No change at the top of the singles chart but Lady GaGa is beaten by an old bloke and a young band in the albums

 

Congratulations to dmlaw on ChC for being the first to spot last week’s “deliberate” error. The paragraph on Lacuna Coil’s album should have been deleted when they missed out on a top 40 place. Unfortunately, it stayed in and referred to them reaching a mysterious number ??? Oops. For the record, they actually entered at 42. I also referred to James Morrison’s Undiscovered as a re-entry. It wasn’t. My only excuse is that the albums chart was posted on the BBC website very late so that part was rather rushed.

 

Tinchy Stryder (with help from N-Dubz) holds on to the number one position this week with Number One. One of the members of N-Dubz is reported to be suffering from swine flu at the moment. I’m sure we all wish her well. One place below, La Roux spend a third week at number two.

 

Elton John’s first hit single was Your Song in January 1971 although in the week that entered the chart he clocked up his second top ten album. This week, with Ironik and Chipmunk, he returns with the highest new entry at number three. He’s produced some dross in his time (particularly the sentimental tosh that was Candle in the Wind 1997) but nothing as bad as this. It should also be said that he has released some good singles although most of them were in the 1970s.

 

The only departure from the top ten are Noisettes who fall four places to 14.

 

The remaining new entries are all fairly well down the chart. In most cases (all but one to be precise), that still means they are already over-performing. Miley Cyrus has decided to demonstrate that she is capable of producing records even worse than her previous rubbish by releasing Hoedown Throwdown, a sort of line dancing thingy. Inexplicably, it’s the second highest new entry at 30.

 

Demi Lovato has one of those American accents which makes me cringe. Unfortunately, her singing is no better. She’s just another whiney American female singer. But that seems to be popular with a certain section of the record-buying public (probably mostly under 10s) and La La Land enters at 35. Frankly, anyone who thinks she can sing must truly be in La La Land.

 

The Maccabees have their third top 40 hit with Love You Better at 36. Their highest chart position remains the number 33 achieved by About Your Dress. This song – which has a touch of Arcade Fire about it - deserves to beat that. Alesha Dixon enters at 37 with Let’s Get Excited. Erm, no.

 

Outside the new entries, Girls Aloud move up to number eleven with Untouchable. They therefore look like missing out on the top 10 for the first time with an official release. Quite how many successive top ten hits they had is a matter for debate as it depends on whether the St Trinians song counts. AT least it looks like we can agree that the run looks like ending even if we can’t agree on when it ended.

 

The albums chart has set into a bit of a pattern recently. A new album leads the way in all the midweek updates only for Lady GaGa to be number one on Sunday. The first part of that happened again this week with the only difference being that two albums were ahead of Lady GaGa all week. The second part didn’t happen as both new albums held off the challenge.

 

Bob Dylan’s chart career goes back even further than Elton John’s. He had three top ten albums in 1964 and his first hit single the following year. It is often said – mostly accurately – that the best versions of Dylan songs are not by Dylan himself. However, his most recent albums, the excellent Modern Times in 2006 and now Together Through Life have been highly acclaimed by the critics – for the quality of the vocals as well as the quality of the songs. His voice has mellowed over the years and I think it’s an improvement. Together Through Life is new at number one this week, his seventh number one album. This makes Dylan, 68 later this month, the oldest album chart-topper so far this year. He beats Bruce Springsteen who is a mere 59. Dylan also creates a new record for the longest gap between number one albums. His last chart-topper was New Morning which spent a week at number one in November 1970. This shatters the previous record of 28 years by AC/DC. Thanks to cp21 of ChC for that statistic.

 

Dylan and Springsteen have both been heavily influenced by Pete Seeger who turns 90 today so happy birthday to him. Younger readers may need to ask their parents. Or their grandparents.

 

Coventry band The Enemy’s second album, Music For The People, is the second highest new entry at number two. It’s a pretty good album and, like their debut, contains at least one song heavily influenced by The Jam.

 

Pussycat Dolls have released a new version of their album Doll Domination. Unless they’ve replaced all the vocals and the singers, it’s bound to be awful – apart from Jai Ho. Nevertheless, some people more optimistic than I am have bought it and it enters at number nine.

 

Leaving the top ten this week are the albums from Depeche Mode, Annie Lennox and Noisettes who crash all the way from seven to 23. Their album, Wild Young Hearts, sold more copies in the first week than their debut has sold in total.

 

Heaven and Hell are basically Black Sabbath without Ozzy Osbourne. A live album released in 2007 failed to chart but their first studio album, The Devil You Know, is a new entry at 21. I’m guessing it doesn’t contain a cover of Kylie’s Better The Devil You Know.

 

After a couple weeks with no re-entries, there are four this week – not including PCD. For some extraordinary reason, Simply Red’s Greatest Hits is back up from 66 to 29. Who is buying this? There are also returns for N-Dubz at 31, Girls Aloud at 33 and Ne-Yo at 36.

 

As per usual, many thanks to ChC, Music Week and chartstats.com for help with some of the facts

 

Great commentary once again. :D

I agree Maccabees should have been higher, but I'm glad they were top 40 at least.

"I’m guessing it doesn’t contain a cover of Kylie’s Better The Devil You Know."

 

LOL, it doesn't. :D

 

Great read.

 

I believe that Bob Dylan is the oldest person to Top the UK Album Chart.

He beats Neil Diamond, who was about 67, when he managed it, in 2008.

(I could be wrong!).

 

However, the current No.1 is not Bob Dylan's first No.1 Album, since November

1970. It is only his first Solo No.1, since then. He reached No.1 in June 2007, as

one of The Traveling Wilburys. ('The Traveling Wilburys Collection').

Great commentary! Though i think Demi has a great vocal range!

I believe that Bob Dylan is the oldest person to Top the UK Album Chart.

He beats Neil Diamond, who was about 67, when he managed it, in 2008.

(I could be wrong!).

 

However, the current No.1 is not Bob Dylan's first No.1 Album, since November

1970. It is only his first Solo No.1, since then. He reached No.1 in June 2007, as

one of The Traveling Wilburys. ('The Traveling Wilburys Collection').

True. Although, even that would mean he set the record in June 2007 rather than now.