James Taylor’s first number one album ever. How wonderful for him and sure, 96,000 copies sold isn’t exactly the smash Sweet Baby James was 45 years ago, still you play with the hand you’re dealt and this hand finds a terrific album at the top of the charts!
Just to gain some perspective on all this: 40% of the albums on this list have been on this list all year, and I mean that almost literally, maybe Meghan fell off for a week here and there but that is it. Everything else (where’s Willie?) kasts a week to three tops and disappears. Muse moved 79,000 units. That is anemic.
When is a hit album not a hit album? When it is by two of countries biggest stars and still only moves 30K units. To put it another way, including Grandkids and Great Grandkids, cousins, seconds cousin, and former bandmate’s next of kin, nobody else actually bought the damn thing. Talk about going to pot.
I know I am in the minority but I prefer A$AP Rocky’s new one to Kendrick’s new one, not lyrically and not rapping, but sound and song it is a masterful piece of work. Try “Acid”, “Excuse Me” and “Jukebox Joints” and then go in deep. Otherwise, I know a “C+” doesn’t seem impressive, but in the world of CCM it is the equivalent of an “A”
I bet Twenty-One Pilots are opening up the bottles oc champers, whatever the downsize of the music biz in 2015 might be, the upside is everybody gets to have a # 1 album. This is the seventh by a new act, this year. Meanwhile, in the smaller share US, the Billboards award catapulted Taylor, Meghan and Ed. Finally, Bradley Gilbert has a song with featured singers Justin Moore and Thomas Rhett. Or as we like it to call it, a breesome.
Three albums in the top five are soundtracks and I bet more to come as the days roll by: ever since “Twilight” realized it could connect with the youngsters via indie bands, mainstream poppers have been circling the soundtrack compilation and now the eagle has landed. The result? While you might enjoy EDM pop moves on a single, or on a dance floor, one after another for 40 minutes? Not so much. Incubus? I’m a pass.
Say what you will, and I don’t much like the album myself, still as # 1’s go, Mumford And Sons 231,000 units sold is impressive in a field that has been averaging around the 75K range for a first week top of the charts. Yeah, I’m impressed but bemused. I have zero doubt, if it was their first album nobody would’ve noticed much.
I hope there never comes a time I my life, even if I am no longer writing about music, but merely a civilian buying tickets to Taylor Swift concerts like all you plebs (actually, I am a civilian buying Taylor tickets like all you plebs), when I can look at the names Zac Brown and Josh Groban at the top of the charts and not throw up in my mouth.
This is a little less volatile than usual, with only Alabama Shakes the shocker, and even AS only shifted 96K “equibalent units”. But this is a sort of quietly indiffrent week, backed by two soundtracks, and still, from 2015: Taylor, Sam, Ed and Meghan, plus Drake who will be holding up the new album now. Sam Hunt is unlistenable.
I can’t see or, more to the point, hear the pleasure in Shawn Mendes. I thought he was OK but slight at Jungle Ball in December, and, opening for Taylor Swift this summer, it is not possible for him to bring the one band stuff the way Ed Sheeran did in 2013. Amway, what a Halestorm of mediocrity.
Perhaps I am too cynical for the charts… so many albums come on and disappear and it doesn’t seem to really signify very much at all. From last week, Wale, Surfan Stevens and Ludacris are already gone, and I bet All Time Low will be gone before you know it. The moey isn’t in charting, it is in staying. It is Taylor, Ed , Sam and Adam -hanging on from LAST YEAR. As for F7… not a very good album in my opinion.
Not a bad top 10… nice to see my fave new album here, nice to see two of my fave holdovers from 2014 still hear, Kendrick didn’t crash and burn, Death Cab deserved some success with this one… there isn’t much I actively dislike. Ah, sweet zeitgeist tis of thee…
Kidz Bop Kids have had there moment and I am now here to officially tell you, it is over so please stop. A karoake strained cover of pop hits doesn’t improve because a bunch of little brats are singing it and by now any novelty at all is completely over with, so knock it off.
I read the Modest Mouse interview in Rolling Stone and found Isaac brock much more interesting in person than he is on record where he is a but on the dodgy side. And I say that well aware that the man is a danger to himself and everyone else. Eight years between albums, eh? Personally, I go back to No One Is First, And You’re next when I wanna get my quirk on.
If you add up the top three albums in unit sales you get around 350K, which means none of these albums are coming close to putting the charts on fire. Also, where is Kelly Clarkson and Brandi Carlile? Really? One week and out? Finally, “Empire”? Reaches 15 million viewers per episode, which means 1% of their audience bought (not bought, “equivalent album units”) the album. Terrif.
Impressed by Kelly? Really? She moved 83K units, or if you prefer, she completely blew it and it is a miracle she got to the top, a miracle or good planning, depending on your take. For sure, it ain’t great. Plus, where, exactly, is Kid Rock? I think the heart of the charts is stuck in place: 50, Tay, Drake, Maroon 5, Sam and Meghan., and the other four in flux. A little different than last year when the chart was much more volatile.
Ugh, if the year was based solely o the charts so far so iffy. The top three are all lousy, all of the albums are C or lower and except for Drake nothing from 2015 is all that thrilling at all. Big Sean was a real dig and Tyga ruins Brown’s best dance moves (Tyga? Cmon, guy). A real snooze of a list.
Well, Imagine Dragons had one job on earth and when you have one job and you do it, well, more power to you. Personally, with the exception of a song here and there I find them fairly abysmal but to add rock to EDM beats actually hit # 1… good for you.
Sam and Beck got huge bumps from the Grammys but otherwise no big time action, right? More interesting, Drake in at # 1, for what amounts to a mix tape, nearly going gold , only digital, IN THREE DAYS. And with that, Drake gets a serious claim to Kanye (or Jay Z for that matter) crown.
Congrats to Tay for her 10th non consecutive week at the top though her actual amount of units sold is pretty bad, 71K. It shows yet again the sorry state of the pop world though it was a weak week (this week, February 2nd is even worse). Also, note Trainor got downgraded by me, there is just too much B+ stuff here. The EP was much better. PS: what happened to D’Angelo? That didn’t last long though the SNL “Really Love” might pop him back in
That’s a turbo charged top three pop album, indeed the top Five is very good indeed. In a reversal of 2014, 2015 is one of the best January’s in living memory. It is like everyone I s saying, hey we don’t buy your dog deads of January (no, froze days…). Which works for me, fine. A good month so far.
That’s a turbo charged top three pop album, indeed the top Five is very good indeed. In a reversal of 2014, 2015 is one of the best January’s in living memory. It is like everyone I s saying, hey we don’t buy your dog deads of January (no, froze days…). Which works for me, fine. A good month so far.
I said Taylor was making a mistake when she brushed Meghan off with a text at Jingle Ball, I said Z-100 were making a mistake when they only gave her four minutes, I said Title was the best album of the week, last Jan 13th, I said the major rock critics (in lockstep: again) were being thickies when they dismissed it as mediocre. And I said it would be at # 1 this week. And I was right.
Tay nearing the 4 million mark and with “Style” making its way up the singles chart, I bet she adds another 2 million to it AND THAT IS LOCAL. The only new sign of life is Rae Sremmurd, who are kinda fun in their only little way. What else? Next week should see the end of the 1989 at the top after nine weeks -I think Mark or Meghan will unseat her. Stay tuned…
I am happily surprised to see “Into The Woods” in the top 10. Sure, it won’t do much compared to “Frozen” but it sure ain’t easy listening and I am just very pleased to note that enough people cared enough to listen. Sondheim is a great and every kid who could hear it and bought it, is better for it.
I feel about Taylor Swift in 2014 exactly how I felt about the Yanks in 1999, you knew they were unbeatable and you knew you weren’t rooting for the underdog or anything, but they are still your team and you love em!
Wow, this has only two new albums, we’re used to six or more. The disaster here is AC/DC, 175K with zero streaming for a band this big (and an album this great) is a major disaster. Of course, they will make it all back when they take their show on the road and sell out arenas from one side of the world to the other.
Billboard claim their new mix and match has affected the placement of Ariana Grande in firmaments, because it was streaming that accounted for enough of her sales to push her onto the top ten: “It moved 72,000 units for the week, heavily powered not just by album sales (47,000), but also track equivalent albums (19,000) and streaming equivalent albums (6,000)”
Four is the fourth # 1 by 1D and the last by the old system where Billboard only used sales (Alyson Camus wrote about it here) and it could be worse: sold nearly 400K and a good album. Every 16500 streams equals one album as far as Billboard goes and you can do the math but it comes to $0.015 per stream, Spotify pays $0.06
Now, Tay has reached 2 Million units moved she can await the topple next week when One Direction will take over the top place. In my 1D review earlier this week I claimed 300,000 units would be a hit for the band, it looks like it will be 400K. Plus, Harry is the subject matter of a certain song called “Styles”.
Here comes double platinum in Taylor’s rearview mirror, and we congratulate her, really but a special well done to Better Midler in at # 3 with a pretty good album, it’s the chart placing! Otherwise, jason pulled this albu off Spotify. The world yawns.
Another way to look at it: of the top selling albums on the Billboard 200 chart for the week, 1989 sold more than Nos. 2-107 combined.”
I was somewhat surprised at the top two, though on the other hand the numbers are not all that startling. None of them are. If, next week, Taylor Swift sells as money copies as this entire top ten list times THREE, it will be considered a borderline failure.
Jessie kinda blew right? But the two of interest I haven’t heard till now. Mo excuse. The Bob Seger one is so bad it makes you think Helen went easy on him and in a bad year for hip hop, the Game comes through yet again with another powerful collection chockablock with gangsta and guestars
Hooo, this is pretty brutal stuff, one crap album after another and whatever you might wanna say about Ariana Grande, Jesse J, all those pop girls, they grab you at first even if they don’t maintain beyond the one night of love. Bromances, bad r&b, worse American Standards and Stevie Bloody Nicks ain’t gonna make it with any one any how
Look at it this way: the Voice has 13 million viewers, Blake sold 100,000 copies of his new album. That is pretty abysmal, right? Otherwise we gain less and less insight from the album charts. what does the script moving 25,000 units tell you? Nothing?
Gaga and Bennett in at #1 on the album charts? 131K units moved. I am now officially the worst prognosticator since that dead ringer groundhog deBlas dropped… Otherwise, the charts no longer tell you whether music is god or bad, anything released in any given week that sells over 50K will be on the charts. Essentially, it is ten albums that have been released recently
The problem with Partners, and this may well really really be an age thing, these are songs we’ve heard over and over again, they can’t be listened to any more ever. They have no meaning eft to be dripped out of them, all these guys can do is do what has been done before.
Barbara and One Republic had something in common, both albums were heavily discounted; Ine Republic down to a dollar a holla, Babs at $7.99: the moral? I am sick of repeating the damn moral here: LOVER THE PRICES OF MP3s and people prefer em to streaming.
You want some numbers, right? That’s why you’re here. OK, Christian rapper Lecrae shifted 88,000 units, Ryan Adams, 45,000, Interpol 31,000 and Robert Plant, 29,000? Impressed? Led Zeppelin sold 37 million copies, and despite not being available on streaming services and despite being a really good album, look what Plant sold? Any questions? Then go about your business.
OK, let me simplify this for you pop pickers: What is the admittedly magnificent Legend doing back on the charts again… Well apparently the Google Play Store discounted it to a dollar the holla and so the 30 year old standard bearer for all Greatest Hits albums managed to move 41K units. And the moral is self-evident, if you make the price of albums love enough they will in fact self. Even albums everyody should have by now. The reason the MP3 is losing the war is because they are too damn expensive. What part of there is no distribution and manufacturing costs are people not getting.
Paisley is growing on me though I don’t expert that will last. Kem deserves the position though a ton more sales, and Wiz gives pot a bad name. He is Cheech and Chong without the sense of humor. So, yeah, this isn’t a thrilla and sales are bottoming out.
beyond lame and that is if you accept that I underestimated Wiz a little. Though how much can you underestimate a man who spends his life writing love letters to marijuana leafs? And doesn’t even have a sense of humor about it.
“Seven months ago we didn’t know each other and just three months ago we were still in our day jobs, so our lives have been flipped upside down and now we have an album out on an amazing record label! We are so grateful for the whole experience and to our fans for getting us here.” whoever these fans are they must be stopped.
The first three albums are various artists albums, the first two are REALLY various artists albums. The Gaslight Anthem sold 33K copies, their best ever but hardly in U2 territory. Otherwise this is much less volatile than usual isn’t it, a bit of a snooze actually.
what the hell are the Vamps doing here? Did I miss that meeting? I am telling you, it is a golden age for Boy Bands. The lead song on the EP, with Demi Lovato, is a real winner. The Vamps are to the Wanted what 5SOS is to 1D only they are a little better than the Wanted, and 5sos are not as good as 1D. So who will be th last band standing???
The problem with this iteration of Kidz Bop Kids is the covers are a little more muddled than usual, both “Happy” and “Dark Horse” should have had the arrangements much cleaner, smaller if you will. Surely Kidz Bop isn’t just about taking out the dirty words? Tom Petty? 133K units sold, Clapton? 65K.
I know I prefer 5SOS to common but the reason they have the same grade is a question of ambition, both of these albums have one absolute ambition: the former to be a worldwide smash for teen girls, the other to seriously wory what is happening in Chicago, Ill. Common may fail but I applaud the attempt.
So what’s with Blake? The album was on sale at ITunes for $5.99 and and the moral of this story is: if Itunes and/or the record business wanted to really battle streaming they should drop their prices in half…
So 1000 Forms Of Fear in at # 1 even if only 54,000 units shifted, still a good number. Maybe I was wrong? Maybe I should listen to it again? So I did and this album is so full of it self it seems to swagger along in self-regard though its only saving grace is Sia’s voice and when that’s all there is, it begins to pull you under.
