Australia's Album Chart Report for 4 August 2023

The fourth studio album for Travis Scott titled “Utopia” debuts at #1 this week, becoming his second chart-topping album in Australia.

“Utopia” (Cactus Jack/Epic) becomes the 984th #1 Album in Australia (1965 to 2023), the 835th for ARIA (1983 to 2023), the 22nd #1 for 2023, the 615th to debut at #1 and the 36th for Epic Records (since their first in 1978 for Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out of Hell”), while Travis saw his last album “Astroworld” debut and peak at #1 on August 13th, 2018.

This is the first time that the word ‘Utopia’ has appeared in a #1 Album’s title, with the album title having previously charted for local rapper 360 (HP-2, June 2014) and Bjork (HP-22, December 2017). The new set for Travis Scott lands at #3 on the Vinyl Sales Chart and is the #1 Hip Hop/R&B Album locally, plus it has also debuted at the top in England, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands, Germany and Italy (so far). “Utopia” also becomes the 347th No.1 Album by an American Act (solo male, female, duo or group) and the 284th by a Solo Male Artist (local or overseas).

What could’ve been the third #1 Album for Post Malone this week instead debuts at #2, called “AUSTIN” (after his real first name), it’s his fifth studio album and Top 5 placement, and it does take out the #1 spot in the Vinyl Sales Chart, and with a “bonus edition” issued on Friday (Aug. 4th) it could retain it’s high status next week, while it’s current Top 50 Singles Chart entry called “Chemical” jumps up to a new peak of #13 this week. The Album also entered at #2 in Ireland, The Netherlands and Norway, with #3 entries in England and Sweden and #4 in Germany. He recently issued his “Diamond Collection” (HP-14, TW-17), while he last charted with another #2 placed album in “Twelve Carat Toothache” (June 2022), prior to which he had his two #1 Albums in “Hollywood’s Bleeding” (6 weeks from Sept. 16th, 2019, TW-87) and “Beerbong’s & Bentley’s” (2 broken weeks on May 7th and 28th, 2018, TW-62), with his first entry being “Stoney” (HP-5, peaked Feb. 2018, TW-80).

That’s it for any further new entries within the Top 50 this week. Last week’s #1 entry for the ‘Barbie’ soundtrack drops down to #3 this week (No.4 Vinyl), while the set claims the new #1 Singles spot this week with Billie Eilish and “What Was I Made for?” rising to the top, followed by a #3 for “Barbie World” by Nicki Minaj and “Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa at #4, while lower positions are seen by Charli XCX with “Speed Drive” (97 to #24), actor in the film Ryan Gosling with “I’m Just Ken” (83 to #66) and new entry for Lizzo at #99 with “Pink”. The soundtrack this past week debuted at #1 in Canada and at #2 in The U.S.A., and drops to that position in New Zealand this week.

Taylor Swift occupies the next FIVE chart positions this week, starting with “Speak Now (TsV)” down two places to #4 (No.2 Vinyl; No.1 Country), followed by “Midnights” (3 to #5; No.5 Vinyl), which means that the Top 5 Albums are also within the Top 5 Vinyl Sales Chart this week too, a rarity in itself. Taylor continues then with “1989” (4 to #6; No.8 Vinyl, No.1 Catalogue Album), “Lover” (6 to #7; No.6 Vinyl) and then “Reputation” (on hold at #8; No.7 Vinyl). The last two Top 10 entries consist of Morgan Wallen and “One Thing at a Time” (5 to #9) and “The Highlights” by The Weeknd (7 to #10).

TOP 20:
Taylor continues to hold at #11 for a second week with her “folklore” album (No.10 Vinyl), with further non-movers within the Top 20 being “SOS” for SZA at #12, “Harry’s House” by Harry Styles at #13 and Post Malone’s “Diamond Collection” at #17. Luke Combs is the only act within the Top 20 with two entries; “The One’s for You” is up three to #16 and his latest “Gettin’ Old” is back up two places to #18. The second and third best of sets within this chart region are Eminem’s “Curtain Call: The Hits” (22 to #20) and John Farnham’s “Greatest Hits”, dropping ten places to #19 (No.9 Vinyl), but with his ‘Finding the Voice’ doco rescreened during the past week, it’s not such a big decline.

TOP 30:
Eight of the ten albums within the Top 30 move back up this week, with the two stable entries being Metro Boomin’ with “Heroes & Villains” at #23 and “The Essential” for Foo Fighters at #29, with two further best of sets here by Maroon 5 (26 to #25) and Elton John’s “Diamonds” (24 to #22), which racks up it’s 260th week within the Top 100 (equal to five years). Taylor Swift’s two entries are “Red (TsV)” up four to #21 and “evermore” jumps up nine places to #24. Four place rebounds occur for Luke Combs’ “What You See…” (#26), Ed Sheeran’s “divide” (#27), Morgan Wallen with “Dangerous: The Double Album” (#28) and Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” (#30).

TOP 40:
Two seven place jumps occur within the Top 40, Eminem’s “Curtain Call 2” is back up to #32 and cracks one-year (52 weeks) within the chart, while Kayne West and “Graduation” rises to #36, Harry’s second set “Fine Line” and Lewis Capaldi’s debut album are both up five spots to #31 and #35 respectively, with the Arctic Monkeys “AM” set back up four to #38 (No.16 Vinyl). John Farnham’s ‘Finding the Voice’ soundtrack declines back down sixteen places this week to #37, while also falling are Katy Perry with “Teenage Dreams” (28 to #39) and the Metro Boomin’ soundtrack for ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse’ (27 to #40).

TOP 50:
Thanks to a jump in physical sales this past week the Stray Kids album “5-Star” leaps back up forty-one spots to land at #46 this week, having debuted and peaked at #2 on June 12th. All ten albums within the Top 50 move back up this week, with the two collections here by Creedence (47 to #42) and Green Day (50 to #48), the Queen biopic set ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (51 to #49) and the doco-soundtrack for XXXTentacion and “Look at Me” (48 to #45). The second and final Top 10 dropout for this week is last week’s #10 entry for Blur with “The Ballad of Darren”, which logs the No.15 spot on the Vinyl Sales Chart this week, and departs the Top 100 all together.

NO FURTHER NEW ENTRIES:

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New Certification:
Traveller – Chris Stapleton ●

HP = Highest Position
LW = Last Week
WI10 – Weeks in Top 10

*ARIA Chart info is based on sales for the week from the 28th of July to the 4th of August 2023

Written, Compiled and Researched by Gavin Ryan.

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