Ed Sheeran claims ANOTHER week at Official Albums Chart top spot

It seems there’s no stopping Ed Sheeran as his second studio album X maintains its stay at the Official Albums Chart top spot.

Last week, the Official Charts Company revealed that X had earned the title of longest consecutively running Number 1 album since Adele’s 21 topped the chart back in January 2011, as well as the longest consecutive chart-topping run for a British male solo act since James Blunt’s Back To Bedlam claimed the Number 1 spot for eight consecutive weeks in summer 2005.

Over the last seven days, X has outsold its closest rival once again, Dolly Parton’s Blue Smoke – The Best Of remains in second place. Eric Clapton is new in at Number 3 with Eric Clapton & Friends - The Breeze, a tribute to late US singer/songwriter JJ Cale, featuring collaborations with a host of famous musicians including Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler, Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, and John Mayer, among others.

Rounding out today’s Official Albums Chart Top 5 is Sam Smith’s In The Lonely Hour, which slides one place to Number 4 and George Ezra’s Wanted On Voyage, down one place to Number 5.

New Entries and High Climbers

Further to Eric Clapton’s Eric Clapton & Friends – The Breeze there are three new entries in today’s Top 40.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers score their highest charting UK album in 23 years with Hypnotic Eye (Number 7), while British girl group Neon Jungle claim their first Official Albums Chart Top 10 with debut cut Welcome To The Jungle (Number 8).

Elsewhere, Cher Lloyd’s long-awaited second studio album Sorry I’m Late enters the Top 40 at Number 21.

There are also five re-entries in the today’s Top 40, starting with David Guetta’s Nothing But The Beat at Number 9. British singer/songwriter Passenger is at Number 27 with his second studio album Whispers and, after confirming he has started work on his third studio album, Jake Bugg’s Shangri La is at 32. John Legend’s Love In The Future re-enters the Top 40 at 36, followed by Bastille’s Bad Blood at Number 37.

This week’s highest climbing album is Arctic Monkey’s AM which is up 21 places to Number 18, while Whitney Houston’s 2007 greatest hits release The Ultimate Collection climbs 14 places to Number 22.

Scottish DJ/producer Calvin Harris’ 18 Months (Number 24) and US rapper Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (Number 30) are up 13 and 8 places, respectively.

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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