Coldplay crashed back into the U.K. charts on Sunday (Oct. 30), scoring their fifth No. 1 from five studio releases with “Mylo Xyloto” (Parlophone/EMI). The album set a new weekly digital album sales record and achieved the second-biggest first-week sale of 2011 for an artist album. In a banner week for EMI, its Virgin label signing, rapper Professor Green, debuted atop the singles chart with “Read All About It,” featuring Emeli Sandé.
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“Mylo Xyloto” sold 208,000 units last week, according to the Official Charts Company, a total bettered this year among artist albums only by Lady Gaga‘s “Born This Way” (Interscope/Universal), which opened with 213,000 in early June. Adele‘s “21” (XL Recordings) also started with 208,000 sales, but 253 units below Coldplay’s tally. “Mylo” sold 83,000 of its total via downloads, beating the previous weekly record held by Take That‘s “Progress” last year, at just under 80,000.
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It maintains Coldplay’s perfect album record on the U.K. charts, who first topped the survey with “Parachutes” in 2000 and did so again with “A Rush of Blood to the Head” (2002), “X&Y” (2005) and 2008’s “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends.” In terms of longevity, the group has quite a sequence to maintain: the debut album was No. 1 for a week, the second for two, the third for four and “Viva La Vida” for five, then another two weeks later. Released on a Thursday, “Viva” sold 302,000 in just three days to achieve its first week at the summit.
Two tracks from “Mylo Xyloto” made the new singles top 40, “Paradise” at No. 14 and “Princess of China,” featuring Rihanna, at No. 33. Lead track “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall” reached No. 6 in June, and bounced back to No. 71 on the new chart. All four of the band’s previous studio albums reappeared in the top 75, “Parachutes” at No. 49, “Viva La Vida” at No. 50, “X&Y” at No. 55 and “A Rush of Blood…” at No. 66.
Last week’s album bestseller, “Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds” (Sour Mash), fell to No. 2 on 70,000 sales, as the single “AKA What A Life!” climbed 24-22. Michael Bublé‘s unseasonably early festive set “Christmas” (Reprise/Warner Music) started at No. 3; Bruno Mars‘ “Doo-Wops & Hooligans” (Elektra/Warner Music) rebounded 9-4, as the current single “Runaway Baby” debuted at No. 19 and “Marry You” moved back 30-24.
Kelly Clarkson‘s “Stronger” (RCA/Sony Music Entertainment) opened at No. 5, while its single “Mr. Know It All” improved 6-4. Tom Waits scored only his second U.K. top ten album as “Bad As Me” (Anti) landed at No. 10, one place below the peak of his career-best No. 9 entry “Mule Variations” in 1999. The Soldiers, comprising three serving soldiers in the British Army, debuted at No. 11 with their third album “Message To You” (DMG TV). The compilation chart welcomed a new No. 1 with the arrival of UMTV/Universal’s two-disc hits collection “Pop Party 9.”
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Professor Green, aka 27-year-old Londoner Paul Manderson, emerged in the spring of last year with his INXS-sampling hit “I Need You Tonight,” featuring Ed Drewett. That No. 3 U.K. hit was followed by “Just Be Good To Green,” featuring Lily Allen, and two smaller top 40 entries, all from his debut album “Alive ‘Til I’m Dead,” which hit No. 2 last July. “Read All About It,” his first No. 1 single, sold 153,000 units last week. It features Scottish breakthrough artist Sandé, who reached No. 2 recently with “Heaven.” Green’s second album “At Your Inconvenience” is released in the U.K. today (31).
Another collaboration of rising British talents debuted at No. 2 on the singles chart. Singer-writer Labrinth, on Simon Cowell’s Syco Music via Sony Music Entertainment as a rare non-talent show signing for the label, opened with 115,000 sales for “Earthquake,” featuring BRIT Award-winning rapper Tinie Tempah. “We Found Love” (Def Jam/Universal), featuring Calvin Harris, No. 1 for the last three weeks, fell to No. 3. English hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks matched the No. 8 peak of their debut hit “Down With The Trumpets” with “When I Was A Youngster.”