Thanks to the intrepid chart historians at Billboard, we have a fascinating piece of trivia about Mumford and Sons.
Mumford & Sons - image by Ros O'Gorman
This week, the band not only has the album with the biggest sales week of 2012 so far (Babel) but they also have six tracks in the Billboard Hot 100, tying a 48 year old record set by the Beatles.
On September 19, 1964, the Beatles had the following on the Hot 100:
12. A Hard Day’s Night
28. And I Love Her
32. Matchbox
43. Slow Down
55. If I Fell
57. Ringo’s Theme (This Boy)
This week, Mumford and Sons are charting the following:
57. I Will Wait
60. Babel
85. Lover’s Eyes
86. Whispers in the Dark
92. Holland Road
94. Ghosts That We Knew
Now, to be fair, it has to be pointed out that just like the recent Elvis vs. Lil Wayne situation, charts are done much differently in the two eras. The Beatles actually had singles (45’s) out of each of the songs, making their feat extremely rare at the time. Under current chart rules, album tracks (non-radio singles) can chart if they attain enough track downloads or are streamed in very high numbers, making it much easier to place multiple tracks in the Hot 100.
Still, Mumford and Sons should be congratulated, if not for their shear numbers, for bringing a mix of traditional and modern folk-rock sounds to the masses.
