REAL 1st week sales in UK + previous U2's 1st weeks sales there

[Soldatti]

Sorry for the mistake but the album sold less copies on the first week, here an article with the EXACT numbers and other interesting stuff:

Analysis: UK albums chart
29 November 2004 - 10:41:10
Music Week

Days after latest BPI figures showed that the total number of albums sold in the 12 month period ending September were the highest on record, sales in the run-up to Christmas 2004 continue to provide cause for concern, writes Alan Jones.
Although the total number of albums sold last week, according to OCC data, was 4,770,616 - the highest tally of the year and a 19.2% increase week-on-week - it was 12.4% below the same week last year, when 5,448,565 albums were sold.
The weakness appears to be throughout the market - in the comparative week last year 103 albums (66 artist and 37 compilation) sold more than 10,000 copies, while last week saw only 82 (58 artist, 24 compilation) albums make five figure
sales.
Looking on the bright side, U2's How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb debuts atop the artist album chart outselling its 2003 counterpart - Westlife's Turnaround - by a hefty 30% margin. Atomic Bomb's sales of 200,863 last week represent the
fourth highest weekly tally by a number one album this year, trailing Norah Jones' 235,890 tally with Feels Like Home in February, George Michael's 274,816 opening with Patience in May, and the 320,081 copies Robbie Williams' Greatest
Hits sold within a week of release in October. U2's lead at the top of the chart is huge - Eminem, who slips to number two after a fortnight in pole position, sold 90,656 copies of Encore last week.
U2's only other album of new material this century, All That You Can't Leave Behind, opened with sales of 164,000 copies in 2000. Their 1987 album The Joshua Tree opened with 235,000 sales and Rattle & Hum exceeded 360,000 the following
year. Atomic Bomb is U2's ninth number one album. The only groups with more: the Beatles (15) and the Rolling Stones (10). Abba, Queen and the Shadows also have nine apiece.
The only other new entry in the Top 10 comes from Kylie Minogue, who registers her 10th Top 10 album with Ultimate Kylie, which opens at number four after selling 82,822 copies. Her 1992 chart-topper Greatest Hits contained 22 tracks but Minogue's continuing success means that the new Ultimate Kylie set has to
accommodate more. In fact, it contains 33 songs - 32 than have already been hits plus next single Giving You Up. Surprisingly, six of Kylie's hits don't appear on the album, even though the 2CD set could hold another 40 minutes of music.
Five of the excluded songs missed the Top 10, but the album also ignores If You Were With Me Now, a duet with Keith Washington which reached number four in 1991.

 

[zoo tv mcg]

Still - it is a 22% from ATYCLB which is a healthy increase. The album needs to hold in the top 10 at least thru to Christmas

 

[STING2]

Thanks for posting this! Great information!

Debut Weeks for U2 album in the UK:

Rattle And Hum: 360,000

Joshua Tree: 235,000

HTDAAB: 200,863

ATYCLB: 164,000



Although there are no soundscan or other sources to prove it, I think that Rattle And Hum also had the biggest debut week here in the USA. I have heard potentially 1 million sold the first week, but I have not seen anything that could verify that information.

Of course, the counting is not done yet for HTDAAB in the USA. The figures will be reported Wendsday morning.

 

[Soldatti]

Although there are no soundscan or other sources to prove it, I think that Rattle And Hum also had the biggest debut week here in the USA. I have heard potentially 1 million sold the first week, but I have not seen anything that could verify that information.

I don't know, here is the US chart run for Rattle And Hum:
US Date: 29/10/1988 - Run: 14- 5-*1*-1-1-1-1-1-2-2- (10 wsf)
07/01/1989: 3-2-9-9-10-11-15-17-18-28-29-33-36-45-50-53-73-76-78-105-109-117-141-148-185-175-188-188 (38/14/6 wks)

The album reached the #1 position in his third week, maybe on the week 3 sold 1 million copies, I don't know.
I remember something similar, aparently Stones' 1981 album "Tattoo You" sold 1 million copies in his second week of release and peaked from his debut position to the top (8-*1*).
I have stats from the 80's, for example only 3 albums debuted #1 on US during the 80's:
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND 1975-1985, WHITNEY and Jacko's BAD; and only 6 albums went straight at #1 in his second week:
EMOTIONAL RESCUE (Stones), THE RIVER (Springsteen), TATTOO YOU (Stones), WE ARE THE WORLD, OU812 (Van Halen) and NEW JERSEY (Bon Jovi).

 

[STING2]

I don't know, here is the US chart run for Rattle And Hum:
US Date: 29/10/1988 - Run: 14- 5-*1*-1-1-1-1-1-2-2- (10 wsf)
07/01/1989: 3-2-9-9-10-11-15-17-18-28-29-33-36-45-50-53-73-76-78-105-109-117-141-148-185-175-188-188 (38/14/6 wks)

The album reached the #1 position in his third week, maybe on the week 3 sold 1 million copies, I don't know.
I remember something similar, aparently Stones' 1981 album "Tattoo You" sold 1 million copies in his second week of release and peaked from his debut position to the top (8-*1*).
I have stats from the 80's, for example only 3 albums debuted #1 on US during the 80's:
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND 1975-1985, WHITNEY and Jacko's BAD; and only 6 albums went straight at #1 in his second week:
EMOTIONAL RESCUE (Stones), THE RIVER (Springsteen), TATTOO YOU (Stones), WE ARE THE WORLD, OU812 (Van Halen) and NEW JERSEY (Bon Jovi).

Prior to June 1991 in the United States, chart position in the USA for albums was not determined by the "point of sell" monitors like Soundscan. Because of this, albums would almost never enter the chart at #1 in the USA. Sales were based on reports from several dozen retail stores, which proved to be inaccurate compared to the electronic "point of sell" tracking from Soundscan which started in the USA in 1991.

While the chart position for Joshua tree and Rattle and Hum will say #7 and #?, in reality, if Soundscan had been in use back then, both albums would have debuted at #1.

 

[zoo tv mcg]

I know these are numbers published from a source, but I still remember like yesterday that the Joshua Tree sold 300k copies in the first 48 hours of release in the UK. It was the fastest selling album ever since The Beatles for Sale album. I think I still have the magazine articles from back then

Any one else remember this.

The other figures for the other albums look o.k, but 235k I just think is too small for JT. The pent up demand since UF in 84, The LIve Aid experience etc - it was like a flood in those first few days of release.

PS - the album needs to be recertifed as well. Only 6x platinum and last certification was in the 90's I think. The album re-entered the top 20 a couple of years after a Brit Aaward show

 

[mikeuk]

Sorry for the mistake but the album sold less copies on the first week, here an article with the EXACT numbers and other interesting stuff:

Analysis: UK albums chart
29 November 2004 - 10:41:10
Music Week

Days after latest BPI figures showed that the total number of albums sold in the 12 month period ending September were the highest on record, sales in the run-up to Christmas 2004 continue to provide cause for concern, writes Alan Jones.
Although the total number of albums sold last week, according to OCC data, was 4,770,616 - the highest tally of the year and a 19.2% increase week-on-week - it was 12.4% below the same week last year, when 5,448,565 albums were sold.
The weakness appears to be throughout the market - in the comparative week last year 103 albums (66 artist and 37 compilation) sold more than 10,000 copies, while last week saw only 82 (58 artist, 24 compilation) albums make five figure
sales.
Looking on the bright side, U2's How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb debuts atop the artist album chart outselling its 2003 counterpart - Westlife's Turnaround - by a hefty 30% margin. Atomic Bomb's sales of 200,863 last week represent the
fourth highest weekly tally by a number one album this year, trailing Norah Jones' 235,890 tally with Feels Like Home in February, George Michael's 274,816 opening with Patience in May, and the 320,081 copies Robbie Williams' Greatest
Hits sold within a week of release in October. U2's lead at the top of the chart is huge - Eminem, who slips to number two after a fortnight in pole position, sold 90,656 copies of Encore last week.
U2's only other album of new material this century, All That You Can't Leave Behind, opened with sales of 164,000 copies in 2000. Their 1987 album The Joshua Tree opened with 235,000 sales and Rattle & Hum exceeded 360,000 the following
year. Atomic Bomb is U2's ninth number one album. The only groups with more: the Beatles (15) and the Rolling Stones (10). Abba, Queen and the Shadows also have nine apiece.
The only other new entry in the Top 10 comes from Kylie Minogue, who registers her 10th Top 10 album with Ultimate Kylie, which opens at number four after selling 82,822 copies. Her 1992 chart-topper Greatest Hits contained 22 tracks but Minogue's continuing success means that the new Ultimate Kylie set has to
accommodate more. In fact, it contains 33 songs - 32 than have already been hits plus next single Giving You Up. Surprisingly, six of Kylie's hits don't appear on the album, even though the 2CD set could hold another 40 minutes of music.
Five of the excluded songs missed the Top 10, but the album also ignores If You Were With Me Now, a duet with Keith Washington which reached number four in 1991.

so where did your earlier figure of 230k for Bomb come from ?

Mike

 

[patske]

Anybody knows how u2 are selling this week in the UK??
Any numbers?

 

[STING2]

I know these are numbers published from a source, but I still remember like yesterday that the Joshua Tree sold 300k copies in the first 48 hours of release in the UK. It was the fastest selling album ever since The Beatles for Sale album. I think I still have the magazine articles from back then

Any one else remember this.

The other figures for the other albums look o.k, but 235k I just think is too small for JT. The pent up demand since UF in 84, The LIve Aid experience etc - it was like a flood in those first few days of release.

PS - the album needs to be recertifed as well. Only 6x platinum and last certification was in the 90's I think. The album re-entered the top 20 a couple of years after a Brit Aaward show

Joshua Tree shipped 300,000 initially, but it sold 235,000 copies in its first week in the UK. There is always confusion between the initial shipment and sales numbers. As far as the band is concerned, and album shipped is an album sold.