iTunes Chart Watch: Taylor Swift and Arcade Fire #1, The Black Crowes’ Croweology Charts

I’ll be doing this week’s iTunes Chart Watch in better humor than is the norm, once again thanking my stars for the albums chart.  I’ve about gotten to the point where I don’t even look at the singles.  I find nothing but disappointment there week after week.  Case in point: Taylor Swift.  She got hammered for her performance on an award show because she couldn’t have been much more out of tune.  Fast forward and her new single is already #1.  I don’t get it, people.  I really don’t.

On to the albums… Arcade Fire tops this week’s charts with The Suburbs.  I’ve not listened extensively to AF, being more familiar with them by name.  They’ve built a large following of adoring fans in indie-rock circles and have attained a certain amount of credibility with the new cognoscenti.  That doesn’t make them good but I find their presence refreshing.

What does make me happy is seeing The Black Crowes’ Croweology on the charts.  This 2-disc – for those of us who still buy our music on CDs – set features 20 songs, mostly acoustic arrangements of previous Crowes songs.  This is a little love letter to fans who have supported the band for 20 years.  It’s also being offered to tide fans over as the band prepares for an extended break so the different members can resume solo careers, side projects, and vacation.  It’s a terrific collection.  Hardcore fans must have it and even some casual fans will find it enjoyable.

iTunes’ top 10 selling singles of the week ending Aug. 9, 2010:

1. “Mine” – Taylor Swift
2. “Love the Way You Lie” – Eminem
3. “Dynamite” – Taio Cruz
4. “I Like It” – Enrique Iglesias
5. “Teenage Dream” – Katy Perry
6. “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” – Usher
7. “California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg)” – Katy Perry
8. “Cooler Than Me” – Mike Posner
9. “Ridin’ Solo” – Jason Derulo
10. “Magic (feat. Rivers Cuomo)” – B.o.B

iTunes’ top 10 selling albums of the week ending Aug. 9, 2010:

1. The Suburbs – Arcade Fire
2. Recovery – Eminem
3. The Remix – Lady GaGa
4. A Thousand Suns – Linkin Park
5. Nightmare – Avenged Sevenfold
6. Trill O.G. – Bun B
7. Croweology – The Black Crowes
8. Step Up 3D (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Various Artists
9. Hear Me Now – Secondhand Serenade
10. Sigh No More – Mumford & Sons