Soundscan Surprises, Week Ending 8/4

Back-catalog sales numbers of note from Nielsen SoundScan.

The definition of “back catalog” is: “at least 18 months old, have fallen below No. 100 on the Billboard 200 and do not have an active single on our radio.”

The Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack continues to do well (relatively speaking; 2,995 copies isn’t crazy high but it ain’t nothing either) on the back catalog, which is funny because it’s basically just a ’70s mixtape. I wonder if it’s going to be a whole thing, like the soundtrack to The Big Chill, the way people always talk about that movie like, great soundtrack, and you’re like, no, not really, it’s just a ’60s mixtape? The movie isn’t even that great; Roger Ebert gave it two and a half out of four stars, which is like the meh-iest rating of all. Keeping the ’70s flame alive is Grand Funk Railroad, with Icon, which sold more copies than Loretta Lynn’s record of the same nam, but fewer than Modest Mouse’s Night on the Sun.

Moving right along: the most famous person from Nantucket, Meghan Trainor, is reaping the rewards of her extremely confusingly titled record, Title. Who loves John Prine more, your mom or your dad? And finally: never count out Touchdown Adele.

4. ADELE 21 4,137 copies

15. SOUNDTRACK GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: AWESOME MIX VOL. 1 (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) 2,995 copies

21. TRAINOR*MEGHAN TITLE 2,682 copies

68. PRINE*JOHN IN SPITE OF OURSELVES 1,608 copies

124. MODEST MOUSE NIGHT ON THE SUN 1,285 copies

165. GRAND FUNK RAILROAD ICON 1,105 copies

191. LYNN*LORETTA ICON 1,020 copies

(Previously.)