His song 'The Climb' has since sold 196,000 copies in the last week, beating 'Killing In The Name' by over 130,000.
McElderry is now set to contend for the biggest selling single of the year, which will be announced on January 2. He's currently sold 650,000 copies of 'The Climb', roughly 10,000 less than fifth place La Roux's 'In For The Kill', according to the Official Charts Company. Lady GaGa's 'Poker Face' leads the field, with around 870,000 copies sold over 2009.
In the UK albums chart, Susan Boyle has been knocked off the top spot by Michael Buble's 'Crazy Love'. However, Boyle is now established as having the biggest selling album of the year with 'I Dreamed A Dream', which has shifted 1.6 million units in the UK.
The top ten UK singles are:
1. Joe McElderry – 'The Climb'
2. Rage Against The Machine – 'Killing In The Name'
3. Lady Gaga – 'Bad Romance'
4. Cheryl Cole Ft Will I Am – '3 Words'
5. 30H3 Ft Katy Perry – 'Starstrukk'
6. The Black Eyed Peas – 'Meet Me Halfway'
7. Journey – 'Don't Stop Believin''
8. Rihanna – 'Russian Roulette'
9. Robbie Williams – 'You Know Me'
10. Ke$ha – 'Tik Tok'
The top ten UK albums are:
1. Michael Buble – 'Crazy Love'
2. Susan Boyle – 'I Dreamed A Dream'
3. Black Eyed Peas – 'The End'
4. Lady Gaga – 'The Fame'
5. JLS – 'JLS'
6. Robbie Williams – 'Reality Killed The Video Star'
7. Take That – 'The Greatest Day'/'The Circus Live'
9. Snow Patrol – 'Up To Now'
9. Will Young – 'The Hits'
10. Cheryl Cole – '3 Words'
The biggest selling singles of 2009 so far are:
1. Lady Gaga – 'Poker Face'
2. Black Eyed Peas – 'I Gotta Feeling'
3. Lady Gaga – 'Just Dance'
4. Cheryl Cole – 'Fight For This Love'
5. La Roux – 'In For The Kill'
The biggest selling albums of 2009 so far are:
1. Susan Boyle – 'I Dreamed A Dream'
2. Lady Gaga – 'The Fame’
3. Michael Buble – 'Crazy Love'
4. Kings Of Leon – 'Only By The Night'
5. Black Eyed Peas – 'The End'
In related news, Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello has told NME.COM that the band want Simon Cowell to host the free UK gig they have now promised to stage after bagging the Christmas Number One.
Meanwhile get the current issue of NME – on UK newsstands now – for an exclusive interview with Simon Cowell.
Peter Gabriel eschews traditional rock'n'roll instrumentation on his new album, "Scratch My Back," due Feb. 15 from Virgin. The project sports orchestral covers of material originally recorded by David Bowie, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Radiohead and Arcade Fire, among others.
All of the artists whose songs Gabriel covers on "Scratch My Back" will return the favor by reworking his songs on a future album, dubbed "I'll Scratch Yours."
"I explored a few different ideas for arrangements using only homemade instruments [and] choral groups," Gabriel says on his Web site (PeterGabriel.com). "But in the meantime, [I] was introduced to a wonderful arranger, John Metcalfe, who was doing some great work with Real World. I really liked his scores, which seemed original, soulful and fresh. When we met, I felt we also had enough of an overlap of taste around such composers as Steve Reich, Arvo Part, Stravinsky etc. I asked John to keep the arrangements simple, stark but always emotional, so the songs could be really heard and felt."
Gabriel will perform selections from "Scratch My Back" with an orchestra at four March shows: March 22 in Paris (Palais Omnisports), March 25 in Berlin (O2 World) and March 27-28 in London (The O2). Special packages with soundcheck access are available from Gabriel's Web site.
"Scratch My Back" is Gabriel's first studio album since 2002's "Up," which peaked at No. 9 on The Billboard 200.
Soundgarden will reunite this year. Yes, you read correctly. Wasting little time to be the first big music news of 2010, singer Chris Cornell confirmed the reunion on his Twitter account at the stroke of midnight EST.
"The 12 year break is over & school is back in session," Cornell's Tweet reads. " Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!"
On the Soundgarden website, a similar message is posted along with a video of the band at their grungiest as they blast through Get On The Snake from 1989.
Interestingly, ex-Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic blogged on Seattleweekly.com last week that the rumor of a Soundgarden reunion wasn't true. He cited what he described as an "excellent source."
Throughout 2009, however, all signs indicated that something was afoot. First was the 'Tadgarden' show last March, when former Soundgarden members Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd jammed with guitarist Tom Morello and guest vocalist Tad Doyle.
This was followed by Chris Cornell's statements to MusicRadar, when he said, "I'm never going to count anything out. I've always remained on great terms with everyone in the band. We've always been good friends. Seeing them reunite recently on YouTube? I thought that was terrific. It gave me a warm feeling. I wish I could have been there."
Finally, there was the Temple Of The Dog reunion last October, when Cornell joined Pearl Jam on stage in California for a rendition of the song Hunger Strike (see below).
Soundgarden have yet to reveal specifics (is an album being planned? A world tour?), but a string of West Coast dates is being talked about as the first order of business. The band is said to be "into the idea" of an appearance at the Coachella Music Festival.
Confirmation of Klinghoffer joining the group comes from the guitarist himself, who emailed the previous owner of his website to state that yes, he is now indeed a Pepper.
Somewhat surprisingly, the band themselves have yet to issue any kind of formal statement about either Frusciante or Klinghoffer. But with their scheduled appearance at the 2010 MusicCares Person Of The Year tribute to Neil Young just weeks away, we're expecting an announcement soon.
Avenged Sevenfold drummer Jimmy Sullivan dies at 28
by JOE BOSSO
Avenged Sevenfold drummer Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan was found dead at his home in Huntington Beach, California, yesterday (28 December). He was 28.
Preliminary police reports indicate that Sullivan died of natural causes, but the Orange County Coroner's Office is investigating his death, and an autopsy is planned.
Sullivan helped found Avenged Sevenfold in 1999. The band paid tribute to their fallen drummer on their website:
"Jimmy was not only one of the world's best drummers, but more importantly he was our best friend and brother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jimmy's family and we hope that you will respect their privacy during this difficult time. Jimmy you are forever in our hearts."
Avenged Sevenfold, who reached Number Four on the Billboard Top 200 with their 2007 self-titled fourth album, have been in the process of recording a new record.
Vic Chesnutt, a singer-songwriter from Athens, Ga. known for his painful and poignant songs, died on Friday (Dec. 25) after an apparent suicide attempt. He was 45.
"In the few short years that we knew him personally, Vic transformed our sense of what true character, grace and determination are all about," said the founders his label, Constellation Records, in a statement posted on its webste. "Our grief is inexpressible and Vic's absence unfathomable."
The news about the singer's condition first spread through the Internet on Wednesday through Twitter posts by former Throwing Muses singer Kristin Hersh, who has collaborated with Chesnutt.
"Another suicide attempt, looks bad, coma--if he survives, there may be brain damage," said Hersh in one of her posts. "This time, it's real scary: *this* time, he left a note, *this* time, he asked them to call me."
Chesnutt, 45, had been in a wheelchair since a car accident when he was 18, and was discovered in the late '80s by R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe, who produced his first two albums. Chesnutt went on to release 13 more albums, including two this year, "At the Cut" and "Skitter on Take-Off."
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