YEEEEEESSSSSS!!
David Gray is now up their with Spiller/Sophie Ellis Bextor in keeping crap from the number one spot. What a personal blow to Mr. Cowell as well coming so soon after the unfavoured Will Young stays at no.1 for 2 weeks with his debut album and defeats GG at the National music awards. The slippery slope starts here.....................

Seems like Gareth's sympathy voters have lost their sympathy...

Good, pleased he didn't get to #1! - I can't say the same thing about the singles chart though, looking at who's #1.

He got number 2 in the Album Chart, it's highly unlikely this means his popularity is on the drop. Not by a long shot IMO. Chances are it's because David Gray has more fans than Gareth as David's music has much wider appeal, stretching to many age groups, when Gareth only sells music to 12 year old girls.

Pop Idol only ended this February hardly a lifetime ago, on the programme he was told on many occassions he was going to be a superstar, he is also in the middle of a sell-out tour yet a mere 9 months later he cannot outsell David Gray who has hardly done any publicity work for this album and who by any stretch of the imagination is not a "superstar" That is a definite cause for concern - that is why his management team arranged extra personal appearances for him at various record shops a definite act of desperation that didn't pay off . It has also been announced this month Pepsi are not renewing his contract with them for next year even though he is only 7 months into his current 12 month contract. He is definitely on the "drop" a few more no 1 singles, yes but in a few years it will be Buttons in Panto at the pavilion and live in Butlins, Skegness.

I for one am glad gareth didn't go to number 1 with his debut album especially having seen his video for suspicious minds. the dancing (if u can call it that) in that vid would make even the harden gareth gates fan cringe

Yes.. and apparently Will Youngs debut album sold 5 times as many in its first week as Gareth gates album did in its first week.

I think GG is short term, Will Young, I think, is going to be the exception for manufactured acts, and have big medium term (3-5years) ,at least, success.

I was glad to see that Gates was held off the number 1 spot by David Gray. I havent heard any of the new David Gray songs, but I can bet they will be better than anything on the pop idol losers LP.

It just shows that teenage girls are the bulk of the single buyers, and maybe cannot afford to buy albums. Maybe we should look to the album charts to give a true reflection of what is popular music. The Chilli Peppers and also the Foo Fighters have both held the top spot in the last month - decent bands making decent music.

I think this is definitely the case, REM one of my favourite bands have never had a no.1 single in this country yet 5 of their last 6 albums have gone straight in at no.1. The singles charts are becoming increasingly irrelevant. On the plus side these type of bands have much more worldwide appeal, Pearl Jam (another of my favourite bands) entered the singles chart this week at a measly 26 - their highest chart placing since 1998 yet they probably earn more money than GG, A1,Blue and westshite put together, another example of this is when a few years back a poll came out with which British star had earned the most money in the past year and Gavin Rossdale was no.1, trouncing the likes of Robbie Williams yet he probably couldnt get arrested in this country and was more famous to the teeny boppers for dating Gwen Stefani.

That is true, REM have produced some excellent albums that will still sound good in years to come. Their latest one is great, and the critics raved about it.


Agreed - another top band who consistently make good records. Their new album Riot Act is out on November 11th (next monday) and from what I have heard so far it is very good. I just had a though of Gareth Gates singing Pearl Jam's classic song 'Alive' - can you imagine it - what a horrible thought.

Death to manufactured pop.........

U2 will hit the top spot this weekend with their Best Of 1990-2000

If it was David Gray Vs Will Young, who do you think would have won that one?

Of course, what you all forget is that No. 2 is still a very respectable chart position, particularly when you take into account that Gareth's fan base tend to buy singles rather than albums.

Singles are aimed at prepubescent girls - thats always been the case . The more 'credible' bands (if thats what you want to call them) have always focused on albums instead - someone mentioned R.E.M., who are a prime example of this. And I can think of loads of others - off the top of my head, U2, Pink Floyd (especially)..

It fairly gets on my tits when musical snobs come on and decry manufactured music, when its not even aimed at them!!

Exactally, you see bands like Slipknot, Korn & Linkin Park getting high album ratings, but not too good with singles. You have to remember Singles are more tenny bobbing stuff, and Albums are more for bands who write & play their own music. I personally don't think the fact that Gareth has a number 2 album means his musical career is going down the pan, same in the fact that bands like korn don't chart to well in Singles. You also notice many pop bands remix the songs from the album versions (or something similar) for single release or relelase a CD1 and a CD2 to try and get people to buy the singles where proper artists don't do this, hence people who have the album don't see the need to buy the single.

This thread was not aimed at slagging off "manufactured" music it was more designed at rejoicing that the hype of the "pop sensation of the year" (as used in the advertising for the album) has been soundly beaten by someone with more talent but a smaller marketing campaign, indeed, I was very happy to see Will Young at number 1 'cos frankly he can sing.

Glad it's happened. Also Simon Cowell will be cursing himself. Will Young gets to number 1 for two weeks and Gareth doesn't ha.

Yeah, that's why Pop acts don't tend to stay around all that long.

The "real" bands make much more money through album sales and gigs.

Don't think he will be complaining that loudly, especially when his split of the income from both albums arrives.

Yeah, but it'll still hurt a little though, personal pride and all that, first he called Will Young's light my fire "distinctly average" but what happens when he releases it? straight to number 1. He then is totally biased to GG all the way through pop idol only for the public to vote for Will by a margin of 500,000. I then heard him proclaim on TV on the eve of GG releasing unchained melody that he predicted it to sell more than Will Youngs evergreen - it didnt. You would think he would get the message by now.

first week sales figures. (from various sources on google)


Will Young-180,00
David Gray - 117,000
Gareth Gates - 107,000