wtf? nobody releases new records at christmas?!?! except for crappy christmas albums, of course.

Here’s a rule of thumb: the chief exec of HMV is a cunt and everything he says is bullshit.

Two reasons for HMV woes, CDwow and Amazon.

And a third which is probably even more important this time of year, Tesco’s. Maybe HMV should start selling chrismas pudding and turkeys.

3 doors down (approx) from the HMV in Bristol is a brand spanking new Fopp.

let the countdown begin...

Fopp really have pwned HMV, haven’t they?

The Acoustic Ladyland album came out a couple of weeks ago and that’s the most exciting bloody record to come out this year.

Memo to HMV: it isn’t 1995 any more.

FALSE.

He looks like Sting now.

He does!

I can’t wait for HMV to go bust so I can tap-dance on they grave.

“It’s not as impressive, with Take That at number one,” he added.

Don’t mention Acoustic Ladyland because Emma tells me my copy wont be here for Xmas.

Ah yes, the standard “didn’t press up enough copies/pressing plant’s gone on holiday” dilemma.

How’s that U2 “Greatest Hits” vs Oasis “Greatest Hits” battle doing anyway? Hello? Hello?...welp, the phone’s gone dead.

astonishes me that a brand new BEATLES comp, a U2 comp, a ROBBIE album, an OASIS best of and the TAKE THAT comeback could be considered less likely to get the ca$h registers ringing than...whatever was out last year.

My idiotic parents got their Robbie Williams album for Christmas...FROM A DODGY FRIEND WHO BURNT IT ONTO CD AFTER SAID DODGY FRIEND DOWNLOADED IT FROM THE INTERNET. MUSIC PIRACY IS MAINSTREAM NOW, SON.

Then again, they’ve both purchased each other the Beatles comp without realising it so I guess that makes up for it.

Music piracy is hella mainstream. My old man borrows John Denver comps from his local library and burns them, I think he’s got the entire Easy Listening section by now.

Let’s see; an underwhelming Official Beatles cut-and-paste job, a bleeding obvious U2 compilation for David Cameron fans, a Robbie album as useless as all his other ones apart from the greatest hits one, an Oasis compilation when you could buy the first two albums plus the previous B-sides comp at less overall cost with no noticeable difference, and an underwhelming, bland MoR Take That comeback album, not to mention the seventh identikit album by elderly boyband Westlife.

I can easily understand how people could fail to get excited about any of that lot.

THIS IS WHAT HMV SELLS, DUDE

Also, and it physically hurts me to say this, “Lovelight” is my single of the year.

1 1 (3) Take That

Beautiful World

(Polydor)

2 2 (4) Oasis

Stop The Clocks

(Big Brother)

3 3 (4) Westlife

The Love Album

(S)

4 4 (3) Il Divo

Siempre

(Syco Music)

5 5 (4) U2

U218 Singles

(Mercury)

6 6 (4) Beatles

Love

(Apple)

7 14 (33) Snow Patrol

Eyes Open

(Fiction)

8 7 (7) Girls Aloud

The Sound Of—The Greatest Hits

(Fascination)

9 8 (5) George Michael

Twenty Five

(Aegean)

10 10 (6) Jamiroquai

High Times—Singles 1992–2006

(Columbia)

TW LW Wks ARTIST TITLE (LABEL)1–10 | 11–20 | 21–30 | 31–40

11 13 (13) Scissor Sisters

Ta-Dah

(Polydor)

12 9 (4) Fron Male Voice Choir

Voices Of The Valley

(UCJ)

13 15 (22) Razorlight

Razorlight

(Vertigo)

14 16 (20) James Morrison

Undiscovered

(Polydor)

15 11 (5) Sugababes

Overloaded—The Singles Collection

(Island)

16 12 (37) Pink

I’m Not Dead

(Laface)

17 17 (13) Fratellis

Costello Music

(Fallout)

18 18 (6) Paul Weller

Hit Parade

(Island/polydor)

19 19 (6) Katherine Jenkins

Serenade

(UCJ)

20 20 (11) Killers

Sam’s Town

(Vertigo)

TW LW Wks ARTIST TITLE (LABEL)1–10 | 11–20 | 21–30 | 31–40

21 36 (15) Take That

Never Forget—The Ultimate Collection

(RCA)

22 24 (8) Rod Stewart

Still The Same—Great Rock Classics Of

(J)

23 21 (6) Angelis

Angelis

(Syco Music)

24 25 (21) Paolo Nutini

These Streets

(Atlantic)

25 22 (14) Justin Timberlake

Futuresex / Lovesounds

(Jive)

26 28 (4) Lemar

The Truth About Love

(White Rabbit)

27 RE

(-) Amy Winehouse

Back To Black

(Island)

28 27 (8) Robbie Williams

Rudebox

(Chrysalis)

29 37 (10) Luther Vandross

The Ultimate

(J)

30 NEW

(-) Neil Diamond

The Best Of

(UMTV)

TW LW Wks ARTIST TITLE (LABEL)1–10 | 11–20 | 21–30 | 31–40

31 RE

(-) Aerosmith

The Very Best Of

(Columbia/ Geffen)

32 33 (6) Cliff Richard

Two’s Company—The Duets

(EMI)

33 34 (14) Beyonce

B’day

(Columbia)

34 35 (2) Andrea Bocelli

Amore

(Sugar/UCJ)

35 30 (27) The Feeling

Twelve Stops And Home

(Island)

36 23 (42) Kooks

Inside In/ Inside Out

(Virgin)

37 RE

(-) Lionel Richie & The Commodores

The Definitive Collection

(UMTV)

38 RE

(-) Meat Loaf

Bat Out Of Hell 3—The Monster Is Loose

(Mercury)

39 31 (5) All Angels

All Angels

(UCJ)

40 NEW

(-) Gloria Estefan

The Very Best Of

(Epic)

One good album in there.

You are too hard on the Take That, but I’ve not listened to it enough to wholesale love it yet.

yes yes i know that mp3 downloading has been mainstream since ’02/’03 i was meaning *on his terms* 2005 can’t be considered worse *for cd buyers* than 2006.

38 RE

(-) Meat Loaf

Bat Out Of Hell 3—The Monster Is Loose

(Mercury)

thats officially a disaster for MEAT isn’t it? i mean a *disaster*.

Bad For Good is really, really uh good.

Well, it seems to be a re-entry.

9 Meat Loaf Bat Out Of Hell Mar 1978

12 Meat Loaf Bat Out Of Hell (re-entry) Jul 1991

1 Meat Loaf Bat Out Of Hell II—Back Into Hell Sep 1993

14 Meat Loaf Bat Out Of Hell—Live With The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Oct 2004 Notes

3 Meat Loaf Bat Out Of Hell 3—The Monster Is Loose Nov 2006 Notes

38 Meat Loaf Bat Out Of Hell 3—The Monster Is Loose (re-entry) Dec 2006

bootsy has a xmas album this year

good things in that top 40 -

8 7 (7) Girls Aloud

The Sound Of—The Greatest Hits

(Fascination)

15 11 (5) Sugababes

Overloaded—The Singles Collection

(Island)

21 36 (15) Take That

Never Forget—The Ultimate Collection

(RCA)

25 22 (14) Justin Timberlake

Futuresex / Lovesounds

(Jive)

27 RE

(-) Amy Winehouse

Back To Black

(Island)

29 37 (10) Luther Vandross

The Ultimate

(J)

33 34 (14) Beyonce

B’day

(Columbia)

Girls Aloud yes.

Sugababes yes if it had been original singles not Menudo-style re-recordings.

Take That Greatest Hits fair enough.

Justin—doesn’t go far enough and too many gloopy ballads in the second half.

Amy—2006’s Carmel.

Luther OK except for that yeucchy paedo song about dancing with his dad.

Beyonce gives me a HEADACHE!

eat Loaf Bat Out Of Hell—Live With The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Oct 2004 Notes

haha is that genuine?

Yes. My hairdresser was in the audience.

there are only three gloopy ballads on the justin album!

I’m waiting for DJ Martian to post his list of 1400 essential albums released this Christmas.

HMV has called suppliers to an urgent meeting on Monday, the same day as the troubled entertainment chain is due to tell the City it has racked up first half losses of nearly £40m and its busy Christmas trading period has failed to provide the hoped-for bounce in sales.

One supplier told the Guardian it had stopped trading with the group in recent months rather than risk not getting paid if it encounters financial difficulties while others have asked for stringent terms such as payments in advance.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/dec/16/hmv-half-year-losses

closing in january then?

Guess who bought his brother in law a £20 HMV gift voucher for Christmas.

these vouchers are never honoured if they go into admin. Its a disgrace they’re allowed to do that.

Yes, tempted to go back and use it for some blurays or something tangible.

might be wise, once the xmas hols are over they might just disappear.

Sounds pretty much exactly like what happened to Tower Records when they closed.