It's official - Backspacer is #1

2

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  • That's fantastic News, Congratulations for the Number One. The Americans Have Great Taste In Music
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  • LukinFanLukinFan Florida Posts: 29,079
    DeLukin wrote:
    MUCH deserved. Backspacer ROCKS.
    true
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  • with all due respect to my pal BF from the other thread, yes congrats are in order, but how could you not look at these numbers and not conclude that it was majorly effected by illegal downloading and that the true number of people who bought and or illegally downloaded it is of course much higher?
  • with all due respect to my pal BF from the other thread, yes congrats are in order, but how could you not look at these numbers and not conclude that it was majorly effected by illegal downloading and that the true number of people who bought and or illegally downloaded it is of course much higher?

    But can't you say the same for every other new release?
  • HaijayHaijay Posts: 416
    BF25394 wrote:
    lostdogs89 wrote:
    its amazing any band can sell that much in its first week seeing as torrent downloading is so accessible. Really shows the loyalty of a band when that many sales are mad in the first week! Proud to be a PJ fan!

    It's a nice total, but nothing outlandish. Coldplay sold 721,000 copies of "Viva La Vida, or Death And All His Friends" in the first week. Linkin Park sold 625,000 copies of "Minutes to Midnight" in the first week. U2 sold 484,000 copies of "No Line On The Horizon" in the first week.

    Those are just the rock bands. Eminem sold 608,000 copies of "Relapse" the first week. Jay-Z sold 476,000 copies of "The Blueprint 3" in the first week (and that probably underestimates the real demand because the release date was moved up at the last minute and the first-week sales were skewed downward as a result).
    BUT, the first three bands are commercial whores still riding the crest of their wave. Colplay and Linkin have only put out three or four shitty records each. Let's see where they are in ten years and four or five more records. Ya, i think we all know they will be a bad memory. We don't need to even address U2 and their commercialism and overexposure. Last i checked, NLOTH wasn't platinum in the US, and for those guys that says something. Not to mention that the album is a steaming pile on the sidewalk. And the other two, just the strongest of the worst scourge the music industry has ever been subjected to, and i bet half of those sales are to kids under 15, who else listens to shit like that?
  • igotid88igotid88 Posts: 28,189
    BF25394 wrote:
    lostdogs89 wrote:
    its amazing any band can sell that much in its first week seeing as torrent downloading is so accessible. Really shows the loyalty of a band when that many sales are mad in the first week! Proud to be a PJ fan!

    It's a nice total, but nothing outlandish. Coldplay sold 721,000 copies of "Viva La Vida, or Death And All His Friends" in the first week. Linkin Park sold 625,000 copies of "Minutes to Midnight" in the first week. U2 sold 484,000 copies of "No Line On The Horizon" in the first week.

    Those are just the rock bands. Eminem sold 608,000 copies of "Relapse" the first week. Jay-Z sold 476,000 copies of "The Blueprint 3" in the first week (and that probably underestimates the real demand because the release date was moved up at the last minute and the first-week sales were skewed downward as a result).


    That's because they stayed in the spotlight. And have overexposure. If they sold that many following PJ's way. Then I'll give it to them.
    I miss igotid88
  • igotid88igotid88 Posts: 28,189
    I also wonder how many people bought Backspacer from Amazon or some other online music store as an import. Although I don't think that would affect it too much.
    I miss igotid88
  • BF25394BF25394 Posts: 4,786
    elderman wrote:
    Pearl Jam , like Radiohead or Wilco will never match the U2 or Coldplay sales because they do not appeal to the masses and thank God for that.

    I am just thrilled to bits for the band and the fans that their album (and the first "self- released") is at the top for this week in the UNITED STATES. :D

    Wow, you just named my holy trinity in PJ, Wilco and Radiohead (in that order).

    Having said that, sometimes things that are popular aren't very good, but sometimes things are popular for good reason. U2 and Coldplay are popular for good reason. They are legitimately great bands who deserve their popularity.

    On a related note, one thing that tends to be left out of the discussion here is that one of the biggest reasons why Pearl Jam is not as popular as they once were is that the band intentionally set out to scale back their appeal after "Vitalogy." Refusing to make videos and do interviews to promote the records, releasing the interesting but radio-unfriendly "Who You Are" as the first single from "No Code," shunning Ticketmaster-- all of these things contributed to Pearl Jam's loss of mass appeal. Arguably, though, without scaling back, the band would have fallen apart.
    I gather speed from you fucking with me.
  • blondieblue227blondieblue227 Va, USA Posts: 4,509
    edited September 2009
    '190k sold in the first week. Their first #1 since No Code.'

    no way! cool!

    way to go PJ! going out on your own was a success!


    now to pick it apart.

    was it because it sounded 'pop'
    was it because of target
    was it because some 10c-ers brought multi copies
    was because of the commerical -- To me it seems avocado got way more press.
    because of exposure from Rockband
    Post edited by blondieblue227 on
    *~Pearl Jam will be blasted from speakers until morale improves~*

  • BF25394BF25394 Posts: 4,786
    with all due respect to my pal BF from the other thread, yes congrats are in order, but how could you not look at these numbers and not conclude that it was majorly effected by illegal downloading and that the true number of people who bought and or illegally downloaded it is of course much higher?

    Because there just isn't as much illegal downloading going on as you think there is.
    I gather speed from you fucking with me.
  • BF25394 wrote:
    elderman wrote:
    Pearl Jam , like Radiohead or Wilco will never match the U2 or Coldplay sales because they do not appeal to the masses and thank God for that.

    I am just thrilled to bits for the band and the fans that their album (and the first "self- released") is at the top for this week in the UNITED STATES. :D

    Wow, you just named my holy trinity in PJ, Wilco and Radiohead (in that order).


    Mine too! Except, well, maybe replace Radiohead with Liam Finn (but perhaps only because he opened for EV and will be opening for the Wilco shows that I"m going too ;)
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  • Not that the guys give a shit about this sorta thing but congrats!
  • I don't really care if PJ's popular, but I am happy for them! ;) They have worked hard for almost 20 years and deserve all the success in the world :D Plus if people see they have a #1 record maybe some of the bandwagon jumpers will return. Also a #1 record means maybe people who haven't been exposed to the band will take an interest now ;)

    BTW I agree with some of you, keep the momentum going, drop another single like NOW! I say Unthought Known or Amongst the Waves :)
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  • BF25394BF25394 Posts: 4,786
    Haijay wrote:
    BF25394 wrote:
    lostdogs89 wrote:
    its amazing any band can sell that much in its first week seeing as torrent downloading is so accessible. Really shows the loyalty of a band when that many sales are mad in the first week! Proud to be a PJ fan!

    It's a nice total, but nothing outlandish. Coldplay sold 721,000 copies of "Viva La Vida, or Death And All His Friends" in the first week. Linkin Park sold 625,000 copies of "Minutes to Midnight" in the first week. U2 sold 484,000 copies of "No Line On The Horizon" in the first week.

    Those are just the rock bands. Eminem sold 608,000 copies of "Relapse" the first week. Jay-Z sold 476,000 copies of "The Blueprint 3" in the first week (and that probably underestimates the real demand because the release date was moved up at the last minute and the first-week sales were skewed downward as a result).
    BUT, the first three bands are commercial whores still riding the crest of their wave. Colplay and Linkin have only put out three or four shitty records each. Let's see where they are in ten years and four or five more records. Ya, i think we all know they will be a bad memory. We don't need to even address U2 and their commercialism and overexposure. Last i checked, NLOTH wasn't platinum in the US, and for those guys that says something. Not to mention that the album is a steaming pile on the sidewalk. And the other two, just the strongest of the worst scourge the music industry has ever been subjected to, and i bet half of those sales are to kids under 15, who else listens to shit like that?

    As of August 15, "No Line On The Horizon" had sold 965,000 copies in the U.S. and was the 7th-largest selling album of the year. You seem to also forget that U2 put out several albums that were radical departures from what got them where they are, each one arguably more challenging than the next ("Achtung Baby"; "Zooropa"; "Pop"). Like Pearl Jam, they lost a good chunk of their audience because of it. Anyway, how are they "overexposed"? They still sell a ton of records, sell out every show, every tour is an event, and they are critical darlings. People seem to like being exposed to them. It's like calling the Beatles overexposed in 1966.

    If you think Coldplay's audience is the under-15 crowd, you are way off the mark. Like it or not, Coldplay's music is pretty squarely aimed at adults, and "Viva La Vida, or Death And All His Friends" is not exactly some cookie-cutter pop album. Contrary to your prediction, I'd lay better odds that Coldplay ends up in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame than that they end up a "bad memory."

    Again, like it or not, how exactly are Linkin Park "commercial whores"? Because they had a song on the "Transformers" soundtrack? For a band as popular as they are, they seem to keep a pretty low profile.

    You seem to just be reflexively opposed to anything that's popular. Skepticism is a good thing, but I think it's misplaced here.
    I gather speed from you fucking with me.
  • HaijayHaijay Posts: 416
    As of August 15, "No Line On The Horizon" had sold 965,000 copies in the U.S. and was the 7th-largest selling album of the year. You seem to also forget that U2 put out several albums that were radical departures from what got them where they are, each one arguably more challenging than the next ("Achtung Baby"; "Zooropa"; "Pop"). Like Pearl Jam, they lost a good chunk of their audience because of it. Anyway, how are they "overexposed"? They still sell a ton of records, sell out every show, every tour is an event, and they are critical darlings. People seem to like being exposed to them. It's like calling the Beatles overexposed in 1966.

    If you think Coldplay's audience is the under-15 crowd, you are way off the mark. Like it or not, Coldplay's music is pretty squarely aimed at adults, and "Viva La Vida, or Death And All His Friends" is not exactly some cookie-cutter pop album. Contrary to your prediction, I'd lay better odds that Coldplay ends up in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame than that they end up a "bad memory."
    Again, like it or not, how exactly are Linkin Park "commercial whores"? Because they had a song on the "Transformers" soundtrack? For a band as popular as they are, they seem to keep a pretty low profile.

    You seem to just be reflexively opposed to anything that's popular. Skepticism is a good thing, but I think it's misplaced here.[/quote]
    how is u2 overexposed? you are joking, right? And i meant the fifteen year olds were buying jay-z and eminem, not Colplay.Coldplay is very definitely "lite-rock vagina music",and i will take that wager about the hall of fame. You're saying viva is not more of the same? it's no departure at all, safe and gay. as for linkin, i thinked they were picked as poster boys for whatever that shitty movement was at the dawn of the millenium. And doing a remix with jay-z, what the fuck is that besides an attempt to reach a certain demographic? I mean,do we need any more albums from them? rap-rock is dead
  • tcaporaletcaporale Posts: 1,577
    You seriously might be the biggest moron I've seen on this board.

    Congratulations.
  • FrankY59FrankY59 Posts: 1,049
    Ill go ahead and defend Linkin Park...albeit they are not in my two member holy trinity...

    Anyway, when their first album came out...I avoided them. Video came on, turned the channel, song on the radio, turned the station. I thought the were just another band from that rock-rap era that I despised. Than years later, their second album came out. First single, Breaking The Habit, thought it was awesome. I couldn't believe these were the same guys. Popped in the album...brilliance from start to finish, musically and lyrically! I listened to the album for a good year before finally deciding to go back to their first album. After all, usually a band's first album is their best. I still was not a big fan of that album but it did have some glimpses. The thing that struck me was the way this band had evolved, a la Radiohead Pablo Honey to The Bends. They really had matured and refused to go the way they were "supposed to." Than years later, their next album came out Minutes to Midnight and even this was a contrast to their previous album. I remember hearing them in an interview for this album saying "...we KNOW we are going to lose fans with this album." Who would want that?! But they do. I really do not see them selling out at all. And I eagerly await their next album...
  • aNiMaLaNiMaL Posts: 7,117
    edited September 2009
    Why are they not listed here: http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/billb ... r=position :?:

    Edit: never mind. I just read that their new list isn't published until tomorrow.
    Post edited by aNiMaL on
  • wnh1977wnh1977 Iowa Posts: 639
    BF25394 wrote:
    It's true that "Riot Act" sold 166,000 copies its first week-- fewer than "Backspacer"-- but the lowest first-week sales total for any Pearl Jam album (by far) is, naturally, "Ten," which had no street awareness when it was released in August 1991. "Ten" did not sell enough albums in any week to crack the top 200 until January 1992. I don't know that the numbers are publicly available, but I'd be shocked if "Ten" sold even 5,000 copies its first week.

    Good catch! I overlooked Ten when making my post. It would be interesting to see Ten's sales numbers at the time of release and the explosion a few months later. It took quite a while to "hit"... then it peaked at #2 and hung around the charts for quite a while (if I'm recalling it correctly).

    To modify my initial post, Backspacer had the 3rd worst sales week behind Ten and Riot Act. I'm guessing this album goes Gold with total sales fizzling around 600,000.
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  • SolarWorldSolarWorld Posts: 1,902
    Kinda puts their touring schedule into perspective. 200,000 people bought this album, at best. Say an arena holds 25,000 people... all it takes is 8 shows and everyone that bought this album can have seen the band. Yet people wonder why they don't do 60-date tours anymore and hit every city in the country. Even allowing that obsessives are going to see more than one... that is a LOT of tickets to sell... and a lot more people that have to be willing to buy a ticket that have NOT been willing to buy a new album in at least 10 years.

    This makes no sense... Pearl Jams tour is set up so they are able to kill it ever night and not get burned out. There is always a venue somewhere in any city that Pearl Jam can sell out or fill.
  • BF25394BF25394 Posts: 4,786
    how is u2 overexposed? you are joking, right? And i meant the fifteen year olds were buying jay-z and eminem, not Colplay.Coldplay is very definitely "lite-rock vagina music",and i will take that wager about the hall of fame. You're saying viva is not more of the same? it's no departure at all, safe and gay. as for linkin, i thinked they were picked as poster boys for whatever that shitty movement was at the dawn of the millenium. And doing a remix with jay-z, what the fuck is that besides an attempt to reach a certain demographic? I mean,do we need any more albums from them? rap-rock is dead

    Well, you obviously have a really keen and refined ear. "Gay"? Really?

    You're missing the point about U2. You're using "overexposed" as a pejorative to describe a band with a very high profile. They have a very high profile because people like them. That's not overexposure. That's demand. It's like saying Michael Jordan was overexposed when he was with the Bulls.

    More of the same? What other rock album sounds like "Viva La Vida, or Death And All Of His Friends"? Actually, I don't know why I'm arguing with you.
    I gather speed from you fucking with me.
  • BF25394BF25394 Posts: 4,786
    FY51755 wrote:
    Ill go ahead and defend Linkin Park...albeit they are not in my two member holy trinity...

    Anyway, when their first album came out...I avoided them. Video came on, turned the channel, song on the radio, turned the station. I thought the were just another band from that rock-rap era that I despised. Than years later, their second album came out. First single, Breaking The Habit, thought it was awesome. I couldn't believe these were the same guys. Popped in the album...brilliance from start to finish, musically and lyrically! I listened to the album for a good year before finally deciding to go back to their first album. After all, usually a band's first album is their best. I still was not a big fan of that album but it did have some glimpses. The thing that struck me was the way this band had evolved, a la Radiohead Pablo Honey to The Bends. They really had matured and refused to go the way they were "supposed to." Than years later, their next album came out Minutes to Midnight and even this was a contrast to their previous album. I remember hearing them in an interview for this album saying "...we KNOW we are going to lose fans with this album." Who would want that?! But they do. I really do not see them selling out at all. And I eagerly await their next album...

    And you don't have to apologize for it. Linkin Park makes consistently interesting and enjoyable music. They take what they're doing seriously. I say that as someone who has almost zero tolerance for hip-hop, but they have managed to strike the balance between rock and hip-hop in a really appealing way.
    I gather speed from you fucking with me.
  • BF25394BF25394 Posts: 4,786
    wnh1977 wrote:
    BF25394 wrote:
    It's true that "Riot Act" sold 166,000 copies its first week-- fewer than "Backspacer"-- but the lowest first-week sales total for any Pearl Jam album (by far) is, naturally, "Ten," which had no street awareness when it was released in August 1991. "Ten" did not sell enough albums in any week to crack the top 200 until January 1992. I don't know that the numbers are publicly available, but I'd be shocked if "Ten" sold even 5,000 copies its first week.

    Good catch! I overlooked Ten when making my post. It would be interesting to see Ten's sales numbers at the time of release and the explosion a few months later. It took quite a while to "hit"... then it peaked at #2 and hung around the charts for quite a while (if I'm recalling it correctly).

    To modify my initial post, Backspacer had the 3rd worst sales week behind Ten and Riot Act. I'm guessing this album goes Gold with total sales fizzling around 600,000.

    "Ten" took a long time to climb the charts. It debuted four months after its release, and then took more than seven additional months to get to its peak of #2, where it spent four weeks. This was how it went month-by-month:

    1/4/92: #155
    2/1/92: #58
    2/29/92: #27
    3/28/92: #24
    4/25/92: #26
    5/23/92: #16
    6/20/92: #7
    7/18/92: #4
    8/15/92: #3
    8/22/92: #2

    "Ten" stayed in the top 20 until May 1993, in the top 40 until January 1994, in the top 100 until October 1994 (and jumped back into the top 100 as late as January 1995), and in the top 200 until October 1996. All totaled, it spent 250 weeks on the album chart.
    I gather speed from you fucking with me.
  • En La ClandestinidadEn La Clandestinidad Telford, PA by way of Kansas City, MO and Milwaukee, WI, Phoenix, AZ and East Greenbush, NY Posts: 3,650
    Congrats on an amazing album and a well deserved first place spot. This is easily my favorite Pearl Jam album. I can honestly say that now. I absolutely love it.
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  • ChrisileinChrisilein Vienna/Austria Posts: 3,905
    WOOOHOOOO!!! Congrats to the best band in the world!!! The are rocking the whole world!!!

    #3 in Germany
    #9 in UK
    #1 in US ....
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  • doomponydoompony Wellington, NZ Posts: 4,501
    yay boys! for what its worth, we're proud of you!

    or i am. i'm sure these people are too.
  • Chrisilein wrote:
    WOOOHOOOO!!! Congrats to the best band in the world!!! The are rocking the whole world!!!

    #3 in Germany
    #9 in UK
    #1 in US ....
    :D
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  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    Haijay wrote:
    how is u2 overexposed? you are joking, right? And i meant the fifteen year olds were buying jay-z and eminem, not Colplay.Coldplay is very definitely "lite-rock vagina music",and i will take that wager about the hall of fame. You're saying viva is not more of the same? it's no departure at all, safe and GAY.

    Clearly, you're part of that under-15 demographic if you still use "that's so gay dude" as a slam.
  • "Thats good news!" ::lean back upper cut fist pump::

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  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    BF25394 wrote:
    You seem to just be reflexively opposed to anything that's popular. Skepticism is a good thing, but I think it's misplaced here.

    I don't think it's popularity. There are a lot of PJ fans that are simply reflexively opposed to life after 1994. I guess you can't blame them. I mean, it was probably pretty awesome being the high school meathead and giving swirlies to freshmen while PJ played on the background... how could life ever top those glory days? So it's no surprise they cling to the fact that anything after that point (when the rest of the world grew up and moved on and they moved into mom's basement) is so "gay."
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