The Billboard 200 Chart Thread.

[matbar]

I've got 4 words for ya...Bob Dylan Is God

[ROC]

Beyonce's 'B-Day' Makes Big Bow At No. 1

September 13, 2006, 11:20 AM ET

Katie Hasty, N.Y.

Beyonce racks up her second No. 1 on The Billboard 200 with "B'Day," bypassing her best one-week sum by more than 220,000 copies. The Columbia set moved a whopping 541,000 units in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the best sales number since Tool's "10,000 Days," sold 564,000 in May. "B'Day" also scores the No. 1 position on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums tally.

Beyonce also topped The Billboard 200 with her solo debut, "Dangerously in Love," which sold 317,000 in its first week. Only one Destiny's Child album managed a bigger start, 2001's "Survivor" with 663,000.

Audioslave's third full-length effort, "Revelations" (Epic) bows at No. 2 with 142,000 and caps the Top Rock Albums chart. The group's sophomore effort, 2005's "Out of Exile," fared better on the big chart, debuting at No. 1 with 263,000.

After crowning the chart for the first time in 30 years last week, Bob Dylan's "Modern Times" (Columbia) slides to No. 3 with 128,000, a sales hit of 33%. Danity Kane's self-titled Bad Boy effort follows suit, falling 2-4 with 82,000 (-30%). The soundtrack to Disney's "The Cheetah Girls 2" climbs a notch 6-5 despite a 15% sales decrease, with 68,000.

Christina Aguilera's RCA album "Back to Basics" slips 4-6 with 64,000, a sales decline of 36%. Jessica Simpson's "A Public Affair" (Epic) drops 5-7, with 60,000 and a sales descent of 41%. After 49 weeks on the chart, Nickelback's Roadrunner set "All the Right Reasons" climbs back 10-8 with 58,000 (-3%).

Click to learn more...

Iron Maiden returns to the chart for the first time since 2003 as "A Matter of Life and Death" enters at No. 9 with 56,000 units. The Sanctuary release is the group's very first top 10 set in its 30-year history; its previous high-water mark was set in 1986 with the No. 11 peak of "Somewhere in Time."

Hinder's "Extreme Behavior" rounds out the top tier at No. 10, reaching its peak position after 32 weeks on the chart. The Universal Republic effort moved 54,000 with a 12% sales increase.

In a slow week for new releases, only one other album debuts in the top 100 of the chart. Jars Of Clay's "Good Monsters" (PLG) sold 15,000, good enough for No. 58.

At 9.52 million units, overall CD sales are up 1.3% from last week's count and up less than 1% compared to the same week a year ago. Sales for 2006 are down 5% compared to 2005 at 363.5 million units.

[Lowerdeck]

Beyonce is a talentless shit. Why half a million copies of her album would sell is beyond me, and shows how pathetic our society is.

[ROC]

Beyonce is a talentless shit. Why half a million copies of her album would sell is beyond me, and shows how pathetic our society is.

[Tarheels.]

Beyonce at #1 is shit, but at least Audioslave is #2, so its still decent I guess.

[ROC]

Beyonce at #1 is shit, but at least Audioslave is #2, so its still decent I guess.

[Tarheels.]

Yeah but it wasn't going up against Beyonce last time either

[Ananas]

And it didn't have an utterly unremarkable lead single last time around either. >_>

[ROC]

Timberlake Earns First No. 1 Album With 'FutureSex'

September 20, 2006, 11:30 AM ET

Katie Hasty, N.Y.

In a major week for new releases, Justin Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveSounds" (Jive) rises to the top of The Billboard 200 with 684,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's the artist's first No. 1; his solo debut, "Justified," entered at No. 2 with 439,000 copies in 2002.

John Mayer makes his sixth appearance on The Billboard 200 in five years with "Continuum" (Aware/Columbia), which debuts at No. 2 with 300,000. Its 2003 predecessor, "Heavier Things," entered at No. 1 with 317,000. "Continuum" crowns the Top Rock Albums and Top Internet Albums charts this week as well.

After debuting at No. 1 last week, Beyonce's "B'Day" slips to No. 3 with 162,000 copies, a whopping sales decrease of 70%. With his first album in more than a decade, Bob Seger enters at No. 4 with "Face the Promise" (151,000). This Hideout/Capitol effort marks Seger's sixth visit to the chart's top five and first since 1986's "Like a Rock" peaked at No. 3.

Bob Dylan's "Modern Times" slips 3-5 with 93,000 copies, a sales dip of 27%. At No. 6, Lionel Richie's "Coming Home" (Island) lands him in the top 10 for the first time since 1986's "Dancing on the Ceiling." The set moved 75,000 copies, Richie's best one-week sum since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991.

Hinder's "Extreme Behavior" continues to climb up the top 10, reaching a new peak position by moving 10-7 after 33 weeks on the chart. The Universal Republic effort moved 64,000 with a 19% sales increase. Danity Kane's self-titled Bad Boy release falls 4-8 with 62,000 (-24%).

The Mars Volta's Universal set "Amputechture" bows at No. 9 with 59,000. The group's "Frances The Mule" fared better in 2005 with 123,000 units and a No. 4 debut.

Descending 8-10 in its 50th week on the chart, Nickelback's "All the Right Reasons" (Roadrunner) rounds out the top tier with 57,000 and a sales decrease of 3%.

The second volume to the Hollywood soundtrack to "Grey's Anatomy," with songs from artists like Gomez, KT Tunstall and Jim Noir, bows at No. 14 with 46,000. Papa Roach's "The Paramour Sessions" (Geffen) and Barenaked Ladies' "Barenaked Ladies Are Me" (Desperation) debut at No. 16 and No. 17, respectively, both selling 37,000. Moving 32,000, Black Label Society's "Shot to Hell" (Roadrunner) enters at No. 21. Mastodon earns its best week ever on the chart, with the No. 32 entry of "Blood Mountain" (Warner Bros.), which sold 24,000.

Other big entries this week include Madeleine Peyroux's "Half the Perfect World" (Rounder, No. 33, 24,000), Daz' "So So Gangsta" (Virgin, No. 35, 23,0000), Norma Jean's "Redeemer" (Tooth & Nail, No. 38, 21,000) and TV On The Radio's Billboard 200 debut "Return to Cookie Mountain" (Interscope, No. 41, 21,000).

At 10.05 million units, overall CD sales are up 5.6% from last week's count and up 0.9% compared to the same week a year ago. Sales for 2006 are down 5% compared to 2005 at 374 million units.

Edited September 20, 2006 by Number Twenty Five.

[Ananas]

I actually liked "Heavier Things", so I definitely need to check this one out too. Shame it had to debut on a week that saw JT's album release, although I doubt a #1 is that big a deal for him considering how in he is with the housewife crowd.

[Liam]

"Mastodon earns its best week ever on the chart, with the No. 32 entry of "Blood Mountain" (Warner Bros.), which sold 24,000."

I know it obviously is good for them, but to me, 24,000 doesn't sound like a hell of a lot of records.

[Robsturgh]

"Mastodon earns its best week ever on the chart, with the No. 32 entry of "Blood Mountain" (Warner Bros.), which sold 24,000."

I know it obviously is good for them, but to me, 24,000 doesn't sound like a hell of a lot of records.

[RPS]

That is actually decent for a band that is as popular as Mastadon. I mean, it isn't 700,000 or whatever JT sold, but in the age where downloading rules supreme 24,000 is a decent amount. Heck, 32nd is actually a very good place to debut for a band like Mastadon, considering many bands find it hard to break the top 100, let alone top 50 in their first week.

[ROC]

Yeah, most of these figures are severely down since the downloading age. That actually plays into the fact why most platinum records usually come from the country markets nowadays.

And to expand on a point that PRP made, another one of my faves, The Black Keys, debuted at #95 with their record this week, and they're reasonably popular among the blues rock set so...yeah, it's cool that they did get what they got. 24,000 may be low, but eh, it's chart success.

Edited September 21, 2006 by Number Twenty Five.

[Lowerdeck]

"Mastodon earns its best week ever on the chart, with the No. 32 entry of "Blood Mountain" (Warner Bros.), which sold 24,000."

I know it obviously is good for them, but to me, 24,000 doesn't sound like a hell of a lot of records.

32nd?

Fuck you America.

In the newspaper office here I write for, we heard the CD and just laughed at it's shittiness.

[RPS]

Yeah, most of these figures are severely down since the downloading age. That actually plays into the fact why most platinum records usually come from the country markets nowadays.

And too expand on #25 above me, Mastodon aren't even a mainstream group and they aren't playing the flavour of the month music. I have never heard them on the radio, never seen them on MTV, never seen them in a magazine article or any sort of medium. Too land #32 is actually REALLY good with no source of mainstream hype; 24,000 albums doesn't sound like a lot, but for a sludge metal group on Relapse records, it is good.

[Liam]

"Mastodon earns its best week ever on the chart, with the No. 32 entry of "Blood Mountain" (Warner Bros.), which sold 24,000."

I know it obviously is good for them, but to me, 24,000 doesn't sound like a hell of a lot of records.

32nd?

Fuck you America.

In the newspaper office here I write for, we heard the CD and just laughed at it's shittiness.

Not in a nasty way, but you'd be one of the least likely people to like the album.

[ROC]

Timberlake Remains No. 1 Amid Five Top 10 Debuts

September 27, 2006, 10:25 AM ET

Katie Hasty, N.Y.

Amid debuts by several major new releases this week, Justin Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveSounds" keeps the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 warm for a second time. Despite a sales drop of 68%, the Jive effort moved 217,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan and has now shifted 903,000 copies in its first two weeks.

Five albums sold more than 100,000 copies this week and an equal number of albums debuted in the top 10. A whopping 15 new releases entered the top 50. However, overall CD sales are down 3.7% from last week's count and down 1.6% compared to the same week a year ago at 9.68 million units. Sales for 2006 are down 5% compared to 2005 at 383.7 million units.

Clay Aiken's covers set "A Thousand Different Ways" (RCA) rolls in at No. 2 with 205,000 units. His debut, "Measure of a Man," opened with 613,000 to debut at No. 1 in 2003. His last collection, 2004's "Merry Christmas With Love," entered at No. 4 with 270,000.

Black Eyed Peas vocalist Fergie's solo debut, "The Dutchess," opens chart at No. 3 with 142,000. The will.i.am/A&M effort was powered by "London Bridge," which spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Kenny Chesney's BNA release "LIVE: Live Those Songs Again" bows at No. 4 and crowns the Top Country Albums chart with 137,000. It is Chesney's sixth No. 1 on that tally. The artist's last studio album, "The Road and the Radio," debuted at No. 1 on the big chart in 2005 with 469,000.

Click to learn more...

Slipping 2-5, John Mayer's "Continuum" (Aware/Columbia) moves 133,000 units, a sales dip of 56%. Beyonce's Columbia set "B'Day" falls 3-6 in its third week with 91,000 (-44%).

Diana Krall's "From This Moment On" (Verve) enters at No. 7 on The Billboard 200 with 85,000. It's also her seventh No. 1 on the Top Jazz Albums chart. Chingy's Slot-A-Lot release "Hoodstar" debuts at No. 8 on The Billboard 200, his second-best charting set. The rapper's debut, "Jackpot" peaked at No. 2 in 2004.

In its 34th week on the chart, Hinder's "Extreme Behavior" (Universal Republic) descends 7-9 with 69,000 and a sales increase of 9%. Bob Dylan's "Modern Times" slips 5-10 with 68,000 copies, a sales dip of 27%.

Lupe Fiasco's Atlantic debut, "Food & Liquor," enters at No. 12, shifting 58,000. Jesse McCartney's second studio set for Hollywood, "Right Where You Want Me," bows at No. 14 with 52,000 units, while Elton John debuts at No. 18 with "The Captain & The Kid" (Rocket/Interscope), a sequel to his landmark 1975 album "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy."

Other big debuts this week include New Found Glory's "Coming Home" (No. 24, 31,000), Paulina Rubio's "Ananda" (No. 25, 30,000), Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's "Thug Stories" (No. 31, 26,000), Aaron Neville's "Bring It on Home" (No. 37; 22,000), Julio Iglesias' "Romantic Classics" (No. 41; 20,000), Indigo Girls' "Despite Our Differences (No. 44; 19,000) and Jonny Lang's "Turn Around" (No. 46; 19,000).

[Ananas]

I haven't heard Food and Liquor yet, but Kick Push is fucking brilliant, so this can only be considered a big disappointment.

[Lowerdeck]

"Mastodon earns its best week ever on the chart, with the No. 32 entry of "Blood Mountain" (Warner Bros.), which sold 24,000."

I know it obviously is good for them, but to me, 24,000 doesn't sound like a hell of a lot of records.

32nd?

Fuck you America.

In the newspaper office here I write for, we heard the CD and just laughed at it's shittiness.

Not in a nasty way, but you'd be one of the least likely people to like the album.

I'm not reviewing Mastodon. That's not my place. I'm doing Food and Liquor this week, which is a superb album. As for Mastodon, several other people who have much more familiarity with the genre heard it and laughed.