The top three slots on the Billboard 200 chart get rocked this week as the rock bands Mumford & Sons, Green Day and No Doubt see their latest efforts start at Nos. 1-3, respectively.
Mumford & Sons’ sophomore album, “Babel,” opens atop the list with 600,000 sold according to Nielsen SoundScan. As reported yesterday , it marks the biggest debut this year, the largest sales week for RED Distribution ever and the second-biggest frame for an independently-distributed album. And, with 420,000 downloads sold, the set tallies the second-largest week for a digital album. It is surpassed only by the bow of Lady Gaga‘s “Born This Way” in 2011, when it launched with 662,000 downloads.
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Green Day’s “¡Uno!” starts in the No. 2 slot (139,000) while No Doubt’s “Push and Shove” enters at No. 3 (115,000). For the former, it’s the trio’s eighth top 10 album, and fifth to reach the top two. Its last studio effort, 2009’s “21st Century Breakdown,” started at No. 1 with 215,000 — although that number was earned in a truncated week for the group, as “Breakdown” was released on a Friday in order to more closely align the album’s worldwide release.
As for No Doubt, “Push and Shove” is the quartet’s first studio album since 2001’s “Rock Steady.” The latter set debuted and peaked at No. 9 with 255,000 (though it earned its best sales week the very next frame: 270,000 over the Christmas shopping week).
Last week’s No. 1, P!nk‘s “The Truth About Love,” falls to No. 4 with 94,000 (down 66%) while Lupe Fiasco‘s new “Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1” starts at No. 5 (89,000). Fiasco’s last release, 2011’s “Lasers,” debuted at No. 1, selling 204,000 in its premiere frame.
EDM DJ-producer deadmau5 grabs his highest charting album ever as “album title goes here” debuts at No. 6 with 58,000. deadmau5’s previous best week was the debut of 2010’s “4X4=12.” Its highest week came during its debut, when it entered the chart at No. 47 (its peak) with 27,000.
Rounding out the top 10 this week: the “Cruel Summer” hip-hop compilation slips 2-7 with 55,000 (down 73%), Dave Matthews Band‘s “Away From the World” drops 4-8 with 36,000 (down 42%), Little Big Town‘s “Tornado” falls 5-9 with 34,000 (down 33%) and the Killers‘ “Battle Born” descends 3-10 with 31,000 (down 73%).
Over on the Digital Songs chart, Taylor Swift scores her fifth No. 1 as “Begin Again” bows in the top slot with 299,000 downloads sold. It’s the latest preview single from her upcoming “Red” album. Watch for the set’s title track to impact the Digital Songs chart next week, as it was released to retailers on Oct. 2.
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PSY’s “Gangnam Style,” meanwhile, falls a slot to No. 2 with 294,000 sold (down 2%). Right behind PSY is Ke$ha‘s new “Die Young,” which starts at No. 3 with 188,000. It’s the first single from the singer’s upcoming album “Warrior,” due out Dec. 4. The last time Ke$ha released a new single was in 2010, when she dropped “We R Who We R” from the “Cannibal” album. “We R” debuted at No. 1 on the Digital Songs chart with 280,000 downloads.
Behind Ke$ha on the Digital Songs chart this week is Maroon 5‘s “One More Night,” slipping two rungs to No. 4 with 181,000 (down 12%). Swift is found again in the top five, as “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” slides 3-5 with 169,000 (down 14%).
fun.‘s “Some Nights” drifts 4-6 with 140,000 (down 12%) while Rihanna‘s “Diamonds” debuts at No. 7 with 133,000. “Diamonds” is the lead cut from the diva’s upcoming new studio effort, due later this year. Comparatively, “We Found Love,” Rihanna’s first single from her last album “Talk That Talk,” launched with 117,000 sold. (However, “We Found Love” was released on a Thursday to retailers, meaning it had four days worth of sales in its debut week. On the other hand, “Diamonds” dropped last Wednesday, so it had one more day of sales in its opening frame.)
As for the rest of the top 10: Alex Clare‘s “Too Close” falls 5-8 (116,000; down 11%), Enrique Iglesias‘ “Finally Found You” (featuring Sammy Adams) debuts at No. 9 (112,000) and Flo Rida‘s “Whistle” slips 6-10 (104,000; down 16%).
Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending Sept. 30) totaled 5.71 million units, up 5% compared with the sum last week (5.42 million) and up 2% compared with the comparable sales week of 2011 (5.57 million). Year-to-date album sales stand at 218.43 million, down 4% compared with the same total at this point last year (228.50 million).
Digital track sales this past week totaled 23.05 million downloads, down 2% compared with last week (23.53 million) and up 13% stacked next to the comparable week of 2011 (20.37 million). Year-to-date track sales are at 1.009 billion up 6% compared with the same total at this point last year (952.74 million).
Next week’s Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2011 when: Scotty McCreery‘s “Clear As Day” debuted at No. 1 with 197,000 while the previous week’s leader, J. Cole‘s “Cole World: the Sideline Story,” fell to No. 5 with 54,000 (down 75%).