Pop Album Chart : Tis the Season for Christmas Records

Amy Grant’s “Home for Christmas” continues its surprising surge, ending up behind the top-ranked “Bodyguard” soundtrack--which seems unbeatable for the next few weeks. Few industry observers thought Grant had such sales clout. With the focus on three other Christmas albums in the Top 10--the all-star “A Very Special Christmas 2” (No. 7), Neil Diamond’s “Christmas Album” (No. 8) and Garth Brooks’ “Beyond the Season” (No. 10)--one can easily forget that Brooks continues to have two albums in the Top 10 (“The Chase” is No. 4), still a remarkable feat.

* Though not noted for big sales these days, Young had a strong week, with his “Harvest Moon” jumping from No. 44 to No. 22. The CD will probably wind up in quite a few Christmas stockings.

Pop Album Chart

Rank Rank 2 Weeks Last Weeks on the Week Ago Chart 1. “The Bodyguard,” soundtrack 1 1 4 2. “Home for Christmas,” Amy Grant 5 6 10 3. “Timeless,” Michael Bolton 2 4 11 4. “The Chase,” Garth Brooks 3 5 12 5. “Some Gave All,” Billy Ray Cyrus 4 7 30 6. “Unplugged,” Eric Clapton 6 2 16 7. “A Very Special Christmas 2,” various artists 7 9 7 8. “Christmas Album,” Neil Diamond 8 14 10 9. “Breathless,” Kenny G 9 8 4 10. “Beyond the Season,” Garth Brooks 10 10 16 * “Harvest Moon,” Neil Young 44 38 7

Source: Billboard/Soundscan