‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ soundtrack shoots to No. 1 on Billboard 200

Score another one for the veterans.

After last week’s strong chart showing by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Eric Clapton, the oldies-dominated soundtrack of “Guardians of the Galaxy� took the top spot Wednesday on the Billboard 200.

The 12-track album, which features vintage hits such as Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky� and 10cc’s “I’m Not in Love,� sold 109,000 copies in the week that ended Aug. 10, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That total was up 83% over the previous week, a boost almost certainly attributable to the superhero movie’s blockbuster opening over the weekend of Aug. 1-3. (The “Guardians� album, subtitled “Awesome Mix Vol. 1,� came out before the film, on July 29.)

As Billboard’s Keith Caulfield noted, the No. 1 showing follows the huge success of another soundtrack from the Disney Music Group: “Frozen,� which has sold over 3 million copies since its release in November. Unlike “Frozen,� though, “Guardians of the Galaxy� consists entirely of previously released songs -- the first such soundtrack to top the chart, Caulfield said.

Yet “Guardians� wasn’t the only set of familiar tunes to fare well on this week’s tally. At No. 2 with sales of 94,000 copies is “Now 51,� the latest installment in the “Now That’s What I Call Music!� series of hit compilations.

Other new albums entering the chart include Godsmack’s “1000HP� at No. 3, Spoon’s “They Want My Soul� at No. 4 and the Vamps’ “Somebody to You� at No. 10.

Twitter: @mikaelwood