touring and have re-packaged their former No.4 album “Night Visions”, which charges back up twenty-six places to No.9 this week, with the final new entry coming in at No.10, “Burials” for AFI, their ninth studio album and fourth to chart here, plus it’s their second Top 10 placement. Previously the band has charted with “Sing the Sorrow” (LP6, HP-65, April 2003), “December Underground” (LP7, HP-3, June 2006) and “Crash Love” (LP8, HP-16, Oct 2009).
NEW PEAKS & MOVERS: OneRepublic are back up five places to No.15 with “Native”, and Lana Del Rey’s “Born to Die” is back up to No.26 this week. And ahead of her promo visit here this coming week, Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection” is back up sixteen places to No.50.
DOWN DOWN: Haim and “Days are Gone” (HP-2, TW-11, WI10-3), Jason DeRulo with “Tattoos” (HP-5, TW-13, WI10-4), John Newman and “Tribute” (HP-7, TW-21, WI10-1), “Flashing Lights” by Havana Brown (HP-6, TW-23, WI10-1) and lastly Trivium with “Vengeance Falls” (HP-8, TW-27, WI10-1) all leave the Top 10 with the last three all dropping from the ten into the Top 30 this week. Drake is down eight places to No.22 with “Nothing Was the Same” and “New” for Paul McCartney is down fifteen places to No.37 from last weeks No.22 debut. Cher falls fourteen to No.38 with “Closer to the Truth” and Michael Buble with “To Be Loved” is down twelve to No.42.
There are two further new entries to the Top 50 this week, both from local acts, with very different sounds. Operatic Marv Vincent scores his fifth Top 20 album by debuting at No.16 with “The Quartet Sessions”. Three of his four previous albums have made it into the Top 10, and he was last on the charts in October 2011 with “Songs from the Heart” (HP-10). And returning with their first new material in eight years is rockers Bodyjar who debut at No.30 with “Role Model”, their seventh studio album, and it becomes their fourth album to chart, with previous entries being “How it Works” (LP4, HP-19, Aug 2000), “Plastic Skies” (LP5, HP-37, June 2002) and “Bodyjar” (LP6, HP-47, Sept 2005).
Lower 50: With Beyonce starting her national tour this past week in Melbourne, her previous album “4” (HP-2) returns this week at No.51, but expect her back catalogue to return as she moves around the country. “Halcyon Days” by Ellie Goulding is back up seven places to No.53, and “Bon Jovi’s Greatest Hits” climbs back up sixteen places to No.55. “Settle” for Disclosure is back up nine places to No.63 and Mumford & Sons pick up the only new certification on the albums chart this week, as “Babel” is now 3x▲ Platinum, and back up a couple of places to No.64. Chvrches are back up ten places to No.69 with their debut album “The Bones of What You Believe” and “21” for Adele climbs again, up eleven places to No.70. “Departures” for Bernard Fanning leaps back up twenty places to No.80 and further returning albums includes “King Amongst Many” by Horrorshow (HP-2, TW-79), “Kensal Road” by Kate Ceberano (HP-23, TW-81), “Chasing Ghosts” by Amity Affliction (HP-1, TW-82), “Hungry Ghost” by Violent Soho (HP-6, TW-86), and “Spreading Rumours” by Grouplove (HP-18, TW-96).
Fall Out Boy also return with their former No.2 album “Save Rock and Roll” (April 2013) at No.89 which has been repacked with a new eight track EP entitled “Pax Am Days” which was also released as a stand-alone item, and the EP debuts at No.59 this week. A couple of places lower at No.61 is “Old”, the fourth album for US rapper Danny Brown, and his first to chart here.
In October 2011 George Fair made it to No.61 with their debut album “All Through Winter”, and this week they enter at No.66 with their second set “Trapped Flame”. The final new entry comes in at No.68, and is the soundtrack to the new Rachel McAdams film entitled “About Time”. The lead single from the album “How Long Will I Love You” by Ellie Goulding is up to a new peak of No.46 this week.
Gavin Ryan reports with thanks to Australian-Charts.com
