One Direction score fastest selling album of their career with Midnight Memories

Midnight Memories becomes the fastest selling album of Harry, Louis, Niall, Zayn and Liam's career to date, and the fastest selling artist album of 2013 so far.

One Direction have gone straight in at Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart today with their third full-length, Midnight Memories. In doing so, the Anglo-Irish boyband have not only scored the fastest selling artist album of 2013 so far, but also the fastest selling album of their career to date.

According to Official Charts Company’s sales data, Midnight Memories has sold more than 237,000 copies during the last seven days, beating the first week tallies of 2011’s Up All Night (139,000 copies week one) and 2012’s Take Me Home (155,000 copies).

Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Liam Payne’s third full-length is also the fastest selling artist album of 2013 so far, overtaking the previous record holder, Random Access Memories by Daft Punk, which sold 165,000 copies during its first week sale in the UK back in May.

Comments Official Charts Company’s Chief Executive, Martin Talbot: “It is a fantastic first week for One Direction, whose album is not just the fastest seller of the year - but is also the first artist title to sell more than 200,000 copies in a week since Michael Buble‘s Christmas album in December, 2011. The success really does send a signal that the festive season is almost with us - and means 1D are now real contenders to claim the biggest album of the year.”

Gary Barlow is new in at Number 2 today with his long awaited solo album, Since I Saw You Last.  While the Take That main man might not have had the pleasure of replacing his band mate Robbie Williams’ latest album, Swings Both Ways, at the top of the Official Albums Chart today, he can claim a bigger first week sales figure than his co-worker. Robbie (who falls two places to Number 3 today) opened on sales of more then 109,000 copies last week, while Gary has clocked up just over 116,000 sales this week.

This week’s Top 5 is completed by Olly Murs’ Right Place, Right Time (which soars 92 places to Number 4 following the release of a special edition version of the former chart-topping album), and Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (5).

New Entries

Irish chart heroes Boyzone, who are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, are new in at Number 6 on today’s Official Albums Chart with their fifth studio album, BZ20.

Meanwhile, Susan Boyle scores her fifth consecutive Top 10 album today with Home For Christmas (Number 9). The album features Susan’s renditions of some of her favourite festive songs, including her forthcoming single, O Come All Ye Faithful featuring the late Elvis Presley.

This week’s new entries are completed by Dido’s latest Greatest Hits album (Number 27), and Mary J Blige’s new Christmas collection, A Mary Christmas (28).

The Official Albums Chart Top 10 is as follows. Click here to see the Official Albums Chart Top 100 in full after 7pm.

© 2013 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.