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Iron Maiden's Senjutsu clashes with Drake's Certified Lover Boy for the UK's Number 1 album
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Iron Maiden and Drake are going head-to-head in a gargantuan chart battle for Number 1 on this week’s Official Albums Chart.
Iconic British heavy metal band Iron Maiden lead today’s Official Chart Update with their 17th studio album Senjutsu, while Canadian rapper Drake is clipping at their heels with his sixth album Certified Lover Boy in the runner-up slot.
Iron Maiden lead on physical sales and downloads, while Drake has the upper hand on streaming. So far this week, 8,000 chart sales separate the two albums, but everything is still to play for.
Iron Maiden have scored five UK Number 1 albums across their forty year career, with their latest two studio LPs 2010's Final Frontier and 2015's The Book of Souls becoming their first consecutive UK Number 1s. Can the Bruce Dickinson-fronted group make it three-in-a-row?
MORE: The UK's Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2021 so far
Drake won’t miss out on the top spot without a fight as he guns for his fourth UK Number 1 album to join Views (2016), Scorpion (2018) and Dark Lane Demo Tapes (2020). Certified Lover Boy is all but certain to mark Drake’s tenth appearance in the Official Albums Chart Top 10.
In at Number 3 midweek is Little Simz with Sometime I Might Be Introvert, set to become the first UK Top 40 album for the London rapper – real name Simbiatu Abisola Abiola Ajikawo. Another new release in the Top 5 comes courtesy of Newcastle rockers The Wildhearts with 21st Century Love Songs, on track to become their fourth Top 40 album and highest-charting to date.
Last week’s Number 1 DONDA by Kanye West is still streaming strong at the halfway point, but falls four places to Number 5. Rising six places to Number 6 following their comeback announcement are ABBA and their greatest hits album Gold.
MORE: The Official Top 40 best-selling vinyl releases of 2021 so far
US rock group Imagine Dragons are vying for a fifth consecutive UK Top 10 album with Mercury – Act 1 (8) while Rudimental are on the cusp of their fourth top flight album with Ground Control (10).
Yorkshire alt rock group Embrace are heading for their ninth UK Top 40 entry with live album Best Of (Live from the Cellar of Dreams) at 11, a reissue of Cardiff rock band Super Furry Animals’ 2001 album Rings Around The World is at 17, and Lady Gaga remix album Dawn of Chromatica lands at 29 midweek.
Finally, posthumous chart entries are in the pipeline for Gerry Rafferty with Rest In Blue (25) and a reissue of Dublin blues guitarist Rory Gallagher’s self-titled 1971 album (34).
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DL
David Lockett
UP THE IRONS 🤘🤘🤘
DS
Dr Scott
Good thing I bought 6 physical copies all different versions. 🤟👿🤟
UP THE IRONS!!!
Alfred Lock
That's the spirit...ROCK ON and up the finger to Rap.🖕
DK
Dave Knight
Come on Maiden you can do it. 👌
thierry henon
Please let it the amazing band IRON MAIDEN be our new number 1 album!! Anything at number 1 but not the overrated drake!!
timmusicmaniac@yahoo.ca
I agree and i am so Happy for ABBA GOLD going back in the Top 10 again....ABBAMANIA is at an all time high again...
D
Devastashun.
Oh please no!. Had a GUTFUL of their cheese years ago.
Alfred Lock
Exactly..Old school versus new school..This will be a triumph kick in the teeth against streaming as Iron Maixen have a bigger world wide army I bet than Drake...and you don't mess with EDDIE!!(The iconic Iron Maiden mascot).
Küll
Up the Irons 🤟🤟