Kings Of Leon ride Mechanical Bull to top of the Official Albums Chart

A decade after making their Official Albums Chart debut, Kings Of Leon score their fourth UK chart topper. Plus: Drake scores the fastest selling hip-hop album of 2013 with Nothing Was The Same.

Despite tough competition from Drake and Jessie J, Kings Of Leon have ridden their Mechanical Bull straight to the top of the Official Albums Chart!

Since going on sale on Monday (September 23), more than 71,000 copies of the Tennessee rockers’ sixth studio album have been purchased in the UK. Mechanical Bull marks the tenth anniversary of Kings Of Leon making their first chart appearance on these shores with their debut album, Youth & Young Manhood. Since then, the Followill brothers – Caleb (vocals / guitar), Jared (bass) and Nathan (drums) – and their cousin Matthew (guitar), have now clocked up four Official Albums Chart Number 1s.

Drake debuts one place behind Kings Of Leon to score his highest charting UK album to date with Nothing Was The Same (Number 2). With a first week sales tally of more than 61,000 copies, the Canadian star has achieved the fastest selling hip-hop album of 2013, bettering the opening sales of Kanye West’s Yeezus (which sold 25,000 week one) and Jay Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail (39,000).

Jessie J is new in at Number 3 with Alive, the follow up to her 2011 debut album, Who You Are, while Arctic Monkeys slide three places to Number 4 after two weeks at the Official Albums Chart summit with AM. Jason Derulo completes this week’s Top 5 with his third album, Tattoos (Number 5). The album features his Number 1 single Talk Dirty FT 2 Chainz.

New Entries

In addition to Kings Of Leon (Number 1), Drake (2), Jessie J (3) and Jason Derulo (5) there are seven other new entries on this week’s Official Albums Chart.

17-year-old singer/songwriter Birdy, debuts at Number 8 with her second album, Fire Within, while Scottish electro pop trio Chvrches are new in at Number 9 with The Bones Of What You Believe.

Sting returns to the Official Albums Chart today with his first solo album in almost a decade. The Last Ship enters at Number 14, followed by US progressive metallers Dream Theater’s new self-titled album at 15. This week’s new entries are completed by Mazzy Star’s Seasons Of Your Day (24), the 20th anniversary edition of Nirvana’s iconic In Utero album (28) and New Model Army’s Between Dog And Wolf (34).

And finally, after making their live return to the UK last week, Fleetwood Mac’s Best Of collection, 25 Years – The Chain, re-enters the Official Albums Chart at 22.

The Official Albums Chart Top 10 is as follows. Click here to see the Official Albums Chart Top 100 in full after 7pm.

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