Alternating currents led AC/DC to replace Ariana Grande at the top of the album chart this week. And, in fact, she got pushed down a few notches, as new albums by Chris Stapleton and the team of Lil Uzi Vert and Future also had highly impressive bows, coming in at Nos. 2-3.
Meanwhile, on the Rolling Stone songs chart, Billie Eilish had an easy landing in the No. 1 spot with her new song, “Therefore I Am,” which she performed at the American Music Awards this past weekend.
AC/DC’s return, “Power Up,” accumulated 124,700 album units in its first week out. Most of those units came in the form of pure album sales, with 105,800 full copies, a knockout figure in this sales day and age. The group’s song streams, however, at 6.3 million, were on the low side.
Country star Stapleton’s fourth album, “Starting Over,” came in second on the Rolling Stone album chart with album units of 112,400. His full-album sales were also strong, if not as overpowering as AC/DC’s, clocking in at a very healthy 75,800 albums. With an audience maybe not quite as set in its technological ways as AC/DC’s, Stapleton had a good showing on the streaming side, too, with 30.9 million song streams.
A third new entry also cracked the six-figure mark in album units. “Pluto x Baby Pluto” by Lil Uzi Vert and Future landed a tally of 101,400. The duo’s album sales were a minuscule 5,1000, but their song streams were way up at 122.4 million for the week.
Now bumped down to No. 4, Grande’s “Positions” had a still durable 71,600 album units. The next four spots in the top 10 were also returning albums: Pop Smoke, Juice WRLD, the Kid Laroi and Harry Styles at Nos. 5-8.
The top 10 was rounded out by two more new entries, aimed at very different audiences: YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s “Until I Return” at No. 9 with 30,000 album units and Andrea Bocelli’s “Believe” (timed to the announcement of an upcoming Christmas-themed pay-per-view) at No. 10 with 29,700.
Pentatonix’s “We Need a Little Christmas” was the top holiday album in this company, debuting at No. 14.
See the full Rolling Stone songs chart here; for the album chart, click here.