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The Big News: Michael Jackson once again topped the Comprehensive Albums charts as Number Ones sold another 151,000 copies, almost 50,000 more than the Top 200’s champ, Demi Lovato’s Here We Go Again (read the review here). Those two albums were the only ones to crack 100K as we enter the summer sales doldrums, a release schedule bereft of any big ticket releases until perhaps Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 on September 11th. For Lovato, Here We Go Again marks the Disney star’s first Number One album, and improves upon the 89K her debut Don’t Forget sold in its first week last year.
The Top 10 provided only one other debut: Jordin Sparks’ Battlefield, which entered the charts weakly at Number Seven with 47,000 copies. While Sparks’ self-titled album debuted on the charts at Number 10 back in November 2007, it still sold 119,000 copies in a Black Friday-boosted week. Fellow former Idol contestant Daughtry, last week’s top album with Leave This Town, fell to Number Two, barely missing the 100K mark by 300 copies.
And then there is Jackson’s continued chart dominance. The King of Pop’s discography still holds nine of the Top 10 spots on the Top Catalog charts, and three of the Top Five spots on the all-encompassing Comprehensive Albums chart are occupied by Number Ones, Essential Michael Jackson (at Four) and Thriller at Number Five. (Jackson’s albums are ineligible for the Top 200.) Jackson’s albums also make up nine of the Top 10 Internet Albums chart. There was one more surprise on the charts: Thanks to that JK Wedding Dance video that has gripped the YouTube masses, Chris Brown’s “Forever” has jumped from relative post-February 8th obscurity to claim Number 21 on the Digital Tracks chart.
Debuts: Outside of the Lovato and Sparks, there’s rea...
Article Source: Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily