Pop Album Chart : Brooks Fends Off the Competition

It looks as if it will take more than a sexy album to bring down Garth Brooks. Madonna’s “Erotica” album, which entered the chart at No. 2, slipped to No. 4. That was probably her best shot to overtake “The Chase.” With his “Timeless” album climbing to No. 2, Michael Bolton mounted his strongest challenge to Brooks. Bolton got a big sales boost from his recent TV special. His old “Time, Love and Tenderness” also benefited, jumping from No. 59 to No. 30. The “Beauty and the Beast” soundtrack is on the rise again--No. 72 to No. 43--thanks to the recent home video premiere of the animated movie. It’s the end of the road as pop singles chart leader for Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road,” which slips to No. 2 after a record 13-week run on top. The new champ is the Heights’ “How Do You Talk to an Angel.”

* Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” is off to a surprisingly fast start, premiering at No. 16.

Pop Album Chart

Rank Rank 2 Weeks Last Weeks on the Week Ago Chart 1. “The Chase,” Garth Brooks 1 1 6 2. “Timeless (The Classics),” Michael Bolton 6 6 5 3. “Unplugged,” Eric Clapton 3 3 10 4. “Erotica,” Madonna 2 2 5. “Some Gave All,” Billy Ray Cyrus 4 4 24 6. “Automatic for the People,” R.E.M. 5 2 4 7. “Pure Country (Soundtrack),” George Strait 9 22 7 8. “Ten,” Pearl Jam 7 7 46 9. “What’s the 411?,” Mary J. Blige 10 9 14 10. “,” Prince 8 5 3 * “Harvest Moon,” Neil Young 1

Source: Billboard/Soundscan