ALBUMS
Paolo Nutini scores the biggest first week sales of his career and the biggest weekly sale of 2014, with his third album Caustic Love selling 109,011 copies last week to debut at number one.
Undoubtedly helped by the presence of two of its songs in the Top 40, his appearance on Graham Norton's BBC1 chat show and Easter gift-buying the album easily eclipsed the 72,644 copies that Sam Bailey's album The Power Of Love sold on its debut to set the previous 2014 high just four weeks ago, and also the 62,937 copies his second album, Sunny Side Up, sold when it debuted at number one nearly five years ago.
Scream (Funk My Life Up) - the first single from Caustic Love - rallies 28-22 (14,098 sales) a fortnight after debuting and peaking at number 12, while preview track Better Man slides 40-60 (3,577 sales). Two other tracks from the album also make their chart debuts - Iron Sky at number 59 (3,583 sales) and Let Me Down Easy at number 173 (1,077 sales).
After jumping 94-46 last week, Sunny Side Up now advances to number 32 (2,524 sales), making the Top 40 for the first time since January 2011. Nutini's debut These Streets - which debuted and peaked at number three on sales of 35,213 copies in 2006 - is selling well even better, shifting 4,586 copies last week, which would be enough for a number 16 place but it is now marketed at a lower price point, and thus ineligible for the main chart, though it does jump 4-1 on the budget album chart, ending an eight week run at the summit for Whitney Houston's The Ultimate Collection. Nutini is one of the most successful new artists of the 21st century, with sales of Those Streets at 1,529,683 copies, while Sunny Side Up has sold 1,767,399 copies.
Nutini’s biggest-selling single is his introductory hit, and only Top 10 entry, Last Request, which has sold 368,836 copies. 2009 number 17 hit Pencil Full Of Lead has also just crossed the 300,000 sales barrier, with a to-date tally of 301,847.
In his native Scotland, Caustic Love is the third straight number one for 27 year old Nutini, who hails from Paisley. These Streets took 25 weeks to get there, finally making the top in January 2007, while both Sunny Side Up and Caustic Love debuted in pole position. When Sunny Side Up topped the overall UK chart, Nutini became the first male Scot to have a solo number one, but since then Calvin Harris has topped with Ready For The Weekend and 18 Months so Caustic Love puts the pair in a tie, with two apiece.
Despite spawning three top three hits in the last six months, The Vamps' debut album Meet The Vamps was no match for Nutini, and debuts at number two on sales of 47,160 copies. That is, however, the highest sale for a number two album so far in 2014, beating the 43,167 copies that George Michael's Symphonica sold three weeks ago. Those sales would have delivered a number one in 11 of 15 prior 2014 chart weeks. The Vamps' latest single, Last Night, suffers a 2-14 dip (23,130 sales) on its second week on the chart, an even faster decline than their October 2013 debut Can We Dance, which slid 2-10, or February 2014 follow-up Wild Heart, which fell 3-12, on their second chart weeks.
After two consecutive weeks with small victory margins atop the chart - 8.96% in the first week, and 5.80% in the second week - Kaiser Chiefs' Education, Education, Education & War tumbles to number five (8,506 sales), while the track Coming Home falls 31-62 (3,450 sales) on the singles chart.
The rest of this week's Top 10 artist albums: Paloma Faith’s A Perfect Contradiction (2-3, 12,814 sales), John Legend’s Love In The Future (3-4, 12,813 sales), George Michael’s Symphonica (4-6, 8,298 sales), Elbow’s The Take Off And Landing Of Everything (11-7, 7,781 sales), Pharrell Williams’ Girl (8-8, 7,398 sales), Johnny Cash’s Out Among The Stars (6-9, 7,292 sales) and Sam Bailey’s The Power Of Love (7-10, 6,495 sales).
A chart regular with Jethro Tull since 1968, the band's lead singer, flautist and main songwriter Ian Anderson has released several less successful solo albums but finally breached the Top 75 with his fifth, the 2012 album Thick As A Brick 2, which was a sequel to Jethro Tull's iconic 1972 prog. rock concept album Thick As A Brick. Thick As A Brick 2 reached number 35 and follow-up Homo Erraticus is a further sequel, which improves on its predecessor, debuting this week at number 14 (4,816 sales) for the 66 year old Scot.
2007 X Factor runner-up Rhydian Roberts returns to chart duty with One Day Like This (number 19, 3,935 sales). Containing both classical and MOR repertoire, and featuring duets with Kerry Ellis and Bonnie Tyler, it puts the 31 year old Welshman equal atop the list of X Factor graduates with most Top 40 studio albums, alongside Leona Lewis, JLS and Joe McElderry. Adding their greatest hits set Goodbye - number six last November - JLS have had five Top 40 albums overall, a unique feat for an X Factor act.
Considered by many to be one of the best albums of all-time, The Stone Roses' perennial 1989 eponymous debut marks its 25th anniversary by bouncing back into the chart this week at number 43 (1,914 sales). The reason for its resurgence is that it has just been made available again on vinyl, which accounted for 1,578 of its sales (82.45%) last week. Even though the vinyl charts are stuffed with new entries because of Record Store Day releases (see below), it's enough for it top the vinyl chart.
Their first album for the Sub-Pop label for 22 years, their first charting album for 18 years and their first album for 16 years, Cincinatti's alt. rock legends The Afghan Whigs debut at number 40 (1,989 sales) with Do To The Beast.
Two artists more frequently in the chart as members of bands are in the listings with solo albums this week. Hendra is the first solo album for 31 years for Tracey Thorn's personal and professional (Everything But The Girl) partner Ben Watt (number 46, 1,805 sales), although Thorn appears as a guest; Brother (number 56, 1,461 sales) is A-Ha star Morten Harket's sixth solo album.
American classical crossover quartet The Piano Guys make their chart debut with their eponymous second album entering at number 51 (1,662 sales), 80 weeks after its release.
Also new to the Top 75 in a busy week for low level new releases: Illmatic XX (number 57, 1,433 sales), the 20th anniversary version of Nas’ debut album Illmatic; Caprice (number 60, 1,403 sales), the third chart album by German violinist David Garrett; Live At The Union Chapel, London (number 61, 1,385 sales) by Billy Bragg, Amphetamine Ballads (number 62, 1,348 sales), the debut album by Glasgow band The Amazing Snakeheads; and Smoke Fairies (number 70, 1,232 sales), the fourth album, and first Top 75 entry by the folk/rock duo of the same name.
The Hoosiers' first album The Trick To Life sold 55,185 copies the week it debuted at number one in 2007, spent 33 weeks in the Top 75, spawned two top five singles and went on to sell 658,056 copies. 2010 follow-up The Illusion Of Safety failed to produce any Top 10 singles (only hit Choices peaked at number 11) and after debuting at number 10 (10,565 sales) spent just two further weeks on the chart before disappearing forever. It has so far sold just 26,772 copies. It also saw their contract with RCA being cancelled. Their third album, The News From Nowhere, is on the independent Crab Race label, and debuts at number 96 (982 sales).
Saturday was Record Store Day and although, as usual, the vast majority of the flood of releases issued on the day were singles, 34 of the week’s Top 40 vinyl albums this week are new entries. One of the casualties of this was Norwegian DJ Todd Terje’s first album, It’s Album Time, which debuted at number one on the list last week, and is now uncharted. 151 sales were required to make the Top 40 this week – 235.56% more than the 45 sales which sufficed for anchor position last week.
Top of the compilation chart and overall album chart again, Now That's What I Call Music! 87 continues to sell far below the level of recent editions of the esteemed series, with a second week tally of 122,389 being 40.38% below its first week total. The Frozen soundtrack – which has risen to the top on three separate occasions so far – sold more copies last week than in any of its previous 19 since release, climbing a further 5.10% week-on-week to 33,896 sales as it remains at number two.
The combination of Easter and Record Store Day brought only a modest 3.42% increase in sales week-on-week to 1,490,706 – but that’s 10.92% above same week 2013 sales of 1,343,889, and the third week in a row sales have been above same week 2013 levels.
Vinyl sales last week, largely Record Store Day related, amounted to 42,186 – 140.28% up week-on-week and 60.10% above sales in the same week last year, which also included Record Store Day. Vinyl’s overall 2.83% share of album sales last week was its highest since sales week ending 20 May 1995 – 987 weeks ago - when the number one vinyl album, Paul Weller’s Stanley Road, sold 4,326 copies driving the format to a 2.93% share of overall sales. The number of vinyl albums sold last week was the highest since week-ending 23 December 1995 (956 weeks ago), when an overall tally of 45,261 vinyl album sales included a top contribution of 1,920 sales of Queen’s Made In Heaven.
SINGLES
Singer/songwriter Kiesza makes a dramatic start to her chart career, debuting at number one with maiden hit Hideaway, on sales of 136,286 copies, the fourth highest tally of the year to date, and the highest for 11 weeks.
The 25 year old singer/songwriter, who originally hails from Alberta in Canada now lives in New York, where she is signed indie label Lokal Legend - which licensed the track to Universal's Virgin EMI division for UK release - but has been tweeting about a move to East London. And while she is number one on the singles chart, she has been exchanging Twitter messages with Ed Sheeran., in which they concur about their mutual love for the new number one album by Paolo Nutini.
Hideaway easily dislodges last week's number one, Sigma's drum & bass smash Nobody To Love, which retreats to number two while selling a further 73,789 copies.
Meanwhile Touch, the introductory single by Shift K3y - 20 year old Lewis Jankel, son of Chas who used to be in Ian Dury's Blockheads - has a UK garage flavour, and is slightly redolent of early Craig David. It is also a hit, debuting this week at number three (46,085 sales).
The third and last new arrival to the Top 10, Swedish singer Tove Lo's debut hit Stay High jumps 12-6 (32,905 sales).
Elsewhere in the top tier, All Of Me holds at number four (45,330 sales) for John Legend, The Man slips 3-5 (38,271 sales) for Aloe Blacc, Happy holds at number seven (30,843 sales) for Pharrell Williams, I Got U declines 6-8 (27,832 sales) for Duke Dumont feat. Jax Jones, Fancy fades 5-9 (26,962 sales) for Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX and My Love descends 8-10 (25,441 sales) for Route 94 feat. Jess Glynne.
13 weeks after his debut hit Do It All Over Again debuted at number five on sales of 29,084 copies, 18 year old Elyar Fox falls just short of the Top 10 with follow-up A Billion Girls opening at number 11 (24,863 sales). Fox has built up a sizeable following from supporting Union J and The Wanted on tour, and from a plethora of acoustic covers he has put on YouTube. His debut album, as yet unnamed, will be released later this year.
German Whip (number 13, 24,266 sales) is the introductory hit for grime star Meridian Dan. Also featuring Big H and JME, it is the first single from Meridian Dan’s upcoming album I Am London - so-called because London is his surname as well as the city he lives in.
Also new to the Top 75 on a fairly quiet week: Cannonball (Earthquake) (number 29, 9,920 sales), by Dutch dance act Showtek with Justin Prime feat. Matthew Koma, and Heart’s On Fire (number 63, 3,390 sales), the first single from Passenger’s upcoming fifth album, Whisper.
Climbers reaching new peaks within the Top 75: Loyal (17-16, 20,417 sales) by Chris Brown feat. Lil Wayne, Turn Down For What (70-38, 7,112 sales) by DJ Snake & Lil Jon, Brave (58-48, 4,345 sales) by Sara Bareilles and Love Is An Open Door (56-52, 4,136 sales) by Kristen Bell & Santino Fontana,
The seventh annual Record Store Day took place on Saturday. 7-inch and 12-inch singles formed the vast majority of the 643 releases on the day – a new record, up from 509 in 2013. Overall singles sales were down 3.89% week-on-week at 2,838,793 – a 16 week low, and 13.50% below same week 2013 sales of 3,281,678. Vinyl sales increased 1345.55% week-on-week to 37,671, but were 12.28% below the same week 2013 tally of 42,947. Oasis’ Supersonic topped the 12-inch chart, with sales of 1,710, whilst David Bowie’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide emerged to top the 7-inch chart on sales of 1,959 copies.