Album Sweep: November 10, 2012 - Part One...

Hey gang, it's time to kick off the first half of this week's "album sweep", where I sample the new records making their way on to the Top 200 Albums chart in Billboard magazine. I've also included links to buy anything on Amazon mp3 if you hear anything you like...

Taylor Swift scores not only the #1 album in the country with Red, but the biggest sales week for a country album with over 1.2 million copies sold. Well, it's biggest with an asterisk of course, since half of the album is country, while the rest is generic pop and acoustic rock. Add to that the controversy over the single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" commanding the #1 spot on the Country Songs list even though it's in no way shape or form a country record (even if Big Machine paid Clear Channel enough to briefly play the song on their country stations). Not to knock the quality of the album, but the whole deciding on genres leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. And whether or not the editors at the magazine want to admit it, this whole mess is exactly the same as when the Grammys started the heavy metal category and gave the first award to Jethro Tull.

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Without Swift's crazy sales figure (according to Paul Grein Red's sold more than the next 52 records combined), newcomer Kendrick Lamar's sophomore album good kid, m.A.A.d city would be a big story selling over 200,000 copies in its first week, a real respectable number for a rapper with not a big public profile. He settles though for the #2 spot this time...

Coming in at #5 is the iconic classic pop vocalist Tony Bennett, who has been on the US albums chart since 1957's Tony. His latest is his third "duets" album, this time with stars in Latin Music like Christina Aguilera and Marc Anthony, and it's Viva Duets...

Guitarist Gary Clark Jr. has his biggest album yet at #6 with Blak And Blu....

Alt-metal group Stone Sour have their third top-10 album in a row with House Of Gold & Bones: Part 1, which comes in at #7...

This week's biggest-selling holiday album is by country trio Lady Antebellum, with On This Winter's Night, which arrives at #9. It's their second Christmas set; their A Merry Little Christmas went to #12 in 2010...

Dance music superstars Swedish House Mafia comes in at #14 with their second album Until Now, which has all seven of their charted club hits plus special guests Florence + The Machine, Coldplay, and Usher...

 Texan heavy metal outfit The Sword enter at #17 with their fourth album, The Aprocryphon, and score their first top-40 album....

Michigan-based "horrorcore" hip-hop duo Twiztid pop in at #18 just in time for Halloween with their ninth album, Abominationz. The guys took W.I.C.K.E.D. to #11 in 2009...

DisneyTV star Bridgit Mendler's debut album Hello My Name Is... arrives at #30...

The soundtrack to the Russell Crowe/Lucy Liu martial arts film The Man With The Iron Fists enters at #31. It's produced by Wu-Tang Clan's RZA, and contains songs from the Black Keys, Kanye West, Corinne Bailey Rae, and various Wu-members...

Minneapolis native P.O.S.(real name Stefon Alexander) is at #47 with his fourth and biggest album yet, We Don't Even Live Here...(NSFW)

Proving the growing influence of video gaming on the music world, the soundtrack to Halo 4 debuts at #50. It's the biggest first week of any video game set, and it's even just the instrumental score...

Christian-tinged rock act Further Seems Forever are at #62 with fourth (and biggest) set, Penny Black...

British singer/songwriter Bat For Lashes, born Natasha Khan, sees her UK top-10 album The Haunted Man come in at #64...

American synthrock group Shiny Toy Guns are at #69 with their third album, III....

That does it for this half of the new stuff...out of these the three I would most recommend are the Bat For Lashes, Shiny Toy Guns, and Swedish House Mafia sets...

I'll return tomorrow with the second half of this week's album sweep, with more music from Peter Gabriel, Colbie Caillat, and more. In the meantime, tonight I'll bring you the latest in England on Brit Sweep. See you then!