Pop Album Chart : Dogg Has His Day With No. 1 Debut

Rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg is no doubt howling with glee. His “Doggystyle” sprinted by the competition, debuting at No. 1. Guns N’ Roses coming in at No. 4 with “The Spaghetti Incident?” is a little surprising. No. 2 seemed more likely. But they can take comfort in beating the album by the smart-alecky cartoon characters Beavis and Butt-head, which entered at No. 5. When’s the last time the Top 10 included both an almost-octogenarian (Frank Sinatra) and cartoon characters? Michael Bolton’s “The One Thing” didn’t do that well this week, dropping from No. 3 to No. 8. The Christmas albums are starting to jump up the chart. Vince Gill’s “Let There Be Peace on Earth” (No. 17) is the hottest. Harry Connick Jr.’s “When My Heart Finds Christmas” climbed from No. 47 to No. 23. Boyz II Men’s Christmas album, which started out slowly, is on the rise too, leaping from No. 50 to No. 21. Part of the increase is due to the season but also credit a prime-time TV guest shot last week. Janet Jackson’s “Again” is the new No. 1 pop single.

Rank Rank 2 Weeks Last Weeks on the Week Ago Chart 1. “Doggystyle,” Snoop Doggy Dogg 1 2. “Vs.,” Pearl Jam 1 1 6 3. “Music Box,” Mariah Carey 6 5 13 4. “The Spaghetti Incident?,” Guns N’ Roses 1 5. “The Beavis and Butt-head Experience,” 1 Beavis and Butt-head 6. “Duets,” Frank Sinatra 2 2 4 7. “Bat Out of Hell II,” Meat Loaf 4 3 11 8. “The One Thing,” Michael Bolton 3 2 9. “The Songs of the Eagles,” various artists 5 4 7 10. “janet.,” Janet Jackson 9 6 28 * “Duets,” Elton John 1

* There could be two albums with the same title, “Duets,” in the Top 10 very soon. Like Sinatra’s, Elton John’s album features duets with stars. John’s debuted at No. 25 and will probably do well but isn’t likely to seriously challenge Sinatra’s sales.

Source: Billboard/Soundscan