Radiohead’s ‘Kid A’ Rockets to No. 1; Blue Skies for Green Days

Rock makes a strong showing on the nation’s album chart this week, with new albumsby English art-rockers Radiohead and American pop-punkers Green Day entering at No. 1 and No. 4, respectively.

Radiohead’s “Kid A,” the much-anticipated follow-up to the band’s acclaimed Grammy-winner “OK Computer,” sold more than 207,000 copies to easily outpace rapper Mystikal’s No. 2 “Let’s Get Ready,” which sold 181,000 in its second week in the stores. Green Day’s “Warning” sold about 155,000 units.

The record industry had been curious about the reaction to the Radiohead album because the collection doesn’t have the overt commercial sheen of “OK Computer.” Rather than conventional pop songs, it leans more to soundscapes, leaving it a far narrower work emotionally.

Reviews and word of mouth on the album have both been mixed.

In other debuts, Houston rapper Scarface’s “Last of a Dying Breed” enters the chart at No. 7, while Paul Simon’s “You’re the One” arrives at No. 19.

On the down side, Madonna’s “Music” fell from third to sixth in its third week on the chart, while Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP” fell from No. 7 to No. 11, marking the first time the album has been out of the Top 10 since its release in May.

The Pearl Jam “bootleg” experiment, which resulted in five of the group’s 25 live recordings breaking into the Top 200 last week, didn’t produce any chart presence this week.

Don’t expect Radiohead to hold on to the top spot for long. Rapper Ja Rule should land at No. 1 next week with his new “Rule 3:36” album. Based on first-day sales, one major retail chain predicts it could sell 250,000 copies this week. Orgy’s “Vapor Transmissions” and the Wallflowers’ “Breach” are both expected to break the 100,000 mark, which gives both a chance at Top 10 spot.

New and Notable

Paul Simon, “You’re the One,” Warner Bros. The musical textures aren’t as distinctive as the ones that ran through much of “Graceland,” but the songs themselves are illuminating and mostly upbeat reflections on life and love.

The Wallflowers, “Breach,” Interscope. In the best of his new songs, leader Jakob Dylan moves forward as a writer, writing about alienation, the disorienting sensation of fame and following in his famous father’s footsteps.