i am sure something will pop up for us to buy :)

 

That's all BMG can do anyway, sell plastic to the fanbase :P

So I finally got round to listening to this earlier today and bluntly I'm surprised at just how poor this album is and think it's probably the worst I've ever heard from her. I really enjoyed most of Tension and thought it was her strongest album in a long time but there is only Someone For Me and maybe Shoulda Left Ya that feel even vaguely worthy of being associated with the first album.

 

I can see why they've ended up going with this weird Tension II idea because it feels like an album of ideas that weren't good enough for the original one, it reminds me of the sort of thing you'd get as a bonus disc on a deluxe edition - presumably they weren't confident enough in the songs to sell them as a brand new era/project and have just thrown this out as a bit of a cash grab to make the most of having the songs recorded.

 

I don’t think tension 2 is great neither but we could have ended up with just 2-3 new tracks on a deluxe but in fact we’ve got 9 new tracks instead and 4 collabs. Some of the tracks have grown on me and while it’s not as good as the first installment of tension, it’s just great Kylie is continuing to release more music.

Overall I'd prefer tension but tension 2 has a few great songs aswell.

I’m expecting it to drop out of the top 75 and it will likely be the same for her future releases. Her number ones are built on cds and vinyl and variants, the things superfans buy during first week sales.

 

Kylie and BMG have their number one headline, they’ve well and truly milked the Padam halo for all it’s worth and then some. They are quite masterful in that respect. It’s smoke and mirrors and the media laps it up. I doubt the US is her biggest market but hey, say it and the word will spread!

 

I just wonder in the future whether rules will be implemented to stop such a manipulation of the album charts, just as the UK has put in rules for singles. But for now, go Kylie, keep on working the system!

Ya i often wonder the same about will the rules change but the way the charts are manipulated through streaming i think they would want to sort that out first.

 

Enters at……. #98 in America :drama:

The US figure is baffling…surely they dispatched the majority of pre orders? Can’t be that many missing. Maybe US is weighted much more to streaming so that physical sales make less of an impact?

 

Re the UK midweek it’s hard to see but not at all surprising. Week two sales are vanishing for almost everyone and even with price drops it’s not enough to compensate for the base streaming that keeps the classic studio albums and greatest hits collections forever in the top 100.

 

If they’d saved the extended mixes this week it would easily have kept her top 20 because it would guarantee 3000 sales….but they wanted to improve global chart positions with it.

 

Just imagine (no pun intended), Tension 2 would have missed the US top 100 otherwise. Probably why they released it last week.

Enters at……. #98 in America :drama:

 

In her biggest market!? Who could’ve seen that coming? :rolleyes:

In her biggest market!? Who could’ve seen that coming? :rolleyes:

 

“Distribution problems” :lol: ^_^

“Distribution problems” :lol: ^_^

 

Yeah, not enough fans wanted it distributed to their houses!

To be fair, the US distribution problem seems to be a real thing? A US fan on Popjustice said that their copy only dispatched today, and I saw some other comments too. I guess we'll see in week 2 to what extent that affected her - if it actually manages to stay in the Billboard 200, or not.

 

I feel like the "Kylie's biggest market is the US" comment has opened Kylie up for some ridicule, and that the person on her team who said it could have elaborated a bit more about in what sense that is the case. Obviously it's not in terms of chart positions achieved, sales etc. As discussed, it can mean that the US is where her highest percentage of streams occurs, which is feasible.

 

Of course the UK midweek of #37 isn't nice to see, but I'm not all that shocked by it. I still believe that the fact it went to #1 is all that is going to matter in terms of Kylie's legacy, not the second week... Kylie isn't the first artist this kind of chart performance has happened to, and she won't be the last either! So it's not like this is specifically embarrassing for her. Only us chart nerds will ever really know/care about the chart run. :kink: Tension's chart run was nothing to write home about either, yet the perception of the era as a whole is one of great success.

 

I think it's time for BMG to think outside of "week 1" though. I know all labels throw everything at week 1, but I think BMG should at least try to think about how to maintain some interest in subsequent weeks. I'm sure the fanbase can remain engaged for more than 7 days - so as suggested, a new download variant in week 2 could have been worth a try. Particularly when literally a few hundred sales, let alone a few thousand, makes a world of difference in the UK charts.

I feel like the "Kylie's biggest market is the US" comment has opened Kylie up for some ridicule, and that the person on her team who said it could have elaborated a bit more about in what sense that is the case. Obviously it's not in terms of chart positions achieved, sales etc. As discussed, it can mean that the US is where her highest percentage of streams occurs, which is feasible.

 

I think it’s more that us British fans feel frustrated about her focus on America the past 2 years and this comment really rubbed us the wrong way, especially when it is so evidently not true. Kylie is just such a part of British culture in a way that she never was or will be in America, and all of this promotion in America only got Tension to chart 5 spots higher than Disco (not to mention Tension II, “distribution problems” or not).

It's not just British fans as the British promo filters though to us fans here in Ireland.

I do feel though she needs to pay more attention to the UK market as its always been so kind to her and her biggest market.

Edited October 29, 2024Oct 29 by Padamic_Tension

Team Kylie really should’ve just re-issued Tension called it the ‘Tour Edition’ with Lights Camera Action, Someone for Me, Kiss Bang Bang, Good As Gone and Hello.

 

Add Heavenly Body and Drum on the vinyl and the fans would’ve bought it. The additional songs would’ve helped with streaming numbers and got Tension a couple more weeks in the chart and a more respectable sales total.

 

I just don’t think the #1 was worth it for Tension II, it’s been a disaster from the minute MOM was released :lol:

^^ That would have been my preference too, however I guess a re-packaged year old album re-entering at #16 doesn’t quite have the same ring to it for headlines as ‘10th UK #1’ does.

 

The project and #1 that they chased seems to have been a tour selling tool (totally understandable).

I think those number '1's are important for Kylie and BMG.... thats why i think more albums will be coming sooner rather than later. move up that all time list while she can

I think those number '1's are important for Kylie and BMG.... thats why i think more albums will be coming sooner rather than later. move up that all time list while she can

Exactly!! No one, absolutely no one other than chart loons or Kylie fans care about the chart run. All the record books care about is the peak chart position. And Kylie has always been competitive (in the most humble way) and wants to milk it as much as she can. To have 5 no1s after the age of 50 in this ageist world is remarkable.

To be fair, on album chart, it is not really that difficult for veteran acts to score #1's. David Gilmour did it just few weeks ago.

To be fair, on album chart, it is not really that difficult for veteran acts to score #1's. David Gilmour did it just few weeks ago.

 

Somebody needs to let Cher, Dolly Parton, Katy Perry, Mariah, Barbra Streisand etc., know how easy these #1 albums for veteran artists are to come by as they all seem to be missing out.

Exactly!! No one, absolutely no one other than chart loons or Kylie fans care about the chart run. All the record books care about is the peak chart position. And Kylie has always been competitive (in the most humble way) and wants to milk it as much as she can. To have 5 no1s after the age of 50 in this ageist world is remarkable.

 

100%

 

Kylie and BMG are a great fit for each other. It’s still a big achievement to get to number one, even only for a week. I think we’ll see more number one albums in the future in tandem with Kylie smiling her way through media cycle upon media cycle, being sweet and lovely and humble. There will be more product launches and cringey collabs and the fans will lap it up. I can see another decade of this easily!