Coldplay clock up one of the fastest selling albums of 2011

Coldplay are on course to score their fifth Official Albums Chart Number 1 this weekend, as well as notching up one of the best-selling opening weeks of any album release this year, according to today’s Official Chart Update.

‘Mylo Xyloto’,Coldplay’s fifth studio album, has kicked off the week to a flying start, racking up sales of over 122,000 in its first three days of sale.  The release is now set to become one of the fastest-selling albums of 2011, with a massive 40% of UK sales to date coming from downloads.  All eyes look set on the British rockers breaking the 200,000 sales barrier by Sunday, a feat this year only accomplished by two other Number 1 albums, Adele’s ‘21’ and Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’.

A positive knock-on effect also appears to be taking shape on Coldplay’s back catalogue, with the band enjoying four additional slots in today’s Top 75; ‘Parachutes’ (49), ‘Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends’ (51), X&Y (55) and ‘A Rush Of Blood To The Head’ (66).

Theofficialcharts.com this week caught up with Chris Martin to see how it would feel to topple Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds from the summit this weekend, to which he replied, “We’ve never knocked Noel Gallagher off anything, not even a chair!”  Watch the video below.

‘Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds’, his first studio release since the split of Oasis, is at Number 2, ahead of an influx of new entries in today’s Official Albums Update.  Michael Buble’s themed covers album, ‘Christmas’, enters today at 3 featuring a selection of classics including ‘White Christmas’ – a duet with Shania Twain - and a cover of Mariah Carey’s popular festive smash ‘All I Want For Christmas’.

Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Stronger’ enters today’s Update at 4, with Bruno Mars’s double platinum album ‘Doo-Wops & Hooligans’ – which peaked at Number 1 back in January 2011 - climbs back up four places from 9 to 5, marking its 42nd week in the Official Albums Chart. American singer/songwriter Tom Waits’s seventeenth studio release ‘Bad As Me’ (7), is the other highest new entry in today’s Top 10.

Over in the Official Singles Chart, fresh from performing on last Sunday’s X Factor results show, Professor Green is set to score his first Number 1 with ‘Read All About It’ (feat. Emeli Sande).  The Hackney-born rapper’s previously highest chart position was with ‘I Need You Tonight’ ft. Ed Drewett in April 2010, a reworking of the INXS classic, peaking at Number 3 in April 2010.

Labrinth ft Tinie Tempah follow on their heels with new entry, ‘Earthquake’, while Rihanna’s ‘We Found Love’, feat. Calvin Harris drops two places to 3 in today’s Update.  The other highest new entry inside the Official Chart Update Top 10 comes courtesy of Rizzle Kicks’ ‘When I Was A Youngster’ which enters at Number 7.  The track is taken from forthcoming album ‘Stereo Typical’ which is out next week.

Official Albums Update Top 5
1 ‘Mylo Xyloto’ – Coldplay
2 ‘Noel Gallagher’s High Fliying Brids’ - Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
3 ‘Christmas’ - Michael Buble
4 ‘Stronger’ - Kelly Clarkson
5 ‘Doo-Wops & Hooligans’ – Bruno Mars

Official Singles Update Top 5
1 ‘Read All About It’ - Professor Green Ft Emeli Sande
2 ‘Earthquake’ - Labrinth Ft Tinie Tempah
3 ‘We Found Love’ - Rihanna Ft. Calvin Harris
4 ‘Mr Know It All’ - Kelly Clarkson
5 ‘Wherever You Will Go’ - Charlene Soraia

Official Charts - Q Awards 2011 on MUZU.