Pink Floyd’s The Endless River has debuted at the summit of the UK chart, making the band’s final album their sixth No 1. The veteran group robbed the Foo Fighters of what would have been their fourth chart topper, as Sonic Highways enters at No 2.
In a statement, Pink Floyd said they were “thrilled and surprised” by the commercial interest in The Endless River. Made in part with studio sessions from 1994’s The Division Bell, this is also their first studio album since then. The Division Bell spent four weeks at No 1 and has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.
Behind Floyd and the Foos, Ed Sheeran’s latest record remains a steady seller at No 3. X is also a steady streamer: after recently breaking the Official Charts’ record for most-streamed song, Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud garnered an even larger number of listens over the past seven days.
The rest of the album chart’s top five is completed by Sam Smith’s In The Lonely Hour and Queen’s new compilation Forever, which showcases unreleased recordings such as Freddie Mercury’s 80s team-up with Michael Jackson.
On the singles chart, it’s another grand success for a celebrity charity project by Gareth Malone. The TV choirmaster sold 120,000 copies of Wake Me Up, a vocal reimagining of Avicii’s 2013 dance smash. Credited to Gareth Malone’s All Star Choir, the recording features Jo Brand, Craig Revel Horwood, Linda Robson and Mel Giedroyc, with proceeds going to Children In Need.
Malone called it a “hat trick” of hits, following similar projects with Military Wives and Gary Barlow. The choral number easily displaced last week’s No 1, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini’s I Don’t Care, which slipped to No 4. Thinking Out Loud remained steady at No 3, and Meghan Trainor’s All About That Bass fell two places to No 5.
