"NOTHING" COMPARES TO DRAKE!

YM/CM/Republic’s Drake scores a #1 debut on this week’s HITS Album Sales Chart as the lights come up on Q4. The hip-hop megastar moved a bumpin’ 658k with Nothing Was the Same. His 2011 release, Take Care, moved 631k out of the gate, and has sold more than 2 million RTD.

Also bowing in the Top 5 are RCA’s Kings of Leon (#2, 115k), Warner Bros.’ Cher (#3, 61k) and Capitol’s Elton John (#4, 48k). Capitol Nashville’s Luke Bryan is the sole chart veteran in the Top 5, moving up one spot with 35k (-23%).

The Top 10’s remaining debuts come from Roadrunner’s Dream Theater (#7; 31k), Columbia’s Krewella (#8, 26k) and Metallica, whose Blackened/Rhino ST to their concert-plus-fantasy flick Metallica Through the Never finished at #10 with 25k.

The week’s greatest gainer was RCA’s Justin Timberlake, who got a 6% boost for the first volume of his 20/20 Experience. It just so happens that part 2 streets on this very day! Weird, right?

Also released on this auspicious date is Lorde’s full-length Pure Heroine (Lava/Republic).

Ready to geek out on the rest of this week's stats? Gorge yourself on the entire chart by going right here.

In other news, if you’re distraught because the U.S. government has shut down for some reason and our entire political system is in an ideological death spiral, the UMPG help desk recommends rolling a massive spleef.