Coldplay Earns First Billboard 200 No. 1

Coldplay's third studio album becomes the band's first career chart-topper and leads a pack of highly anticipated summer sets arriving on this week's Billboard 200. With U.S. sales of 737,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the U.K. act's "X&Y" (Capitol) greatly distanced itself from new releases from the Black Eyed Peas, the White Stripes and Shakira, all of whom nonetheless saw career-best sales.

The U.S. start for "X&Y" comes on the heels of Coldplay notching the second-highest first week sales in British chart history after its June 6 Parlophone release.

"X&Y" posted the second-biggest U.S. debut of 2005, behind 50 Cent's "The Massacre" (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope), which bowed with 1.14 million in March. It's also the biggest week for a rock band since U2's "How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" (Interscope) began with 840,000 units in November 2004.

The title, which will be supported by a North American tour opening Aug. 2 in Toronto, is Coldplay's follow-up to 2002's "A Rush of Blood to the Head," which debuted at No. 5 on The Billboard 200 with sales of 141,000 units and has sold 3.8 million to date.The Black Eyed Peas open at No. 2 with "Monkey Business" (A&M/Interscope), which sold 291,000 copies -- career bests in one-week sales and chart position. In 2003, the group's "Elephunk" opened at No. 33 with sales of 31,000. It later posted its best week with 59,000 copies and peaked at No. 14; the set has sold 2.7 million to date.

The 189,000 copy/No. 3 start for the White Stripes' "Get Behind Me Satan" (V2) surpasses the peaks of 2003's "Elephant, which topped out at No. 6 and opened with 126,000. That breakthrough set has sold 1.7. million to date. The first "Satan" single, "Blue Orchid," jumps 9-7 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks tally this week.

Despite a recent ban by retail chain Ritmo Latino, Shakira's "Fijacion Oral, Volumen 1" (Epic) saw the largest Stateside sales week for a Spanish-language album since Nielsen SouncScan began tracking in 1991. The 157,000-copy bow, which places the set at No. 4 on The Billboard 200, greatly surpasses Ricky Martin's "Almas de Silencio" (Sony International), which was the previous record-holder with 65,000 in 2003.

This isn't the highest Billboard 200 chart position for the Colombian songstress, however. In 2001, her English-language disc "Laundry Service" opened at No. 3 on the chart with sales of 202,000 copies. The album has sold 3.3 million to date.

With the first four slots taken by new titles, Mariah Carey's "The Emancipation of Mimi" (Island/Def Jam) falls 1-5 a week after reclaiming The Billboard 200 throne. The album, which has spent two non-consecutive weeks on top, has the dubious honor of leading the landslide of remaining top 10 albums with its 12% sales tumble to 151,000.

System Of A Down's "Mezmerize" (American/Columbia) falls 2-6 on a 27% slip to 86,000; Toby Keith's "Honkytonk University" (DreamWorks Nashville) drops 4-7 with a 16% dip to 72,000; Gwen Stefani's "Love, Angel, Music, Baby" (Interscope) drops 5-8 with a 15% decrease to 71,000; Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" (RCA) holds at No. 9 despite a 4% dip to 66,000; and Audioslave's "Out of Exile" (Interscope/Epic) slides 3-10 on a 34% slide to 65,000.

Outside of the top tier, Side One Dummy's "Vans Warped Tour 2005" compilation bows at No. 13 with 53,000 units. The two-disc set, which features such acts as Atreyu, Flogging Molly, Fall Out Boy and Dropkick Murphys, comes up short of last year's effort, which started at No. 8 with 61,000 and has sold 345,000 to date.

Other top 50 debuts this week are Finch's "Say Hello to Sunshine" (Drive-Thru, No. 24); Jodeci's "Back to the Future: The Very Best of Jodeci" (Universal, No. 27); Avenged Sevenfold's "City of Evil" (Warner Bros., No. 30); Dream Theater's "Octavarium" (Atlantic, No. 36); and a Pat Benatar greatest hits set (Capitol, No. 47).

Overall U.S. album sales were up 6.8% over the previous week at 11 million units, just slightly (0.2%) lower than the same week last year. At 250 million units, sales for 2005 lag behind those of last year by 8%.