Album Sweep: November 30, 2013 - Part One...

Hey guys, I'm ready to bring out the first half of this week's "album sweep" sampling the records making their first appearance on Billboard magazine's Top 200 Albums chart this week. As usual I've included links to buy anything if possible, but if you can, make your way to an indie record store, you can find a bunch of holiday presents there!

The top-selling album of the week belongs to Lady Gaga, whose third full-length studio album ARTPOP sold over a quarter-million copies to become her second #1 album after Born This Way...

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The 48th edition of the NOW! That's What I Call Music series arrives at #3. It's the first NOW album in a year to sell over 100 thousand in its first week..Nine of the tracks are top-10 pop hits in the US...

On Air: Live At The BBC Volume 2 by the Beatles becomes the best band ever's 31st top-10 album at #7. The first Live At The BBC went to #3 in 1994 (and reappears this week at #34)...

Alt-R&B newcomer Jhene Aiko debuts at #8 with her EP Sail Out...

Country singer Kellie Pickler comes in at #19 with her fourth album The Woman I Am. Her first three made the top ten on the big chart, with her last 100 Proof going to #7 last year...

Las Vegas modern rock band the Killers offer up their Direct Hits compilation at #20. All four of their regular studio albums went top-10, with their second Sam's Town peaking in the #2 spot in 2006...

NOW! That's What I Call Disney 2 enters that chart at #27. The first edition came in at #34 last year.

Rapper and half of the duo UGK, Bun B, rides in at #30 with Trill O.G.: The Epilogue, his fourth studio album. The other three made the top ten, with 2008's II Trill going to #2..

The various artists album Ellen's I'm Gonna Make You Dance: Jams, a tie-in to her popular afternoon talk show, dances in at #38. It has a dozen selections from Macklemore, Usher, Madonna, and more..

The top-selling new holiday album of the week belongs to Tamar Braxton with Winter Loversland at #43. It follows her #2 Love and War from this year. Her sister Toni's holiday set Snowflakes went to #119 in 2001...

The Starbucks store holiday collection Tis The Season rings in at #51. It has tracks from Frank Sinatra, the Cocteau Twins, and more...

And for a complete 180, metalcore band Lamb Of God roar in at #64 with the 10th anniversary re-release of their indie-label album As The Palaces Burn. They've had three top-ten albums, with Wrath reaching #2 in 2009...

That's it for the first half of the new crop....out of this dozen the three I would pick first are the Lady Gaga, Beatles, and Kellie Pickler sets...

I'll return tomorrow with the second batch with new stuff from a veteran ska-punk band and a soundtrack to catch 'em all with.