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October 11, 2006 at 09:00:00 AM | more stories by this author
The Open Door beats out strong showings from the Killers' Sam's Town and George Strait's It Just Comes Natural.
In another major week for new releases, Evanescence's The Open Door bows at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, moving 447,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, making it the rock act's first No. 1 on the chart. The band's debut, 2003's Fallen, spent 104 weeks on the big chart, peaking at No. 3 and selling more than 6.6 million copies in the United States.
Evanescence
The Open Door also marks the 700th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 since the magazine began publishing the weekly chart 50 years ago.
Coming in at No. 2, the Killers' sophomore release Sam's Town (Island) sold 315,000 copies. It's the group's best sales frame and its best charting position, as their debut Hot Fuss only managed a No. 7 peak.
George Strait scores his 30th chart entry with It Just Comes Natural, which opens at No. 3 with 232,000. The MCA Nashville set is also No. 1 on Top Country Albums chart, his 20th on that tally. Strait's 2005 effort, Somewhere Down in Texas, bowed at No. 1 on both charts.
After earning him his highest-charting album ever last week, Tony Bennett's Duets: An American Classic slips 3-4 with 128,000 copies, a sales decline of 36 percent. Justin Timberlake's Jive release FutureSex/LoveSounds keeps the No. 5 spot warm for a second week with 116,000, a decrease of 21 percent. Ludacris' Release Therapy bowed at No. 1 last week, but falls to No. 6 with a sales hit of 64 percent at 113,000.
Beck arrives at No. 7 with his new The Information, which sold 99,000. The Interscope effort is the follow-up to last year's Guero, which debuted at No. 2. Monica's fourth album, The Makings of Me (J), enters at No. 8 with 93,000. Its predecessor, After the Storm, reached No. 1 in 2003 with 186,000.
Janet Jackson's 20 Y.O. (Virgin) descends 2-9 with 77,000, a whopping 74 percent sales hit in its second week. Hinder's Extreme Behavior (Universal Republic) remains at No. 10 with 76,000 copies (-1 percent).
Other big chart debuts this week include Jet's sophomore Atlantic album Shine On (No. 16, 51,000), Chris Young's self-titled RCA debut (No. 22, 36,000), the late Ray Charles and Count Basie's Ray Sings Basie Swings (No. 23, 36,000) and gospel mainstay Fred Hammond's Free to Worship (No. 29, 31,000).
Beloved indie rock act the Decemberists' Capitol debut, The Crane Wife, lands at No. 35 with 26,000, by far the band's best showings in both categories. Its 2005 Kill Rock Stars swan song, Picaresque, topped out at No. 128 on the Billboard 200.
Overall CD sales are up 5.6 percent from last week's count and down 4.5 percent compared to the same week a year ago at 9.90 million units. Sales for 2006 are down 5 percent compared to 2005 at 403.6 million units.
