Album Chart: Shania Twain leads charge of Top 10 debuts
ByNov 26, 2002 11:00 PM
Those with a penchant for getting their holiday shopping done early launched a slew of new albums into the Top 10 this week.
Those with a penchant for getting their holiday shopping done early launched a slew of new albums into the Top 10 this week.
Leading the charge were releases from Shania Twain, Audioslave, Ja Rule, Matchbox Twenty and the latest installment in the “Now That’s What I Call Music!” series.
Twain’s “Up!” had by far the strongest first-week showing, with sales of over 874,000 copies, according to industry sources. The total easily secures the album a No. 1 debut on the forthcoming Billboard 200 album chart.
Coming in at a distant second with sales of about 316,000 is “Now! 11,” a hits compilation that features previously released tracks from Nelly, Creed, Shakira, Kylie Minogue, Eve featuring Alicia Keys, Bon Jovi, Norah Jones, Vanessa Carlton and others.
Dropping one spot to No. 3 is the “8 Mile” soundtrack, managing to stay ahead of Ja Rule’s “The Last Temptation,” which debuts at No. 4 with sales of just under 238,000 copies.
Jay-Z’s “Blueprint 2,” which last week debuted at No. 1, drops to No. 5 thanks to second-week sales of roughly 187,000 copies, about 65 percent less than its first-week total.
Two more debuts follow, with Matchbox Twenty’s “More Than You Think You Are” in at No. 6, and the self-titled debut from Audioslave--featuring former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell and the power-trio behind the now-defunct Rage Against the Machine--in at No. 7 with sales of about 162,000 copies.
Losing ground this week are Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott’s “Under Construction” and Justin Timberlake’s “Justified,” which drop to Nos. 8 and 10, respectively. Between the pair at No. 9 is Avril Lavigne’s “Let Go,” which returns to the Top 10 after dipping down to No. 11 for the past two weeks.
The debut-heavy chart also features Toni Braxton’s “More Than a Woman” at No. 13, Mudvayne’s “The End of All Things to Come” at No. 17, George Harrison’s “Brainwashed” at No. 18, Talib Kweli’s “Quality” at No. 21, David Craig’s “Slicker Than Your Average” at No. 32.
Not faring so well during their second week out are TLC’s “3D,” down from No. 6 to No. 24; 3 Doors Down’s “Away from the Sun,” down from No. 8 to No. 30; and Pearl Jam’s “Riot Act,” down from No. 5 to No. 36.