Green Day’s “21st Century Breakdown” (Reprise/Warner Music) starts a second week atop Billboard’s European Top 100 Albums, as Lady Gaga moves into a 15th straight week at No. 1 on European Hot 100 Singles with “Poker Face” (Interscope/Universal).
“Breakdown” leads the pan-European album tally again despite having only one remaining European No. 1 berth, in Austria. It falls from the top in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Sweden, but climbs 6-4 in Hungary and 28-6 in Poland. Its nearest rival for the overall top spot is Eminem’s “Relapse” (Interscope/Universal), which holds last week’s No. 2 debut position after securing a second week at No. 1 in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark. Second-week U.K. sales of 54,000 make a running total to last weekend of 221,000.
In a composite top ten of five new entries, Italian superstar Eros Ramazzotti secures the highest, at No. 3, with “Ali e Radici” (RCA/Sony Music Entertainment). It’s off to a winning start in Italy and Switzerland, and enters at No. 2 in Austria and Holland, No. 4 in Germany and No. 5 in France, also climbing 5-3 in the Belgian region of Wallony. The single “Parla Con Me” holds at No. 4 in Italy.
Lady Gaga’s “The Fame” is at No. 4 again in its 20th week on Top 100 Albums, improving 6-5 in the United Kingdom. The continuing reign of “Poker Face” on the European Hot 100 takes the track level with the aggregate 15-week run at No.1 of “Hips Don’t Lie” (Epic/Sony Music Entertainment) by Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean in the summer of 2006, of which only 13 were consecutive.
Depeche Mode dips two places overall to No. 5 with “Sounds of the Universe” (Mute/EMI), as the single “Wrong” climbs 8-5 in Hungary. Two years after “Eat Me, Drink Me” started at No. 2 on the pan-European chart, Marilyn Manson’s follow-up set “The High End Of Low” (Interscope/Universal) opens at No. 6. Its best debut is at No. 9 in France; in the United Kingdom, sales of 7,000 give it a No. 19 start.
German rock trio Sportfreunde Stiller returns to Top 100 Albums at No. 7 with “MTV Unplugged In New York” (Vertigo/Universal). The live set is new at No. 1 in Germany (where the single “Ein Kompliment” is up 11-9) and No. 5 in Austria. The band’s 2007 set “La Bum” entered those two charts at the same positions, and at No. 10 overall.
Multi-million-selling rock mainstay Iron Maiden is back on the aggregate album chart at No. 8 with the documentary soundtrack “Flight 666” (EMI). U.K. sales of 9,000 take it to No. 15 there. Another veteran British rock outfit of the same vintage, Simple Minds, follows at No. 9 overall with “Graffiti Soul” (Sanctuary/Universal). An opening U.K. tally of 11,000 gives the album, the band’s 16th studio release, a No. 10 debut, Minds’ best showing there since “Good News From The Next World” debuted at No. 2 in 1995. Finally on the Europe-wide top ten, U2’s “No Line on the Horizon” (Mercury/Universal) is down 6-10, slipping 8-9 in Italy.
