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Taylor Swift and Little Mix neck-and-neck in the battle for Official Albums Chart Number 1 this Friday
Just a handful of chart sales separate Red (Taylor's Version) and Between Us in the midweek update. Plus further new entries from Rod Stewart, Idles and Holly Humberstone.
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Taylor Swift and Little Mix are neck-and-neck for Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart this Friday, with one of the closest chart battles of the year so far.
At the midweek stage, less than 10 chart sales separate Red (Taylor’s Version) and Between Us - with Taylor Swift currently looking to gain her eighth UK number 1 album with the re-recording of her fourth studio album Red.
If Taylor succeeds, Red (Taylor’s Version) would be her second UK Number 1 album of the year and her fourth in less than two years. Taylor would also equal Kylie Minogue as the female solo artist with the second-most UK Number 1 albums in chart history. Only Madonna, with 12, has more.
MORE: How Red helped Taylor Swift pivot to pop
Last week’s record-breaking chart topper Voyage by ABBA is pushed down to Number 3, while Rod Stewart looks set to gain his 37th UK Top 10 album with The Tears of Hercules at Number 5.
Punk band Idles eye up their third Top 10 album with Crawler at Number 6, while The Wanted’s greatest hits collection Most Wanted is tracking to debut at Number 7, their fourth Top 10 collection and first in eight years.
Blur frontman Damon Albarn’s new solo record The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows could debut at Number 8, while a Guest Edition re-release of Kylie Minogue’s Disco sends the former chart-topper back into the Top 10 at Number 9.
Rounding off the midweek Top 10 is a new entry courtesy of Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars’ Silk Sonic project; their debut album An Evening With currently places at Number 10.
Outside the Top 10, indie rock outfit The Reytons are aiming to gain their first UK Top 20 album with second record Kids Off The Estate at Number 11, while Ronan Keating starts at Number 12 with Songs From Home. Nirvana are up next at Number 13 with their iconic second album Nevermind which could lift up 75 places thanks to the release of a 30th anniversary box set.
MORE: Little Mix's Official Charts history in full
At Number 16, Australian musician Courtney Barnett could be another new entry with Things Take Time, Take Time while Red Rum Club look set to gain their highest-peaking UK album yet with How To Steal The World currently at Number 18.
Another new entry comes courtesy of Dave Gahan & Soulsavers, who could debut at Number 21 with Imposter, while a new box set of Elvis Presley’s final Nashville sessions before his death, Elvis In Nashville, could enter at Number 22 - it would be his 96th UK Top 40 collection.
Meanwhile, alt-pop newcomer Holly Humberstone eyes up a debut of Number 25 with her second EP The Walls Are Way Too Thin, while Eric Clapton’s The Lady In The Balcony - Lockdown Sessions could enter at Number 37. Finally, 5 Seconds of Summer member Luke Hemmings’ debut solo album When Facing The Things We Turn Away From could land at Number 38 thanks to its vinyl release.
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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thierry henon
I really hope LITTLE MIX can claim their 2nd number 1 album! They so deserve it..
EAKMUSIC
The number 1 would mean a lot more to little mix than to Taylor Swift
They're from the UK and its their first album as a trio
J
JK
Taylor’s red is just a greed album, that’s all, in the meantime the home girls should be the ones that British people should be supporting, but well we know the bully in chief will get the streams for number one
C
Conor
This is so close! I love little mix, but I want it to be Taylor so bad!
thierry henon
Where is ED SHEERAN in all that? OMG, his new album is really dropping very fast!! Only 1 week at number 1 and maybe out of the Top 5 by Friday!?
J
JK
He is at number four in his third week, first week number one in UK and the rest of the world (including USA, Abba couldn’t do that), second week number two (abba couldn’t do that, straight to number 3), so you may hate Ed all you want but he’s doing so much better. Too bad for abba, not a good album for their legacy. So get over it hahaha
J
JK
Hahahah Oliver is so salty that his argument is so failed hahaha I have nothing against abba they’re doing great for a mediocre album that couldn’t get a number one in the USA, in the meantime keep on suffering on Ed’a success hahaha 🤣
Zimowski
"straight to number 3" and now ABBA are back to number 1;)
J
JK
Sorry dear, they’re at number three on their third week, and couldn’t muster a number one in the US even after all of those years
Zimowski
whatever :)
and they were at number two in yesterday's update
J
JK
hahaha so whatever what I said was the truth =) , and even if they ended up at number two, good for them, but definitely they're not at number 1, so better luck next time
Piran
A difference of 9 sales? That has to be one of the closest album chart battles ever! :O
Anyway, for as much I respect Little Mix for sticking around this long, I think it should be obvious to everyone here who I’m backing for #1, haha. :)
Best of luck to both acts though! ❤️
Alfred Lock
Whoever does it they know that Adele will destroy them and then some on the 26th...She might even eclipse Abba's 1 week sales.
Piran
Oh, yeah, Adele’s going to smash every record for 2021 with ‘30’ next week, haha. :)
Alfred Lock
I doubt she'll get near to the first week sales of 21 and 25 though.
Piran
No, but she'll probably have the biggest opening week on both sales & overall album units since '÷' in March 2017. :)