Soundtracks Rule The Charts

07/02/1998 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(7/2/98) - Summer blockbuster films aren't only knocking 'em dead at the box office, they've spawned some of the biggest albums of the season.

On the new album chart the City Of Angels soundtrack stays on top for the second consecutive week, with sales of 145,000 units. Meanwhile, Armageddon, fueled by Aerosmith's "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing," debuts at No. 4, with sales of 112,000. Other soundtracks in the top 10 include Hope Floats at No. 5, Godzilla at No. 6, and Bulworth, which climbs to No. 10.

Other film-related albums making moves include Mulan, which rockets from No. 68 to No. 29, and Can't Hardly Wait, which jumps from No. 36 to No. 27.

Elsewhere in the top 10, both Master P and Brandy are showing staying power. P's MP Da Last Don moves up to No. 2, with sales of 120,000, while Brandy's Never Say Never slips to No. 3. Rounding out the top 10 is the Backstreet Boys' self-titled release at No. 7, Will Smith's Big Willie Style at No. 8, and Shania Twain's Come On Over at No. 9.

Impressive debuts include the Brian Setzer Orchestra's The Dirty Boogie, checking at No. 47, and another posthumous Sublime release entitled Stand By Your Van, which debuts at No. 49. Mermaid Avenue, which features Billy Bragg and Wilco performing new music to lyrics written by Woody Guthrie, checks in at No. 90.

In the lower rungs of the Billboard 200, two veteran artists make disappointing debuts this week. Lionel Richie's Time bows at No. 159, while Linda Ronstadt's We Ran enters at No. 159.