Chart Listings: BB200: Prince #1, #2, #6

The Very Best of Prince marks the Purple One’s fifth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, and first since 3121 debuted atop the list on April 8, 2006, spending one week at No. 1.

The Very Best of Prince earned 179,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 21 (up 10,872 percent compared to the previous week). Of that sum, 100,000 were in traditional album sales (up 11,232 percent). As for Purple Rain, it shifted 69,000 units (63,000 in pure album sales; up 3,101 percent).

Another Prince set hits the top 10, as his triple album The Hits/The B-Sides re-enters at No. 6 with 41,000 units (up 8,203 percent), with 24,000 of that sum in album sales (up 10,351 percent). The album originally debuted and peaked at No. 19 on Oct. 2, 1993.

The three titles are also the Nos. 1, 2 and 7 selling albums of the week, as reflected on the Top Album Sales chart (which tallies the week’s best selling albums).

Incredibly, in the week ending April 21, Prince’s overall catalog of albums sold 256,000 copies — an increase of 5,298 percent compared to the previous week (5,000).

In addition to his trio of titles in the top 10, Prince also returns to the chart with 1999 (No. 31), another greatest hits package, Ultimate (No. 61), Sign ‘O’ the Times (No. 95), HITnRun: Phase One (No. 147) and his self-titled album (No. 160).

Here are some fast facts about Prince on the new Billboard 200 chart:
– Prince’s Fifth No. 1 Album
– First Act With Nos. 1 & 2 Albums in More Than 10 Years
– The First Greatest Hits Album at No. 1 since 2007
– Purple Rain’s 100th Week on the Chart
– 18 Top 10 Albums
– Eight Prince Albums Are on the Billboard 200