Foo Fighters, Mumford and Sons and Coldplay Top 2011 U.K. Rock Charts

2012-01-17

Story by Charles Ken

The U.K.’s top selling rocker of 2011 include Foo Fighters, Mumford & Sons and more

Two thousand eleven was a huge year for the guys (and girls) of Coldplay, Florence and the Machine, Foo Fighters and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. According to tallies at the Official Charts Company, which compiles the U.K.’s best-selling music every year, those rock acts scored the top sales spots of 2011 with their latest releases.

Coldplay earned both the biggest-selling album honors with “Mylo Xyloto,” which pushed an upwards of 900,000 copies, and the best-selling rock single of 2011 with “Paradise,” which sold over 410,000 copies and downloads. This isn’t a big surprise, considering Coldplay have a huge following in their homeland, and “Mylo Xyloto” was one of the U.K.’s most anticipated rock albums of the year.

Looking at the rest of the top-selling rock albums, Noel Gallagher’s “Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds” sold 492,000 albums to come in at No. 2 on the list, followed by Florence & the Machine’s “Ceremonials” selling 384,000 albums, Foo Fighters’ “Wasting Light” pushing 380,000 copies and Mumford & Sons’ “Sigh No More” putting 373,000 copies.

On the singles chart, melodic alternative pop rockers Goo Goo Dolls took the No. 2 spot with their 1998 single “Iris,” which sold 264,000 copies, thanks largely to an X Factor performance that brought new life to the ballad. Birdy’s “Skinny Love” came in at No. 3, followed by Coldplay’s “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” and Noah & the Whale’s “L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.” at No. 5. Other notables include Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks,” which sold 225,000 copies, and Florence And The Machine’s “Shake It Out,” which shifted 127,000 copies.

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Charles Ken

Meet the expert - Charles Ken is a trending news writer for Audio Ink Radio. He is a graduate of Michigan State University, where he studied writing and history. He's a longtime music buff and covers classic rock for Audio Ink Radio. Contact him at ken@audioinkradio.com.