In a surprising upset on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, old school English pop band Tears for Fears beat punk rock princess Avril Lavigne to take the top spot. Tears for Fears, formed in 1981, hadn’t released a new album since 2004, and patients fans came out in droves to support The Tipping Point.
The 29,000 copies sold by Tears for Fears is the band’s best sales week since MRC data began tracking numbers in 1991.
Leading up to the release of The Tipping Point, Tears for Fears performed on Good Morning America and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. The band was also featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition and CBS’ Sunday Morning.
The publicity pushed proved fruitful for the band. On the Billboard 200, The Tipping Point debuted at number eight. That marks Tears for Fears’ third top ten album on the more publicized chart, and first since The Seeds of Love in 1989.
Not to be outdone, Avril Lavigne’s Love Sux debuted at number two on the chart with 19,000 copies sold. It is Lavigne’s seventh straight album to make a top-five debut, even if it came up just short of number one. Her last number one debut came in 2007 with the release of The Best Damn Thing. That album spent two weeks in the top spot. Can Love Sux work its way to the top next week?
Love Sux received universal praise on its release, with many critics citing it as a welcome return to her roots. Getting back to crunching guitars and having fun was a big emphasis for Lavigne after admitting her previous album was a bit of a downer.
Landing at number four on the Top Album Sales chart is Rock Believer by Scorpions, the latest effort from the ’80s glam rockers.