Steps' Platinum Collection, Madonna's Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones and Aitch's Close to Home battle it out for Official Albums Chart Number 1

For me I hope Steps do it as they would have a number 1 album in 4 decades.

I do love Madonna but as she’s already had 12 #1s already I’d really love Steps to get this one - they’ve worked so hard since they came back and keep hitting #2 over and over

I love steps but Madonna technically would have 14 number 1 albums by now had the leak of Rebel Heart not messed up the roll out. Nobody works harder. She deserves this

One thing i will say, Steps will most likely bag the number 1 but it wont be based on artistic content. The tracks are available already in varying guises, but its the sheer volume of special editions available that will cinch this. 24 different variations!!!!! Compared with just 7 available for Madonna's remix package. She has also done no European promo for this, at all! So for her to clinch top 3 with a remix package based on those facts, is nothing short of incredible and testament to her enduring popularity. They do need to look at the amount of editions that can be released. 24 is staggering. Same with Kylie's Disco. There were plus 15 variations of that across all formats compared with Madonna's Madame X which had 6 available. Either Madonna needs to step up these packages or, the charts need to limit them. It becomes more about the product than the content

Charts have NEVER been about artistic content. Never have been, never will. It's about who sells the most. No more, no less. Although the story since 1952 (1956 for albums) of how artists and labels have gone about achieving those sales is what keeps me interested. Sometimes more than the music itself. More versions, famous chart battles / rivalries, dress gimmicks, notable performances, how the promotion cycle has changed (e.g. TV/radio interviews, touring etc.)

If truth be told, if she was so popular, she'd have more than 2 weeks in the top 75 in the last 3 years. The likes of Abba, Elton John, MIchael Jackson, Queen have all had their greatest hits literally not leave the chart in a continuous run since streams were added to the albums. Struggling to drop out of the top 20 in all that time and some going back to #1 with new material. THAT'S enduring popularity.

There were 40 new #1 albums last year. 40! Only 3 artists achieving more than a week at #1 (4 if you count Taylor Swift's 3 different albums at 1 week each). This year is looking to be much the same. With some of those dropping straight out of the top 100 from #1!

While a #1 album is an achievement, it's much less of an achievement than it used to be. With such turnover, the real achievement is still being on chart a month after release.

A remix album is pretty boring (I already have You Can Dance)! For me she hasn't released anything worth talking about (and certainly dancing to) since Like A Prayer, and I include the #1s in that, even if I bought some at the time.

Not quite as boring as a plain old 3rd greatest hits though. As a Steps fan, I won't be buying it at full price. If at all. I don't know if it has exclusive tracks, if it has I will get it when it's in the sale or charity shop. I've given up hoarding pieces of plastic, so I only 'need' one copy!

That said, I don't think sheer number of versions matter anymore (not like it did in the 80's), as I think they only count the top 3 selling formats for chart compilation? Could be wrong...

It got ridiculous in the 80's as a new version was released every other week to keep the hit on chart, which changed the chart ruling to limited eligible formats.

Those continuous chart runs I mention began in 2017 btw.

I count just 12 Steps formats, not 24

(5x different single CDs - 1 for each member, Standard 1CD version, Deluxe 2CD version, Party Download, Pre-Party download, 2LP Splatter, 1LP Picture Disc and a Cassette). Everything else are bundles / combinations of these 12.

She hasn't released anything since 2019; thats 3 years. And her Immaculate Collection album hasn't left the top 200 UK album chart since 1990. Its been certified as 14 x platinum last week for sales of 4 million. The artists you all speak of 1. Have 20+ years of sales on Madonna and 2. ALL have had MAJOR legacy projects out within the past 5 years. Queen, Elvis & Abba plus Elton, have all had major musicals, movies, or studio albums out (ABBAs first in decades!) and collaborations with younger artists. Elton springs to mind here, whoring himself out to any 20 year old artist just to get a hit! Irony is, he slated Madonna back in 2003 (then aged 43) for working with Britney Spears.... and he is doing what exactly with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa & Britney??? Hypocrite

There were more than that last Friday but they sold out and not showing up on their website now. Either way, it's still more than what Madonna released, and hers are way more expensive. The 6 LP set was £140, and the 16 track vinyls are around 39.99. 3 Disc CD is 19.99. Madonna didn't do any promo or sign any of her copies, unlike Steps who have literally been working overtime to get this #1. and on top of that is it's almost a 4 hour REMIX album. Remix albums rarely perform well on the charts anyway, for example: Kylie's peaked at #28.

I'd hope they were way more expensive. I don't fancy paying £140 for a single new cassette!

Unless you count the 2004 Waterloo single re-issue, it's best part of 30 years since Abba released anything new. Likewise, Gold has never left the top 200 since being released (1992), has sold almost twice as many as Immaculate, nor has it left the top 40 for the last 5 years. Between that and Queen's GH they hold or have held every album chart record worth talking about: most sales, most weeks. Personally, I don't count anything without Freddie as Queen, although they've released a few footnote albums without him that OCC do count!

I'd be surprised if ANY of this week's new entries are still on chart in October. Having legacy projects and being in demand for collaborations is a good thing, not bad. It is testament to their popularity, particularly that it was even viable to create and release the legacy projects or new studio records. A happy consequence of those legacy projects is the artists become even more popular.

You've got to think that what is so bad about Madonna that she's neither released new material nor had any legacy projects. Then I realise she's on Warner, or was for the most significant part of her career. Watch Rick Beato's Youtube channel about them (Lindsay Buckingham, Eagles/Don Henley to name a few) who tend to aggressively block their legacy music rather than let it be released. licensed or monetise it. That has a notable detrimental effect on legal streams and consequently, their young audience. My own experience backs this up too, having some music industry professors coming from Warner group in my popular music degree. It may be part of the culture of that company. Madonna may have little control over it herself if her catalogue is still managed by her team / label. In contrast to Kate Bush for example, who famously gained her copyrights back for her catalogue and has since become much more popular again.

Elton may seem a hypocrite if you don't know his history. He has for at least the 25 years (when I first heard about it), that he buys their records every week and actively supports and encourages them. Most recently, he did this with Dua Lipa for 2 years before the collaboration. Although why he changed his mind on simply supporting them to directly working with them, I don't know.

No idea where you're going with this but Madonna's Immaculate Collection is the biggest selling hits compilation of all time. Over 34 million to be precise, 4 million+ in the UK alone! Gold is nowhere near its sales figures in the UK or globally. And yes, legacy projects help to sell albums, Madonna has had nothing out since 2019 and still her True Blue & Immaculate Collection albums gained brand new certifications in the UK only 2 weeks ago. Without legacy movies, stage shows or recent collabs. As for Elton, he's just doing what Madonna did 20 years ago. Madonna also owns the rights to her music which is why we havnt had any new music until now. She's started putting her historic maxi singles on digital & streaming. Thats about it.

I'd suggest some research. Even within this site, Gold has 6m UK sales and Queen's GH has 7m. Together they hold the top 2 spots in the all-time UK sales chart. IC in contrast isn't even in the top 10 (or wasn't until recently if it's changed). She might have new certifications. On it's own it doesn't mean much other than she was very close to the margin to claim the next sales multiple. She hasn't had consecutive top75 weeks for years, and when you're below the top 50, the sales per week are literally in the hundreds rather than thousands. So they're not selling in huge numbers, just trickling along. It's pretty clear all of those other artists have better recent success per unit of promotion e.g. Elton's Diamond collection stayed top 10 for months long before Rocketman was due out.

If it's the case she has her own copyrights, then she can only blame herself rather than Warner for not promoting them. Or at least not as successfully as the aforementioned artists.

At least all of them are regularly around the bottom of the top 20-25, a position that sells about 2000-5000 a week. They've all been consitantly there or above for the last 250 weeks or more. Just notice how Lockdown Sessions and Voyage are already long out of the chart and being outsold by the greatest hits again.

Long story short, an artist with the stature of Madonna should be better reflected on the album chart, even without promotion. The fact she isn't brings me to doubt whether she still has said stature. Appealing only to fans who have like her since the 20th century.

Queen, Elton and Abba all have a new generation of fans who weren't even born at the peak of their careers. I'm less sure that Madonna has achieved that. With streaming, the back catalogue is constantly available, and it simply isn't charting - averaging less than 4 weeks a year over the last 5 years.

I'm sure Jack meant to say that the Immaculate Collection was the best selling compilation by a female artist, and as he already said, Queen, Elton and Abba have a new generation of fans because of their biopics / movies. In fact, Elton's streaming followers were abysmal before Rocket Man came out. It was just over 16M, Madonna's has increased from a similar number to 22M within a year because of DJ Sickick's Frozen remix and Material Girl going viral on Tiktok. and there's already a biopic and reissues on the way, lol.

Research???? Lol we're talking global. Not the UK here. The Immaculate Collection is the biggest selling compilation of all time with certified sales of over 34 million. Your slant and disregard for Madonna's success is pathetic. But its futile. She has more number 1 hits, both album & singles across global charts than any other act. More top 40 hits in the US & UK than ABBA & Queen combined and the highest grossing concerts of all time. Her success is staggering. No reliance on legacy albums either. Queens resurgence in success along with ABBAs are down to huge legacy projects that bloated their sales. When Madonna's movie finally comes out, expect her 400 million album sales to bloat. Stay bitter.

Neither ABBA, Elton or Queen hold an album in the top 100 in the UK. Madonna has just released a remix collection that has gone top 5 around the world with zero promo or new material on it. Her entire back catalogue was prevented from being released for 14 years due to her leaving Warner in 2010 for interscope which prevented re packages, or promotion of it until she re signed with them last year. Her remix package is the first off that deal.

Elton is basically whoring himself between vegas and younger acts to get a hit. Something he trashed Madonna for when she was only 41. True Blue & TIC both received new certifications in the UK 2 weeks ago and her last studio album peaked at number 1 in the US and top 3 around the world. When did either Queen or Elton land a studio album of new material at number 1 around the world? They havnt

All 3 are currently in the top 25.

"She is really bigger than any other artist alive when it comes to charts and sales!"

Yet she's already losing the number one spot to a Steps compilation album, lol. Her last number one album was ten years ago. Only Madonna and her fans could celebrate getting 50 number-one singles on an irrelevant American dance chart that has nothing to do with sales or radio play. It's 22 years since she last had a number one on the Hot 100 and 13 years since she had one on the UK top 40 chart. Her sales will never come close to those accumulated by The Beatles, Michael Jackson and Elvis. , Mariah Carey and Barbra Streisand have sold more records in the US than Madonna.

Oh, it's the Madonna hating Kylie fan again. I knew you would crawl out of the woodwork this week. The Queen of Pop's new album is a compilation of remixes that's doing well all over the world, and remix albums rarely perform well on the charts. A #2 in the UK is great, let's face it, Madonna's remix albums have all performed much better than Kylie's ever did (Boombox peaked at 28) lol. Btw, you must be dense not to realize you're dragging Kylie when mentioning The Beatles, Elvis, MJ and US #1's. What was that Madonna said on Jimmy Fallon? 400million? Poor Kylie lol

First off Madonna is the biggest selling female touring and recording artist of all time. We're talking global, not Mrs Christmas and that terrible Xmas song or local act Kylie Minogue and her global flop album Disco. Madonna has sold over 400 million albums world wide which will place her back ontop of local act Mariah in the US now that Warners are currently re certifying her back catalogue, the rest of her chart records are out there for all to see.

Second. Madame X hit number 1 in 12 countries and has sold 1.8 million, Disco didnt even peak at number 1 in 3 countries. Mariah's Caution? Flopped into the US BB hot 100 at number 3. Kylies Disco, that rip off of Madonna's Confessions album, barely scraped the US top 30 album chart 😂😂😂😂

I guess you're clueless that Madonna is only the biggest selling female artist ever.
Poor thing :(

whether or not she’s losing to steps and aitch you can’t deny she’s the biggest selling female artist globally, plus top 3 is a brilliant result for a remix album and shows you she still has a lot of hype because remix albums don’t do this well so shut up