Adele added another achievement to her ever-expanding book of records as "21" (XL Recordings) returned 2-1 in its first anniversary on the U.K. album chart. Meanwhile, Jessie J started a second week atop the singles chart with "Domino" (Lava/Universal Island).

Adele now moves equal with Queen and Oasis in total career weeks at No. 1 on the album survey, with 21 weeks. 20 of those are with "21," the other with its predecessor "19" in 2008; that debut set moved 23-22 on the new chart. Three tracks from "21" also mark 52 weeks on the singles list this week: "Someone Like You" at No. 43, "Set Fire To The Rain" No. 53 and "Rolling In The Deep" No. 70.

Ed Sheeran, Jessie J, Adele Lead 2012 Brit Award Nominations

"21" is now in its fifth separate run at No. 1, but needed to sell just under 21,000 copies last week to return to the summit, which is the lowest total for any artist album so far this century. Its total U.K. sales in a memorable year now stand at 3.855m.

Ed Sheeran's "+" (Asylum/Warner Music) moved 3-2 in the new Official Charts Company data, and Coldplay's "Mylo Xyloto" (Parlophone/EMI) 7-3. Only 1500 sales separated the top four titles on the countdown, as Enter Shikari's "A Flash Flood of Colour" (Ambush Reality) mirrored the performance of fellow English rock band the Maccabees' "Given To The Wild" (Fiction/Polydor/Universal) last week, debuting at No. 4 after topping the "midweek" sales chart.

Adele's Ascent in 2011, By the Numbers

Last week's No. 1, Bruno Mars' "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" (Elektra/Warner Music), fell to No. 5. Florence + the Machine's "Ceremonials" (Universal Island) rebounded 21-8, labelmates Rizzle Kicks' "Stereo Typical" 14-9, and Jessie J's "Who You Are" 12-10. The only other newcomer to the top 40 was yet another Island signing, north London rock band Tribes, who entered at No. 20 with their debut album "Baby." On the compilation chart, "Now! That's What I Call Music 80" (EMI TV/Universal Music TV) posted its ninth week at No. 1.

Jessie J's "Domino" sold 64,000 last week to continue its singles reign, up on the previous week's 57,000. Rizzle Kicks' "Mama Do The Hump" (Universal Island) moved up 3-2 (52,000 sales) and "Titanium" (Positiva/Virgin/EMI) by David Guetta featuring Sia 8-3 (48,000). "Antidote" (Virgin/EMI) by Swedish House Mafia vs. Knifeparty opened at No. 4 and English pop hitmaker Pixie Lott's "Kiss The Stars" (Mercury/Universal) jumped 14-8, as her "Young Foolish Happy" album re-entered the top 75 at No. 52. There was a 21-11 climb for Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger" (RCA/Sony Music Entertainment), and "International Love" (J/Sony Music Entertainment) by Pitbull featuring Chris Brown moved 23-13.

Admirers of the great Etta James will applaud the fact that her death last Friday (Jan. 20) prompted some immediate U.K. sales for "At Last" (MCA/Universal), her 1961 U.S. R&B smash. Never a British hit at the time, it had reached No. 69 in 2010 after being covered on "The X Factor," but now re-enters at No. 39 with nearly 7,000 new sales, to become only her second ever U.K. top 40 singles chart appearance, after a Diet Coke commercial-inspired reissue of "I Just Want To Make Love To You" took that gem to No. 5 in 1996. Another classic in her catalog, "Something's Got A Hold On Me," is sampled in Avicii's current top ten hit "Levels." James has never made the official top 75 of the U.K. album chart.





January 23, 2012
By Paul Sexton, London
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/adele-tops-u-k-charts-on-one-year-anniversary-1005952952.story