It has 10 tracks and a playing time of less than 20 minutes but arguably the hottest new release that dropped on Friday (December 7) was rapper Xxxtentacion’s posthumous Skins album, which rapidly found its way to the top of the iTunes rankings in 22 countries, including the USA, Canada, Australia, Finland, Greece and, less expectedly, Qatar.
We’ll see how that pans out on official charts next week.
Meantime, although it was No.1 on iTunes in 64 countries last week, Brooklyn rapper 6ix9ine’s new album Dummy Boy hasn’t subsequently topped the official charts anywhere. There is, however, a distinct possibility it will be No.1 in the USA. Billboard announced on Sunday (December 2) that Travis Scott’s Astroworld had returned to No.1 – but, in an epic fail, withdrew that claim and indeed the week’s chart shortly afterwards. As we go to press more than five days later there still isn’t a US Top 200 album chart for this week, with Billboard and Nielsen – who count sales and process the information – citing ‘discrepancies’ amidst discontent about ‘bundling’, with one Travis Scott bundle for a Skrillex remix of his single Sicko Mode allegedly also including the album for the price of 69 cents. It has since been unofficially announced that 6ix9ine’s album will be No.1 when the chart is reinstated, though the controversy currently rages on. This is also why no other US chart positions appear in this report today. The Italian chart is also running late, so there are no Italian positions either.
Moving on, Rita Ora’s Phoenix debuted in the UK (No.11) Germany (No.13), New Zealand (No.18), Ireland (No.20), the Netherlands (No.30), Flanders (No.31), Sweden (No.33), Norway (No.34), Italy (No.63), Wallonia (No.69) and Japan (No.121) last week. It heads south in all of them this week, but now debuts at No.14 in Finland, No.15 in Australia, No.18 in Switzerland, No.36 in Canada and Denmark, No.43 in Austria, No.69 in Spain and No.103 in France.
Take That’s Odyssey hits/revamps album, whose chart arrival in seven territories was reported here last week, makes further modest debuts in Switzerland (No.45), Spain (No.54), Austria (No.55) and Australia (No.63).
The 1975 rack up their third domestic No.1 in the UK from as many releases with A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships. It also debuts at No.4 in Ireland, No.9 in New Zealand, No.16 in Sweden, No.36 in The Netherlands, No.44 in Flanders, No.57 in Germany and No.178 in Wallonia.
David Bowie’s headline performance at Glastonbury in 2000 is available for the first time, with CD, DVD and download releases including the 22 songs he played in an incendiary set. Entitled simply Glastonbury 2000, it debuts at No.18 in Wallonia, No.19 in the Netherlands, No.25 in the UK, No.30 in Flanders, No.31 in Germany, No.34 in Ireland, No.39 in Sweden and No.42 in Japan.
British trio Clean Bandit’s 2014 debut New Eyes was a major global success, issued in the wake of their success with catchy singles like Rather Be. Follow-up What is Love? makes a more subdued start, opening at No.19 in the UK, No.29 in Japan, No.30 in Ireland, No.40 in New Zealand, No.47 in The Netherlands, No.56 in Wallonia and No.183 in Flanders
