Rolling Stones go head-to-head with Blunt
Music Week
06 September 2005 - 12:05:06


The Rolling Stones are fighting it out with James Blunt to score their first UK number one album since 1994’s Voodoo Lounge.

Retail reports suggest the band’s newly-issued Virgin album A Bigger Bang is slightly ahead of James Blunt’s Atlantic-issued Back To Bedlam as the band look to achieve their 11th UK chart-topper, the highest for any group bar The Beatles.

The Stones are likely to be joined in this Sunday’s Top 20 by fellow Sixties survivor Bob Dylan whose No Direction Home soundtrack to the documentary Martin Scorsese has made about him is due to become the week’s second highest debut. In an unusually quiet first week of September, the only other brand new albums challenging to enter the Top 40 are Interscope-signed rapper Tony Yayo with Thoughts Of A Predicate Felon an Kate Rusby’s Pure-issued Girl Couldn’t Fly.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2005-09-06 19:30 by georgelicks.

if the Stones make it to #1, wouldnt that make them the first act ever to top the album charts in five different decades? (all with studio albums too - they havent had to rely on compilations..)

I think it is Gaz.

JumpingKentFlash

not bad for a bunch of old farts whose records dont sell, eh?

No it ain't. But it really doesn't matter that much still.

JumpingKentFlash

It does to me. I get a certain level of satisfaction that the Stones can outsell everyone else, even if its just for one week

It doesnt MEAN that its a good album (even though it certainly IS one) but it also proves that the band's fanbase arent all living in the past and are still interested in what the band have to say even at this stage in their careers.

If the band themselves need an example to prove that theyre NOT merely a nostalgia act, then this wont do any harm at all.

There's a point there, but still.........

JumpingKentFlash

Agree Gazza. By the way, in my opinion the most important measure is the whole album sales, not the peak position that depends on the situation of an week. A clear example: Everybody knows that Some Girls was the most successful studio release of the band (close it, Tattoo You and third Voodoo Lounge, if i remember correctly). So, Some Girls didn't got #1 in the UK chart!! After Goats Head Soup UK #1 got ONLY Emotional Rescue and Voodoo Lounge. OK, one 80s another one 90s. But i repeat, #1 is important from an emotional, symbolic point of view. Essential figure is the whole sales.

Gazza, just another one point: if an act is attracting million of enthousiastic people in stadiums and arenas, that means is not a "nostalgia act". Nostalgia act is probably Bob Dylan, not the Stones. Nostalgia has nothing to do with the age of a song or an artist. Nostalgia has to do with the kind of the feelings that it cause.

what about Germany?----georgelicks

Where can we check the YTD sales of the album in differente countries??

Is there such an information site, one can check from time to time??

Cheers!

two questions :

1. how do you release 'midweek' sales figures on a Tuesday, when the record only came out yesterday (Monday) ?

2. that James Blunt album has been out AGES already, if its still selling as much in a week as the new Stones album that bloke must be @#$%& loaded!

stickydion Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Gazza, just another one point: if an act is
> attracting million of enthousiastic people in
> stadiums and arenas, that means is not a
> "nostalgia act". Nostalgia act is probably Bob
> Dylan, not the Stones. Nostalgia has nothing to do
> with the age of a song or an artist. Nostalgia has
> to do with the kind of the feelings that it cause.


Well, Ive seen Dylan almost 30 times and I dont consider him a nostalgia act, for several reasons - mainly that he keeps reinventing his old material and not playing the same way year in year out. His fans are also more appreciative of his more recent material and more knowledgeable of and willing to accept him playing 'rare' songs than a Stones audience is. Plus, from what ive seen of both acts, his audience actually tends to include a higher proportion of younger fans than a Stones audience.

and sorry, but a 'nostalgia' act is quite capable of attracting huge crowds because a large proportion of the public actually LIKE nostalgia. The Stones arent really confident enough in their audiences expectations of them to get away from that. My point being that a very successful new album might make them see that, no, we DO like their new material as well and have confidence in them.

the Stones LAST tour WAS a nostalgia tour as it was based around touring behind a greatest hits album. How can you seriously suggest it was anything otherwise? Keith has even admitted that in a recent interview.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2005-09-06 19:09 by Gazza.

stickydion Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Agree Gazza. By the way, in my opinion the most
> important measure is the whole album sales, not
> the peak position that depends on the situation of
> an week. A clear example: Everybody knows that
> Some Girls was the most successful studio release
> of the band (close it, Tattoo You and third Voodoo
> Lounge, if i remember correctly). So, Some Girls
> didn't got #1 in the UK chart!! After Goats Head
> Soup UK #1 got ONLY Emotional Rescue and Voodoo
> Lounge. OK, one 80s another one 90s. But i repeat,
> #1 is important from an emotional, symbolic point
> of view. Essential figure is the whole sales.


youre right, of course

But for a short term ego boost, a #1 is a nice bonus. We wont (and the public wont) know how many records the album sells in the long run, but we'll know that it topped the charts in the first week of release.

Only 4 acts got #1's albums in four decades
Elvis: 50's, 60's, 70's 00's
Beatles: 60's, 70's, 90's, 00's
Cliff Richard: 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's
Rolling Stones: 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's

If ABB get the #1 this Sunday, the Stones will reach the 5th decade of #1's albums.

Albums

1 Rolling Stones (12.7k) *new*
2 James Blunt (11.5)
17 Bob Dylan *new*
35 Tony Yayo *new*
38 Kate Rusby *new*
47 Richard Hawley *new*
108 R Stones - 40 licks *re* (500 copies)

1,200 copies ahead, the battle will be around of 50-60k copies.

ok men call up the troops and head down to record stores and buy armfuls of a biggerbang... and then go around to old peoples homes and hand them out...that soon wake em up....we need to det the stones to no1 in england.....we will fight them on the beaches....christ ive gone mad..need to have a lay down

>ok men call up the troops and head down to record stores and buy armfuls of a biggerbang

Agreed. The REAL chances for the #1 is in England this time, the English fans needs to suport this first week.

I hope they'll be #1. Stones don't need to prove anything but it will be a great pleasure for me.
By the way, 'nostalgia' acts are Eagles, KISS and Lisa Minelli but not Bob Dylan.
Bob is always actual!

where can you get info about albums right now on top in england`? which page?

like a billboard for England?

sir_carlos Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> where can you get info about albums right now on
> top in england`? which page?
>
> like a billboard for England?

The BBC chart list the Top 40 albums & singles

[www.bbc.co.uk]
[www.bbc.co.uk]

You can see the whole Top 75 here:
[uk.launch.yahoo.com]
[uk.launch.yahoo.com]

Terry that was so funny I almost spilt my beer! :-) :-)

hi otonnea...glad i made you laugh...hope the stones get to no1 in england...the stones could always do a buy one get one free lol... to help sales...but i have a drink on them if they get to no1

georgelicks Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >ok men call up the troops and head down to
> record stores and buy armfuls of a biggerbang
>
> Agreed. The REAL chances for the #1 is in England
> this time, the English fans needs to suport this
> first week.


Its a UK chart, not just an "English" one.

We shall deliver!!

Thx!

I got a $3 mail-in rebate (off list, which was only $12.99) today here in the states! I probably will go buy another! Give it to some Stones doubter.

I ain't stupid, I'm just guitarded.

The Rolling Stones on top of the charts is a great message to have!
Especially for Charlie who have had a wish for many years now of a new no 1 records. Great that "A Bigger Bang" makes a difference for him (just joking a bit)

No, to serious, it's really great to be a Stones fan today. Not just because of the fact that the album is selling great. More the fact that the album is one of the best albums ever! I've been around for many years as a fan and I'm really excited about this album. After the first listenings I thought they'd just tossed some sticky notes on shat order the songs should placed on the album but lately I've come to the conclusion there is certain amount of planning for the order of the songs. And it works!

So once again the Rolling Stones did deliver! For sure the tour will be greater than ever!

Been Stoned since 1964 and still am!

Fan Since 1964 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Been Stoned since 1964 and still am!


Good. No cold turkey.

- Doxa