“÷ (Divide)” by Ed Sheeran stays at No.1 on the ARIA Albums Chart for a third straight week, and in doing so becomes his longest continual run at the top, as his second album “X (Multiply)” might have logged eight weeks at the top overall, but that was during six different runs in the No.1 spot.
Ed’s third week at the top also gives the album a 3x▲Platinum in sales, and his overall tally of weeks at No.1 in Oz is now up to twelve, which moves Ed up the list of ‘Accumulated Weeks at No.1: Albums; 1965-2017 to equal 50th alongside Billy Joel, Pink Floyd, Robbie Williams (4 #1’s each) and Meat Loaf (2 #1’s). And for this decade Ed is now fifth on the list for ‘Accumulated Weeks at No.1: Albums; 2010’s’, one week behind the 13 weeks racked up by Taylor Swift. Ed also still has his first two albums within the Top 10 again, with “X (Multiply)” down two places to No.5 and his first set “+ (Positive)” also down two, to No.10.
What could have taken the top spot from Ed Sheeran this week is the new album by Drake which comes in at No.2 this week entitled “More Life: A Playlist by October Firm”, which could be classed as his fifth album, but Drake is calling it a Playlist album, with two tracks within the singles chart this week from the new set “Passionfruit” which debuts at No.16, and the first track “Fake Love”, which peaked at No.16 four months ago.
Last week Adele had all three of her albums within the Top 10, this week she has just two, as her tour wound up in Melbourne this past week, and now “25” is down one spot to No.3 and her second set “21” drops two places to No.6. There are also two Soundtracks within the Top 10 again, with the “Trolls” set climbing back up one place to No.4, and last weeks highest new entry of the “Beauty and the Beast” soundtrack is down three places to No.9, but now that the movie has opened around the country it should rise back up next week.
There are two more new entries within the Top 10 this week, with the second album for Zara Larsson entitled “So Good” coming in at No.7, and becoming not only her first Top 10 album here, but her first albums chart entry too. The album has so far spawned five singles chart entries, and a sixth debuts this week, “Symphony” with Clean Bandit. Coming in at No.8 is the second album for Milky Chance entitled “Blossom”, which debuts and peaks at the same position that their first album “Sadnecessary” achieved back in late June of 2014.
UP:
* The Hillsong Church had it’s get-together this past week, which helps the albums from the church to climb this week, with “Let There Be Light” (HP-2) leaping up fifty-eight places to No.15, the recent entry of “Youth Revival Acoustic” (HP-37) by Hillsong Young & Free returns at No.43, and also back in at No.67 is “Of Dirt and Grace – Live from the Land” (HP-8) by Hillsong United.
* Both charting Wiggles albums rise this week, with “Nursery Rhymes” up six to No.26 and their collection “The Best of” is also up six places, to No.40.
* Taylor Swift’s “1989” set is back up eleven places to No.31 this week.
* Australian retro-electro-duo Client Liaison are about to tour the country (March 31st in Newtown, NSW) until the end of April, and their “Diplomatic Immunity” (HP-15) album returns to the chart at No.47 this week.
* Daniel O’Donnell lands a third week of new peaks for his “Back Home Again” album, which is up nine places to No.57.
* The Hilltop Hoods’ “Drinking… Walking… Restrung” is back up eleven spots to No.70.
* After tumbling down the past two weeks, the Little Big Town album “The Breaker” rebounds sixteen places this week to No.78.
* Three more albums return to the Top 100 this week, with “Matilda The Musical” (HP-55) back in at No.97, the recently screened “Trainspotting” (on Channel 10 last week) sees its soundtrack back in at No.99, and “Lifelines” for I Prevail is back in at #100.
DOWN:
* There are three albums leaving the Top 10 this week, firstly is “Ironbark” (HP-1, WI10-3) for The Waifs, down four places to No.11, and then two albums which returned to the Top 10 last week in “19” (HP-3, WI10-18) for Adele, which is down four to No.13 and “Purpose” (HP-1, WI10-22) by Justin Bieber, which drops eight spots to No.18, as both JB’s and Adele’s tours finished last week.
* After a rebound last week, the “Notion” EP for Tash Sultana is back down ten places to No.24.
* Guns N’ Roses and their “Greatest Hits” fall seven to No.25, whilst their “Appetite for Destruction” decreases by half, as it drops twenty-two places to No.44 (from last weeks No.22).
* Kingswood drop sixteen places to No.37 with “After Hours, Close to Dawn”.
* The ‘Suicide Squad’ soundtrack falls eleven to No.39 and the ‘La La Land” set is down sixteen to No.40.
* Coldplay see their recent resurge for “A Head Full of Dreams” drop back this week, down twenty places to No.46.
* Also down twenty is the 1984 set “Born in the USA” for Bruce Springsteen to No.51.
* Last weeks two Top 20 debuts both fall into the Top 60 this week, with “Heartworms” by The Shins down thirty-seven places to No.53 and Laura Marling with “Semper Femina” down thirty-five to No.54.
* Kasey Chambers and her “Dragonfly” leave the Top 50 for the first time, down twenty-four places to No.61.
* After returning to the chart last week at No.48, the 40th anniversary for “Rumours” dips a little this week, down fourteen spots to No.62.
* King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard see their “Flying Microtonal Banana” slip again this week, down twenty-five places to No.64.
* Sia and her set “This is Acting” drop twenty-three to No.66 this week.
* Busby Marou and their “Postcards from the Shell House” tumble twenty-seven places to No.68.,
* The “25” George Michael album drops out this week, and his “Ladies & Gentleman” compilation drops fifteen places to No.72.
* Also down fifteen are Train and their “A Girl, A Bottle, A Boat” set is down to No.80.
* Two former No.1 albums which drop this week are “I See You” by The xx (61 to 83) and Dune Rats with “The Kids Will Know it’s Bullshit” (67 to 84).
* Three further big drops occur for Methyl Ethel and “Everything is Forgotten (49 to 93), “Essential Oils” by Midnight Oil (58 to 95) and “Fierce Mercy for Colin Hay (44 to 98), and the only album leaving the Top 100 from last weeks fifty is “When We Fall” by All Our Exes Live in Texas (#36).
NEW ENTRIES:
* #14 (LP#14) – Spirit by Depeche Mode is not only their fourteenth studio album, and debuts at No.14, but is their fourteenth chart entry (12 studios, 1 Live, 1 Best of), and of their five albums to chart during this century it becomes their highest charted set too. The (now) trio saw their first chart entry with their debut set “Speak & Spell” (HP-28, peaked early May 1982), and they last charted with “Delta Machine” (HP-16, April 2013).
* #21 (LP#9) – Hot Thoughts by Spoon is the Texas band’s fourth albums chart entry in Australia and now their highest charted, as previously they have entered with “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga” (LP#6, HP-57, July 2007), “Transference” (LP#7, HP-47, Jan 2010) and “They Want My Soul” (LP#8, HP-43, Aug 2014).
* #29 (GH) – Vera Lynn 100 by Vera Lynn is a reworking of the songs made famous by the 1940’s entertainer with added orchestral and vocals added by Alfie Boe, Alexander Armstrong and Aled Jones amongst the singers, plus she became the first singer aged 100 (or over) to land a Top 10 album in the UK this week.
* #32 (LP#2) – Live North America, 2016 by Gary Clark Jr. is the second live set for the blues guitar-man, his first “Gary Clark Jr. Live” made it to No.55 in late September of 2014, and he has also charted two studio albums in “Blak and Blu” (LP#3, HP-34, October 2012) and “The Story of Sonny Boy Slim” (LP#4, HP-18, Sept 2015).
* #33 (LP#6) – There is a Cloud by Elevation Worship benefit their second chart entry due to the recent Hillsong gathering, and this set follows on from last years entry “Here As in Heaven” (HP-27, Feb 2016).
* #35 (LP#4) – Score by 2Cellos is the duos fourth albums chart entry, and now second Top 50 entry, as their highest charted set so far is their third album “Celloverse” (HP-24, Jan 2015), whilst their first two sets achieved lower fifty placings, “2Cellos” (LP#1, HP-69, Dec 2011) and then “In2ition” (LP#2, HP-96, Jan 2013).
* #48 (GH) – The Definitive Collection by Chuck Berry enters this week after the 90+ blues and rock player’s recent passing, and unfortunately it is only his second ever albums chart entry, as back in 1972 his “The London Sessions” album made it to No.25 (No.14 on the Go-Set chart).
* #56 (LP#9) – Rather You Than Me by Rick Ross is the US rappers ninth studio album and third to chart here after “God Forgives, I Don’t” (LP#5, HP-41, Aug 2012) and “Mastermind” (LP#6, HP-49, March 2014).
* #74 (LP#10) – Climate Change by Pitbull is the Latino rappers fifth Top 100 albums chart entry, and his first since album #8, with his previous entries here being “Rebelution” (LP#4, HP-54, Sept 2009), “Planet Pit” (LP#6, HP-5, June 2011), “Global Warming” (LP#7, HP-14, Nov 2012) and his last “Globalization” (LP#8, HP-60, Dec 2014).
* #75 (LP#4) – In Mind by Real Estate is the second entry for the act after “Atlas” (LP#3, HP-66, March 2014).
* #86 (LP#1) – A Moment of Madness by Izzy Bizu is the UK singers debut album.
* #91 (LP#7) – Kats-Chernin: Unsent Love Letters: Meditations on Erik Satie by Tamara-Anna Cislowska is the Australian concert pianist’s first chart entry within the Top 100.
Gavin Ryan reports with thanks to Australian-Charts.com
