In the wake of Michael Jackson posthumously setting all kinds of chart records, Billboard has actually published the Top 25 of its all-encompassing Comprehensive Album Chart as well as the Top 22 of its Catalog Album Chart.
Wilco has the seventh best selling album of the week, which, when you subtract the three Michael Jackson "catalog" albums ahead of it, places it as #4 on the Billboard 200, selling almost twice as many copies as Off the Wall!
The big news though is the Catalog Chart, which MJ sweeps:
1. Michael Jackson - "Number Ones" - 339,000 (up 215%)
2. Michael Jackson - "Thriller" - 187,000 (up 86%)
3. Michael Jackson - "Essential Michael Jackson" - 125,000 (up 23%)
4. Michael Jackson - "Off the Wall" - 51,000 (up 58%)
5. Michael Jackson - "Dangerous" - 26,000 (up 85%)
6. Michael Jackson - "Bad" - 23,000 (up 33%)
7. Jackson 5 - "Ultimate Collection" - 10,000 (down 44%)
8. Michael Jackson - "Ultimate Collection" - 10,000 (down 10%)
9. Michael Jackson - "Invincible" - 8,000 (up 76%)
10. Michael Jackson - "Vol. 1 - Greatest Hits - History" - 7,000 (down 36%)
Top 10 of the non-catalog albums after the jump...
Billboard 200
1. Various - "Now 31" - 169,000 (debut)
2. Brad paisley - "American Saturday Night" - 130,000 (debut)
3. Rob Thomas - "Cradlesong" - 122,000 (debut)
4. Wilco - "Wilco (the album)" - 99,000 (debut)
5. Black Eyed Peas - "E.N.D." - 70,000 (down 21%, cume: 610,000)
6. Jeremih - "Jeremih" - 59,000 (debut)
7. Killswitch Engage - "Killswitch Engage" - 58,000 (debut)
8. Jonas Brothers - "Lines Vines & Trying Times" - 42,000 (down 39%, cume: 358,000)
9. Eminem - "Relapse" - 39,000 (down 18%, cume: 1,207,000)
10. Lady Gaga - "Fame" - 36,000 (down 3%, cume: 1,162,000)
Check out the albums on the Catalog Chart that sold less than MJ: CCR's Chronicle Vol. 1, Journey's Greatest Hits, Bob Marley's Legend, Led Zeppelin's Mothership, Linkin Park, Abba, Nickleback...they're all selling between 5,000 and 7,000 copies a week. Who's still buying these albums? Don't you people already own them? Seriously. Seven thousand people just got turned on to Journey last week? Who are you people?
Comments
Holy shit, MJ takes all Top Ten slots on the catalog chart. Wow.
Journey is always on tour in the summer with some guy who is not Steve Perry. Fogerty still plays some shows. But maybe people just lost CD's and need a new copy to play while they grill their 80/20 burgers and drink Miller Lite.
Survivor goes through lead singers (and former lead singers) like Shannon Hoon went through syringes. My guess is that certain remaining longtime Survivor members have exacting standards, making working conditions a) probably less than collaborative, and b) somewhat emotionally charged. Styx has that same problem. Sad, really. But ain't that the way; the county-fair circuit always seems to get the dregs and has-beens. I want DLR to play my town's summerfest!!!!
There you stood, that'll teach ya
To look so good and feel so right
Let me tell you 'bout the girl I met last night
It's understood, I had to reach ya
I let the wheel of fortune spin
I touched your hand before the crowd
Started crushin' in
Now I'm higher than a kite
I know I'm gettin' hooked on your love
Talkin' to myself, runnin' in the heat
Beggin' for your touch in the middle
Of the street and I --
*I can't stop thinking 'bout you girl
I must be living in a fantasy world
I've searched the whole world over
To find a heart so true
Such complete intoxication
I'm high on you*
Smart and coy, a little crazy
The kinda face that starts a fight
Let me tell you 'bout the girl I had last night
Piercin' eyes, like a raven
You seemed to share my secret sin
We were high before the night
Started kickin' in
Now I'm screamin' in the night
I know I'm gettin' hooked on your love
Talkin' to myself, runnin' in the heat
Beggin' for your touch in the middle
Of the street and I
Yup. Like you said, some of the finer beret rock there was...
DJ "Alchohol and the Potato Famine Are The Scourge Of My People" Murphy---Why did you bring Survivor into this discussion? They're so bad that they're good but we were talking about Journey. Certainly you can't lump Journey into the same category with Survivor and Glass Tiger, even if Journey's new singer has a beret in his dressing room. Survivor doesn't still sell 7-thousand albums a week do they?
Well, I saw only the portion of this article which referred to MJ, didn't realize that Journey was referred to in the remainder of the article, thought that you were up to your post-whatever-in-an-unrelated-thread-for-comic-effect habits, so decided to post something about my memories of one of my summers catching all those crazy county-fair has-beens, of which Survivor made up a portion of those shows because he's a Survivor freak (has the Japanese imported CD copies of the first two albums and Caught In The Game). That was the train of thought, and since Journey no longer tours with its original vocalist, neither does Survivor. Make a bit more sense?
In a perfect world, yes, Survivor would sell 7K CDs a week, and send Britney back to her trailer park.
My buddy Jeff was the Survivor nut, not me. I'd only call myself glancingly familiar with them, moreso than a typical Joe Blow just from hanging out with Jeff.
Sounds like Murph has been drinking again!