Beatles gain in charts after CBS tribute special

www.billboard.com
Chart Moves: 'LEGO Movie' Soundtrack Debuts, the Beatles Gain After CBS Special
By Keith Caulfield, Los Angeles
February 14, 2014

This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the new "Now 49" compilation took over at No. 1, bumping the "Frozen" soundtrack down to No. 2 after four nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1. The "Now 49" set marked just the 24th compilation to hit No. 1 on the list, and, of those 24, a full 17 of them were "Now" albums. 

Let's take a look at some of movers and shakers on the chart this week:

-- Various Artists, "WOW Gospel 2014" - No. 26 - Only two of the WOW Gospel compilations have gone higher on the chart: the 2006 and 2007 editions, which climbed to Nos. 20 and 21, respectively. The latest set gives the numbered WOW series its 15th straight No. 1 on the Gospel Albums chart as well.

-- Soundtrack, "The LEGO Movie" - No. 48 - Its parent film did awesome at the U.S. and Canada box office in its first weekend, earning $69 million between February 7-9. The album's debut is fueled only by downloads (6,000), as the CD version arrived to market on February 11. 

-- Pat Metheny Unity Group, "Kin" - No. 50 - This is Pat Metheny's highest charting album since way back in 1982, when the 20-time Grammy Award winner's Offramp also reached No. 50. He's only been higher once before, with 1979's New Chautauqua (No. 44).

-- Paul Rodgers, "The Royal Sessions" - No. 81 - After charting three albums with Queen between 2005 and 2009, Rodgers returns solo -- and with his highest-charting set yet ever. "The Royal Sessions" opens with 4,000 at No. 81, and also gives him his first No. 1 on Blues Albums. (The album features covers of 

-- Tim McGraw, "Love Story" - No. 116 - This love-themed compilation of older material was exclusively available as a physical CD at Walmart, while it was widely available as a digital album. It's McGraw's 20th charting album on Top Country Albums, where it enters at No. 19.

-- The Beatles, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - No. 132 - Following CBS' airing of the all-star concert "The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles" on Feb. 9, the band's catalog gets a lift. This album, for example, is up 38% while the greatest hits album "1" at No. 37 rises by 91%. In total, there are eight albums by the Beatles on the chart this week. Watch for further gains on next week's tally, as CBS repeated the concert on Feb. 12.


The Beatles, circa 1967
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images