Green Day holds onto No. 1 album ranking

Make what you will of the fact that, in the days leading up to George W. Bush’s inauguration, the top-selling album for the past two weeks has been Green Day’s polemical rock opera American Idiot. With a marginal sales boost to 100,000 this week, according to SoundScan, it’s one of just two albums in the Billboard top 10 that saw sales increases during an otherwise dismal sales week. The other was Shania Twain’s Greatest Hits, up four spots to No. 3 this week on sales of 74,000.

Holding at No. 2 was Eminem’s Encore, which sold another 84,000 copies. Also remaining in place at No. 4 was John Legend, selling another 73,000 copies of Get Lifted. Falling two notches to fifth place was Crunk Juice by Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz, who sold another 70,000 discs.

On the eve of a new season of American Idol, first-season winner Kelly Clarkson saw her Breakaway rise four places to No. 6. Usher’s unstoppable Confessions regained two spots to finish in seventh place. Staying at No. 8 was Jay-Z and Linkin Park’s mash-up album Collision Course. Falling four rungs to No. 9 was Ludacris’ recent chart champ RedLight District. Climbing one spot to return to the top 10 was 10th-place finisher NOW That’s What I Call Music! Vol. 17.