Eminem Tops Korn
Korn’s Untouchables was anything but, as the projected summer blockbuster release debuted Number Two with sales of 434,000, according to SoundScan. Untouchables was topped by the year’s sole breakout seller, Eminem‘s The Eminem Show, which sold a hearty 530,000 copies in its fourth week of release. After less than a month of sales, The Eminem Show has sold 2.9 million copies, the lone 2002 release to display some Y2K muscle. For Korn, however, the number is hardly shabby. Although the figure is 150,000 units fewer than the band’s last effort, 1999’s Issues, it’s still the third highest first-week tally for the year (behind Celine Dion’s A New Day Has Come and Ashanti’s Ashanti, which sold 527,000 and 502,000, respectively).
And while sales otherwise continued their peaked ways, there were still sufficient newcomers making some noise to warrant attention. Emo kids A New Found Glory turned their leap from indie to Universal into some sales noise. The band’s third record, Sticks and Stones, debuted Number Four, with sales of 90,000, the week’s other Top Ten newcomer. The Osbourne Family Album bowed in at Number Thirteen with sales of 57,000, while David Bowie’s Heathen (55,000, Number Fourteen) was the latest in a line of strong debuts by rock vets. Raphael Saadiq’s Instant Vintage (Number Twenty-five, with sales of 44,000), AZ’s Aziatic (Number Twenty-nine, 41,000) and the Who’s Ultimate Collection (Number Thirty-one, 37,000) were the other notable debuts.
Country music’s big week meant a huge sales spike. Nashville had its first ever video awards show with the CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards on June 12th, which was followed by the weeklong Fan Fair. As a result, O Brother, Where Art Thou? bounded back into the Top Ten with sales of 79,000, a 30,000 increase from last week. Kenny Chesney’s No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems fell two slots to Number Eight, but enjoyed a nearly 10,000 unit increase. Alan Jackson’s Drive also shot from Number Twenty-four to Number Twelve behind an 18,000 album sales increase. Brad Paisley’s Part II (Number Forty-five), Toby Keith’s Pull My Chain (Number Seventy-two), Brooks and Dunn’s Steers and Stripes (Number Seventy-nine), Tim McGraw’s Set This Circus Down (Number Eighty-nine) and Rascal Flatts’ Rascal Flatts (Number Ninety-six) all enjoyed sales increases.
Next week, Eminem will try to make it five straight weeks on top, as he’s halfway to his mark of eight-straight weeks at Number One for 2000’s The Marshall Mathers LP. With sales only dipping slightly from week to week, the album is still going to be tough to best, despite high-profile releases arriving in stores this week from Papa Roach and Wyclef Jean.
This week’s Top Ten: Eminem’s The Eminem Show; Korn’s Untouchables; Totally Hits 2; A New Found Glory’s Sticks and Stones; P. Diddy’s We Invented the Remix; Ashanti’s Ashanti; O Brother, Where Art Thou?; Kenny Chesney’s No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems; Donnell Jones’ Life Goes On; and Avril Lavigne’s Let Go.