Tom Petty scores first No. 1 album on Billboard
"It took 37 years, but they made it.
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers finally mesmerized enough people to buy their latest album Hypnotic Eye to put them on top of the Billboard album chart. Sales hit 131,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's the best debut sales week since 1991, when SoundScan started tracking sales. It's also Petty's best sales week since 1994, when he released his solo album Wildflowers (161,000 copies).
He and The Heartbreakers broke into the Billboard album chart back in 1977 with their self-titled debut album with famous tunes like American Girl and Breakdown. Fans who bought a ticket to shows on Petty's current tour had the option of also getting the album included, so that helped sales a bit. Oddly enough, most ticket buyers don't get the album with their purchase.
Although 37 years is a long wait, Tony Bennett waited 54 years for his first No. 1, 2011'a Duets II.
Eric Clapton's album The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale, debuted at No. 2 with 61,000 sales. The soundtrack of Guardians of the Galaxy soared to the No. 3 spot with 60,000 in sales.
5 Seconds of Summer's self-titled set loses some heat, falling to No. 4 with 54,000, a 79% drop.
Vine star Shawn Mendes hits No. 5 with his self-titled EP with 48,000, knocking Frozen out of the top 5 after 31 straight weeks. It's now at No. 6 with 33,000, a 10% drop.
Sam Smith finds 30,000 friends with his album In the Lonely Hour, a 5% drop.
Theory of a Deadman livens things up at No. 8 with Savagers (28,000). Jenny Lewis has a personal best with Voyager at No. 9, making it her highest-charting album, ever. That album sold 24,000.
At the bottom of the pile is Kidz Bop Kidz Bop 26, dropping from 5 to 10 with 20,000 in sales, a 24% drop."
