Joining eight of its predecessors, the multi-artist compilation “Now 22” debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. pop charts Wednesday, while Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke grabbed the No. 2 spot with his solo debut.
The latest installment in the “NOW! That’s What I Call Music” series (BMG/Zomba/EMI/UME) moved 398,000 units in the week ended July 16, according to Nielsen SoundScan. All of the other discs have spent time in the top 10, and “Now 22” is the 19th consecutive set to reach the top three.
Yorke trailed with “The Eraser” (XL Recordings), which sold 90,000 copies. Radiohead’s last album, 2003’s “Hail to the Thief” peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, albeit with sales of 300,000 copies in its debut week. 2000’s “Kid A” is the British group’s best charting set to date, debuting at No. 1.
Opening at No. 3, Pimp C earned his highest charting album on the Billboard 200 and his first No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with “Pimpalation,” which sold 87,000 copies.
Nelly Furtado’s former chart-topper “Loose” fell two places to No. 4 with 58,000. Gnarls Barkley’s “St. Elsewhere” held tight at No. 5 with 56,000. Last week’s chart champion, Johnny Cash’s “American V: A Hundred Highways,” slid to No. 6 with 54,000.
The soundtrack to Disney’s “High School Musical” rose one to No. 7 in its 27th week on the chart, with 50,000 copies. Rascal Flatts’ “Me and My Gang” flip-flopped with “Musical,” selling 49,000 units.
Muse enjoyed its best week ever on the Billboard 200 as “Black Holes and Revelations” debuted at No. 9 with 48,000 copies. Only one other of the group’s records has even spent time on the chart: 2004’s “Absolution” bowed at No. 107.
Rihanna’s “A Girl Like Me” rounded out the top 10, off four places with 47,000.
Other big debuts included MTV reality show star Cheyenne Kimball with “The Day Has Come” (No. 15, 40,000); JR Writer, as presented by the Diplomats, with “History in the Making” (No. 25, 29,000); the Early November’s triple-disc effort “The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path” (No. 31, 26,000); and Seether’s CD/DVD “One Cold Night” (No. 50, 17,000).
At 9.3 million units, overall CD sales were up 3% from the previous week and down 9% compared to the same week a year ago. Sales for 2006 are down 5% compared to 2005 at 288.9 million units.
In the music DVD world, Pink Floyd’s “Pulse,” a collection chronicling its 1994 “Division Bell” tour, debuted at No. 1 with 93,000 units, according to Sony BMG Music. The set also topped the charts in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Norway, and the UK, the label added.
Reuters/Billboard