King of Pop reigns again but is denied top spot in singles chart

Published on Sunday 28 June 2009 21:59

MICHAEL Jackson topped the album chart and made six new entries in the singles top 40 as fan rushed to buy his material in the wake of his death.

His Number Ones album, which features his biggest hits, raced up the charts from 121 to reach number one. The same album earned Jackson his last number one hit when it was released in 2003.

Four of his other hit albums also made a reappearance in the top 20 yesterday, with a total of 11 Michael Jackson or Jackson Five albums in this week's Top 200. Some 43 of this week's Top 200 singles feature the singer, the Official Charts Company said.

Thriller, the biggest selling album of all time, surged from 179 to number seven, compilation King of Pop reached 14, Off The Wall got to 17 and The Essential Michael Jackson was at number 20.

Retailers said that demand had been overwhelming since Jackson's death, but his extensive back catalogue meant no one song stood out in sales and he was narrowly denied a posthumous entry in the singles top 10.

The top song was Man in the Mirror, which re-entered the charts at number 11 nearly 20 years after its original release. Billie Jean got to 25, Smooth Criminal to 28, Beat It reached 30 and Earth Song reached 38.

Jackson has been dominating sales at music retailers and download sites across the world since his death – yesterday his songs topped Apple's iTunes download chart in every country except Japan.

Gennaro Castaldo, a spokesman for HMV, said the retailer saw an 80-fold increase in demand for Jackson's music in the 24 hours after his death, dwarfing the leap in sales after their deaths of Elvis and John Lennon.

He added: "It's possible Michael's music will dominate the official charts in the coming weeks."