Veteran Artists Burning Up the Charts; Will Bon Jovi Deny Bowie of His First Number 1 Album?

After a fairly long period when only one or two albums by veteran artists broke through on the charts, we're having a real groundswell of activity.

This week's Billboard Album chart, which will be out tomorrow, will have Jimi Hendrix' People, Hell and Angels at number 2 with sales of 72,000 copies. The album is his highest charting in over 44 years, since Electric Ladyland hit number 1 on November 1968.

Further down this week at 17 is Memphis by Boz Scaggs. While not as auspicious a debut as Hendrix, it is still Scaggs highest charting album in 33 years going back to 1980's Middle Man.

As for next week's chart, which will be published a week from tomorrow, it looks like a very close race between two veteran artists.

Both David Bowie's The Next Day and Bon Jovi's What About Now are projected to sell around 90,000 copies over the week that ends on Sunday. Which will be at the top at the chart and which will be number 2 will possibly depend on just a few thousand copies.

While a number 1 for Bon Jovi is a bit old hat (they previously did it with Slippery When Wet, New Jersey, Lost Highway and The Circle), David Bowie has never had a chart topping album in the U.S.  Of his 26 studio albums, only four have even made the top ten in America, Diamond Dogs (1974 / #5), Young Americans (1975 / #9), Station to Stations (1976 / #3) and Let's Dance (1983 / #4).