Les Miserables returns to top of Official Albums Chart

It’s all change since midweek as Les Miserables returns to Number 1, denying midweek album leaders The Courteeners their first chart topper. Plus: Emeli Sande spends a year in the Top 10 with Our Version Of Events.

Despite The Courteeners leading the albums charge on Wednesday’s Official Chart Update, Les Miserables – The Motion Picture Cast Recording fought back to reclaim the Number 1 and spend its third (non-consecutive) week at the top.

It was looking like a possible chart topper for Manchester indie rockers Liam Fray and co midweek with their third studio release, but The Courteeners’ Anna was pipped to a Top 5 placing, settling at Number 6 by Sunday’s final and delivering the band their third Top 10 album in less than five years.

Nottingham’s Jake Bugg’s self-titled debut climbs four places to Number 2, while last week’s chart topper Biffy Clyro’s Opposites drops two places to 3. 

Emeli Sande’s Our Version Of Events (4) celebrates its first birthday today with a full year inside the Top 10.  The album was released on 10 February 2012, shortly after Emeli was announced as the BRITs Critics Choice winner.  Our Version Of Events broke through the one million sales barrier in December, and has gone on to sell a cool 1.5 million copies here in the UK.  Emeli Sande currently still holds the Official Chart record for the solo artist with the highest number of consecutive weeks inside the Top 10 with their debut album. 

Rumours - Fleetwood Mac’s recently reissued classic completes this week’s Top 5.

New Entries

In addition to The Courteeners’ Anna (Number 6), there are six other new entries.

Frightened Rabbit pull off a career best with fourth album, Pedestrian Verse (9). The Scottish rockers, this time with major label support, collect their first ever Top 10 album. Richard Clayderman’s first new studio album in over a decade, Romantique lands at 13, while Eels notch up their 11th UK Top 40 album with Wonderful Glorious (14).

Girls Aloud and Strictly Come Dancing star Kimberley Walsh’s collection of West End favourites, Centre Stage, is new in at Number 18, closely followed by Dagenham MC Devlin who debuts at 19 today with his second album, A Moving Picture.

This week’s Official Albums Chart new entries are completed by The Mavericks’ In Time (37). The Best Of Eva Cassidy is this week’s highest climber, up 42 places to 26.

The Official Albums Chart Top 10 is as follows. See the Official Albums Chart Top 100 here:

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