Deseree Stukes ([email protected])
Wed, 11 Nov 1998 17:05:55 -0500
Alanis, U2 have big first week but...
By JOHN SAKAMOTO <mailto:[email protected]>
Executive Producer, JAM!
<<...>> In a twist that even Alanis Morissette might characterize as
ironic, the highly anticipated new album by the Canadian singer easily
captured the top spot on the U.S. charts -- but had to settle for the
runner-up spot back home.
Morissette's "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" sold a noteworthy
71,235 copies across Canada in its first week of release, far behind the
new best-of collection by modern-rock veterans U2, SoundScan Canada
reports. The Irish band's limited-edition double-CD -- the first 175,000
copies in Canada include a second disc of B-sides, after which it
reverts to a single CD -- moved a surprisingly robust 86,210 copies to
debut in the No. 1 spot in this country.
South of the border, the positions were reversed. Morissette sailed
straight to the top of the U.S. album charts with a whopping 469,000
copies sold in its first seven days. U2 settled for No. 2 on sales of
237,400 copies.
Though sales of the two titles in both countries were exceptional, they
still fell well short of projections by both retailers and industry
insiders. Many observers were predicting that Morissette would break the
half-million mark in the U.S. and the 100,000 level in Canada.
To put the first-week performances in context, the record for first-week
sales on the SoundScan Canada charts is held by Celine Dion's "Let's
Talk About Love". That album debuted with astounding sales of 230,000
copies in this country, more than three-times the sales of Morissette's
"Infatuation Junkie".
Nonetheless, both Morissette and U2 are expected to sell strongly
through the six-week period leading up to Christmas.
Other notable new chart entries this week, according to SoundScan
Canada, included Celine Dion's holiday album, "These Are Special Times"
(No. 3, 41,900 copies sold), Beck's low-key "Mutations" (No. 6), and the
Oasis B-side collection, "Masterplan", at No. 11.
The competition will heat up considerably in the weeks ahead. Still to
come: new albums by Jewel, Seal, Metallica, Garth Brooks, Pearl Jam, and
Busta Rhymes, plus the third volume of "Big Shiny Tunes". <<...>>
des
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