U.K. CHARTS: PINK FLOYD MAN RATTLES HIS WAY TO #1

Drake and Future have just lost out on reaching the Top 5 on the U.K’s Official Albums Chart with their surprise mixtape What a Time to Be Alive, sales of which started being counted last Tuesday. Occupying the top spot instead is Pink Floyd man David Gilmour, with his fourth solo album Rattle That Lock (Columbia) finishing the week nearly 20k ahead of #2, Lana Del Rey’s Honeymoon, released via Polydor in Blighty.

Gilmour is naturally thrilled, and paused to thank wife and songwriter Polly Samson for writing lyrics on all his solo sets, as well as co-producer Phil Manzanera (best known as Roxy Music’s guitarist). The veteran rocker will celebrate tonight by playing the first of five dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall, which sounds like an ideal setting for bringing out an inflatable pig.

It’s been a good few weeks for dignitaries in the U.K, with Stereophonics and Iron Maiden stealing the top spots from fresh RCA blood Bring Me the Horizon and young Atlantic singer Jess Glynne with her debut.

Speaking of Glynne, who did reach #1 in the first week of I Cry When I Laugh’s release on 8/21, she’s at #3, followed by Cliff Richard, who scores his 43rd Top 10 album with new Rhino collection 75 at 75 – 75 Career Spanning Hits at #4. Last week’s success story Stereophonics round off today’s Top 5 with self-released Stylus set Keep the Village Alive.

Over on the singles side of the story, the Biebs’ comeback is still at full throttle as he spends his third (non-consecutive) week atop the Official Singles Chart with “What Do You Mean” (his first ever U.K. #1). The track broke the streaming record on release, and this week it’s the most-streamed track once again, notching up over 3.2 million listens.

Ministry of Sound producer Sigala is spending another week playing second fiddle at #2 with “Easy Love.” “Locked Away” by R City feat. Adam Levine, released via Kemosabe/RCA has been a slow burner since its release on 7/29. This week it’s getting red hot, leaping 13 places to #3, knocking Columbia’s Calvin Harris’ “How Deep Is Your Love” f/Disciples to #4 thanks in part to increased radio airplay (3,033 across all U.K. radio this week compared to 2,174 last week). It’s the third week in a row at #5 for The Weeknd’s Republic Records/XO track “Can’t Feel My Face,” which spends its eighth week in the Top 10.

Polydor priority act Ellie Goulding is the highest new entry, reaching #7 with the first single from her upcoming third album Delirium, the Max Martin-penned “On My Mind”, which was added to the BBC Radio 1 C List last week. One Direction’s latest SYCO track “Infinity,” another surprise this week that hasn’t yet benefited from a full seven days of exposure after being revealed on Tuesday (the same time as the details of their fifth album), is at #36. Can Drake, Future and 1D improve their fortunes next week? All will be revealed all in due course.