Metallica’s Hardwired...To Self-Destruct (Virgin/EMI) slips 1-2 on the main albums list, while Michael Buble’s 13-times platinum Christmas (Reprise/Warner) lifts 5-3; John Farnham & Olivia Newton John’s Friends For Christmas (Sony) improves 6-4 and Crowded House’s double-platinum certified Very Very Best Of (Capitol/EMI) rises from No. 14 to a new peak of No. 5 after the folk-rock veterans’ Nov. 23 induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame and four-night live stand at the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House.
Notable new entries on the albums chart this week include A.B. Original’s Reclaim Australia (a collaboration of Briggs and Trials which starts No. 10 via Golden Era/Universal); Susan Boyle's A Wonderful World (No. 14 via Syco/Sony); Garth Brooks’ Gunslinger (No. 16 via Sony); Kate Bush’s live triple-set Before the Dawn (No. 35 via ADA/Warner) and Prince’s posthumous greatest-hits compilation 4Ever (No. 36 via Warner).
Meanwhile, British trio Clean Bandit lead the singles chart Down Under for the first time with “Rockabye,” featuring Sean Paul & Anne-Marie, which rises 2-1 in its fourth week on the survey.
The Weeknd’s “Starboy” outshines Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles” (Interscope/Universal), unchanged at No. 3; James Arthur’s “Say You Won’t Let Go” (Columbia/Sony), which dips 1-4; and Neiked’s “Sexual” (Polydor/Universal), up 6-5.
Sydney born-and-raised electronic music star Flume grabs another entry on the ARIA Singles Chart with "Skin Companion EP 1" (Future Classic) just days after dominating the 30th annual ARIA Awards. The four-track recording, cut during the sessions for Flume’s chart topping second album Skin, opens at No. 29. It’s Flume’s fourth entry in the top 30 this year, following on from “Never Be Like You” (No. 1 in February), “Smoke & Retribution” (No. 23 in February) and “Say It” (No. 5).
