Black Sabbath and Beady Eye battle it out in Number 1 album race

Liam Gallagher’s Beady Eye take on reunited heavy metal legends Black Sabbath in this week’s Number 1 album race.

This week’s Official Albums Chart race is a real battle of the bands, with Beady Eye fighting it out with Black Sabbath in the race to Number 1.

According to Official Charts Company sales data, Black Sabbath are ahead of Liam Gallagher’s boys by a narrow margin of 4,500 copies at this midway stage with their latest studio album, 13.

Not only is 13 the first studio album to be released under the Black Sabbath moniker since Forbidden some 18 years ago, it is also the first Black Sabbath studio album to feature Ozzy Osbourne on vocals since Never Say Die! in 1978. If the heavy metal legends can maintain their lead going into the weekend, 13 will become Sabbath’s first Number 1 UK album since Paranoid in 1970.

Meanwhile, Beady Eye could be on track for a personal best this weekend with their second album BE. BE is currently riding at Number 2, one place higher than the band’s 2011 debut album, Different Gear, Still Speeding, however they would need to leapfrog Black Sabbath before Sunday if they want to draw equal with former Oasis bandmate Noel Gallagher who hit Number 1 with his High Flying Birds project back in October of that year.

Scottish electronic duo Boards Of Canada look set to score their highest charting album to date this weekend. Tomorrow’s Harvest debuts at Number 3 on today’s Official Albums Chart Update. Reigning Official Albums Chart Number 1, Settle by Disclosure, is down three places to Number 4, while Rod Stewart’s Time is at 5.

New Entries

In addition to Black Sabbath’s 13 (1), Beady Eye’s Be (2) and Boards Of Canada’s Tomorrow’s Harvest (3), there are six other new entries on this week’s Official Albums Chart Update.

Scottish singer / songwriter KT Tunstall is heading  for her third Top 10 album in a row with Invisible Empire / Crescent Moon, which is new in today at Number 7, while Bula Quo!, Status Quo’s 13th studio album and soundtrack to their very own feature  film of the same name, enters at 13.

Take That Star Mark Owen looks set to score his highest charting solo album to date. His fourth full-length, The Art Of Doing Nothing, debuts at Number 18 midweek. While he has enjoyed six Number 1 albums with Take That, Mark’s previous highest charting solo release was 1996’s Green Man, which peaked at Number 33.

This week’s new entries are completed by US rockers Jimmy Eat World’s Damage (21), The Essential Bruce Springsteen (22) and Goo Goo Dolls’ Magnetic (34).

The Official Albums Chart Update Top 40 is as follows:

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