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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS TOP US CHARTS FOR THE FIRST TIME:

May 17, 2006

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Funk-rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers topped the U.S. charts for the first time in its 22-year history on Wednesday, whileNeil Young’s tirade againstPresident Bush failed to do much for his sales.

The veteran Canadian rocker’s “Living With War” opened at No. 15 with sales of 60,000 units in the week ended May 14, according to data from Nielsen SoundScan. His last album, “Prairie Wind,” started at No. 11 last September with 72,000 copies sold its first week.

The Chili Peppers’ two-disc set, “Stadium Arcadium,” opened with sales of 442,500 copies, a record for the Los Angeles-based quartet.

Its previous best was 282,000 for its last studio release, “By The Way,” which opened at No. 2 in 2002. The band’s biggest commercial success was the 1999 album “Californication,” with sales of 5.3 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

“Stadium Arcadium” was also tops in Austria, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland,Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland, the band’s spokeswoman said. In the United Kingdom, it marked the group’s third No. 1. The band is more popular in Europe than at home.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Young both record for Warner Music Group Inc..

“Living With War,” featuring the single “Let’s Impeach the President,” did do better than Young’s 2003 concept album “Greendale,” which opened at No. 22 with 42,000 copies.

In 2002, his September 11-related “Are You Passionate?” opened at No. 10, albeit with 56,000 copies sold. That marked his best start since 1995’s “Mirror Ball,” a collaboration with Pearl Jam, which debuted at No. 5 with 98,000 copies.

Another veteran had more to smile about.Paul Simon’s latest album, “Surprise,” opened at No. 14 with 61,000 copies. It marked his highest chart rank since Nielsen SoundScan began tabulating sales in 1991. He also records for Warner Music.

Courtesy of www.reuters.com