David Bowie fans may still be in mourning but it seems that, commercially, the musician’s golden years are just beginning, with 17 of his albums storming into the Australian Recording Industry Association (Aria) top 100 albums chart.
Blackstar, Bowie’s 25th and final solo album, which long-serving producer Tony Visconti last week referred to as a “parting gift”, made its debut at No 1 on the albums chart. According to the association, the album’s sales climbed dramatically after Bowie’s death on 10 January.
Aria said Blackstar was Bowie’s first official Aria No 1 album. Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), released in 1980, and Let’s Dance, released in 1983, were No 1 albums before the Aria charts were established in July 1983.
Bowie now holds the Aria charts record for most albums in the top 100 by a single artist. Michael Jackson previously held the record with 14.
There are 13 David Bowie albums in this week’s top 50: Nothing Has Changed (The Best Of David Bowie) (No 3), Best Of Bowie (No 9), The Best Of David Bowie 1969/1974 (No 14), The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (N0 21), The Next Day (No 23), The Best Of David Bowie 1980/1987 (No 30), Aladdin Sane (No 35), Let’s Dance (No 37), Diamond Dogs (No 41), Heroes (No 42), Hunky Dory (No 45) and The Best Of David Bowie 1974/1979 (No 49).
This means Bowie has equalled the Aria charts record for most albums in the top 50 by a single artist, set by Michael Jackson, who achieved the feat after his death in July 2009.
A further four Bowie albums appear in the lower half of the top 100: Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (#52), Sound + Vision (#72), Low (#83) and Station To Station (#95).
On the singles chart, three Bowie tracks have re-entered the top 50: Space Oddity (No 31), Heroes (No 36) and his collaboration with Queen, Under Pressure (No 42). A further five are present in the top 100: Starman (No 54), Let’s Dance (No 63), Changes (No 80) and Life On Mars? (No 83).
Justin Bieber continued to dominate the top of the singles chart, his song Love Yourself spending its sixth week at No 1.
- The Guardian