Ed Sheeran achieves longest consecutive Number 1 album run since Adele's 21

X marks the spot on the Official Albums Chart yet again as Suffolk born singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran’s second studio album earns another week at Number 1, having sold over a whopping 400,000 copies in the UK to date!

Holding on to the top spot for a fifth week, X this week earns the title of longest consecutively running Number 1 album since Adele’s 21 topped the chart back in January 2011. 21 spent a staggering 11 consecutive weeks at Number 1 and returned to the top spot on several occasions earning a total of 23 weeks at Number 1.

Furthermore, X delivers the longest consecutive chart-topping run for a British male solo act since James Blunt’s Back To Bedlam topped the chart for eight consecutive weeks in summer 2005. Both Back To Bedlam and Adele's 21 have since gone on to become two of the best selling albums of all time in the UK.

At Number 2 today is Dolly Parton’s Blue Smoke – The Best Of, followed by Sam Smith’s In The Lonely Hour (3) and George Ezra’s Wanted On Voyage (4), all of which climb one place. Rounding out today’s Top 5 is Coldplay’s Ghost Stories, up three places to Number 5.

New Entries and High Climbers

There are five new entries in today’s Official Albums Chart Top 40, kicking off with La Roux, who debuts at Number 6 with her second studio album Trouble In Paradise.

Veteran singer/songwriter Richard Thompson enters the chart at Number 16 with his first acoustic album, Acoustic Classics, while progressive rockers Yes’ Heaven & Earth sits at Number 20.

Scottish singer/songwriter King Creosote scores his first Top 40 album with From Scotland With Love (21) as fellow countrymen, Biffy Clyro enter at 28 with B-sides album, Similarities.

There are also four re-entries in today’s Top 40, including reigning chart king Ed Sheeran’s studio debut +, which is at Number 15.

After releasing details of his upcoming second studio album earlier this week, Avicii’s True re-enters the chart at 33, while the late Whitney Houston’s 2007 greatest hits compilation, The Ultimate Collection is at 36.

Calvin Harris’ 2012 release, 18 Months, is at Number 37 today; the Scottish DJ/producer was confirmed for this year’s iTunes Festival earlier this week.

Meanwhile, Lana Del Rey’s Born To Die climbs an impressive 17 places to Number 22 and, following the release of the video for their new single Come Over FT Stylo G, Clean Bandit’s debut, New Eyes (26) climbs 14 places.

British electronic pop trio London Grammar’s If You Wait (14) is up 13 places while The Beautiful South’s Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott’s What Have We Become (17) and Disclosure’s Settle (27) both ascend 11 places.

The Official Albums Chart Top 10 is as follows. Click here to see the Official Albums Chart Top 100 in full after 7pm.

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