Advertisement

Maroon 5 takes ‘V’ to No. 1 on Billboard 200 album chart

The members of Maroon 5 attend the MTV Video Music Awards last month at the Forum in Inglewood.
(Jason Merritt / Getty Images)
Share

The record’s title is the Roman numeral for five. But now it’s at No. 1.

“V,” the fifth studio album by Maroon 5, debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart Wednesday, reflecting sales of 164,000 copies in the week that ended Sunday, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It’s the L.A. group’s second No. 1, after “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long” in 2007; its previous disc, 2012’s “Overexposed” entered the chart at No. 2, though it sold more first-week copies than “V” with 222,000.

In a recent interview, Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine told The Times that the band’s decision to work with high-profile producers and songwriters for “V” -- proven hit-makers like Max Martin and Dr. Luke -- followed the success it found with the same approach on “Overexposed,” which spawned four top 10 singles, including “Payphone” and “One More Night.”

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Levine said.

Behind Maroon 5 on this week’s chart, the Atlanta rapper Jeezy debuted at No. 2 with 121,000 copies sold of his latest, “Seen It All: The Autobiography.”

Advertisement

Other albums entering the upper reaches of the Billboard 200 include Bob Marley’s greatest-hit set “Legend” -- a perennial unit-mover that jumped from No. 100 to No. 5 thanks to a sale price of 99 cents at the Google Play store -- and Counting Crows’ “Somewhere Under Wonderland” at No. 6.

Twitter: @mikaelwood

Advertisement