ABBA in the UK Charts, regular updates, etc.

It's all very encouraging , its looking a strong possibility for reaching the top 10 the closer we get to MM2 release, all without any promotion of Gold by Universal, who must be rubbing there hands together ....

So, 'ABBA Gold' has risen from No.23 to No.15, in today's UK Album Chart - W/E 24th May. (After it fell from No.15 to No.23, last Week!)

Today I sent The 6 OCC, (Official UK Charts), Staff that I know, the 'Chart Feat' of 'ABBA Gold' reaching 104 Weeks -- 2 Years - in the UK
Top 20. I also  pointed out that it is only the 16th Album to reach 2 Years, (or more), in the Top 20. It is also only the 10th Artist Album
to manage it. The Album with the most Top 75 Weeks is 'Legend' by Bob Marley & The Wailers - 582 Weeks. But, 'only' 62 Weeks - so far - have
been in in the Top 20... (The OCC Staff have added the 104 Week/2 Years 'ABBA Gold' Top 20 Weeks Feat to this Weeks UK Album Chart Article).

'ABBA Gold' sold approximately 3,300 copies, to rise to No.15, this Week. Its 2018 UK Sales are already just under 50,000, and that
is before the 'boost' it will get, when 'Mamma Mia! 2' is released, to Cinemas, in July...

In the latest UK Album Chart - W/E 31st May 2018 - 'ABBA Gold' fell
from No.15 to No.19. It sold around 3,200 copies to be at No.19.

It has now sold just over 50,000 UK copies, in 2018 - so far.

It is its 560th Week in the Top 75.

It has spent 105 Weeks in the Top 20, 239 Weeks in the Top 40 and 838 Weeks in the Top 100.

It is ABBA's 1,129th Week in the UK Albums Chart Top 75.

 Graham - Don't forget, ABBA only had a few hours of Sunday Night, for their UK Sales to be boosted by yesterday's 'ABBA Night'
on Channel 5. (The final Sales for Monday's Mid Week Charts are by Midnight on Sunday). It is those few hours of boosted Sales
that caused 'ABBA Gold' to rise to No.29 in today's Mid Week Chart. It was at No.33 in Friday's Weekly Chart, so it has risen by
4 places really. (You don't go by where it was in last Monday's Mid Week Chart - No.30. You compare Friday's Weekly Chart to
today's Monday Mid Week Chart - No.33 up to No.29).

'ABBA Gold' will likely rise further by this coming Friday. It was at No.10 in this morning's UK Amazon CD Top 100 & No.8 in their
Top 100 Digital Download Chart. It was also at No.11 in the UK iTunes Chart.

The 'Mamma Mia!' CD - as you said - was at No.33 in today's UK Mid Week Chart. Its 1st Week in the UK Top 75. (Although Friday
will see it have its 520th Week in the UK Soundtrack Chart - its 10th Year).

Unless the 2nd 'Mamma Mia!' Film is truly awful & it flops, it is almost certain that its Soundtrack will enter the UK Top 75 at No.1
or No.2 in late July. (Just as the 1st Film's Soundtrack would have entered at No.2, had that been allowed into the Artist Album 
Chart in 2008. Then it would have risen to No.1 for several Weeks. (Preventing 'ABBA Gold' from getting those 2 extra No.1 Weeks
at that time -  its 7th & 8th No.1 Weeks).

I see that the 1st 'Mamma Mia!' Film was shown on ITV3 tonight at 8 pm.

It is worrying that Universal have still not given Amazon or HMV etc. the Tracklist for the 2nd 'Mamma Mia!' Soundtrack Album. It
really is time that it was revealed, as a lot of people will simply not pre-order it until they see exactly what ABBA Songs are on it.
It really should have been revealed by now. Especially as 'Waterloo' is ruined by Hugh Skinner being totally unable to sing! Which
means that only 'When I Kissed The Teacher' is worth listening to, of the measly 2 Tracks, that have been released so far. There are
16 Songs, on the Soundtrack, that we are unaware of. There will be about 24 or 25 ABBA Songs in the Film, but only 18 of them will
be on the Soundtrack CD

In today's Thursday UK Mid Week Chart 'ABBA Gold' has fallen from yesterday's No.22 Position to No.24.

We will see where it is in tomorrow's UK Charts - for the entire Week.

The 'Mamma Mia!' Motion Picture Cast Recording has fallen from No.39 out of the Top 40. We won't know
where it is until tomorrow's Weekly Top 100, as The OCC only allow Top 40 Positions to be revealed in the
Mid Week Charts.

  
  So far - in this Week's Mid Week Charts, (For W/E 5th July Chart), 'ABBA Gold' has done this:

  Monday 25th June -- No.19

  Tuesday 26th June -- No.20

  Wednesday 27th June -- No.20

 So, it may have a Top 20 place - its 106th - in the Chart, for the entire Week, on Friday 29th June.

Graham -- The 2 New ABBA Singles will certainly be UK Hits, in both the Main 'Singles' Chart and
in the 'Sales' Singles Chart. The Main Chart combines 'Streaming', Downloads and Physical Sales.

CHRISTMAS No.1 -- ABBA and/or Universal are 'aiming' the December Single at the UK's Christmas
No.1 spot. It is released on Saturday 15th December. This means that it will enter the 'Singles' Chart
on Friday 21st December. Which is the Christmas No.1 Chart - W/E Thursday 27th December. That
December 15th release date has obviously been chosen, to try to get ABBA the Christmas No.1.

DRAKE  -- As you point out, he will have 3 of the UK Top 5 'Singles' this Week. If the '3 Hits Only'
Rule did not exist, he would have 23 Songs in the Top 40, this Week!

'Old' Acts can still have Hits in the Main Chart, What they find very hard to do, is to get into the Top 10.

George Ezra currently has the UK No.1 ' Single'with 'Shotgun'. It has no Physical release.

Here are its No.1 Sales  --  George Ezra  -- Shotgun  --  Download Sales - 18,823 + 'Streaming' Points  -  34,873  =  53,696 Total 'Sales'

As you can see - a huge ABBA Single can easily over-ride such a Total.

A combination of 'I Still Have Faith In You''s Totals for CD Single Sales + 7 Inch Vinyl Sales + Download Sales, should be so big, that it outsells 
all of the Singles that are big on 'Streaming', in the Christmas Chart.

The ABBA Single would 'only' need to sell about 65,000 to 75,000, in Week 1, and it would enter at No.1 in the UK.

Can ABBA do it? Of course they can. There is a huge hype about that 1st New Single, in December.

Then there will be a similar hype and fuss, when 'Don't Shut Me Down' is released next March to June.

  Gary -- 'I Still Have Faith In You' will be released everywhere on Saturday 15th December.

  Benny & Bjorn have said that, that is the date that the 2 Hour 'Global ABBA Special' will be shown on TV. 

  'I Still Have Faith In You' will be shown at the end of that - being 'sung' by the 4 ABBATars.

   Once the New Song is performed, it will be available to Download, and to buy on CD Singles and 7 Inch Vinyl.

  The release of 'I Still Have Faith In You' is completely tied in with it being performed on that ABBA TV Special...

   ABBA and Universal want to make it an 'Event' that the 1st New ABBA Single in Decades is being released.

  Some Media Critics will tear the Single apart and say it is 'rubbish' - no matter how good it is. But, they
never liked ABBA anyhow, so nobody need pay any attention to them.

  Some ABBA Fans wanted ABBA to never, ever to Record any more New Music, so some of those people will
also say that the Single is 'not very good' - to try to justify carrying on moaning that 'ABBA should never have
returned'. We can ignore those ABBA Fans, too. The 'Doom and Gloom Merchants', I call them.

  The rest of us - like ABBA - will just see it all as being part of a New 'Adventure' with ABBA. An 'Adventure'
that could end up with ABBA giving us a brand New Studio Album!  (They will hardly care to bother, if too many
of their own Fans start saying that the New Singles are 'Crap'!!! ABBA would think that we are ungrateful).

  I'm going to support the 2 New Singles - no matter what - and I will buy each 3 times - once as a CD Single,
once as a 7 Inch Vinyl Single and once as a Download. I cannot predict that I'll like every note of both Singles,
but ABBA deserve our support and I urge all ABBA Fans to buy the 2 Singles in all 3 Formats...
  

  Graham -- I know of no UK Charts where everything that sold enough could enter.

  In the 1960's EP's were 'banned' from the Singles Chart, and they had to have their own Chart.
By EP's, I mean 7 Inch Singles that had 4 Tracks on them.

  The Beatles 'Twists & Shout' EP was not allowed into the Official Singles Chart because of the ban.
Instead it spent 21 Weeks at No.1 in the EP Chart, and 64 Weeks on that Chart over-all.

   Likewise, in Mid January 1989, Various Artists Albums were banned from the Official UK Albums
Chart. They had to go into the Compilation Chart, from then on. A lot of Artist No.1 Albums would
not have reached No.1 had Various Artists Albums still been allowed into the Artist Chart. Mid 1989
also saw Film Soundtracks banned from the Chart.

  In 2008 'ABBA Gold' would not have returned to No.1 for 2 Weeks, had Film Soundtracks still been
allowed into the Artist Chart. 'Gold' would have been held off the No.1 spot by the 'Mamma Mia!'
Soundtrack. 'Mamma Mia!' would have been No.1 for 7 Weeks had it been allowed into the Artist
Chart, at that time. (2008).

  There are all kinds of Rules that decide what can & cannot get into the Charts.

   ABBA's '18 Hits' is at a Budget price at the moment, so it can only get into the UK's Budget Chart.
It has been No.2, in that Chart, for the past few Weeks. But, the Scottish Album Chart has different
Rules. It can get into that Chart and it is currently on its 2nd Week at No.29. (It Peaked at No.15
in the UK Artist Chart, in 2008 & at No.11 in Scotland, that same Year).

   My friend John used to say that the UK Charts meant nothing, due to all of the Rules about what
can and cannot be a Hit.

   I just go along with Chart Rules. It is not I who make them. I can either accept them or not.

   The 3 Songs Rule was made to stop 'Streaming' allowing an Act to get every Track on his or
her Albums into the 'Singles' Chart. I'd rather that Drake had 20 Songs banned from the Top 40,
than Drake having 23 Songs in that same Top 40. That goes for any other 'Modern' big Act.

Thanks for that information, Colin. I figured someone here would post that information, but I didn't think it would happen this soon. I'll have to look at the calendar and see what day of the week December 15 will be.

A few Months ago I'm sure that I read that ABBA's 2 Hour Tribute Show would be Broadcast on Saturday 15th December.

That they would sing 'I Still Have Faith In You' on it and the Single would be released the same Day - 15th December.

That would have seen its 1st 'Weeks' Sales cover Saturday 15th December to Thursday 20th December. Which would
be the UK Singles Chart of W/E 27th December. Which would be the Christmas No.1 Chart.

However, it seems that ABBA are now releasing the Single 2 Weeks earlier - on Saturday 1st December. That would cover the UK
Sales Week of Saturday 1st December to Thursday 6th December. Which is for the UK Singles Chart of W/E 13th December.

That would give the ABBA Single 3 Weeks/Charts to reach No.1 in time for Christmas - W/E 27th December.

I don't know if the 2 Hour Tribute Show will now be shown on Saturday December 1st or on Saturday December 15th.

We will know pretty quickly, if ABBA can have a 10th UK No.1 Single, or if a lack of 'Streaming' makes it impossible for
ABBA to even reach the Top 10. This 'Streaming' curse affects a lot of 'Old' Acts, which is why Madonna, Kylie, Take That
and Robbie Williams, cannot have UK Top 10 Singles any more. Their success is now mainly based on the Album Chart...

So far in the UK., mid week charts..

MM2 is at 5
MM. Is at 17
Gold is at. 22

No sign of Fernando.....

Ok, it's only the UK iTunes singles chart, however Cher and Fernando is currently number 50 and climbing..
its also being promoted on U.K. Radio 2 A list...

so there is a hope it will make the official charts...

probablly next week if at all once the film the film has been released...

'FERNANDO' -- Cher and Andy Garcia -- This 'Single' has just entered the UK Sales Chart at No.64,
and also the UK Download Chart at No.64. It is doing nothing on Streaming, so it is not in that Top 100,
and that has also stopped it entering the Main Top 100. It has no Physical release, so it is not in that
Top 100 either. I'm not expecting anything from 'Mamma Mia! 2' to do much in the UK Singles Chart.
Nothing did from Film 1. 'Honey Honey' - No.61. 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!' - No.91. ABBA managed 2
re-entries - 'Mamma Mia' - No.56 and 'Dancing Queen' No.82.

Last Week UK Chart Expert Alan Jones, ('Music Week'), predicted that the Soundtrack to 'Mamma Mia! 2' would make
a 'huge' impact on this Week's UK Album Chart.

He seemed unaware that it had been released a Week before the Film, and that as it had a lot of less well known ABBA
songs on it, many people would want to hear them in the Film, before buying the Soundtrack.

All of which can be seen by this Week's No.4 entry and less than 18,000 UK Sales. With the Soundtrack to Film 1
reaching over 1,530,000 UK Sales.

Here is what Alan says in his latest 'Music Week' Chart Report - for the Album Chart of W/E 26th July 2018:

"Launched ahead of the Film for which it acts as a Soundtrack, 'Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again' nevertheless opens
at No.4 (17,291 sales). The Film, which has had largely favourable reviews from critics, is once again loosely based
on the lyrics of covers of ABBA songs, of which 18 are on the Soundtrack Album, which is produced by the group’s
Benny Andersson and performed by Film cast members, including Cher, Meryl Streep and Julie Walters. Released 10
Years ago last week, the original 'Mamma Mia!' Soundtrack sold 35,766 copies on debut to top the Compilation Chart.
Only transferred to the Artist Album Chart eight weeks ago, it reaches a new peak on that list this week, moving 17-13,
with sales of 4,456 copies raising its career tally to a massive 1,531,361. The original Theatrical Cast recording
of 'Mamma Mia!' – released in 1999 - has always been eligible for the Artist Album Chart, and peaked at No.12 in 2008.
It jumps 177-114 this week, with 946 sales raising its career tally to 439,086. ABBA’s 'Gold: Greatest Hits' also
climbs, moving 23-19 (3,310 sales), while their '18 Hits' Compilation jumps 3-1 (1,623 sales) on the Budget
Album Chart".


THE 'MAMMA MIA! 2 SOUNDTRACK IN THE OTHER UK CHARTS

Whilst it is in at No.4 in the Artist Chart, it is in at No.2 in the Sales Chart and also in the Physical
Chart. It is in at No.3 in the Download Chart. It is only in at No.80 in the Streaming Chart - with
2 older 'Mamma Mia!' Albums entering above it. The Studio Cast Album is in at No.72 and the
Soundtrack for Film 1 is in at No.74. It is in Scotland where ABBA related Albums have the most
impact, this Week. The Scottish Top 100 has 'Mamma Mia! 2 in at No.3, the 1st Soundtrack is up
from No.9 to No.8, 'ABBA Gold' is up from No.15 to No.13, and '18 Hits' is up from No.23 to No.17.

(Note -- The Scottish Charts are compiled by The OCC - who do all of the UK's Charts. They add
the Scottish Sales Data into the Main UK Album Chart. However, only 5 Million people live in
Scotland, which is why what happens in their Album Chart is dominated by the 61 Million+
people, who live in the rest of the UK - England, Wales and Northern Ireland).