Lana Del Rey has been confirmed by the Official Charts Company to have the highest-selling vinyl so far this year in the UK.
The announcement is further proof the singer is in demand in the UK after having been announced as the final headliner for the Hyde Park BST festival.
Her ninth LP Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd has shifted 21,000 copies on the older format since being released last month, placing her ahead of a string of big names.
Gorillaz are second with Cracker Island, and Paramore are sixth with This is Why, as Depeche Mode’s Memento Mori and Inhaler’s Cuts & Bruises round out the top 10. All four were released in 2023.
But the majority of the rest of the list comprises older albums. Pink Floyd’s live album from a 1974 concert is fourth, and Taylor Swift’s 2022 offering Midnights is fifth. Courteeners have reissued St Jude in 2023 and it is in third, after making history by taking number one on a weekly sales chart a full 15 years after it was originally released.
However, the order could be shaken up with news that Pink has recorded the strongest first-week sales of the year so far with her record, Trustfall.
New Order have claimed the best-selling vinyl single of 2023 so far, with a 12-inch re-release of 1985 song The Perfect Kiss hitting the top spot.
Scottish alt-rock band Frightened Rabbit earned three entries in the singles list, thanks to the tenth anniversary celebration of their major label debut Pedestrian Verse.
The top 10 vinyl albums of 2023 so far
1. Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd — Lana Del Rey
Lizzy Grant has released nine albums under her stage name and Ocean Blvd is the most expansive yet, clocking in at 77 minutes. The long-running time did not put off criticism, however, with Metacritic finding it achieved 80 out of 100 in total. It also debuted at number one in the UK - her sixth in the country - with 10,000 CD sales, 21,000 vinyl pressings, and even 2,500 cassettes.
2. Cracker Island — Gorillaz
Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s virtual band have now released eight albums, as many as Albarn’s original band Blur. Cracker Island invites the listener to hear the ways of The Last Cult, which “members” Murdoc, Noodle, Russel and 2D have joined. There are features from Thundercat, Stevie Nicks and Tame Impala.
3. St Jude — The Courteeners
The Manchester indie rock band re-released their 2008 debut on vinyl which secured them their first number one. It represented the longest time between release and climbing the summit in UK chart history. The band had previously released an orchestra version of St Jude to mark its tenth anniversary in 2008.
4. The Dark Side Of The Moon, Live at Wembley 1974 — Pink Floyd
An iconic concert that saw the band perform much of the legendary album at Wembley Empire, now known as Wembley Arena. The performance was towards the end of their 1974 tour in promotion of The Dark Side of the Moon and a high point in their career.
5. Midnights - Taylor Swift
Released in October last year, Midnights has been one of the best-received albums of Swifts’s career. Its inclusion is another coup for Lana Del Rey, who is a featured vocalist on the fourth track Snow on the Beach.
6. This Is Why — Paramore
The US rock band reportedly channelled British indie influences into their sixth studio album - their first since After Laughter in 2017. It reached the top spot of the British chart upon release in February.
7. The Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
The original 1973 album led to the tour (above).
8. Rumours — Fleetwood Mac
Another oldie but goodie, the 1977 album has rarely dropped out of public consciousness upon release. It has an almost unheard-of 100/100 rating on Metacritic. A perk in interest recently might have been brought about by news of the death of Christine McVie, who passed in November 2022.
9. Memento Mori — Depeche Mode
The band’s fifteenth studio record was a long-awaited one for fans as it represented their first release since 2017. Still going strong after more than 40 years, the band have just set off on a world tour but the composition came at a difficult time with the now duo losing founding member Andy Fletcher last May.
10. Cuts & Bruises — Inhaler
The newest band on the list, Inhaler released their second LP in February having broken into the mainstream during the pandemic. Frontman Elijah Hewson can claim family bragging rights over his dad, Bono, with Cuts & Bruises pipping U2’s album of rearranged classics Songs of Surrender to the top ten of vinyl sales.
