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Ed Sheeran’s = racing ahead to Number 1 on Official Albums Chart
= is currently outperforming the rest of the Top 40 combined and could outpace Coldplay for biggest opening week of 2021. Plus new entries from Richard Ashcroft, Spice Girls, The War on Drugs and more.
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Ed Sheeran’s = (Equals) is racing ahead to Number 1 on this week’s Official Albums Chart, posting impressive numbers at the halfway stage of the chart week.
Already shifting 84,000 chart sales across the weekend, Ed is currently outperforming the rest of the Top 40 combined. Comfortably leading the charge on all fronts – physical sales, downloads and streams - at its current pace, = could overtake Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres to claim the biggest opening week of 2021 so far (101,000 chart sales).
Ed has previously hit Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart with all three of his studio albums; + (2011), x (2014), ÷ (2017), as well as his No 6 Collaborations Project (2019). View Ed Sheeran’s Official Charts history in full here.
Elsewhere this week, a further eight new releases could land inside the Top 10. Behind Ed is former Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft with Acoustic Hymns - Vol. 1 at Number 2, while the 25th anniversary re-release of Spice Girls’ iconic debut album Spice could be on track to return to the UK Top 10 at Number 3. It previously topped the Official Albums Chart for 15 weeks.
At Number 5 are The War on Drugs with I Don’t Live Here Anymore, while US blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa could gain his sixth UK Top 10 with Time Clocks at Number 6. Heavy metal band Mastodon are looking for a new entry at Number 8 with Hushed and Grim, while a remixed and updated version of Pink Floyd’s A Momentary Relapse of Reason is at Number 9. Motorhead’s greatest hits collection, Everything Louder Forever, could earn the band their fifth UK Top 10 album at Number 10.
Outside the Top 10, post-punk band The The’s live album The Comeback Special is pacing to debut at Number 11, while American singer-songwriter Tori Amos is heading for Number 12 with Ocean to Ocean. Meanwhile, Billy Bragg’s first studio album in eight years The Million Things That Never Happened could bag him his 12th Top 40 collection, currently at Number 16. Billy Bragg will discuss the making of the record on The Record Club in association with Bowers & WIlkins, our livestream series with Record Store Day and National Album Day, this Wednesday 3 November.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Symphonic Suites is another new entry at Number 24 while REM’s fifth album New Adventures in Hi-Fi could re-enter the chart, currently at Number 30, thanks to a 25th anniversary release.
Whitney Houston also appears at Number 31, up 21 places thanks to a new vinyl reissue.
The Official Albums Chart is revealed every Friday at 5.45pm on OfficialCharts.com and on BBC Radio 1’s Official Chart with Scott Mills from 4pm.
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G
Greg
Shoot, I'm American and I wish our charts looked like this; seems like any act from any era could hit the Top 10. The States? Unless it's rap or some Disney-associated act, forget it.
M
Moca
I mean, the OCC does have its flaws (Especially the streaming side), but the UK does have a nice variety of genres that have a "1 week Number 1 Wonder", but because of the streaming surplus, they get shuffled out of the charts (Or in most cases, fail to chart) its second week by the juggernaut of established artists and Greatest Hits albums. Oricon Charts in Japan to me seem to handle their music charts better.
G
Greg
I get it, it's not a perfect system. But I just gotta love a country where Duran Duran can hit #3 and an ABBA song can hit the Top 10 in 2021. To me, it's charming. For all the years (ok, decades) I've been listening to the stuff you guys send over, I never stopped to think how much the UK has given me music I absolutely LOVE. And what's with the Christmas #1? Is that a huge thing or something? The only time I've ever heard about it was in Love Actually. Still, I'm "this close" to ordering the book of Christmas #1's.
🧡 oliviasnoodles 🍜
oh bore off ed. we all knew this was gonna happen but jesus, 84k midweek? between this and the signed cds, oliver said it right - the desperation is unreal.
furthermore, where the actual f*ck is asap rocky?! his first album got re-released on streaming and it is brilliant.
M
Moca
Just wait until Adele comes out, I can guarantee she'll hit double (Or even treble) of Ed's mid-week sales, especially when she's booked a lot of vinyl factories (Hence why smaller artists had to reschedule their physical releases).
S
Sarah
Ed may be shifting 84,000 charts sales and might get him to # 1 but I'm afraid the following week, unless his sales jump up considerably Abba will remove him from the top spot, with pre sales on Voyage already just over the 110,000 mark. Doubt Ed on the second week can handles those figures. Ed will spend 1 week @ #1 and Abba 2 weeks @ #1 till Adele makes her presence known, and well.... we all know she won't budge till she's ready to go. Oh Wow how exciting we all know well in advance who will be #1 in the next few weeks. Artists Vs Artists- forget the music '-'
Blank
1-week new entries at #1 are the norm now. Over 30 of the last 40 weeks (this year so far), with Sour being almost the sole exception.
S
Sarah
Just enough to have a number 1 Album in another decade. Hey, what are your views on how the UK chart determines having #1 Albums in straight decades. The Beatles since the 60,s right thru till the year 2000 had a # 1 Album each decade, 5 straight decades in all, but for some reason they are not credited as such. Do you think this is because when Abbey Road (1987 version) reached #1 in 1987 the OCC saw this as already counted as a #1. I mean I can understand not to add to the # 1 tally but whether it's a reissue or not it hit the top spot and it should count for something, or did the OCC count the year 2000 as the last year of the decade which it should not have. I personally think this is not correct. Other artists are probably affected by this also.
Blank
My Guinness books say they didn't hit #1 in the 80's at all, which is probably why they aren't counting the consecutive #1 decades. They've done at least 5 in total though: 60s (obviously), 70s, 90s, 00s. Can't remember if they've done one or both 10's and 20's - depends on when the reissues were released. The consecutive decades records shouldn't matter if it's a new album, reissue or old album reaching the top for the first time - it's all hitting #1. Pretty sure they've been top 10 in 7 consecutive decades.
S
Sarah
Hi David,
The OCC credits The Beatles as having 16 # 1 Albums. 1963-69 (10) 1970 -77 (2)
1987 (1) 1994-96 (2) 2000 (1) which makes it 5 straight decades. Therefore when Abbey Road, went to # 1 in 1987( called Abbey Road (1987 version ) the OCC decided to include it as another # 1 Album but fail to recognize it as a # 1 in that decade. Go figure !! The Beatles also had 2 # 1 Albums 2017-2019 so they actually have #1 Albums in 6 decades not 5. Fair enough not to count an Album as another # 1 that has already been credited for it, that's understandable, but to have any album regardless of how many times it's visited the # 1 position in my eyes that artist has been deprived. Hmm very strange.
Blank
I think I've found the anomoly. And it is weird. The modern reissues and #1 weeks of the other albums have been added to the original releases. Abbey Road was reissued in 1987 but only reached #30. Instead of the original issue, Abbey Road's modern (2010 onwards) reissues have been added to the 1987 reissue's chart run. For some reason the '87 (CD) reissues get their own new chart run / entry and the 21st century reissues are just tacked on the end of the 60's original - rather than another new entry like the '87 reissues were given.
As such, Abbey Road's 1987 reissue is counting it's peak position (#1) from the 2019 reissue, not the '87 reissue or original. I've gone through every chart week in history up to 2009 (2700 chart weeks) and it seems only the Beatles get credited with the full 'new version' treatment for the CD reissues when the releases are the same tracklisting (ie discounting Deluxe editions that sometimes get an entry in their own right). Well known albums with long gaps between hit weeks simply get their cat. no. changed during the run e.g Rumours, Dark Side and Bat Out Of to name just 3. Sometimes in error, sometimes correctly.
Their CD reissues don't get the special treatment!
S
Sarah
Thank you for your time David'-'
thierry henon
Will be so pleased to see THE SPICE GIRLS landing back into the Top 5! Do hope they can remain their momentum by Friday!
🧡 oliviasnoodles 🍜
that dog in your profile pic is gorgeous. those eyes 😍
thierry henon
That is my baby girl: Dollard... 10 years old and still running and playing like a puppy! How are you coolocelot101? Hope your week at the uni is going well? Take care.
Blank
Quite sad that just 84,000 is enough to outsell the remainder of the entire top 40. When Spice was first released, it wouldn't have been enough to get to #1 at all, let alone be half of the top 40 put together.
J
JK
totally sad, but sales are no longer relevant in today's music spectre, so much change in 25 years