Busted are go! Charlie Simpson, Matt Willis and James Bourne celebrate their first-ever Official Number 1 album this week with Greatest Hits 2.0; over 20 years after their debut.
The British rock trio, who are currently playing their catalogue to sold-out arenas across the UK and Ireland on their 20th Anniversary & Greatest Hits Tour, storm straight to the summit with their collection, following a closely fought battle against fellow pop-rock purveyor Olivia Rodrigo.
The independently-released Greatest Hits 2.0, available as a special Guest Features Edition including collaborations with the likes of Jonas Brothers, James Arthur and McFly, earns Busted a career-best, the band having previously enjoyed success with 2002’s Busted (2), 2003 LP A Present for Everyone (2), 2004’s Live: A Ticket for Everyone (11), 2016 reunion record Night Driver (13) and 2019 release Half Way There (2).
Speaking exclusively to Official Charts, Busted say:
“We want to say thank you so, so much. We’ve got our first Official Number 1 album all thanks to you guys. Thanks so much to everyone who went out and bought it this week, you guys are incredible.
“We’re so happy, this one’s for you!”
Greatest Hits 2.0 also tops the Official Vinyl Albums Chart, Official Album Downloads Chart and the Official Record Store Chart; the biggest release of the week in the UK’s independent record shops, 78% of Greatest Hits 2.0’s total is made up of physical sales.
Last week’s chart-topper, Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS, boasts a strong second week, down one to Number 2. The UK’s most-streamed LP of the past seven days, it’s one of two Olivia entries in this week’s Top 5, with 2021 debut SOUR up three to Number 5.
Elsewhere in the Top 5, Mitski claims a career-best with her seventh studio record The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We (4). Mitski Miyawaki’s first Top 5 LP, it follows 2018’s Be the Cowboy (64) and 2022 album Laurel Hell (6). The Land is Inhospitable… also enjoys a Top 5 debut on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart (2).
Northern Irish rockers Ash make a welcome return to the Official Albums Chart with Race the Night, which debuts at Number 14. The eighth studio record from Tim Wheeler, Mark Hamilton and Rick McMurray – and second without former member Charlotte Hatherley – becomes the group’s highest-charting album in 19 years, since 2004 release Meltdown (5). Race the Night also enters the Top 5 of this week’s Official Record Store Chart (2) and Official Vinyl Albums Chart (5).
Corey Taylor – well-known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal group Slipknot – earns a second Top 20 album as a soloist with his second studio collection CMF2 (17). Prior to this, Corey saw success with 2020 debut CMFT (11). To date, Taylor boasts three Number 1 albums as a member of Slipknot: 2001’s Iowa, 2019’s We Are Not Your Kind and 2022 record The End So Far. CMF2 also debuts inside the Official Record Store Chart Top 5 (3).
A 50th anniversary reissue of The Who’s chart-topper Who’s Next sees the record return to the Top 40 for the first time since 1972 (18). After decades of fan demand, the remastered release also includes guitarist and vocalist Pete Townshend’s original 1971 demos from the group’s ‘lost’ album Life House for the first time. Who’s Next also returns to its previous Number 4 peak on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart.
It’s a fifth Top 40 album for Thirty Seconds to Mars this week, as It’s the End of the World But It’s a Beautiful Day makes its debut (20). The group – comprising Jared and Shannon Leto – previously saw success with 2007’s A Beautiful Lie (38), 2009’s This is War (15), 2013 release LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS (5) and 2018 LP America (4).
The Pretenders celebrate a 14th UK Top 40 album with Relentless (25). The latest release from the English-American rock group, fronted by Chrissie Hynde, becomes their highest-charting record in 23 years; since 2000’s Greatest Hits collection (20). Relentless enjoys Top 10 placings on this week’s Official Vinyl Albums Chart (9) and Official Record Store Chart (4), too.
Elsewhere, American singer-songwriter Madison Beer sees her latest full-length collection Silence Between Songs earn her a second UK Top 40 at Number 28. Silence Between Songs also becomes Madison’s first-ever Official Vinyl Albums Chart entry; one of the week’s Top 10 most-purchased LPs on wax (7).
Breakout Brooklyn-based drill artist Sleepy Hallow (real name Tegan Joshua Anthony Chambers) celebrates his first-ever Top 40 entry with Boy Meets World (32). Finally, American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan sees his third LP Stick Season rebound into the Top 40, jumping 20 spots (39).
