"Big" debut for Dave Matthews Band on U.S. chart

By Keith Caulfield

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Dave Matthews Band replaced Eminem at the top of the U.S. pop album chart on Wednesday, logging the third-best debut of the year.

"Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King" becomes the group's fifth-consecutive studio album to debut at No. 1 after selling 424,000 copies during the week ended June 7. DMB's last studio set, 2005's "Stand Up," stood tall with 465,000 copies in its first frame.

The only other bigger openers so far this year are Eminem's "Relapse" (608,000) and U2's "No Line On the Horizon" (484,000). Speaking of Eminem, "Relapse" slipped to No. 2 with 141,000 in its third week.

The Billboard 200's top six debuts all come from rock acts. 311's "Uplifter" came in at No. 3, giving the band its highest charting album ever. But the 60,000-unit opening is actually its smallest first-week sales debut for a studio album since 1995, when its self-titled album bowed at No. 56 with 20,000.

Rock super group Chickenfoot debuted at No. 4 with its self-titled debut, shifting 52,000 copies. The quartet consists of Van Halen veterans Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony along with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and guitar god Joe Satriani.

Elsewhere, Taking Back Sunday's "New Again" entered at No. 7 with 48,000, Rancid's "Let the Dominoes Fall" at No. 11 with 33,000, and Elvis Costello's "Secret, Profane & Sugarcane" at No. 13 with 28,000 -- his highest rank on the Billboard 200 since 1980's "Get Happy!!" peaked at No. 11.

Green Day's "21st Century Breakdown" (No. 5, also 52,000), the "Hannah Montana" movie soundtrack (No. 6, 50,000), Lady GaGa's "The Fame" (No. 8, 47,000), and Kenny Chesney's "Greatest Hits II" (No. 9, 39,000) were each down three places. Taylor Swift's "Fearless" slipped one to No. 10 with (36,000).

Overall album sales totaled 6.38 million units, up 10.9% compared to the sum last week (5.75 million), but down 15.6% compared to the same sales week of 2008 (7.56 million). Year to date album sales stand at 155.1 million, down 14% compared to the same total at this point last year (179.3 million).

(Editing by Dean Gooodman at Reuters)

Source: Reuters.