‘Titanic’ Continues Record Run at Cash Registers Too

The “Titanic” soundtrack, staying on course with the blockbuster movie, is sailing into the record books.

The mostly instrumental score from the film was the nation’s best-selling album for the sixth consecutive week, scanning about 848,000 copies during the seven-day period that ended Sunday--a remarkable figure that ranks among the highest one-week totals since SoundScan began monitoring U.S. record sales in 1991.

(Whitney Houston’s “The Bodyguard” soundtrack established a SoundScan record when it sold 1.1 million copies in a single week during the 1992 holiday season.)

What’s even more incredible about “Titanic” is that it is also powering the No. 2 album, Celine Dion’s “Let’s Talk About Love.”

Each of the top two albums features Dion’s “Titanic” theme, “My Heart Will Go On,” which was the nation’s best-selling single last week during its initial week of commercial availability. The Dion album sold about 339,000 copies, while the single sold 360,000.

Pearl Jam’s “Yield” album, which debuted at No. 2 last week, dropped to third place.

What’s Hot

Here are some recent releases that are generating critical or commercial attention:

Garth Brooks’ “Sevens” (Capitol). The country superstar’s strongest album to date is a 40-plus-minute couch session in which the good ol’ boy becomes human-potential poster boy.

Peter Case’s “Full Service No Waiting” (Vanguard). In spare, acoustic arrangements, Case spins a mesmerizing song cycle of regret and longing in perhaps the strongest album of his solo career.

Celine Dion’s “Let’s Talk About Love” (550 Music/Epic). Dion’s voice is a technical marvel, but her delivery lacks the personality and intuitive sense of drama that are a diva’s stock in trade.

The Lynns’ “The Lynns” (Reprise). Family harmony has been a rarity in country music since the Judds called it quits, but Patsy and Peggy Lynn, Loretta’s 33-year-old twin daughters, bring it back with spunk.

Pearl Jam’s “Yield” (Epic). On the Seattle band’s fifth album, Eddie Vedder’s vocals continue to express a variety of emotions as the group’s music grows in all the important ways.

What’s New

Ani DiFranco’s “Little Plastic Castle” (Righteous Babe).

What’s Coming

March 3: Madonna’s “Ray of Light” (Warner Bros./Maverick).

March 10: Eric Clapton’s “Pilgrim” (Reprise).

March 17: Van Halen’s “Van Halen III” (Warner Bros.)