Linkin Park's ''Hybrid Theory'' was the best-selling album of 2001, and their second disc, ''Meteora,'' is already on track to become one of the best-selling albums of the past 12 months. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart this week and sold 810,000 copies, according to SoundScan, numbers in the same ballpark as recent first-week sales figures by 50 Cent, Shania Twain, Dixie Chicks, and Eminem. Also debuting, with numbers that would have looked impressive any other week, were Celine Dion's ''One Heart'' and the pop hits anthology ''NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 12.''
On the strength of hype for her new Las Vegas show, Dion entered the chart at No. 2 and sold 432,000 copies, while the latest installment in the indestructible ''NOW'' series came in at No. 3 with 256,000 discs sold. Last week's top album, 50 Cent's ''Get Rich or Die Tryin','' was pushed to fourth place (193,000 records), and last week's second-place disc, Norah Jones' ''Come Away With Me,'' followed at No. 5 and sold another 149,000 copies.
The ''Chicago'' soundtrack, enjoying its first full week of post-Oscar buzz, saw its sales rise to 121,000 (up 25,000 from last week), though its chart position slipped from No. 4 to No. 6. Debuting at No. 7 and No. 8, respectively, were ''U Turn'' by Brian McKnight and ''Diplomatic Immunity'' by the Diplomats, rapper Cam'ron's side project. Rounding out the top 10 were Evanescence's ''Fallen'' (No. 9) and R. Kelly's ''Chocolate Factory'' (No. 10).
You Might Also Like
- Music Review Meteora | Tom Sinclair
- Pop Culture News White Stripes debut at No. 6 on the album chart | Gary Susman
- Music Review Minutes to Midnight | Chris Willman
- All About Hybrid Theory
- Music News Linkin Park's cutting-edge tour souvenirs | Simon Vozick-Levinson
- Download This Hear hot new tracks from Rihanna, Timbaland, Linkin Park, and more | Leah Greenblatt, Simon Vozick-Levinson
