FLYING CARPET!!!

Amid all the post-Grammy sales action this week Maverick’s Alanis Morissette made a triumphant return this week, as her Under Rug Swept cleaned up at retail and debuted at the top of the HITS Top 50 Album chart.

"We had great buzz at the beginning of the week on Alanis, and it only got better," said Trans World’s Jerry Kamiler. However, since the writer of this story also had a great buzz, we can’t really be sure he actually said that.

Also making a monster return to the piranha-filled waters of the U.S. music industry is Aussie sensation Kylie Minogue, whose new Capitol project debuted at a whopping #3 after a long absence from these sacred shores. "She worked her tail off, doing a ton of TV," said Kamiler. Of course, the writer of this story was busy chasing tail, so we can’t really be sure he said that. "Huge exposure was key for Kylie. We had an aggressive number set for her and hit it easily. America has finally woken up to something that Europe has known for a while."

Other solid debuts belong to Loud/Columbia’s X-ecutioners, at #9, and Warner Bros.’ Cher, who bowed at #10.

"Loud Records worked very closely with retailers on the X-ecutioners with a rebate plan that really helped us spark sales," said Kamiler. Of course, the writer of this story was busy doing his own sparking up, so we can’t really be sure he said that.