List of UK top-ten albums in 2008 explained

The UK Albums Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling albums of the week in the United Kingdom.[1] [2] [3] Since 2004 the chart has been based on the sales of both physical albums and digital downloads. This list shows albums that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart during 2008, as well as albums which peaked in 2007 and 2009 but were in the top 10 in 2008. The entry date is when the album appeared in the top 10 for the first time (week ending, as published by the Official Charts Company, which is six days after the chart is announced).

One-hundred and fifty-eight albums were in the top ten this year. Two albums from 2006 and sixteen albums from 2007 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while I Am... Sasha Fierce by Beyoncé was released in 2008 but did not reach its peak until 2009. Back to Black: Deluxe Edition by Amy Winehouse, Raising Sand by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and This Is the Life by Amy Macdonald were the albums from 2007 to reach their peak in 2008. Six artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 2008. Adele, Chris Brown, Miley Cyrus, OneRepublic and Scouting for Girls were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 album in 2008.

The 2007 Christmas number-one album, Spirit, remained at the top spot for the first week of 2008. The first new number-one album of the year was In Rainbows by Radiohead. Overall, thirty-three different albums peaked at number-one in 2008, with thirty-three unique artists hitting that position.

Background

Multiple entries

One-hundred and fifty-eight albums charted in the top 10 in 2008, with one-hundred and forty-two albums reaching their peak this year (including , and The Best of Neil Diamond, which charted in previous years but reached a peak on their latest chart run).

Six artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 2008. Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson, Neil Diamond, Nickelback, Radiohead and Take That were the acts who had two top 10 albums this year. Michael Jackson, Nickelback and Radiohead's two entries were both released this year, with The Best of Neil Diamond by Neil Diamond returning after missing the top 10 when it was first released in 1998 and later in 2006.

Chart debuts

Forty-eight artists achieved their first top 10 album in 2008 as a lead artist.

The following table (collapsed on desktop site) does not include acts who had previously charted as part of a group and secured their first top 10 solo album, or featured appearances on compilations or other artists recordings.

ArtistNumber of top 10sFirst entryChart positionOther entries
Scouting for Girls1Scouting for Girls1 -
British Sea Power1Do You Like Rock Music?10 -
Lupe Fiasco1Lupe Fiasco's The Cool7 -
Adele1191 -
Bullet for My Valentine1Scream Aim Fire5 -
Hot Chip1Made in the Dark4 -
One Night Only1Started a Fire10 -
Duffy1Rockferry1 -
OneRepublic1Dreaming Out Loud2 -
Panic! at the Disco1Pretty. Odd.2 -
Foals1Antidotes3 -
Guillemots1Red9 -
Estelle1Shine6 -
1St. Jude4 -
Elliot Minor1Elliot Minor6 -
1The Age of the Understatement1 -
Sam Sparro1Sam Sparro4 -
Gabriella Cilmi1Lessons to Be Learned8 -
Scooter1Jumping All Over the World1 -
Pendulum1In Silico2 -
Jay Sean1My Own Way6 -
1We Started Nothing1 -
Beth Rowley1Little Dreamer6 -
Cistercian Monks of Stift Heiligenkreu1Chant – Music for Paradise7 -
Alphabeat1This Is Alphabeat10 -
Darren Styles1Skydivin'7 -
Sara Bareilles1Little Voice9 -
Sigur Rós1Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust5 -
Chris Brown1Exclusive3 -
Jonas Brothers1Jonas Brothers9 -
Seth Lakeman1Poor Man's Heaven8 -
Black Kids1Partie Traumatic5 -
Beck1Modern Guilt9 -
Basshunter1Now You're Gone – The Album1 -
Kid Rock1Rock n Roll Jesus4 -
1The Script1 -
Noah and the Whale1Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down5 -
Monkey1Journey to the West5 -
UK Chinese Ensemble
Teddy Thompson1A Piece of What You Need10 -
Miley Cyrus1Breakout10 -
Glasvegas1Glasvegas2 -
Queen + Paul Rodgers1The Cosmos Rocks5 -
Andrew Johnston1One Voice4 -
Seasick Steve1I Started Out with Nothin and I Still Got Most of It Left9 -
Leon Jackson1Right Now4 -
Rhydian1Rhydian3 -
1The Priests5 -
NotesJonathan Ansell stepped away from his group G4 - who finished second on the second series of The X Factor and recorded two top 10 albums including a number-one - to record his debut top 10 solo album Tenor at the Movies. Sharleen Spiteri had a highly successful career to date as a member of the Scottish band Texas. Her debut album as a solo artist, Melody, reached number three.

Damon Albarn of Gorillaz and Blur recorded the soundtrack to the stage adaption of Chinese novel Journey to the West under the name Monkey. The album also featured the UK Chinese Ensemble making their album chart debut.

Queen + Paul Rodgers was a collaboration between Brian May and Roger Taylor from Queen, and Paul Rodgers, who had been part of numerous bands including Free and The Firm. The Cosmos Rocks was their first and only charting album as a supergroup.

Best-selling albums

Duffy had the best-selling album of the year with Rockferry. The album spent 42 weeks in the top 10 (including five weeks at number one), sold almost 1.685 million copies and was certified 6× platinum by the BPI. The Circus by Take That came in second place. Kings of Leon's Only by the Night, Spirit from Leona Lewis and Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends by Coldplay made up the top five. Albums by Rihanna, The Killers, Girls Aloud, Pink and Scouting for Girls were also in the top ten best-selling albums of the year.

Top-ten albums

Key
SymbolMeaning
bgcolor=lightblueAlbum peaked in 2006 or 2007 but still in chart in 2008.
Album released in 2008 but peaked in 2009.
(#)Year-end top-ten album position and rank
EnteredThe date that the album first appeared in the chart.
PeakHighest position that the album reached in the UK Albums Chart.
Entered
(week ending)
data-sort-type="number"Weeks
in
top
10
AlbumArtistdata-sort-type="number"PeakPeak
reached
(week ending)
data-sort-type="number"Weeks
at
peak
Albums in 2006
54Back to BlackAmy Winehouse13
28Beautiful WorldTake That18
Albums in 2007
32Life in Cartoon MotionMika12
11Timbaland Presents: Shock ValueTimbaland21
13VersionMark Ronson22
12Call Me IrresponsibleMichael Bublé21
27Good Girl Gone Bad(#6)Rihanna11
14This Is the Life Amy Macdonald11
11Hand Built by RobotsNewton Faulkner12
5All the Lost SoulsJames Blunt11
7The Trick to Life11
7Raising Sand Robert Plant & Alison Krauss21
8Back HomeWestlife11
26Spirit(#4)Leona Lewis18
7MothershipLed Zeppelin42
7Andrea Bocelli41
5BreathlessShayne Ward21
12Back to Black: The Deluxe EditionAmy Winehouse11
Albums in 2008
2Perfect Day Cascada91
3In RainbowsRadiohead11
14Scouting for Girls (#10)Scouting for Girls12
1Do You Like Rock Music?British Sea Power101
1Lupe Fiasco's The CoolLupe Fiasco71
19All the Right ReasonsNickelback22
719Adele11
1Scream Aim FireBullet for My Valentine51
1The Ultimate HitsGarth Brooks101
3Sleep Through the StaticJack Johnson12
1Made in the DarkHot Chip41
1Growing PainsMary J. Blige61
2His Wondrous Story – The Complete CollectionBilly Fury102
7Thriller 25Michael Jackson31
1Greatest HitsMorrissey51
1Started a FireOne Night Only101
1Join With Us11
1Tenor at the MoviesJonathan Ansell91
3Seventh TreeGoldfrapp21
1From Donny... with LoveDonny Osmond81
42Rockferry (#1)Duffy15
1Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds41
6Dreaming Out LoudOneRepublic21
1Classic Soul Hits81
2HaarpMuse21
8The Seldom Seen KidElbow52
111Bryan Adams61
1Music of the SpheresMike Oldfield91
1Keep It SimpleVan Morrison101
1Pretty. Odd.Panic! at the Disco21
1AntidotesFoals31
2Consolers of the Lonely81
1RedGuillemots91
3AccelerateR.E.M.11
1ShineEstelle61
1Shine a Light21
2St. Jude41
1Hey MaJames101
4Konk11
2E=MC²Mariah Carey31
1Elliot MinorElliot Minor61
3The Age of the Understatement11
1Good to Be BadWhitesnake71
5Hard CandyMadonna11
2ThirdPortishead21
2Sam SparroSam Sparro41
3The Very Best of The Platters81
2Lessons to Be LearnedGabriella Cilmi81
7Jumping All Over the WorldScooter11
1Songs from the Sparkle LoungeDef Leppard101
8Home Before DarkNeil Diamond11
3In SilicoPendulum21
1My Own WayJay Sean61
1Nothing but the BestFrank Sinatra101
14We Started Nothing11
2Little DreamerBeth Rowley61
5The Best of Neil DiamondNeil Diamond72
3Chant – Music for ParadiseCistercian Monks of Stift Heiligenkreu71
3Here I StandUsher11
1Emergency51
422 DreamsPaul Weller11
3Radiohead41
1You Can Do Anything61
1This Is AlphabeatAlphabeat101
14Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (#5)Coldplay16
3Here We Stand51
4Skydivin'Darren Styles42
1Silent CryFeeder81
1Little VoiceSara Bareilles91
1Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaustSigur Rós51
6ExclusiveChris Brown32
1Jonas BrothersJonas Brothers91
1Poor Man's HeavenSeth Lakeman81
1Partie TraumaticBlack Kids51
1Modern GuiltBeck91
4Now You're Gone – The AlbumBasshunter11
5MelodySharleen Spiteri31
9ABBA Gold: Greatest HitsABBA12
1Billy Joel91
3I Believe – The Very Best of The Bachelors71
1Beautiful FuturePrimal Scream91
4Rock n Roll JesusKid Rock42
12The Script13
2Peaceful, the World Lays Me DownNoah and the Whale51
2JaneJane McDonald71
1Journey to the WestMonkey51
4Forth12
2All Hope Is GoneSlipknot21
2SomewhereEva Cassidy41
4King of PopMichael Jackson31
1LAX91
1A Piece of What You NeedTeddy Thompson101
1BreakoutMiley Cyrus101
3Death MagneticMetallica12
2GlasvegasGlasvegas21
5Year of the GentlemanNe-Yo21
1The Cosmos RocksQueen + Paul Rodgers51
1Everything Is Borrowed71
40Only By the Night (#3)Kings of Leon14
2Doll Domination41
6The Best BetteBette Midler62
1Radio ActiveMcFly84
1Live in GdańskDavid Gilmour101
3Let It GoWill Young21
13Songs for You, Truths for MeJames Morrison31
2One VoiceAndrew Johnston41
2I Started Out with Nothin and I Still Got Most of It LeftSeasick Steve92
4Dig Out Your SoulOasis11
1The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale SignsBob Dylan91
2Perfect SymmetryKeane11
2Back Again... No Matter WhatBoyzone41
3Black IceAC/DC11
1Off with Their HeadsKaiser Chiefs21
1Right NowLeon Jackson41
2Sacred AriasKatherine Jenkins51
1Catfights and SpotlightsSugababes81
3The Best OfSash!81
14Funhouse (#9)Pink11
3A Hundred Million SunsSnow Patrol21
3Celine Dion51
1Country BoyDaniel O'Donnell61
1IntimacyBloc Party81
9Out of Control (#8)Girls Aloud11
2Greatest HitsEnrique Iglesias31
1Slipway FiresRazorlight41
1Pictures – 40 Years of HitsStatus Quo81
6The PromiseIl Divo11
8Stereophonics21
1And Winter Came...Enya61
1Christina Aguilera101
1Safe Trip HomeDido21
1Dark HorseNickelback41
1Simply Red91
22I Am... Sasha FierceBeyoncé21
13Day & Age (#6)11
1Chinese DemocracyGuns N' Roses21
3RhydianRhydian31
4The Priests51
12The Circus (#2)Take That15
1CircusBritney Spears41

Entries by artist

The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 2008, including albums that reached their peak in 2007 or 2009. The figures only include main artists, with featured artists and appearances on compilation albums not counted individually for each artist. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 2008 is also shown.

EntriesArtistWeeksAlbums
2Amy Winehouse14Back to Black, Back to Black: The Deluxe Edition
Michael Jackson9King of Pop, Thriller 25
Neil Diamond13Home Before Dark, The Best of Neil Diamond
Nickelback20All the Right Reasons, Dark Horse
Radiohead6In Rainbows,
Take That8Beautiful World, The Circus

Notes

See also

References

General

Specific

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company. 28 December 2014.
  2. Book: Roberts, David. Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums (18th edition). 2005. 1-904994-00-8. 14. Guinness World Records Limited.
  3. Web site: New singles formats to save the charts. BBC News. 16 October 2003 . 21 February 2010.