CHICKS TAKE FLIGHT!!!

The album chart hatched a genuine blockbuster, with Wide Open/Columbia/CRG’s Dixie Chicks providing some welcome relief from the summer heat, as their new album Home nabbed a cool #1 debut, with more than three-quarters of a million in first-week sales. That’s a lotta egg yolks, folks.

Hastings’ Mike Fuller hit his office spittoon at 15 feet and uttered the immortal comment: "The Dixie Chicks are nothing short of a phenomenon. The word of mouth on this record was just tremendous and should help propel it through the entire fourth quarter."

The crossover cowgirls sported a nearly 600k lead on their closest competition—a trio of acts that definitely profited from VMA exposure. Aftermath/Interscope’s four-time Moonman winner Eminem stopped threatening rival Moby long enough to nab the #2 slot over Fo’ Reel/Universal’s Nelly at #3 and Arista’s red-hot Avril Lavigne, who sported a 12% increase at #4, thanks in part to her pre-show performance and nod as Best New Artist in a Video.

Said Fuller: "Eminem continues to show real strength and was helped by the VMAs as well. But why was he so mean to Moby?"

Capitol U.K. art-rock band Coldplay was the week’s second-largest debut, bowing at #5, while Ruff Ryders/Interscope’s Eve finished right behind at #6.

Added Fuller: "Another big debut was Coldplay, showing that Capitol broke more than a song from their last album. And Eve also had a solid first week. See, I can analyze the charts as well as Geoff Mayfield."

A trio of artists appealing to adult buyers remained ensconced in the Top 10: Columbia’s Bruce Springsteen (#7) and James Taylor (#8), along with Blue Note/Virgin’s Norah Jones, who moves up a notch to #9.

Said Fuller: "Perhaps the biggest ongoing story is about the adult-leaning titles like James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Norah Jones and John Mayer, who all continue to sell, no matter what turn the marketplace takes. Can I go back to watching American Idol now?"

The VMAs helped boost a number of other artists as well, with Arista winner Pink showing an 11% increase and Capitol’s The Vines, who performed, up an impressive 24%. Other significant increases were shown by Atlantic’s Nappy Roots (14%), Epic’s Shakira (9%) and Wind-up’s Creed (7%).

Other chart newcomers included Loud/Columbia rapper Lil’ Flip (#14), Atlantic hip-hop diva Trina (#16), Interscope acid-rock stoners Queens of the Stone Age (#20), Hollywood’s boys-to-men band BBMak (#24), Columbia country-western crooner Montgomery Gentry (#26), Roadrunner/IDJ Slipknot spinoff Stone Sour (#29), DreamWorks VMA host Jimmy Fallon (#30), Island/IDJ blue-eyed soul man Daniel Bedingfield (#31), Superego indie queen Aimee Mann (#36) and Epic’s R&B-flavored Barbershop soundtrack (#43).