Editors Snag First U.K. No. 1 Album
July 02, 2007, 10:35 AM ET
Paul Sexton, London
As "Umbrella" (Def Jam) by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z entered a seventh week atop the U.K. singles chart, Birmingham-based rock outfit Editors achieved their first No. 1 album. "An End Has a Start" (Kitchenware/Columbia) sold 59,000 copies to arrive at the summit, some 18 months after their 2005 debut album, "The Back Room," belatedly reached No. 2.
Rihanna's single now has cumulative U.K. sales of 282,000, and withstood a strong debut by newcomer Kate Nash to keep hold of top spot. Nash, who turns 20 this month, has built a strong following via YouTube and won comparisons with (and support from) Lily Allen for her London-accented narratives. Her second single, "Foundations" (Fiction/Polydor), entered at No. 2.
Another Midlands-based rock band, the Enemy, soared 51-4 with "Had Enough" (Warner Bros.) to become their second top 10 single in 10 weeks, after "Away From Here" reached No. 8 at the end of April. Anglo-Swedish trio the Hoosiers, who signed to RCA late last year, climbed 16-6 with their debut single, "Worried About Ray." Another newcomer, Londoner Jack Penate, scored a debut hit as "Torn on the Platform" (XL Recordings) climbed 25-7.
Movers in the top 20 included Los Angeles R&B singer Robin Thicke's "Lost Without U" (Interscope), which jumped 43-11, and "It's Not Over Yet" (Rinse/Polydor) by Klaxons, up 33-13. That follows the No. 7 hit "Golden Skans," while the album "Myths of the Near Future" rebounded 32-19 for the group.
Editors hit the top of the album chart as "Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors," the first single from "An End Has a Start," dipped 7-15. Kelly Clarkson's "My December" (RCA) arrived at No. 2, while last week's bestseller, the White Stripes' "Icky Thump" (XL Recordings), fell to No.4.
70-year-old Dame Shirley Bassey, whose performance at Glastonbury last weekend was one of the most covered events at the festival, reaped the rewards with a No. 6 entry for "Get the Party Started" (Lock Stock & Barrel). The album, which contains her forthcoming single and title track cover of the Pink song, is Bassey's highest-charting album in the U.K. since her "25th Anniversary Album" reached No. 3 in 1978. Her first British chart album was in 1961.
Among other Glastonbury performers to feel the benefit in album sales, the Killers' "Sam's Town" (Vertigo), already platinum, moved back 36-9, and Arctic Monkeys' "Favourite Worst Nightmare" (Domino) rebounded 14-12. Ryan Adams entered at No. 18 with "Easy Tiger" (Lost Highway).
On Billboard's European Top 100 Albums chart, Bon Jovi fended off the challenge of the White Stripes to secure a second week at No. 1 with "Lost Highway" (Universal Island). The Rihanna single leads Eurochart Hot 100 Singles for a fourth week.
Source: Billboard
Link:
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/..._id=1003606137