On the charts: 'Glee,' 'Twilight' and Ariel Pink?
Consumers, apparently, wanted another version of "Bohemian Rhapsody," this one sung by the Broadway-ready cast of the Fox hit "Glee." Timed for release with last week's season finale, the six-track EP "Journey to the Regionals," the latest in a series of cash-in "Glee" products, debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. pop chart, which is published by industry trade Billboard Magazine.
The set also contains choir-backed renditions of "Over the Rainbow" and yet another take on Journey's jukebox anthem "Don't Stop Believin'." In its first week of release, the collection sold 152,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. There's more "Glee" in the top 10, as the cross-media hit also owns the No. 7 position on the tally with "Glee: The Music, Volume 3." That album has sold more than 280,000 copies.
The success of the "Glee" EP will no doubt be used by the media as evidence of a sort of pop-culture changing of the guard. "Glee" keeps the latest companion to vampire soap opera "Twilight," the soundtrack to this summer's "Eclipse," outside of the No. 1 position. That set, featuring the likes of Metric and L.A.'s Beck, debuts with 144,000 copies sold.
Yet bet on "Eclipse" to be a sales force throughout the summer. In its first full week of release, the soundtrack to "New Moon" sold 153,000 copies, and it moved more than 260,000 copies in 10 days (the album was released off-cycle on a Friday, and Nielsen SoundScan tracks data through the end of business on Sunday). "New Moon" has sold more than 1.1 million copies, and the soundtrack to the first installment of the undead romance saga has sold more than 2.5 million copies.