Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper’s soundtrack to their smash movie A Star Is Born continues to impress, holding at No.1 in Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and Slovakia. It also climbs 4-2 in Austria, 8-5 in France, 12-7 in Finland, 18-8 in South Africa, 12-10 in Flanders, 25-13 in Hungary and 54-50 in South Korea, while debuting at No.40 in Denmark, and remaining stationary in Portugal (2-2), the UK (2-2), Switzerland (3-3), Greece (4-4) and the Netherlands (5-5). However, it falls 1-2 in the USA, 3-5 in Argentina, 5-9 in Italy, 6-9 in Spain, 7-10 in Germany and 10-11 in Wallonia.
Film fever also continues to fan the flames for Bohemian Rhapsody, the Queen soundtrack to the Freddie Mercury biopic. Jumping 7-1 in Argentina, the album also improves 5-2 in Australia, 3-2 in Ireland and New Zealand, 16-7 in Wallonia, 14-8 in Flanders, 45-11 in rhe Netherlands, 15-13 in the Czech Republic, 17-14 in Slovakia, 39-22 in Japan, 37-23 in France and 29-23 in Germany, while debuting at No.10 in Portugal, No.21 in Sweden, No.23 in Poland and No.28 in South Korea. It makes small downward movements in Spain (9-10), Austria (11-16), Switzerland (16-18), the USA (22-25) and Canada (24-32), while holding at No.11 in Greece and No.36 in Italy. The film’s ‘boffo box office’ is also triggering major sales of Queen catalogue, especially 2002’s The Platinum Collection: Greatest Hits I, II & II, which is already ahead of Bohemian Rhapsody in several countries, and gaining fast on it in several more.
The album that dethrones A Star Is Born in America this week is the one that did likewise in the UK last week – Andrea Bocelli’s Si. Sixty-year-old Bocelli’s 16th studio album, Si is in decline in six of the seven other territories in which we documented its debuts last week, the exception being Wallonia, where it advances 53-49. It is now newly arrived at No.3 in Canada, No.7 in Australia, No.8 in Poland, No.10 in Switzerland, No.13 in Argentina and Austria, No.17 in New Zealand, No.18 in the Czech Republic, No.21 in Slovakia, No.22 in Spain, No.30 in Greece and No.161 in France.
Radiohead leader Thom Yorke’s soundtrack album for film director Luca Guadagnino’s new horror movie Suspiria debuted at No.13 in the UK, No.20 in Italy and at lower positions in six other countries last week. It heads south in all of them but now debuts at No.28 in Switzerland, No.30 in Austria, No.52 in Greece, No.65 in Australia, No.79 in the USA, No.93 in Canada and No.109 in France.
Those twisted firestarters The Prodigy dropped No Tourists, their first album for more than three years last week – and for a dance act in the second quarter century of their existence, they’re holding up pretty well. No Tourists opens at No.1 in the UK, where it is their seventh chart-topper, and at No.6 in Germany, No.18 in Ireland, No.21 in the Netherlands, No.28 in New Zealand, No.30 in Flanders, No.31 in Wallonia and No.57 in Italy.
Marianne Faithfull has her highest-charting album in 53 years in the UK with her 21st studio album, Negative Capability, debuting at No.44. There’s good support for the 71-year-old singer elsewhere too, with Negative Capability opening at No.17 in Flanders, No.27 in Germany, No.32 in Norway, No.34 in The Netherlands, No.43 in Wallonia, and No.99 in Ireland.
Barbra Streisand is no slouch either. At 76, the veteran singer and actress has found her political voice and uses it on her 36th studio album, Walls, which opens at No.6 in the UK, No.15 in the Netherlands, No.34 in Germany and Ireland, No.37 in Wallonia, No.38 in New Zealand, No.50 in Flanders and No.58 in Italy.
Bob Dylan is a year older than Streisand, but delves into his archive for his latest chart success, The Bootleg Series Volume 14: More Blood, More Tracks, a collection of demos and studio outtakes recorded for his Blood On The Tracks album when he was a mere 33 years old in 1974. It is one of the best received of the releases in The Bootleg Series, debuting at No.2 in Sweden, No.4 in Germany and Norway, No.6 in Flanders, No.7 in the Netherlands, No.8 in Ireland, No.9 in the UK, No.19 in Italy and No.61 in Wallonia.
