London rapper/vocalist Example followed his No. 1 single last week with a bestselling album yesterday (Sunday), debuting at the top with “Playing in the Shadows” (Data/Ministry of Sound). There was a veteran presence in the album top ten with the return of the Beatles and, at 87 years of age, Doris Day. Meanwhile, pop artist Pixie Lott achieved her third U.K. No. 1 single with “All About Tonight” (Mercury/Universal).
“Playing in the Shadows” sold 56,000 copies last week to grab first place, according to the Official Charts Company. It’s Example’s third album, following last year’s “Won’t Go Quietly,” which peaked at No. 4, and his 2007 debut “What We Made,” which peaked below the published top 75. “Stay Awake,” the single from the new set that debuted at No. 1 last week, fell to No. 5.
Although Adele was the only nominee for the Barclaycard Mercury prize not to perform at last week’s televised ceremony (due to continuing vocal problems), her appearance on the show helped give “21” (XL Recordings) its latest boost. It climbed back 4-2 on weekly sales of 49,000 and passed the 3 million sales mark in the U.K. last Wednesday (7).
Joe McElderry’s “Classic” (UCJ/Universal) climbed back 5-3 after debuting at No. 2 the week before, as David Guetta’s “Nothing But The Beat” (Positiva/Virgin/EMI) fell 2-4. Will Young’s Will Young’s “Echoes” (RCA/Sony Music Entertainment), No. 1 two weeks ago, fell 3-5.
The Beatles’ “1” compilation, which prior to its first digital release and CD digipack reissue last week had sold 2.89m copies in the U.K., according to the OCC, reappeared at No. 6 on new sales of 23,000. The compilation spent its first nine weeks atop the chart in the Fab Four’s home country from November 2000 to January 2001, and was last seen in the top 75 two years ago. “1” has sold 30 million physical copies since its 2000 release, according to EMI, and is the bestselling album in the world over the past decade.
Last week’s bestselling artist album, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “I’m With You” (Warner Bros./Warner Music), fell to No. 7, and Adele’s “19” 7-8. Doris Day becomes the oldest female artist ever to hit the U.K. top ten with an album of newly-released material with the No. 9 debut of “My Heart” (Sony Music), although it consists of songs recorded some years ago and recently completed. Bruno Mars completed the new top ten by climbing 12-10 with “Doo-Wops and Hooligans” (Elektra/Warner Music).
“Tonight’s The Night – The Very Best of John Barrowman” (Sony Music) gave the actor and vocalist a No. 12 debut, and blues-rock veteran Chris Rea returned at No. 13 with “Santo Spirito Blues” (Rhino/Warner Music).
The Mercury effect was keenly felt by last week’s prize-winner P.J. Harvey, as “Let England Shake” (Universal Island) raced 181-24 after its victory. Sales were up almost eightfold at 7,000. There was also a No. 26 debut for Ry Cooder with “Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down” (Nonesuch/Warner Music), which sold 6,000 to become his highest-ranking album since “The Slide Area” reached No. 18 in 1982. “Now! That’s What I Call Music 79” (EMI/Virgin/UMTV) started a seventh week at the top of the compilation chart.
Pixie Lott’s third singles chart triumph followed “Mama Do” and “Boys and Girls” in 2009, since when she’s had four further top 20 U.K. hits. “All About Tonight” gave her a best-ever singles sales week, moving 88,000 units. “Moves Like Jagger” (Octone/A&M/Universal), by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera, stayed at No. 2, as the band’s “Hands All Over” album opened at No. 29.
British female pop band the Saturdays rang up a tenth top ten single in just over three years as “All Fired Up” (Polydor/Universal) entered at No. 3, and “Collide” (Syco Music/Sony Music Entertainment) by Leona Lewis & Avicii followed at No. 4. Snow Patrol’s “Called Out in the Dark” (Fiction/Polydor/Universal) started at No. 11.