Robbie Williams, Jake Bugg and JLS in showdown for UK's 1,000th Official No.1 album

Source: MW

by Tim Ingham

 

 

Robbie Williams, JLS and Jake Bugg are fighting it out to secure the 1,000th No.1 album in the history of the UK’s Official Albums Chart.

 

Lady Gaga yesterday secured the 999th Official No.1 in the 57-and-a-half year history of the UK’s Official Albums Chart – meaning that a new No.1 this coming Sunday (November 24) will be the historic 1,000th No.1.

 

The albums looking most likely to claims Sunday’s No.1 are Robbie Williams’ new album Swing Both Ways, the JLS greatest hits Goodbye and Jake Bugg’s second album Shangri-la.

 

All three albums are released today.

 

The first ever Official UK No.1 album was Frank Sinatra’s Songs For Swingin’ Lovers in July 1956 – in the chart compiled and published in Record Mirror magazine.

 

Since then, there have almost 3,000 different album charts published.

 

The Beatles are the undefeated kings of thechart, with 15 No.1s and 174 weeks at the summit – with Elvis Presley totting up the second biggest total of weeks (63 weeks, across 11 chart toppers), and Madonna the second biggest albums tally (12 Number 1s in total, spanning 30 weeks).

 

In the three-and-a-half years after the chart was launched in July 1956, 17 albums hit No.1 during the Fifties. In turn, 56 albums topped the album chart in the Sixties, 147 did so in the Seventies, 182 in the Eighties, 215 in the Nineties and 269 in the Noughties. The 1,000th Number 1 of all time will be the 114th of this decade.

 

Official Charts Company chief executive Martin Talbot said, “This is a hugely significant landmark in the history of the music industry. While the Official Singles Chart is the fast-moving, barometer of pop music tastes, the Official Albums Chart reflects the broader tastes of British music fans and their attachment to outstanding song collections.

 

“The list of albums which have topped the albums chart over the years underlines just how important it is,including iconic titles such as The Beatles Sgt Pepper and Revolver, The Stones Exile On Main Street, David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane, Led Zepplin IV, Queen’s A Night At The Opera, Michael Jackson’s Thriller – right up to Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black, Adele’s 21 and Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories.”

 

Top 10 Artists by weeks at Number 1

 

1 BEATLES – 174 weeks

2 ELVIS PRESLEY - 63

3 ABBA - 57

4 ROLLING STONES - 45

5 SIMON & GARFUNKEL - 40

6 CLIFF RICHARD – 30 (includes Cliff Richard & The Shadows - 22 weeks)

7 MADONNA - 30 (includes Madonna & Various Artists’ Evita OST - 1 week)

8 MICHAEL JACKSON – 30 (includes Michael Jackson Plus The Jackson Five - 3 weeks)

9 ROBBIE WILLIAMS - 30

10 ELTON JOHN – 29 (includes Elton John vsPnau - 1 week)

 

© Official Charts Company

 

 

 

Top 10 Artists by Number 1 Albums

 

1 BEATLES – 15 Number 1 Albums

2 MADONNA - 12 (includes Madonna & Various Artists’ Evita OST, 1)

3 ELVIS PRESLEY - 11

4 ROBBIE WILLIAMS - 10

5 ROLLING STONES - 10

6 U2 - 10

7 MICHAEL JACKSON – 9 (includes Michael Jackson Plus The Jackson Five, 1)

8 ABBA - 9

9 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - 9

10 DAVID BOWIE – 9

 

© Official Charts Company

 

 

1,000 Official Number 1 Albums

 

1st Official Number 1 (July 1956): Songs ForSwingin' Lovers - Frank Sinatra

100th (Oct 1971): Imagine - John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band With The Flux Fiddlers

200th (Sept 1978): Night Flight To Venus - Boney M

300th (Aug 1984): Now That's What I Call Music Iii - Various Artists

400th (Oct 1989): Wild! - Erasure

500th (May 1994): Our Town, The Greatest Hits Of Deacon Blue - Deacon Blue

600th (Nov 1998): I've Been Expecting You - Robbie Williams

700th (Aug 2003): Magic And Medicine - Coral

800th (Feb 2007): Not Too Late - Norah Jones

900th (June 2010): Time Flies - 1994-2009 - Oasis

 

© Official Charts Company

 

 

Source: MW/OCC

IMO JLS are rank outsiders - Robbie must be a very strong favourite.

I suspect Robbie will take the title but doubt his sales will be that high.

Queen have also had 9 UK No.1 Albums.

 

Like Elton John, The Carpenters have also had 29 Weeks at No.1.

 

It looks like Queen & The Carpenters have been left out, just so the

2 Lists can have exactly 10 Acts in them....

 

If Robbie gets the 1,000th No.1 Album it:,

 

A) Brings him equal with the 11 No.1 Albums of Elvis

- who had the 1,000th No.1 Single, in 2005.

 

B) It also means that the 1st No.1 Album & the 1,000th

No.1 Album have references to Swing in their Titles.....

Edited November 18, 201311 yr by zeus555

Robbie will walk this. If RKTVS had hit no1 that would place him only second to the Beatles in the 'Top 10 Artists by Number 1 Albums' category! :o

 

He is a lucky man isn't he? He also has the 600th no1 album! :lol:

I think Jake Bugg could beat JLS, realistically. (ala like he did with Leona last year), but Robbie will definitely get the #1 I imagine.

Indeed, I also think Jake Bugg will be no2! How on earth do JLS qualify for a Greatest Hits album? :rolleyes: Does "Goodbye" mean they quit the music industry? :huh:

It took 15 years to get to the first 100, nowadays on average it takes 3 to 4 years to reach a landmark

Indeed, I also think Jake Bugg will be no2! How on earth do JLS qualify for a Greatest Hits album?

 

 

Well 12 hit singles including 6 number ones isn't a bad resumé, isn't it?

 

Exactly, people have peddled out Greatest Hits collections before with less pedigree than that.

Robbie would be the most fitting, and he also seems the most likely.

Well 12 hit singles including 6 number ones isn't a bad resumé, isn't it?

 

If they were from 4-5 studio albums over 10 years that would make sense. Now it sounds like a final cash in. They should have released a final studio album instead imo. (especially for you fans)

Paul Potts has a GH album out, not a cash in or anything (not that it has actually brought lots of cash in...)

Edited November 18, 201311 yr by SKOB

If they were from 4-5 studio albums over 10 years that would make sense. Now it sounds like a final cash in. They should have released a final studio album instead imo. (especially for you fans)

 

It's pretty standard practice for a pop act to release a Greatest Hits after about 3 or 4 studio albums / 12-15 singles, especially if they're splitting up. JLS aren't the first to do this and they certainly won't be the last!

 

Some pop groups put out a GH at that stage in their career despite having no intentions to split up - Girls Aloud, McFly, Sugababes & Westlife all spring to mind.

JLS' Greatest Hits is just a collection of all of their singles. They were all top 20 hits ('Billion Lights' pending) and there are enough of them to make an album. It's scraping the bare minimum perhaps but there have been far more questionable GH albums.

 

Robbie will definitely get this, I initially thought he might have not beaten Gaga's 2nd week but she sold practically half what I expected her to do in week 1 so the way is clear for Robbie, not expecting Earth-shattering sales though. Jake Bugg will get #2. JLS won't be anywhere near #1.

The Beatles slaying all your faves

 

Realistically, I think Robbie will get it. :P

Why isn't the Cast Of The Sound Of Music up there? They were number one for a year!

Robbie has this in the bag. jake Bugg will be at No.2 and Eminem and possibly GaGa will be ahead of JLS

Here are the Best Selling Compilations, by Year, in the UK.

(Although the List does count Film Soundtracks as Compilations).

 

LINK:,

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-..._United_Kingdom

 

I think that Multi Artist Compilations really took off in 1972.

The Top 2 Best Sellers of the Year were Compilations, & there

were 4 in the Top 10 of the Year.

 

20 Dynamic Hits was 1st, 20 All Time Hits Of The 50's was 2nd,

20 Fantastic Hits was 5th, & 25 Rockin' And Rollin' Greats was 9th.

 

In 1973 the That'll Be The Day Soundtrack went in at No.2. Then it

climbed to No.1 for 7 Weeks, & then it was removed from the Chart,

(from No.1!), because it was being advertised on TV, & new Chart

Rules banned such Albums from the Chart.

 

By coincidence, today is the 30th Anniversary of the Now.... Albums being launched.

 

The BBC have done an Article about it:,

 

LINK:,

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-25109482

 

In late 1974, early 1975, 40 Greatest Hits, by Elvis Presley, was No.1

for several Weeks in the UK. This was shown in the Record Mirror Charts

at that time. But, it was removed from Chart History, when TV advertised

Albums were banned from the Charts. Greatest Hits, by Elton John, was

given those No.1 Weeks. The Elvis Album had to wait until September 1977

to be given an Official No.1 Position again.....