ALBUMS
Dr Dre makes chart history with his third - and, he says, final - solo album Compton becoming the first number one album in chart history NOT to be available physically. Released only digitally via iTunes, it nevertheless racked up a first week sales of 45,721 copies (including 2,079 from streams) to debut atop the chart. It is the 51st album to make the Top 75 without a physical equivalent since Slash's eponymous 2010 album broke the mould but only the fifth to even make the Top 10, following Frank Ocean's Channel Orange (number two, 2012), the eponymous Beyonce (number five, 2013), Drake's If You're Reading This, It's Too Late (number three in February) and Bugzy Malone's Walk With Me (number eight, a fortnight ago).
Former NWA star Dre is 50 years old, and Compton is his first album since 2001 arrived in 1999, achieving a number 48 debut on sales of 7,336 copies and peaking 25 weeks later at number four on sales of 11,541 copies. Although it never sold more than 18,166 copies in a week, it has since gone on to sell 1,164,626 copies. His 1992 debut solo album, The Chronic, didn't chart until 2000, peaking at number 43 in 2001, and has sold 260,814 copies since Millward Brown took over chart compilation duties for OCC in February 1994. It re-enters the Top 200 this week at number 150 (608 sales).
Although its artwork suggests that Compton is 'a soundtrack by Dr Dre', he admits it is only influenced by the upcoming NWA biographical drama Straight Outta Compton. It is the 22nd rap album to reach number one since Wu-Tang Clan's Wu-Tang Forever topped the chart a little over 18 years ago. That figure includes six albums by Eminem (seven if we include one by his group D12) and two apiece by Kanye West, Plan B and The Streets. Example's third album, Playing In The Shadows, is part of the total, although some might question his inclusion, especially since his subsequent albums have been largely dance-based.
Dre's return to the fray is bad news for Hampshire folk/alternative singer/songwriter Frank Turner whose sixth studio album Positive Songs For Negative People has to settle for a number two debut on sales of 17,393 copies, matching the debut/peak of his fifth studio album, Tape Deck Heart, which sold 21,949 copies on its 2013 release when it was runner-up to Michael Buble's To Be Loved. Turner's only other Top 20 album - his fourth studio release - was England Keep My Bones, which debuted and peaked at number 12 (11,780 sales) in June 2011.
Bedford rock quartet Don Braco's third album Automatic enters at number six (8,680 sales). Their 2011 debut album Big Fat Smile fell short of the Top 200 but follow-up Priorities - released three years ago this week - debuted and peaked at number 25 (3,846 sales).
The fourth and final new entry to the Top 10 is 1998 release The Very Best Of Cilla Black, which re-entered the chart at number 14 last week, following the Liverpudlian legend's death, and now advances to number eight (7,448 sales) to become her first Top 10 album since 1968. Its continued advance is in contrast to big dips on the singles chart for Black's 1964 number ones, Anyone Who Had A Heart (41-102, 4,108 sales) and You're My World, which was number 91 last week and now exits the Top 200.
A week after debuting at number one, The Maccabees' Marks To Prove It dips to number 10 (5,777 sales).
Completing the Top 10: Ed Sheeran's X (4-3, 10,021 sales), Years & Years' Communion (3-4, 9,341 sales), Sam Smith's In The Lonely Hour (5-5, 9,166 sales), James Bay's Chaos And The Calm (6-7, 8,297 sales) and Taylor Swift's 1989 (7-9, 6,076 sales).
Lianne La Havas' Blood ebbs 2-11 (5,497 sales), and there are also Top 10 exits for Florence + The Machine's How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (8-12, 5,188 sales) and Led Zeppelin reissues Coda (9-59, 1,146 sales) and Presence (10-67, 1,031 sales). The other Led Zeppelin reissue, In Through The Out Door also makes a big decline, falling 12-69 (1,009 sales).
None of three prior albums by 25 year old Canadian singer/songwriter Mac DeMarco has made the Top 75, but latest effort, Another One, does so easily. Building on the fanbase established by his last album, Salad Days, which reached number 90 last year, it debuts at number 24 (2,111 sales).
House DJ/producer Julio Bashmore from Bristol has had a couple of moderately successful singles without breaching the Top 40 but his critically hailed debut album Knockin' Boots debuts at number 25 (2,058 sales).
23 years after their debut album Soul Of A New Machine failed to chart, Californian hard rock band Fear Factory's ninth studio album Genexus debuts at number 31 (1,885 sales). Their sixth chart album - including 1997 compilation Remanufacture - is breaks a string of three consecutive studio albums that have fallen short of the Top 75.
Country superstar Luke Bryan looks set to score his second straight number one album in America at the expense of Dr Dre, with fifth release Kill The Lights expected to sell upwards of 300,000 copies to do so. In Britain, Kill The Lights marks his Top 200 debut, opening at number 47 (1,355 sales).
The seventh and final new entry to the Top 75 comes from Hackney rapper J Spades, whose first album GRT debuts at number 68 (1,011 sales).
British country duo The Shires' first album Brave debuted at number 10 in March but has been heading back up the charts thanks to All Over Again, which was the most-played song on Radio Two last week and is number 28 on the radio airplay chart. The album has climbed for four weeks in a row, moving 99-90-72-24-13. It sold 3,928 copies last week, raising its cumulative tally to 59,294 in 24 weeks.
London-born but of Polish, German and Italian origin, Jack Savoretti's fourth album, Written In The Scars, is by far his most successful, and has been zapping around the chart since first released six months ago. It debuted at number 13 in February, and peaked four weeks ago at number 12. Following his appearance on The Saturday Kitchen (BBC 1, 8 August) it enjoys a strong resurgence, jumping 67-14 (3,592 sales).
Annie Lennox's debut solo album Diva - number one in 1992 - was last in the chart in 1996, but responds to being 99p at Google Play for part of the week by re-entering the chart at number 55 (1,214 sales).
237 weeks after it debuted at number one, 232 weeks after it achieved its millionth sale in total, 230 weeks after its millionth physical sale and 173 weeks after its 23rd and last week at number one, Adele's 21 makes history by becoming the first album to sell a million copies on download. Climbing 77-72 - its fifth improvement in a row - the album returns to the Top 75 after a 48 week absence, on sales of 991 copies. Its staggering tally of 4,766,413 sales, includes 3,756,763 copies physically (including 10,112 on vinyl), 1,000,582 on download and 9,068 on streams. Ed Sheeran's X and + hold second and third place on the all-time digital list but are far behind with respective download tallies of 655,053 and 634,122 sales. The only other albums to be even halfway to 21 are Emeli Sande's Our Version Of Events (555,213 sales) and the compilation Now That's What I Call Christmas (527,590 sales).
It may be that no other album will ever achieve a million sales on paid-for downloads. While streaming is rising fast as the 'format' of choice for many, the download market is falling away more quickly than CDs. Year-to-date, downloads are down 9.54% at 15,506,040, while CDs are off 7.11% at 26,578,015. Incidentally, the paid-for format which has shown most growth this year is...cassette. It is nearly moribund, but sales are up 59.07% year-on-year at a still negligible 2,569. Vinyl is up significantly and magnificently, with year-to-date sales of 1,043,772 - 55.45% above the same period of 2014, which was itself its best year for a generation. I should also mention that next week is the 33rd birthday of the CD format. When it turned 25, eight years ago, several stories ran suggesting it might last for only a further five years, but with a market share of 47.28% even when streaming is factored in, it seems likely to be with us for a while yet.
Now That's What I Call Music! 91 is number one compilation and number one overall for the third week in a row, selling a further 66,074 copies.
Overall album sales are down 6.88% week-on-week at 1,581,667. Streaming accounted for 441,967 sales - 27.94% of the total. Sales of paid-for albums are down 9.92% week-on-week at 1,139,700 - 8.27% below same week 2014 sales of 1,242,467.
SINGLES
Marvin Gaye had a number one single of his own in 1969 (I Heard It Through The Grapevine), was mentioned ("listening to Marvin all night long,") on Spandau Ballet's 1983 leader True, 'inspired' Robin Thicke, T.I. and Pharrell's 2013 chart topper Blurred Lines and now lends his name to a number one hit by Charlie Puth feat. Meghan Trainor.
With sales of 94,455 copies (including 11,960 from streams), Marvin Gaye rockets 90-1 for Puth and Trainor, following its release on download. It is the second number one in less than four months for Puth, who was featured vocalist on Wiz Khalifa's April smash See You Again, and also the second number one for Trainor, whose debut single All About That Bass topped the list last September.
Eschewing the possibility that Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles, 1966) and Ebeneezer Goode ( The Shamen, 1992) are actual people, Marvin Gaye is only the second (of 1,298) number ones whose titles consist entirely of the forename/surname of a real person, emulating Mika's 2007 chart-topper Grace Kelly. Coincidentally, the album chart this week is also led by a release whose title is a proper noun, Dr Dre's album Compton.
Unable to rival Marvin Gaye, How Deep Is Your Love remains at number two for Calvin Harris, with sales increasing 17.83% to 58,647.
Number one in America at present, Canadian singer/songwriter The Weeknd has his biggest hit yet here with Can't Feel My Face jumping 8-3 (43,228 sales) on its 10th week in the chart, to surpass the number four peak scaled by Earned It in February.
None of their three previous number ones dipped lower than number three when losing its grip on the chart title but One Direction's latest single, Drag Me Down, dives 1-9 (32,148 sales) on its second frame.
The rest of the Top 10: Black Magic (3-4, 40,337 sales) by Little Mix, Are You With Me (4-5, 40,052 sales) by Lost Frequencies, Glitterball (6-6, 36,178 sales) by Sigma feat. Ella Henderson, Shine (5-7, 35,384 sales) by Years & Years, Shut Up & Dance (7-8, 34,597 sales) by Walk The Moon and Cheerleader (9-10, 29,677 sales) by OMI.
Considering the fact he has had a huge number of hits and is generally seen as being rehabilitated following his domestic fracas with Rihanna in 2009, it is very surprising that Rita Ora has had a lot of flak for collaborating with Chris Brown on her new single, Body On Me. Although Ora is coming off the number three hit Poison, and getting lots of publicity as a new X Factor judge, Body On Me only debuts at number 23 (20,045 sales), and is well short of becoming her ninth and Brown's 15th Top 10 hit. Brown is also guest vocalist - alongside Tyga - on American singer Pia Mia's first hit, Do It Again, which debuts at number 67 (7,682 sales) although it wasn't actually available for download until late on Monday (10th). Brown has now featured on nine Top 75 entries already this year - two as primary artist, seven as a guest - and thus lifts his tally of chart records since 2006 to 47.
London duo Tough Love - Alex Unwin and Stefan O'Brien - reached number 11 with debut hit So Freakin' Tight in March, and debut at number 39 (13,244 sales) with follow-up Pony (Jump On It), a collaboration with US R&B singer Ginuwine. It is an adaptation of Ginuwine's debut hit Pony, which reached number 16 in 1997, and returned to the chart at number 62 last month on the back of club and radio play for the Tough Love collaboration.
The third act from the 11th (2014) season of The X Factor to make the Top 75 is Only The Lonely, a male/female quartet who finished seventh in the competition and whose I Do debuts at number 53 (9,302 sales). The single should have been out a week earlier than it was but was apparently delayed because the CD version of the release was delayed in Calais by the migrant crisis. It actually made a big contribution to sales, with the 4,683 copies it sold earning it the number one slot on the CD chart for the week. Their success follows 2014 champion Ben Haenow's number one coronation single Something I Need, and fifth placed Stereo Kicks, whose debut single Love Me So was expected to do much better but reached only number 31 in July, after which they disbanded.
Number two on the CD chart, incidentally, is Threads by Sarah Harding. It derived 625 of its 1,637 sales from the format, It falls well short of the Top 200 on the overall singles chart.
Released on Monday (10th) after being leaked, High By The Beach opens at number 60 (8,334 sales) for Lana Del Rey. It is the first single from her fourth album, Honeymoon.
Good For You climbs 46-29 (17,106 sales) to reach a new peak for Selena Gomez feat. A$AP Rocky. Also reaching new highs are Peanut Butter Jelly (64-41) by Galantis, Ain't Nobody (Loves Me Better) (56-52, 9,553 sales) by Felix Jaehn feat. Jasmine Thompson, 679 (65-59, 8,469 sales) by Fetty Wap feat. Remy Boyz and All Eyes On You (69-64, 8,118 sales) by Meek Mill feat. Chris Brown & Nicki Minaj.
Overall singles sales are down 2.26% week-on-week at 7,124,715. Streams accounted for 4,949,500 sales - 69.47% of the total. Paid-for sales are down 7.93% week-on-week at 2,175,215, and are 12.89% below same week 2014 sales of 2,497,231 - the 105th week in a row they have declined versus a year previous.