U2 scores its seventh No. 1 on The Billboard 200 as "No Line on the Horizon" bows in the top slot. The Interscope album moved 484,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, the best sales week for an artist since Britney Spears' "Circus" arrived at No. 1 in early December with 505,000. U2 is now tied with Led Zeppelin for the second-most No. 1s, behind only the Beatles' 19.
U2 first topped the Billboard 200 in 1987 with "The Joshua Tree," spending nine consecutive weeks at No. 1. The group followed it with four No. 1s in a row: "Rattle and Hum" (1988), "Achtung Baby" (1991), "Zooropa" (1993) and "Pop" (1997). The band returned to No. 1 again in 2004 with "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." That album was released during Thanksgiving week of 2004 and bowed with 840,000.
U2 dislodges Taylor Swift from her longstanding position at the summit, bumping "Fearless" (Big Machine) down to No. 2 with 52,000 on a 29% sales decline.
Neko Case easily earns her biggest charting week yet as her Anti- album "Middle Cyclone" debuts at No. 3 with 44,000. Her last album, 2006's "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood," debuted and peaked at No. 54 with an 18,000 start.
On a 30% increase to 42,000, Lady GaGa's "The Fame" (Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope) climbs to a new peak 7-4. Nickelback's Roadrunner set "Dark Horse" stays put at No. 5 for a second week with 36,000 (-11%) as Jamie Foxx's "Intuition" (J) experiences a 5% increase to 32,000 and bumps up 9-6.
The Fray's self-titled Epic album sold 32,000 (+3%) and ascends 8-7. Slipping 6-8 is Beyonce's "I Am... Sasha Fierce" (Music World/Columbia) with 31,000 (-13%) while the Interscope soundtrack to "Slumdog Millionaire" falls 4-9 with 24,000 on a 45% decline. In its 23rd week on the chart, T.I.'s "Paper Trail" (Grand Hustle/Atlantic) re-enters the top tier 11-10 on a 7% decrease to 24,000.
Other debuts this week include Tony Okungbowa's Thrive/Red "Total Dance 2009" mix at No. 13 with 21,000 and the Reprise soundtrack to "The Watchmen" at No. 36 with 13,000.
Albums sold in this past chart week totaled 7.02 million units, up 1.6% compared to the same sum last week and down 8.6% compared to the same sales week last year. Sales from this year, at 70.84 million, are off 11.5% compared to same total at this time last year.
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