Jack White’s ‘Boarding House Reach’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart

White’s third No. 1, following ‘Lazaretto’ and ‘Blunderbuss,’ starts with the biggest sales week for a rock album in 2018.

Jack White claims his third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as the rocker’s third solo studio effort, Boarding House Reach, opens atop the tally.

The set — which was released on March 23 via Third Man/Columbia Records — earned 124,000 equivalent album units in the week ending March 29, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 121,000 were in traditional album sales — the largest sales week for a rock album in 2018.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new April 7-dated chart (where Boarding House Reach debuts at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard’s websites on Tuesday, April 3.

White previously topped the Billboard 200 with his last two studio sets: 2014’s Lazaretto and 2012’s Blunderbuss. The former launched at No. 1 with 138,000 copies sold (before the chart transitioned to an equivalent album units-ranked list in late 2014), while the latter bowed also bowed with 138,000. (Both figures are rounded to the nearest thousand; in its debut week, Blunderbuss sold slightly less than Lazaretto’s opening frame).

Boarding House Reach’s launch of 121,000 copies sold marks the second-biggest sales week of 2018 for any album, trailing only the bow of Justin Timberlake’s Man of the Woods, with 242,000 sold in the week ending Feb. 8. Boarding nets the biggest sales frame for a rock album since U2’s Songs of Experience (180,000 in the week ending Dec. 7, 2017).

White’s debut, the only new arrival in the top 10, was boosted by sales generated from a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer with White’s upcoming U.S. and Canada tour. The trek starts on April 19 in Detroit.

As for White’s history on the Billboard 200 as part of his former duo, The White Stripes, the act landed three top 10s in 2003-07, reaching a No. 2 high with 2007’s Icky Thump.

In addition, Boarding House Reach racked up a big sales figure from its vinyl LP: 27,000. The handsome performance was expected, considering how White is a champion of the format. The album’s vinyl sales represent the fourth-largest week for a vinyl set since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991.

At No. 2 on the Billboard 200, XXXTentacion’s ? falls a spot in its second week, with 76,000 units (down 42 percent). Black Panther: The Album is steady at No. 3 with 48,000 units (down 10 percent) and The Greatest Showman soundtrack climbs 6-4 with 47,000 units (up 15 percent) following its digital home video release on March 20.

Migos’ Culture II is a non-mover at No. 5 with 45,000 units (down less than 1 percent), Logic’s Bobby Tarantino II falls 4-6 with 33,000 units (down 30 percent) and Post Malone’s Stoney rises 10-7 with 29,000 units (down 2 percent).

Rounding out the top 10: Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) is stationary at No. 8 with 29,000 units (down 6 percent), Imagine Dragons’ Evolve returns to the top 10 with a three position rise to No. 9 with 25,000 units (down less than 1 percent) and Camila Cabello’s Camila ascends 13-10 with 23,000 units (down 2 percent).

Source billboard.com