Hill Still on Top
Here we go again. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in
the water, the sequel soundtrack to Titanic is suddenly
threatening to become the No. 1 album in the country, continuing
the sinking ship-craze created with last winter’s movie/soundtrack
blockbuster. Dubbed Back to Titanic, the album features
additional music from composer James Horner, as well as Celine
Dion’s hit “My Heart Will Go On” accompanied by dialogue from the
movie. For the week ending September 6, the soundtrack sequel moved
from No. 7 to No. 2 its second week in stores, selling 164,000
copies. Hip-hop’s current queen Lauryn Hill remains at No. 1
though, with The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill selling
265,000 copies, according to SoundScan.
Elsewhere in the top ten, country superstar Alan Jackson, riding
the success of his latest top ten single, “I’ll Go On Loving You,”
debuts at No. 4, while overweight rapper Fat Joe, comes in at No. 7
with his latest.
The colossal marketing campaign behind Titanic‘s release
on home video (the Blockbuster chain alone sold more than one
million copies of the three hour-plus movie last week) is clearly
driving music sales, and not just for Back. The original
Titanic soundtrack, which spent sixteen weeks at No. 1
this year and has sold over eight million copies domestically, is
once again climbing the charts, moving from No. 43 to No. 25 this
week.
From the top, it was The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,
followed by Back To Titanic, ‘N Sync (selling
116,000 copies); Jackson’s High Mileage (112,000); the
Beastie Boys’ Hello Nasty (110,000); Barenaked Ladies’
Stunt (109,000); Fat Joe’s Don Cartagena
(106,000); the soundtrack to Armegeddon (105,000);
Backstreet Boys (96,000); Snoop Dogg’s Da Game is To
Be Sold, Not To Be Told (95,000).
Next week, eagerly anticipated records by Courtney Love’s band
Hole, as well as from rapper Canibus log on the chart. Look for
Canibus to win that sales battle, but will it be enough to oust
Hill from No. 1? Meanwhile, rap mogul Master P’s got yet another
soon-to-be hit record on the streets, Skull Duggery,
featuring stars from P’s No Limit Records, including Snoop, Silkk
the Shocker and C Murder.