Week Ending Jan. 1, 2012. Albums: She’s Back

Adele's

21 returns to #1 on The Billboard 200 for first time since October. This is the album's 14th week on top, which is the longest run at #1 for any album since the Titanic soundtrack spent 16 weeks at #1 in 1998. It's the longest run for an album by a female artist since Whitney Houston'sThe Bodyguard soundtrack logged 20 weeks on top in 1992-1993. It's the longest run for an album by a British artist since the Police'sSynchronicity was #1 for 17 weeks in 1983.

21 is in its 45th week on the chart. It's the first album to appear at #1 this deep into its chart run since Norah Jones' Come Away With Me was #1 in its 53rd week in March 2003. That album returned to #1 after it won the Grammy for Album of the Year. 21 is certain to win that award when this year's Grammys are presented on Feb. 12.

Shameless Plug: This is the final week of the 2011 tracking year. (Six of the seven days were in 2011, so it tips into that year.) 21 sold 5,824,000 copies during the year, which is the most for any album in a calendar year since 2004, when Usher'sConfessions sold 7,979,000 copies. It's the most for an album by a female artist in a calendar year since Britney Spears'Oops!...I Did It Again sold 7,894,000 copies in 2000. And it's the most for an album by an act from the U.K. in a calendar year in Nielsen SoundScan history. The old record for an album by a British artist was held by Spice Girls, whose debut album Spice sold 5,302,000 copies in 1997. The Beatles are in third place. Their hits collection 1 sold 5,068,000 copies in 2000.

As you have probably surmised, I updated my 2011 album recap, which we posted a few ago (to beat the rush). If you missed it, or want to see the final rankings and tallies, here's a link.

Adele's album sold 11,000 more copies than the year's #1 song, "Rolling In The Deep." This marks the first time since 2007 that the year's #1 album has outsold the year's #1 song. That's a noteworthy achievement, because album sales have sagged in recent years, while song sales have soared.

Adele's DVD Live At The Royal Albert Hall sold 30,000 copies in its fifth week. This brings its five week sales total to 451,000. That's the greatest tally by a music video in a calendar year since 2009, when Michael Jackson's Number Ones sold 558K copies.

Lady Antebellum's Own The Night rebounds from #6 to #4 its 16th week on The Billboard 200. It's #1 on Top Country Albums for the seventh week. That's the longest run at #1 on the country chart since Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party logged 12 weeks at #1.

LMFAO

's Sorry For Party Rocking jumps from #16 to #5, which enables it to finally crack the top 10 in its 28th week of release. The album's previous peak was #12, where it debuted in July. Sorry For Party Rocking took longer to break into the top 10 than any album since Mumford & Sons'Sigh No More, which finally cracked the top 10 in its 41st week a year ago this week.

Three rock albums are listed in this week's top 10. Florence + the Machine's Ceremonials rebounds fr om #20 to #6, The Black Keys' El Camino jump s from #9 to #7 and Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto rebounds from #12 to #8.El Camino is one of only three albums to have been listed in the top 10 in each of the last four weeks. (The others are Adele's 21 and Drake's Take Care.) That's a pretty dramatic indication of the Black Keys' ascendency to the top ranks of American rock bands.

Shameless Plug II: Adele is the only act with two songs in the year-end top 10, though LMFAO, Pitbull and Rihanna came close. They each have two songs in the year-end top 15. Yep, I also updated my year-end songs blog. If you missed it, here's a link.

"Safe & Sound" by Taylor Swift featuring The Civil Wars jumps to #18 on Hot Digital Songs. It entered the Hot 100 last week at #30. How high will it climb this week? You'll find out later today when we post Chart Watch: Songs.

Here's the low-down on this week's top 10 albums. As a bonus, I show where each of these albums rank on Nielsen SoundScan's year-end chart.

1. Adele, 21, 144,000. The album logs its 14th week at #1, rising from #2 last week. This is its 45th week in the top 10. It's #1 for the year. The album sold 60K digital copies this week, which puts it at #1 on Top Digital Albums for the ninth week. Four songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "Set Fire To The Rain," which jumps from #7 to #6.

2. Drake, Take Care, 72,000. The former #1 album rebounds from #5 to #2 in its seventh week. It has been in the top 10 the entire time. It's #7 for the year. Four songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "Headlines," which drops from #17 to #20.

3. Young Jeezy, TM:103 Hustlerz Ambition, 67,000. The album holds at #3 in its second week. It's #105 for the year. "I Do" (featuring Jay-Z and Andre 3000) drops from #77 to #165 on the Hot 100.

4. Lady Antebellum, Own The Night, 54,000. The former #1 album rebounds from #6 to #4 its 16th week. This is its 11th week in the top 10. It's #10 for the year. It's #1 on Top Country Albums for the seventh week. Two songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs. "Just A Kiss" jumps from #46 to #45. "We Owned The Night" jumps from #80 to #76.

5. LMFAO, Sorry For Party Rocking, 49,000. The album jumps from #16 to #5 in its 28th week. This is its first week in the top 10. It's #45 for the year. Two songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs. "Sexy And I Know It" holds at #1. "Party Rock Anthem" (featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock) jumps from #8 to #4.

6. Florence + the Machine, Ceremonials, 47,000. The album rebounds from #20 to #6 in its ninth week. This matches its initial peak position. This is its second week in the top 10. It's #59 for the year. "Shake It Out" jumps from #128 to #124 on Hot Digital Songs.

7. The Black Keys, El Camino, 45,000. The album jumps from #9 to #7 in its fourth week. It has been in the top 10 the entire time. It's #57 for the year. "Lonely Boy" jumps from #142 to #133 on Hot Digital Songs.

8. Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto, 44,000. The former #1 album rebounds from #12 to #8 in its 10th week. This is its sixth week in the top 10. It's #13 for the year. "Paradise" jumps from #41 to #37 on Hot Digital Songs.

9. Rihanna, Talk That Talk, 42,000. The album dips from #7 to #9 in its sixth week. This is its fourth week in the top 10. It's #47 for the year. Two songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs. "We Found Love" (featuring Calvin Harris) jumps from #3 to #2. "You Da One" drops from #23 to #25.

10. Various Artists, Now 40, 41,000. The album hold at #10 in its eighth week. This is its fifth week in the top 10. It's #40 for the year.

Michael Buble's Christmas plummets from #1 to #24. That's the steepest fall from #1 since Mac Miller's Blue Slide Park took an identical plunge in November. Two other albums drop out of the top 10 this week. Justin Bieber's Under The Mistletoe dives from #4 to #33. Nickelback's Here And Now drops from #8 to #12.

Adele's

2008 album 19 jumps from #17 to #11, which is its highest ranking since February 2009, the week after Adele won her first two Grammys. It's #1 on Top Catalog Albums for the 29th week. That's the longest run at #1 on this chart for an album that was first released after Jan. 1, 2000, eclipsing Michael Jackson's 2003 compilation Number Ones, which logged 28 weeks at #1. The last album, by release date, to spend 29 or more weeks at #1 on the catalog chart was Creed's 1997 release My Own Prison, which logged 54 weeks on top of the catalog chart in 2000-2001.

Skrillex's digital-only release Bangarang debuts at #19. The dance act's Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites vaults from #106 to #51 this week, which surpasses its initial peak at #69 in October. The latter album is nominated for a Grammy as Best Dance/Electronica Album.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1 rebounds from #42 to #37. It's the week's #1 soundtrack. Moreover, it's the top soundtrack to a theatrically-released movie for the eighth straight week.

Shameless Plug III: In the final tracking week of 2011, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1 edged out Country Strong to become the year's top-selling soundtrack to a theatrically-released movie. This is the second year in a row that a Twilight album has taken that title. The soundtrack to The TwilightSaga: Eclipse scored last year. (In both years, however, a TV soundtrack "eclipsed" the best-selling movie soundtrack. This year, it was Lemonade Mouth. Last year it was Glee: The Music:The Christmas Album. Some bad news: Lemonade Mouth sold just 379K copies during the year. This marks the first time in the Nielsen SoundScan era that the year's #1 soundtrack didn't sell even 400K copies. I posted a Chart Watch Extra on Friday in which I looked at the best-selling soundtracks of each year of the Nielsen SoundScan era. If you missed it, here's a link.

The soundtrack to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross re-enters the chart at #44. The pair's Oscar-winning score for director David Fincher's previous movie, The Social Network, debuted and peaked at #20 in October 2010....Albums by two of the artists who were saluted on The Kennedy Center Honors, which was broadcast last week, scoot back up the chart. The Very Best Of Neil Diamond vaults from #68 to #45 in its fourth week. The Goat Rodeo Sessions by honoree Yo-Yo Ma (with Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile) rebounds from #121 to #100.

The Vince Guaraldi Trio's

A Charlie Brown Christmas was the 10th best-selling holiday album of 2011, which is remarkable for an album that was first released in 1965. This is the sixth time since 2001 that the album has ranked among the year's top 10 Christmas albums. Guaraldi composed the score for the classic TV special, which first aired on Dec. 9, 1965. Sadly, Guaraldi died in 1976. He was just 47. The album was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007.

Here are the top 10 Christmas albums of 2011, in descending order: Buble's Christmas, Bieber's Under The Mistletoe, Jackie Evancho's Heavenly Christmas, Glee: The Music: The Christmas Album: Volume 2, She & Him's A Very She & Him Christmas, Andrea Bocelli's My Christmas (which was first released in 2009), Susan Boyle's The Gift (2010), Mannheim Steamroller/Czech Philharmonic Orchestra's Christmas Symphony, Josh Groban's Noel (2007) and Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965).

Glee was responsible for four of the year's top 10 soundtracks, down from six in 2010. Two other TV soundtracks rank among the year's top 10: Lemonade Mouth (#1) and Big Time Rush's BTR (#4). Four soundtracks from theatrically-released movies rank among the year's top 10: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 (#2), Country Strong (#3), Burlesque (#7) and Daft Punk's Tron Legacy.

Beyonce had two of the year's top 10 best-selling music videos. Live At Roseland: Elements Of 4 is #2. I Am...World Tour, the 2010 champ, is #7. Two very different 25th anniversary concert videos also rank in the top 10. Les Miserables' 25th Anniversary Concert is #6. The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary Concert is #9. Also in the top 10: Adele's Live At The Royal Albert Hall (#1), Taylor Swift's Journey To Fearless (#3), Lady Gaga's The Monster Ball Tour At MSG (#4), AC/DC's Live At River Plate (#5), Rush's Time Machine: Live In Cleveland (#8) and Pearl Jam's Pearl Jam Twenty (#10).

Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol was #1 at the box-office for the second straight weekend. A soundtrack featuring Michael Giacchino's score is due Jan. 10. The soundtracks to the first two Mission: Impossible movies made the top 20.