n the best sales week of 2006, the new album by country trio Rascal Flatts sold 722,000 copies, easily debuting at No. 1 on the U.S. pop charts, according to sales data issued Wednesday.
“Me and My Gang” (Lyric Street Records) is the act’s second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, following 2004’s “Feels Like Today,” and its third consecutive release to lead the Top Country Albums chart.
It was the best sales week of the country band’s career and the biggest debut week for a country act since Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying” roared in with 766,000 units in September 2004.
Disney-owned Lyric Street said the band’s previous three albums have sold nearly nine million copies combined.
The 21st “NOW That’s What I Call Music” compilation entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2, the 18th consecutive top 3 debut in the series (not including spin-off themed “NOW” discs). But it’s not all good news: the BMG/Zomba/EMI/UME effort sold 334,000 copies, the series’ lowest opening sales week since 2003’s “NOW 14” bowed with 322,000.
After debuting at No. 1 last week, rapper T.I.’s “King” (Atlantic) dropped to No. 3 with 185,000 copies.
The soundtrack to Disney’s “High School Musical” slipped one place to No. 4 with 181,000. McGraw’s “Greatest Hits Vol. 2 — Reflected” (Curb) fell three to No. 5 with 128,000.
Pink’s fourth album, “I’m Not Dead” (LaFace), entered The Billboard 200 at No. 6 with 126,000 copies. The album tied the peak of 2001’s “M!ssundaztood,” though it fell short of her best sales week: 2003’s “Try This” opened with 147,000 and a No. 9 debut.
James Blunt’s “Back to Bedlam” (Atlantic) kept the No. 7 spot warm for a second week with 64,000 copies. Shakira’s re-issued “Oral Fixation Vol. 2” (Epic) fell two places to No. 8 with 63,000.
Bubba Sparxxx netted his third consecutive top 10 debut on The Billboard 200 with “The Charm” (Purple Ribbon), which bowed at No. 9 with 51,000 copies. His 2001 debut “Dark Days, Bright Nights” moved 132,000 copies to enter at No. 3, while 2003’s “Deliverance” opened at No. 10 with 65,000.
Rounding out the top tier, Alan Jackson’s “Precious Memories” (Arista Nashville) held tight at No. 10 with 49,000.
The Flaming Lips’ “At War With the Mystics” debuted at No. 11 with 48,000, the band’s highest chart position and best sales week ever. The Warner Bros. set more than doubles the Lips’ previous best sales week of 22,000 for “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots,” which started at No. 50 in August 2002.
Other big debuts this week included Queensryche’s “Operation: Mindcrime II” (Rhino, No. 14, 44,000), “The Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock” (Capitol, No. 17, 40,000) and “Disneymania 4: Music Stars Sing Disney” (No. 21, 39,000).
For Queensryche, it’s the band’s highest charting album since “Promised Land” went to No. 3 in 1994 and best sales week since “Hear In The Now Frontier” bowed with 64,000 at No. 19 in 1997. The last time Poison posted a better chart position and sales week was when “Native Tongue” entered at No. 16 in 1993 with 43,000.
At 11.2 million units, overall CD sales were up 3% from the previous week and up 15% compared to the same week a year ago. Sales for 2006 are down 2% compared to 2005 at 151.6 million units.
Reuters/Billboard