Some time this morning (Friday) The Circus by Take That sold its millionth copy in the UK, and became the all-time second fastest album to reach a seven-figure sale.

 

The album was released just 19 days ago. The only album to reach a million more rapidly is fellow Mancunians Oasis’ 1997 album Be Here Now, which reached the target in 11 days.

 

The Circus has sold 991,508 copies up to close of business yesterday (Thursday) and has already been certified quintuple platinum, with Universal shipments exceeding 1.5m copies.

 

Initially available for as little as £5.88 physically (Asda) and £3 as a download (Amazon), The Circus is now hard to find for less than £8 in any format but continues to sell at a very rapid clip.

 

Remarkably for an album to sell so many copies in such a short time, it wasn’t available in the stricken Woolworths chain until this week. The retailer may be winding down but now has plentiful stocks of the album priced at £10.97 – though a blanket 10% reduction on audio products means the till price is £9.87.

 

Four other albums have sold a million copies in less than a month: in third place is Take That’s last album, 2006’s Beautiful World (27 days), Robson & Jerome’s self-titled 1995 debut and The Beatles’ 2000 compilation 1, both took 28 days, and Leona Lewis’ Spirit became a million seller after 29 days last year.

 

Beautiful World is by far Take That’s biggest seller, with to date sales of more than 2.5m. It will overtake former member Robbie Williams’ biggest-selling solo album, I’ve Been Expecting You, within weeks.

 

Take That’s return to prominence after more than a decade apart has been an unqualified success, and in addition to selling more than 3.5m copies of their two new albums since reconvening, they have sold nearly 1.7m copies of their compilation Never Forget – The Ultimate Collection.

 

With catalogue sales of their earlier three studio albums and a compilation, Take That have sold more than 5.5m albums so far this decade.

 

 

The Circus is the third or fourth album to sell a million copies this year, following Duffy’s Rockferry and Coldplay’s Viva La Vida.

 

It crossed the barrier almost simultaneous with The Kings Of Leon’s Only By The Night, which had sold 995,147 copies by close of business last night.

 

Source: MW

Edited December 20, 200816 yr by Norma_Snockers

That is great news Pete. I thought it would be by close of business Saturday they'd do it ... but they've done it with a day and a half to spare!

 

Norma

Well deserving, although I didn't get into the album completely so far :o

Well deserving, although I didn't get into the album completely so far :o

 

That's ok Pav! There are still a couple of songs on there that, no matter how many times I play them, I'll never like! But there are a few songs on Beatles albums that I still can't get into ... and if a band as brilliant as the Beatles can make a few 'duff' ones ... then surely lesser mortals are allowed to! :)

 

Norma

I have three category of albums:

 

1. At first i don't like them, after re-listen in 2-3-..months i still don't like them (Rihanna - GGGB)

2. Albums i like from the beginning (Lady GaGa - Fame)

3. Albums i don't download after their actual release but some time later i listen them out of the simple curiousity and fall in love completely! :lol: (Laura Marling - Alas, I cannot Swim - my favourite album of 2008 :heart: )

 

I hope The Circus is in the third one :lol:

i have never bought an album that i like every song there is always songs that i skip on an album,for me im usually happy if there are 3-4 songs on an album i like apart from the singles to get that im well happy and sometimes you know im happy if i get one non single track that i adore also makes an album worth it as otherwise id never know of the song

 

i do like the circus its not as instant as beautiful world but i think 5 years down the road the circus will be a better album than beautiful world as the circus contains alot of songs that slowly creep into the mind

you may need to edit something in the post, Leona Lewis' first song was "A Moment Like This" not "Bleeding Love"

you may need to edit something in the post, Leona Lewis' first song was "A Moment Like This" not "Bleeding Love"

 

 

Thanks Sinny

 

Pete - hope you don't mind - I've removed the bit about Leona because it was referring to the singles so was irrelevant anyway.

 

Norma

Oh wow! :yahoo: Great going guys!

I actually like all songs on the album. The only song I sometimes skip is 'What Is Love'.

 

I wish Holland would warm to them... :cry:

ya thats sound norma i meant to take it out myself,,a point on the ext album i think howard should get a bit more lead i dont think they use him enough

I hope Howard gets better songs on the next album (although Here is much better than What Is Love - he deserves a better song).

 

Joi - sadly I can't see Take That ever being popular in the Netherlands, not enough to get decent airplay. Maybe if 'the forbidden' one rejoined they'd get a shoe-in - but I'd rather they just stayed strong in the UK and remain a four-piece.

 

Norma

i cant see them doing much in netherlands either but starnger things have happened

 

does anyone think the circus could outsell beautiful world in the uk??

i cant see them doing much in netherlands either but starnger things have happened

 

does anyone think the circus could outsell beautiful world in the uk??

 

I didn't think so at first but I now believe it will. It is apparently true that Up All Night will be the next single and I think that could easily spark off a quarter of a million additional album sales alone.

 

Norma

 

ya i can see up all night really bringing home album sales,,i wonder will they re release the circus as a deluxe edition just like beautiful world in time for next years x mas market??

They only re-released BW because of Rule The World. Rule The World was only written and released because they were asked to write a song for a film. Maybe in certain circumstances they'd do a re-release of The Circus, but I don't really think so (who knows though really).

 

Great news about the album doing so well! It'll be a great start for next year if sales stay strong!

i hope they do a deluxe edition though as every other big selling album does it and it boosts sales and it will but take that up in the huge selllers list once again!!

They only re-released BW because of Rule The World. Rule The World was only written and released because they were asked to write a song for a film. Maybe in certain circumstances they'd do a re-release of The Circus, but I don't really think so (who knows though really).

 

Great news about the album doing so well! It'll be a great start for next year if sales stay strong!

 

The deluxe of BW also contained videos of all singles and a 20 minute documentary - plus all the 'b' sides. I'm certain they'll do the same with The Circus ... add another song and the videos and documentary (they've got tons of footage of behind the scenes of The Circus) and of course the 'b' sides.

 

Norma

Edited December 21, 200816 yr by Norma_Snockers

Wuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

*Jenny's gone bonkerz*

:wave:

Number 1 in the album chart again! Yes I know it wasn't much of a surprise!

 

Norma

sales now 1.133 in just 3 weeks and i think they could sell another 300,000 ove rthe next 4 days