The Billboard 200 Chart Thread.

[ROC]

Dylan Earns First No. 1 Album Since 1976

September 06, 2006, 11:15 AM ET

Katie Hasty, N.Y.

For the first time in 30 years, Bob Dylan tops The Billboard 200 with "Modern Times." Not only is it the legendary songwriter's first album to reach the throne since "Desire" in 1976, it's also his highest debuting album and his best sales week since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991. The Columbia set moved 192,000 copies in the United States in its first week.

"Modern Times" is Dylan's third consecutive top 10 studio set, following 1997's "Time Out of Mind" and 2001's "Love & Theft." Aside from "Desire" and "Modern Times," only two other Dylan albums assumed the plateau on the chart: 1974's "Planet Waves" and the 1975 classic "Blood on the Tracks."

After crowning The Billboard 200 last week, Danity Kane slips to No. 2 with 117,000 copies, a sales hit of 50%.

Young Dro's major label debut, "Best Thang Smokin'," bows at No. 3 with 104,000. With help from his smash hit "Shoulder Lean" (featuring T.I.), the Grand Hustle/Atlantic release also overtakes OutKast's soundtrack to "Idlewild" (LaFace) at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Christina Aguilera's RCA album "Back to Basics" slips 3-4 on the big chart with 101,000, a sales decline of 25%. Jessica Simpson's "A Public Affair" (Epic) enters the chart at No. 5, selling only a couple hundred albums fewer than "Back to Basics" with 101,000. Her last album, 2003's "In This Skin," originally peaked at No. 10 but hit No. 2 after a 2004 re-release.

The Disney soundtrack to "The Cheetah Girls 2" falls 5-6 with 80,000 (-1%) while "Idlewild" also slips, moving 2-7 with 78,000 (-60%).

Method Man scores his fifth consecutive top 10 debut, as "4:21 ... The Day After" (Def Jam) lands at No. 8 with 62,000 units. Another Def Jam effort follows at No. 9 in the form of the Roots' "Game Theory," which moved 61,000.

In its 48th week on the chart, Nickelback's "All the Right Reasons" (Roadrunner) re-enters the top tier, moving 12-10 with 60,000.

Other big debuts this week include Too Short's Jive release "Blow the Whistle" (No. 14, 40,000), Ray Lamontagne's sophomore RCA set, "Till the Sun Turns Black" (No. 28, 28,000), Crossfade's sophomore Columbia effort, "Falling Away" (No. 30, 28,000) and Hatebreed's first Roadrunner album, "Supremacy" (No. 31, 27,000).

The Toby Keith-led "Broken Bridges" soundtrack, released on his Show Dog label, opens at No. 36, followed by the Atlantic debut of reggaeton star Tego Calderon, "The Underdog/El Subestimado," at No. 43. Singer/songwriter Pete Yorn bows at a disappointing No. 50 with the Columbia album "Nightcrawler"; its predecessor, 2003's "Day I Forgot," debuted at No. 18.

Indie veteran M. Ward makes his Billboard 200 debut with the Merge album "Post-War" at No. 146. The set opened last week at No. 21 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart but enjoyed a 100% sales increase in its second week at nearly 5,800 copies.

At 9.39 million units, overall CD sales are down 1.5% from last week's count and down 10% compared to the same week a year ago. Sales for 2006 are down 6% compared to 2005 at 354 million units.

Edited November 29, 2006 by ROC

[tristy]

Bob Dylan still sucks.

[ROC]

But not as much as Jessica Simpson...even if his latest album is all country music. >_>

[Guest This is classic Ringy]

The thread's name is funny, because I instantly thought of Dylan beating the shit out of Simpson in a bar and cutting her up with a nigger knife.

Edited September 6, 2006 by This is classic Ringy

[tristy]

I think at this point in Dylan's life, Paris Hilton could kick his ass.

And make better music.

[Hobo]

I'm not surprised it's been so long since Dylan had a number one album. Even more surprised it was Desire, that wasn't my fav Dylan album ever. I'm getting Modern Times as soon as I can, the fact that Dylan makes the top spot makes me happy.

[Hardcore Weapon Smasher]

I think at this point in Dylan's life, Paris Hilton could kick his ass.

And make better music.

[Ananas]

Cohen > Dylan.

Of course, Dylan >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Simpson, so it all comes out in the wash. The album isn't great, but I'm sure it's better than anything Jessica Simpson could have come up with.

[tristy]

I think at this point in Dylan's life, Paris Hilton could kick his ass.

And make better music.

You hear that Tristy? That's the sound of your credibility going down the drain, never to return. Ever.

[apsham]

I listened to that album leaked, and seriously... what the hell are people thinking?

[Skummy]

Waits > Cohen > Dylan

I haven't heard this album, but he's been hit and miss for the last fifteen years or so, so meh. I don't rate him all that highly anyway.

He's got a quality 'tache, though.

And I'm not entirely sure if I even know what a Jessica Simpson is.

[apsham]

And I'm not entirely sure if I even know what a Jessica Simpson is.

You're not serious are you? >_>

[Pesci]

She's about a hundredth as famous over here as she is in North America.

[Skummy]

I'm entirely serious. I know Adam Green wrote a song about her, and kind of picked up on that she was some kind of pop starlet. My knowledge ends there. I'm fairly sure I've never seen or heard her before in my life.

[apsham]

She was in that shitty Dukes Of Hazzard remake, and she had that television show with the pop singer from a boyband... that's pretty much all of note she's done outside music.

[Steeb]

I think at this point in Dylan's life, Paris Hilton could kick his ass.

And make better music.

You hear that Tristy? That's the sound of your credibility going down the drain, never to return. Ever.

[Lowerdeck]

Good songwriter, good musician, terrible singer.

Enough said.

[tristy]

I was thinking about Alicia Keys

couldn’t help from crying

When she was born in Hell’s Kitchen

I was living down the line

I’m wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be

I been looking for her even clean through Tennessee

weird ass motherfucker.

[apsham]

What..... the..... hell.

[Ananas]

Reiterating what I said earlier...

*clears throat*

He got jungle fever! He got jungle fever!