Madonna and Bruce Springsteen are battling for Number 1 on this week's Official Albums Chart
It's a battle between The Boss and The Queen of Pop on this week's Official Albums Chart as new records by Madonna and Bruce Springsteen go head to head for the Number 1 spot.
Bruce's Western Stars - his 19th studio album - currently leads the way over Madonna's 14th collection Madame X by just shy of 16,000 combined sales on the latest Official Chart Update.
If Western Stars holds its position, it'll mark Bruce's 11th Number 1 album on the Official UK Chart. The record is his first new studio album of completely original material since 2012's chart-topping Wrecking Ball. View Bruce Springsteen's Official UK Chart history so far here.
Meanwhile, Madonna is eyeing her 13th Number 1 album - she currently holds the record for the most chart-topping records by a female artist, with 12. If Madame X ousts Western Stars by Friday's Official Chart, Madonna will join Elvis Presley as the solo artists with most Number 1s on the Official UK Albums Chart.
Madonna's biggest selling albums in the UK revealed
British band Bastille are looking good for a Top 10 debut with their third album Doom Days at Number 3, and after four weeks at Number 1, Lewis Capaldi's Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish extent looks set to be dethroned from the top, currently at Number 4.
Elsewhere, Joy Division are on course to land inside the Top 10 - currently at Number 5 - with a 40th anniversary reissue of their debut album Unknown Pleasures. The British post-punk band's critically acclaimed record failed to chart upon its original release and later peaked at Number 71 in August 1980 after the death of lead singer Ian Curtis.
Further down, a re-release of two orchestral albums by Roy Orbison, A Love So Beautiful/Unchained Melodies, is at 12, and Jack Savoretti's latest set Singing to Strangers rebounds 32 places to 14 following a weekend of TV appearances and live shows, including Soccer Aid 2019.
Queen's 1980 Greatest Hits album is also set for a Top 40 return at 16 after a limited release on red vinyl this week, and a reissue of their 1984 album The Works on clear vinyl is at 31.
US singer-songwriter Bill Callahan is set to claim his first UK Top 40 album with Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest at 22, Scottish band LaFontaines open at 23 with their third album Junior, and Kate Tempest is on course to land her second Top 40 collection with The Book of Traps and Lessons at 28.
Finally, REM's In Time - The Best Of 1988-2003 (32), Gold & Grey by Philadelphia metal band Baroness' (35) and Roger Daltrey's The Who's Tommy Orchestral live album (39) could all earn a spot in this week's Official Albums Chart Top 40.
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julesin09
Congratulations to Madonna on her 13th consecutive top two studio album, spanning nearly 35 years. Second week drop is going to be brutal though. Fingers crossed it stays in top 10 but could struggle to stay top 15.
Anna Nekrylova
I guess, Brits are going to spoil the image of Scandinavian Royalty which Madonna happens to be (thanks again, MyHeritage article mentioned earlier). Here's the angry look of her ancestor St. Olga and Madonna as Valkyrie a-la Leo Gumilev's poem "Olga" by Lois Royo ("Mist's Edge", 2004). Just don't tell to "Game of Thrones" screenwriters Cersei Lannister's burning fairytales was reductive). BTW, shame on you again with insightful Madonna as Danish Gertrude from "Hamlet" )) Just kidding. No offense. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f3c2969f58f7daa7681c4e8ad8f3f3b3e2ee684891c37852ebf2792bed1cdc15.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/aea3793afff11f7db075c843622327369cd927791d23813569bc9fbf57061b0d.jpg ! https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/048b67d3fdd0f4d26ef067e5d382f1da055723ec37497bb425428e8736f35822.jpg .
J
john
Do these figures include pre orders
julesin09
Yes preorders are counted on day 1.
J
Jarno
ABBA lp Voulez Vous peak position was nr.1 in 1979 not 2 :)
de Sascha
I love them both. We're almost back in the 80s!
At least for a week or so?
trumn10
the difference is that one of these artists is desperate for a #1 to show she is still relevant (she isn't), and the other artist doesn't need it, and has simply released an album , buy it or not.
julesin09
trumn10 - shame your comments where kinda valid until this one. Shows your true colours.
PB
Paul Beaton
I’m not knocking The Boss, but I really think this speaks volumes about age and gender. Older men can be successful but women can’t. Every single album review starts with ‘Madonna, 60’... nobody mentioned Springsteen’s 69 years. Even this morning in the Metro there was a review of Bon Jovi’s concert - no mention of age. A page further and yet again it starts with ‘Madonna, 60’. That’s why nobody is buying her album, it’s society’s judgement that she is past it, but not if you’re a man. You never see it when it comes to the men... Jagger, Rod Stewart, Morrissey, Springsteen, Elton John (and they’re all older than her except Morrissey - also 60). The relentless bullying of Madonna is shocking, it’s everywhere, all over the internet, every article is about her age. I really feel for her, her chart history in the UK has been extraordinary, it’s a real shame that it’ll end with such a low, just because of ageism, specifically at females.
de Sascha
Good point and it's true!
The_Sweetest_Taboo
Very true and needs to be said LOUD AND CLEAR, thanks. I would add that women are guilty at ageism too as many also mention Madonna’s age in almost every single comment
PB
Paul Beaton
Yes agree, it’s everyone doing it, and it’s been going on since 1992 at least in the British press. I remember reading a review of The Girlie Show opening night in Smash Hits in 1993 and the headline was ‘Calm Down Grandma!’... she was just 35 at the time. And it’ll happen again this time next week when the second week sales report appears and the album will have dropped a couple of places and it’ll be headline news that ‘Madonna 60 struggles to sell new album despite large marketing campaign’! It’s pathetic and ridiculous...
LARA
I think Madonna's tour album bundle which isn't counted on the UK chart is likely making her numbers a tad smaller. But it'll be a decent debut for her age and the fact that the UK public have been ridiculously cruel to her recently.
trumn10
It's actually a joke that those bundles count-- simply chart manipulation. Look at the Jonas Brothers faked album sales by doing the same thing. Payola for chart placement has just evolved.
Madonna is desperate for relevance-- give it up, stop acting 30 when your 60. Maybe then develop and release good music instead of relying on the latest fad.
julesin09
She isn’t doing a tour album bundle in the UK which is stupid because it is allowed under chart rules.
julesin09
Everyone does bundles which with tour tickets I think is fine. I don’t agree they should could for merchandise purchased or a pizza purchase like Taylor Swift did on her last album.
LARA
I think if fans are paying 100's of pounds to see her live they'd likely get the album regardless.
trumn10
Not really, look at concert attendance and those same artists album sales.
trumn10
Swift is doing it again now, for an album that will be out in August.
RUKIDI DENNIS
These brits have not been kind to Madonna in a long time, they lost their charm, they became copycats of the US market. I miss the British charts of the 90s, they were a contrast to the US charts, but these days, its all the same.But Madonna deserves number one.
J
john
I have to admit I used to love the Uk charts , as they always where a bit differant from the USA. Unfortunately even the Australian charts are the same. I gather it's just the times. I.am taken back by the Madonna figures .I do think it's a brilliant album, but that's my tastes.
ivan hobotov
Madonna deserves to be on top. Brits, what the is wrong with you?
Anna Nekrylova
Don't try to shame the Brits by not liking Scandinavian royals))) I guess, they don't like Scandinavian royals in their sixties. That's about it. Just check "These Eurovision Winners Are Related to Madonna" which reveals Valdemar II as her Danish royal ancestor. And he's also a kind of related to House of Rurik. So, if I plug in my conspiracy theory, she's a kind of threat to Winsors. Relax.She won't be allowed on top of the charts in here. But at least https://kworb.net/itunes/artist/madonna.html
Anna Nekrylova
Madonna pays taxes in UK! C'mon, Brits! She's Scandinavian royal by her ancestry, according go MyHeritage article "These Eurovision Winners Are Related to Madonna". Where's your patriotism?
BW
Brian Welsh
If the Boss is 16,000 ahead it’s not really a battle sadly. If it was 1,600 it would be. Madame X is an amazing album and deserving of number one but as long as people enjoy it that’s the main thing.
trumn10
She'll probably get a #1 in the US as they're counting the albums bundled with her tour ticket sales. Ridiculous chart manipulation but not unexpected. Elsewhere, in Europe it looks like it will also be Springsteen at #1.
julesin09
How exactly is it ridiculous charts manipulation? It is a far better chart rule that adding streams which are far more manipulated by crazy stars and playlists having the same handful of artists.
trumn10
No. How about physical album sales, or downloaded full albums albums, not individual tracts to create equivalent albums. There are already streaming charts that count steams, the charts should be seperate.
julesin09
Agreed
CW
Chris Walton
if Madame X can hold on to #2 until the end of the week then great - to me, it's a great album no matter where it charts
trumn10
I feel the same way about the Springsteen album. Honesty though neither has anything to prove, and in Springsteens' case, there really isn't much promotion, unlike Madonna.
Piran
Good to see two older artists battling it out for #1!
I didn't realise Madonna was that close to the overall record, but it'd be really cool to see her potentially tie it. :)
George
Come on #MADAMEX ! Get it to No.1! #Madonna