Bruno Mars turns Official Albums Chart prediction on its head

Wednesday’s Official Chart Update reported The Maccabees as taking the lead in this week’s Official Albums race, however, following an incredibly close battle ever since, the Official Charts Company can today reveal it is all change at the top with Bruno Mars snatching a last-gasp Official Number 1, denying the Brighton indie-rockers of their first chart topper.

Bruno Mars’ four-times platinum debut album 'Doo-Wops & Hooligans', finished 2011 as the year’s third biggest seller, and has now to date shifted an impressive 1.28m copies since its UK release.  Having debuted at Number 1 twelve months ago where it stayed for one week, a year on and 'Doo-Wops & Hooligans' finds itself now returning to the top spot.  The album features the threeNumber 1 hit singles, 'Just The Way You Are', 'The Lazy Song' and 'Grenade', and has never dropped out of the Top 20 in the Official Albums Chart since its release. See full Top 20 biggest selling albums of 2011 here.

The Maccabees’ third studio album 'Given To The Wild' is the sole new entry in today’s Official Albums Chart Top 40.  Having started the week on course for the summit, 'Given To The Wild' lands today at Number 4, bagging the band their highest charting release to date. The Maccabees’ first album 'Colour It In' (2007) peaked at 24, and second album 'Wall Of Arms' (2009) managed a Number 13.

Guitarist Felix White told NME this week that he views the album as “a fresh start for the band”. 

“With this album we got to piece the songs together by ourselves, it was kinda like a new start, that’s what I enjoyed the most; setting up the mood of a song.”

The Official Albums Chart Top 10
01 DOO-WOPS & HOOLIGANS - BRUNO MARS
02 21 - ADELE
03 + - ED SHEERAN
04 GIVEN TO THE WILD - MACCABEES
05 4 - BEYONCE
06 WHAT DID YOU EXPECT FROM THE VACCINES - VACCINES
07 MYLO XYLOTO - COLDPLAY
08 NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING BIRDS - NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING
09 VELOCIRAPTOR - KASABIAN
10 LIONESS - HIDDEN TREASURES - AMY WINEHOUSE

©2012 The Official Charts Company.

See the Official Albums Chart Top 100 here.