ARETHA FRANKLIN ... she had one of the most striking and impressive voices of the 20th century. An American icon, called 'Queen Of Soul'. Between 1967 and 1987 Aretha was ten times on the Global Chart. On August 16, she passed away, aged 76... Goodbye, Aretha!

USA
Billboard Report (excerpt)
Paul McCartney earns first no.1 album in iver 36 years
Thuesday, September 18, 2018
by Keith Caulfield & Gary Trust, Los Angeles

Paul McCartney achieves his first No.1 album on the Billboard 200 chart in over 36 years, as his new studio effort, Egypt Station, bows atop the list. The set, which was released on

Sept. 7 via MPL/Capitol Records, launches with a larger-than-expected 153,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Sept. 13 according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 147,000 were in traditional album sales. Of Egypt Station’s 153,000 units, the majority were powered by traditional album sales: 147,000 copies sold. The remainder was comprised of SEA units (5,000) and TEA units (1,000). Egypt Station gives McCartney his eight No. 1 on the Billboard 200. He last led the list for three consecutive weeks in 1982 with Tug of War (on the May 29 through June 12-dated charts). McCartney’s tally of eight leaders includes his albums with Wings, some of which were credited to Paul McCartney & Wings (Red Rose Speedway; Band on the Run). Of course, McCartney is also a member of The Beatles, and they still own the record for the most No. 1s on the Billboard 200 with 19 chart-toppers. The Beatles last led the tally with the greatest hits

collection 1, which spent eight nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in December 2000 through February 2001. McCartney’s first No. 1 album came with his solo debut set McCartney, which topped the list dated May 23, 1970 and spent three weeks in a row at No. 1 (May 23 through June 6). Egypt Station ups McCartney’s span of No. 1s to 48 years, three months and 16 days. The longest span of No. 1s is owned by Barbra Streisand, with 51 years, nine months and 20 days between People in 1964 and Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway in 2016. Back on the new Billboard 200 chart, Eminem’s Kamikaze slips to No. 2 in its second chart week, earning 136,000 units (down 69 percent). Lauren Daigle makes a splashy debut at No. 3 with her new studio album, Look Up Child, earning the singer-songwriter her highest charting album and first top 10. Look Up Child, which also debuts at No. 1 on the Top Christian Albums chart, starts with 115,000 equivalent album units. That’s the largest overall week for a Christian music album in 2018, and the biggest for any Christian set since the charts began ranking albums by equivalent album units in late 2014. Of Daigle’s unit start, 103,000 are in traditional album sales — the biggest sales week for a Christian album in nearly nine years. The last Christian set to sell more copies in a single week was Casting Crowns’ Until the Whole World Hears (167,000; Dec. 5, 2009-dated chart). Look Up Child’s sales were enhanced by a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer and merchandise/album bundles, though the set also sold handsomely through traditional retail stores. Rapper Russ debuts at No. 4 with Zoo, entering with 79,000 units earned, of which 57,000 units were in traditional album sales -- both figures representing high-water marks for the artist. Like McCartney and Daigle, Russ also profited from a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer as well as merchandise/album bundle sales. Zoo is Russ’ second top 10, following his first studio effort for Columbia Records, There’s Really a Wolf, which debuted and peaked at No. 7 with 49,000 units (24,000 in album sales) on the chart dated May 27, 2017. Drake’s former No. 1 Scorpion falls 3-5 in its 11th week on the list, earning 71,000 units (down 9 percent). Mac Miller’s Swimming jumps back into the top 10, following Miller’s death on Sept. 7, as the album vaults 71-6 with 67,000 units (up 634 percent), of which 15,000 were in traditional album sales (up 874 percent). Swimming is Miller’s most recent studio release and debuted and peaked at No. 3 on the Aug. 18-dated chart. Travis Scott’s Astroworld falls 2-7 with 66,000 units (down 18 percent) and Post Malone’s beerbongs & bentleys dips 6-8 with 48,000 units (down 5 percent). Rap duo $uicideboy$ clock the third and final debut in the top 10, as the act’s I Want to Die in New Orleans begins at No. 9 with 46,000 units (31,000 in traditional album sales). The album -- the duo’s first visit to the Billboard 200 -- got a sales boost from a variety of merchandise/album bundles. Ariana Grande wraps up the new top 10, as her Sweetener album descends 5-10 with 44,000 units (down 21 percent). Drake's "In My Feelings" tallies a 10th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Sept. 22), granting the superstar yet another record: he leads the Hot 100 for an unprecedented 29th week in 2018, via his three No. 1s this year, passing Usher for the most time atop the chart in a single year. Usher tallied 28 weeks at No. 1 in 2004. Meanwhile, Drake becomes the first soloist, and second act overall, after Boyz II Men, with three songs that have topped the Hot 100 for at least 10 weeks each, as "Feelings" joins Drake's two other smashes that led for at least that long: "God's Plan," earlier this year, and "One Dance," featuring WizKid and Kyla, in 2016. "Feelings," released on Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records, is the 37th No. 1 (of 1,077 total) to reign for at least 10 weeks. It controls the Hot 100 despite not ranking at No. 1 in any individual metric for a second straight week, as it holds at No. 3 after eight weeks in charge of Streaming Songs, with 39.7 million U.S. streams, down 17 percent, in the week ending Sept. 13, according to Nielsen Music. "Feelings" falls 3-5 on the Digital Song Sales chart, which it led for six weeks (21,000 downloads sold, down 23 percent, in the week ending Sept. 13), and keeps at No. 5 on Radio Songs, where it reached No. 3 (84 million audience impressions, down 3 percent, in the week ending Sept. 16). Maroon 5's "Girls Like You," featuring Cardi B, ranks at its No. 2 Hot 100 high for a sixth week, while ruling Radio Songs for an eighth frame (123.5 million, down 1 percent), tying for the band's longest-leading No. 1; it matches the Radio Songs reigns of "One More Night" in 2012 and "Don't Wanna Know," featuring Kendrick Lamar, in 2016-17. "Girls" falls from No. 1 to No. 3 on Digital Song Sales (22,000, down 33 percent) and rebounds 9-7 on Streaming Songs (28.3 million, down 2 percent). Drake's "Feelings" narrowly tops Maroon 5's "Girls" on the Hot 100, with the former down 14 percent in overall activity and the latter down 7 percent. Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin's "I Like It" holds at No. 3 on the Hot 100; Post Malone's "Better Now" returns to its No. 4 peak from No. 5; and, Juice WRLD's No. 3-peaking "Lucid Dreams" rebounds 7-5.  COMPLETE CHARTS