David Bowie Claims #1 On UK Charts From Adele, As Well As 18 Other Spots

Would that the circumstances weren't quite so grim, but Adele's acclaimed new LP 25 has, after eight weeks, been toppled from the top spot on the UK's Official Albums Chart as late, great entertainer David Bowie posthumously claims #1 with his new record, Blackstar.

Somewhat surprisingly, Adele's album drops more than one spot — last week's #2 If I Can Dream, by Elvis Presley, remains steady in its place — to settle in at #3. Justin Bieber's Purpose, which formerly held the bronze position, slips to #4 in kind.

However, it's truly a week all about Bowie, with his achievement made all the sweeter by the revelation that, far from being Bowie's only entry on the charts this week, Blackstar is just one of a whopping 19 albums (including compilations) that have found their way back into the top 100, with the next-highest effort coming from Nothing Has Changed — The Very Best Of David Bowie at #5.

Bowie remains a constant presence throughout the entirety of the charts, with the #70-#79 spots the only bracket of 10 in which one of his albums doesn't appear; the chameleonic crooner makes his remaining entries at #11 (The Best Of David Bowie 1969-1974), #14 (Hunky Dory), #17 (The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust), #18 (Best Of Bowie), #23 (Aladdin Sane), #25 (The Next Day), #31 (Low), #37 (Diamond Dogs), #42 (Let's Dance), #45 (Heroes), #55 (Station To Station), #59 (The Best Of David Bowie 1980-1987), #60 (Young Americans), #61 (Scary Monsters), #89 (The Man Who Sold The World), #95 (Space Oddity) and #97 (Five Years — 1969-1973), taking his total presence on the top 100 to one point shy of being worth a full fifth of the rankings.

The success doesn't quite translate over to the Singles chart, however, where Bieber claims three of the top five positions with Love Yourself at #1, Sorry at #3 (down from #2) and What Do You Mean at #4 (down from #3), while Shawn Mendes makes an upwards jump of a couple of rungs to take this week's #2 with Stitches. Aussie chanteuse Grace continues to do good business with the Brits, too, as You Don't Own Me, featuring G-Eazy, drops a smidge but hangs inside the top 10 at #7.

That said, it's not a landscape totally barren of Bowie's presence by any stretch — he still manages to make a considerable impact with Heroes (#12), Life On Mars (#16), Starman (#18), Let's Dance (#23), Space Oddity (#24), Under Pressure (with Queen, #43), Lazarus (#45), Changes (#49), Blackstar (#61), Ashes To Ashes (#62), Rebel Rebel (#65), Ziggy Stardust (#76) and China Girl (#97).