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Albums with High first week sales that didn't debut at #1?


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Posted (edited)

What album blocked it and what factors contributed? 

 

Some examples:

 

 

50 Cent - Curtis - 691k (Blocked by Kanye West, Graduation 957k) (The 2 engaged in a highly publicized battle for #1) 

 

Guns n Roses - Use Your Illusion I - 685k (Blocked by Guns n Roses, Uses Your Illusion II, 701k :rip:) (They released 2 albums at once)

 

Jamie Foxx - Unpredictable - 597k (Blocked by Mary J. Blige, The Breakthrough, 729k)

 

Dr. Dre - 2001 - 515k (Blocked by Korn, Issues (575k)

 

Destiny's Child - Destiny Fulfilled - 497k (Blocked by Eminem, Encore, 711k) (released prematurely, Really debuted at #19 with 1 day of sales (61k)

 

Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday - 375k (Blocked by Kanye West, MBDTF, 496k) 

 

Kanye West - The College Dropout - 441k (Blocked By Norah Jones, Feels Like Home, 1M)

 

Alicia Keys - The Element of Freedom - 417k (Blocked by I Dreamed a Dream, Susan Boyle, 661k (4th week)) 

 

Kenny Chesney - Just Who I Am - 387k (Blocked by 50's Curtis & Kanye West's graduation, mentioned earlier)

 

Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard And Soft - 339k (Blocked by Taylor Swift, TTPD, 378k (5th week)) (Taylor released new variants) 

 

Mary J Blige - Stronger with Each Tear - 332k (Blocked by I Dreamed a Dream, Susan Boyle, 510k (5th week))

 

Keyshia Cole - A Different Me - 322k (Blocked by Taylor Swift, Fearless, 330k (6th week)) 

 

Britney Spears - Blackout - 290,000 (Blocked by The Eagles, Long Road Out of Eden, 711k) (She got outsold regardless but the album that beat her wasn't 'supposed' to go #1 given the fact that it was sold at one retailer, which was prohibited at the time. A last minute agreement between billboard and Nielson Soundscan allowed it :rip: ) 

 

Keyshia Cole - Just Like You - 281k (Blocked by Rascal Flatts, Still Feels Good, 547k)

 

Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, MAAD City - 242k (Blocked by Taylor Swift, Red, 1.2M)

 

 

Who else?

(doesn't have to be a massive week, just an album that likely would've been a surefire #1 during nearly any other week) 

 

 

 

Edited by Bey_Rihstan
  • Like 3

Posted

susan boyle doing 600K in her 4th week is insane i forgot how enamoured people were by her for like 2 years.

 

 :clack:

Posted
12 minutes ago, Minto said:

susan boyle doing 600K in her 4th week is insane i forgot how enamoured people were by her for like 2 years.

 

 :clack:

ddflkds

 

It's her spending so many weeks at #1, selling so much and only having 350k monthly listeners on spotify 

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Posted (edited)

Probably applies to tons of albums released from 1991-2009ish, particularly around the holiday season. Gwen's L.A.M.B. comes to mind which debuted at #7 with 309k :rip:

 

In more recent memory, Halsey's Manic opened at #2 with 240k in 2020 behind Eminem's surprise release. 

Edited by Reverse Warholian
  • Like 3
Posted (edited)

those mid-'00s numbers were insane, especially during the holidays :rip:  

 

Fergie's The Dutchess debuted at #3 with 143k

Edited by Scandalous
  • Like 1
Posted
12 minutes ago, Reverse Warholian said:

In more recent memory, Halsey's Manic opened at #2 with 240k in 2020 behind Eminem's surprise release. 

I would have been so incredibly pissed off :jonny4:

Posted (edited)

Tyler the Creator's Igor (165k) debuted at #1, defeating DJ Khaled's Father of Asahd (136k) prompting this bizarre, bitter rant 

 

 

Igor Streams - 3.9B

Father of Asahd Streams - 1.36B

 

so much for no one playing it :rip: 

Edited by Bey_Rihstan
  • Haha 1
Posted

Early 2000s albums did it a lot, especially around Christmas 

Posted (edited)
5 minutes ago, Bey_Rihstan said:

I would have been so incredibly pissed off :jonny4:

She was also poised for #1 once more with IICHLIWP the following year and got pushed to #2 again, this time by Kanye's surprise release :rip: :dies:

Edited by Reverse Warholian
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Posted

Carrie's "Some Heart" being blocked from the top spot by Madonna's "Confessions..." and by a 35k gap (Carrie debuted with 315k and Madonna with 350k) 

  • Like 3
Posted

Stripped debuted at #2 with 330k (behind 8 Mile soundtrack). Not Eminem blocking all of my favs! :dancehall:

Posted (edited)
6 minutes ago, melocarma said:

Carrie's "Some Heart" being blocked from the top spot by Madonna's "Confessions..." and by a 35k gap (Carrie debuted with 315k and Madonna with 350k) 

Adore Confessions, but Miss Carrie baby kinda got the last laugh with that one. At least in North America. I think Some Hearts is almost Diamond. 

Edited by Reverse Warholian
Posted

Brandy's Full Moon debuted at #2 with 156k sales losing by less than 3,000 copies to the O Brother, Where art thou soundtrack. If it was released a week later, it would have debuted at #1 :rip: 

Posted

One Direction debuted at #2 (459k) with their last album after getting block by Bieber's Purpose (649k)

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)

No Doubt's Rock Steady opened at #9 with 254k. 

 

Gwen's The Sweet Escape was #3 with 243k. 

Edited by Reverse Warholian
  • Like 1
Posted
7 minutes ago, Reverse Warholian said:

No Doubt's Rock Steady opened at #9 with 254k. 

 

Gwen's The Sweet Escape was #3 with 243k. 

not Gwen also having bad luck :rip:  

 

Ashanti's Concrete rose also debuted at #7 with 254k 

  • Like 1
Posted

Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love debuted at #2 selling 334k copies. Blocked by Titanic Soundtrack. :rip:

It spent 17 weeks at #2 (of which 16 weeks were blocked by the Titanic Soundtrack)

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Posted

Good Girl Gone Bad blocked by the Buy U A Drank chanteur with less than 9k copies between them :dancehall: he deserved it though! I still love that album.

Posted

Toni Braxton's 'Secrets' album debuted at #2 with 170k.

 

Metallica 'Load' album debuted at #1 with 685k.

 

 

Posted

Ray of Light broke the record for highest first week sales by a woman. It was blocked by the Titanic soundtrack :rip:

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  • Haha 1
Posted
20 minutes ago, Støned said:

Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love debuted at #2 selling 334k copies. Blocked by Titanic Soundtrack. :rip:

It spent 17 weeks at #2 (of which 16 weeks were blocked by the Titanic Soundtrack)

I mean, I guess Celine at the time at least found solace in the fact that she was kinda blocking herself :rip:

  • Haha 1
Posted
1 minute ago, Reverse Warholian said:

I mean, I guess Celine at the time at least found solace in the fact that she was kinda blocking herself :rip:

It's insane that one song (MHWGO) is solely responsible for carrying two albums at the top of the album charts at the same time for 17 consecutive weeks. :rip:

  • Like 2
Posted
27 minutes ago, Bey_Rihstan said:

not Gwen also having bad luck :rip:  

 

Ashanti's Concrete rose also debuted at #7 with 254k 

No Doubt's Return of Saturn also debuted at #2 with 202k. I know Tragic Kingdom eventually hit #1 during its insane run, but to think Gwen's first #1 debut wasn't until This Is What The Truth Feels Like in 2016 :rip:

 

 

 

  • Thanks 1
Posted (edited)

Britney's Greatest Hits opened at #4 in 2004 with 255k. 

 

Successica $impson's holiday album debuted at #16 a couple years later with 152k. Crazy times :rip:

Edited by Reverse Warholian
  • Like 1
Posted

Madonna - Ray of Light (1998): It had the highest first week sales for a female artist at the time in the United States, but was blocked from #1 due to the mammoth Titanic Soundtrack. 

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