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Sorry, Kid; The Boss Bounces Back
10/24/2007 4:00 AM, E! Online
David Jenison
The Boss is having another Magic moment on the charts.
In one of the slowest October sales weeks in chart history, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Magic surged past Kid Rock's Rock N Roll Jesus to retake the top spot on the Billboard 200, by just 243 copies.
Each album sold around 77,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan figures for the week ended Sunday, which, coincidentally, was the same day Kid Rock was arrested for an alleged Waffle House brawl in Atlanta.
While both chart-topping acts benefited from more positive exposure in recent days—the Jersey boys from continued touring and Kid Rock from an hourlong interview on Larry King Live—they still experienced considerable sale skids. Magic slipped 42 percent from the previous week, while Jesus dropped 55 percent. Overall album sales were down 5 percent week-to-week and a whopping 20 percent from the same sales period last year.
Arizona emo-rockers Jimmy Eat World landed the week's top debut as Chase the Light moved 62,000 copies for a number five bow. Best known for their Modern Rock Chart-topping hits "The Middle" and "Pain," the band recorded the new album under the exec-producer guidance of Butch Vig (Nirvana's Nevermind, Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream).
Carlos Santana landed the week's only other Top 10 bow, as his latest greatest collection, Ultimate Santana, sold 56,000 at number eight. The guitar icon's new retrospective features new tracks with Jennifer Lopez, Baby Bash, Chad Kroeger and Tina Turner, as well as career-spanning hits from 1970's "Black Magic Woman" to 1999's "Smooth."
MySpace phenom Colbie Caillat returned to the Top 10 as Coco jumped six slots to 10. Among the Top 10 holdovers, Coco was the only gainer, up 20 percent to 50,000 copies. Powered by the hit "Bubbly," the Malibu singer originally debuted at five back in July.
The slow sales week kept several albums locked in the Top 10: Rascal Flatts' Still Feels Good at three, Josh Groban's Noël at four, Reba McEntire's Reba Duets at six, the High School Musical 2 soundtrack at seven and Kanye West's Graduation at nine.
R&B diva Angie Stone just missed the Top 10, selling 45,000 copies of Art of Love & War at 11. Though it's her fourth album overall, Love & War is her first for the newly relaunched Stax Records. Stone is one of three artists on the new incarnation of the classic Memphis-based label, which was revived to commemorate its 50th anniversary.
Thrice's The Alchemy Index: Vols. 1 & 2 landed at 24 selling 28,000 copies. The album, which focuses on fire and water, marks the first two volumes in a four-part series centered on the elements. Earth and air are slated for a spring release.
A pair of early holiday albums, Toby Keith's A Classic Christmas and Michael W. Smith's It's a Wonderful Christmas, finished at 39 and 78, respectively. R.E.M. finished just ahead of Keith with its first official live album, R.E.M. Live, at 72. The concert performance was recorded in Dublin in 2005.
Other notable newcomers included Gov't Mule's Mighty High at 106, Neptunes-produced new waver Kenna's Make Sure They See My Face at 124 and Underworld's Oblivion's Bells at 169.
Despite the dismal sales week, the Mouse Network had reason to celebrate as the Hannah Montana soundtrack reached the one-year chart mark with a bump. Boosted by star Miley Cyrus' impossibly hot concert tour, the album climbed six spots to 56 on 14,000 copies, bringing its total to nearly 3 million.
Here's a recap of the Top 10 albums:
1. Magic, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
2. Rock N Roll Jesus, Kid Rock
3. Still Feels Good, Rascal Flatts
4. Noël, Josh Groban
5. Chase the Light, Jimmy Eat World
6. Reba Duets, Reba McEntire
7. High School Musical 2 soundtrack, various
8. Ultimate Santana, Santana
9. Graduation, Kanye West
10. Coco, Colbie Caillat
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