11-23-2005, 12:37 AM
from the Hamilton Spectator
Quote:HIP TO BE SQUARE: The Tragically Hip returns, rewriting chart history. The band's Hipeponymous makes a big splash on the Nielsen SoundScan album chart, entering at No. 4. That's good enough to make it the highest debuting box set in chart history, surpassing the four-disc Canadian-music compilation, Oh What A Feeling 2, which opened at No. 6 in March 2001.
It also becomes the highest charting box set in almost 10 years. The last time a box set charted this high was when the original Oh What A Feeling climbed to No. 3, in March 1996. However, the record for the biggest boxed set of all time is still held by Bruce Springsteen's retrospective Live/1975-85, which entered The Record's album chart at No. 35 the week ending Nov. 24, 1986, and then shot to No. 1 the very next week. It eventually held the top spot for seven weeks.
Hipeponymous' debut is also good news for The Tragically Hip. It is the Kingston, Ont.-based band's 11th entry on the album chart and its first since last year. In Between Evolution debuted at the top of the list in July 2004, becoming The Tragically Hip's eighth No. 1 album. The two best-of audio CDs from Hipeponymous, repackaged as Yer Favourites, is expected to debut on the chart next week and become the band's 12th chart album.
