Australian Albums: The Weeknd Remains At No 1

The Weeknd returns to No.1 with his fifth album “Dawn FM” thanks to it’s physical release this past week.

“Dawn FM” is now spending it’s third overall week at the top of the ARIA Albums Chart, still his longest running, as his first three No.1’s all logged a single week at the summit. The Weeknd’s overall tally of weeks at the top has now increased to six, moving him up on the listing for ‘Accumulated Weeks at No.1: Albums (1965 to 2022)’ from 122nd to now equal 108th alongside local act The John Butler Trio (6 weeks from 4 #1’s), while on the similar listing for this decade, he is now equal fifth alongside AC/DC’s four weeks in 2020, while just ahead of him on five weeks this decade is fellow countryman Drake (5 weeks from 2 #1’s). The Weeknd also sees a one year chart anniversary (52 weeks) for his collection set “The Highlights”, which is up one spot to No.7 and logging it’s 30th week within the Top 10.

Holding at No.2 for a second week at that peak is the soundtrack for ‘Encanto’, which is the new No.1 Album in both New Zealand and Canada this week, while it logs a third non-consecutive week at the top in The U.S.A., plus the album’s lead single “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” hits a new peak of No.6 this week, while there are two further Top 50 entries from the album in “Surface Pressure” (#18) and “The Family Madrigal” (#44), also both scoring new chart heights.

Adele’s “30” set remains at No.3 again this week, it’s fourth week in that position since falling from the top spot (#1 and #3 are it’s only two chart positions so far during it’s eleven week run), after which are single place rises for Olivia Rodrigo and “SOUR”, “Planet Her” by Doja Cat and Ed Sheeran’s “= (Equals)” set to No.4, No.5 and No.6 respectively.

Taylor Swift sees the only album rising back into the Top 10 this week as her “Red (TsV)” moves back up three spots to No.8 and a tenth week within the Top 10. The second animated film soundtrack within the Top 10 is on hold at it’s peak of No.9 this week, the ‘Sing 2′ album, while the fourth and final non-mover within the ten is “Future Nostalgia” for Dua Lipa at No.10.

UP:
Eight of the ten songs within the Top 20 are back up a few places this week, with the No.1 Album this week two years ago being the Kid Laroi mixtapes “F**k Love” back up one to No.12, while he again has the No.1 single with “Stay”, while the No.1 Album at the start of 2020 was “Fine Line” for Harry Styles, which rebounds four spots to No.14. Maroon 5’s “Singles Collection” previously peaked at No.16 on May 17th and July 12th in 2021, and now this week it lands a new chart height of No.15 as it rises two spots, hitting it’s new peak in it’s 243rd week within the Top 100. Further climbing collections are by Eminem and “Curtain Call: The Hits” (23 to No.19), Foo Fighters (50 to No.45) and Green Day (52 to No.48).
This week in 1977 (4th of Feb.) the Fleetwood Mac album “Rumours” was released, and now 45 years later the album is still selling, this week it rises back up four places to No.25. Taylor Swift has more rising albums outside of the Top 10, as “folklore” is back up two to No.29 and “Reputation” rebounds six spots to No.34. Further older titles rising back up are “Teenage Dream” for Katy Perry (48 to No.38, 2012), the Lewis Capaldi debut set “Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent” (46 to No.39, 2019) and the 2018 XXXTentacion “?” album, which is back up twelve places to No.43.

DOWN:
The only album leaving the Top 10 this week is last week’s returned No.1 album for MeatLoaf and “Bat Out of Hell” (HP-1x9a, WI10-42a), which descends twenty-three places this week to perch at No.24, while the first album to drop outside of the Top 10 is one of two Taylor Swift sets in “1989”, down two to No.18, with her other drop occurring for “Lover” (24 to No.26).
Lil’ Nas X sees his debut set “Montero” drop five places to No.20 after it’s Triple J Hottest 100 of 2021 rebound last week, with the same effect occurring for Rufus du Sol and their “Surrender” set, which drops ten places to No.32 and Spacey Jane’s “Sunlight”, down four to No.40. Best of collections dropping are by Elton John (25 to No.27), INXS (32 to No.33), Lee Kernaghan (25 to No.37), Bon Jovi (39 to No.47) and last week’s Top 50 entry by Cold Chisel (LW-33).

NEW ENTRY:
* #21 (LP#7) – Sancho by The Whitlams (E.G. Records) is the seventh studio album and first new material from the Sydney group in just under sixteen years, as the group reformed and toured in 2017 alongside a fifty piece orchestra for their 25th Anniversary, now they grace us with new material upon their 30th Anniversary, as they first formed in 1992. This is their sixth Top 100 entry in Australia, five studio albums and one compilation, and with this album landing at No.21, it is their lowest placed album since their 1997 third set “Eternal Nightcap” climbed to No.14 in February and again in April of 1998.

*ARIA Chart info is based on sales for the week from the 28th of January to the 3rd of February, 2022

Written, Compiled and Researched by Gavin Ryan.

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