Chart Watch: Final Episode

May 30, 2001 -- TOP 10: There can only be one explanation: Fred Durst has the Midas Touch. How else could a band such as Staind, plucked from obscurity by the Limp Bizkit frontman, sell 716,003 copies of its new album, Break the Cycle, in a single week? In fact, not only does the album take the No. 1 spot on the charts, but it becomes the biggest single-week U.S. sales total in 2001. To date, of course — let's face it, 'N Sync has an album due later this summer.

Following Staind is last week's No. 1, Tool's first album in five years, Lateralus, with sales of more than 197,000. Destiny's Child sells another 175,000 copies of Survivor at No. 3, while Redman's Malpractice bows at No. 4, selling more than 147,000. Missy Elliott's new one, Miss E … So Addictive, sells 136,000 at No. 5, followed by Janet Jackson's All for You, which moves another 111,000 copies at No. 6.

Coming in at No. 7, once again, is the sixth volume of the Now That's What I Call Music series, which sells 110,000. The Moulin Rouge soundtrack sells almost 99,000 at No. 8 — not bad for a film that hasn't even hit wide release. Weezer's latest self-titled joint sells another 96,000 at No. 9, begging the question of whether a cult album can still sell a lot of copies, and Tyrese's 2000 Watts makes its debut at No. 10, selling more than 91,000 copies.

ALMOST FAMOUS: This week's No. 11 is another new album, Static-X's Machine, which sells 83,000 copies.

NOTABLE DEBUTS: Bon Jovi's new live set sells more than 55,000 copies at No. 20, while the Pearl Harbor soundtrack, led by the new Faith Hill single, sells more than 39,000 at No. 31. City High sells more than 34,000 of its self-titled album at No. 34, while Avalon's Oxygen sells 33,000 at No. 37. Stabbing Westward's new self-titled effort comes in at No. 47, selling almost 29,000. Much, much farther down, we find the final Whiskeytown album, Pneumonia, which sells just 8,570 copies at No. 158.

SO LONG: So, this is it. My final rendition of Chart Watch. Actually, it's the final rendition of Chart Watch. By now, most of you know that Wall of Sound is shutting down this Friday. Really. For those of you that have written in asking why, well, it's the economy, stupid. But here's the sentimental side of things: I've been working on Wall of Sound since before Day One, and since then, I've been lucky enough to watch it grown from an unknown commodity to one of the most successful music Web magazines around, even though, for the most part Wall of Sound had no more than three people putting it together on any given day.

So … so long. I'll be taking a little break, but with any luck, you'll see my byline somewhere before long. Either that, or I'll be the guy making your latte by the end of September. Thanks for stopping by. You can reach me at the corner bar, a sandy beach, or anderswright@yahoo.com.