Pearl Jam Earns Fifth No. 1 Album On Billboard 200

Pearl Jam captures its fifth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 as “Lightning Bolt” strikes atop the chart, selling 166,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Pearl Jam also previously topped the Billboard 200 with “Backspacer” (2009), “No Code” (1996), “Vitalogy” (1994) and “Vs.” (1993). It’s also notched four No. 2-peaking albums with “Ten” (1992), “Yield” (1998), “Binaural” (2000) and “Pearl Jam” (2006).

The band’s last studio effort, 2009’s “Backspacer,” sold 189,000 in its first frame. The new album’s launch is the smallest debut frame for any of Pearl Jam’s studio releases. Still, it’s the largest debut week for any rock album since last November, when Phillip Phillips’ “The World From the Side of the Moon” bowed with 169,000.

Pearl Jam’s “Lightning Bolt” is also the 11th top 10 set for the act; all 10 of its studio efforts have reached the region. It also claimed a top 10 set with the soundtrack to the documentary “Pearl Jam Twenty” in 2011.

Last week’s No. 1, Miley Cyrus’ “Bangerz,” slips to No. 2 with 72,000 (down 73%).

Rock legend Paul McCartney enters at No. 3 with his new studio album, “New.” It sold 67,000 copies in its first week. It’s the 19th top 10 set for the Beatle, counting his solo work and releases with Wings (but not his Beatles material). The “New” album is his first of all-new songs since 2007’s “Memory Almost Full” debuted and peaked at No. 3 with 161,000. After that, he issued the mostly-covers album “Kisses on the Bottom” in 2012, which debuted and peaked at No. 5 off a 74,000 start.

Source: Billboard