DAVE’S ALL THE RAVE
Whatever the hell that means, RCA rock star Dave Matthews has a pretty nice-sized fan base, as evidenced by his debut at #1 this week with a total of 424k in sales for an album being called a tribute to the band’s late sax player LeRoi Moore, who passed away last year.
That’s the second-largest total for a rock band this year after U2’s No Line on the Horizon, with 480k back in March, and places both behind Eminem’s 602k a couple of weeks ago. In its third week, Relapse ends up #2, with another 142k for a three-week total just shy of a million.
Matthews and company are one of four newcomers to the Top 10, with Volcano/JLG’s 311 (#3), Redline’s Chickenfoot (#5) and Warner Bros.’ Taking Back Sunday (#7).
Chickenfoot, which came out last Friday through UMG's Fontana, is a classic-rock supergroup featuring ex-Van Halen members Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, Coldplay fan Joe Satriani and Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. The group launched with an in-store performance at the Best Buy in L.A. which catapulted the album briefly to #1 at iTunes.
The rest of the Top 10 includes Reprise’s Green Day (#4), Walt Disney’s still-potent Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack (#6), Interscope’s Lady Gaga (#8), BNA/RCA Nashville’s Kenny Chesney (#9) and Big Machine’s Taylor Swift (#10).
Other newcomers include Epitaph’s Rancid (#12), Hear Music’s Elvis Costello (#13), Walt Disney’s newest teen idol Mitchel Musso (#19), Concord’s Ray Charles Ultimate Collection, which just went on sale at Starbucks outlets (#31) and Glassnote’s French pop phenoms Phoenix (#46).
The week’s two biggest movers owe their success to a rousing MTV Movie Awards, with its highest reatings in years. Featured performers, RCA’s Kings of Leon, climb 49% to #11, while Chop Shop/Atlantic’s Twilight soundtrack moves 19% to #15.
Other double-digit gains are registered by Atlantic’s Shinedown (#22, +16%), Capitol Nashville’s Darius Rucker (#34, +10%) and Island/IDJ’s Lionel Richie (#48, +10%).
Both Reprise’s Eric Clapton & Stevie Winwood live (#39) and Arista Nashville’s Alan Jackson (#49) return to the Top 50.
Hitting retail today are Interscope’s Black Eyed Peas, Downtown’s Mos Def and Concord’s Teena Marie, with Disney’s Jonas Brothers waiting in the wings for the following Tuesday, June 16.
