The Chart Time Tunnel: Stephin Merritt

11/06/09 1:34pm

by Chris Burland (CHARTattack)

This week on The Chart Time Tunnel, we'll track the chart success of all of the various bands involving Stephin Merritt as a key member.

The Magnetic Fields, Merritt's main band, have released eight full-length albums from 1991's Distant Plastic Trees to 2008's Distortion.

During the week of Oct. 28 to Nov. 3 1999, The Magnetic Fields' three CD concept album 69 Love Songs rose one place to #7 from the previous week, marking the peak of its elevation on a weekly campus chart.

69 Love Songs also marked the band's debut on the campus chart. The Magnetic Fields' two subsequent releases, 2004's i and Distortion, both charted substantially. I lasted 10 weeks on the chart, peaking at #6, while Distortion lasted 11 weeks, hitting #3 in February 2008.

Merritt was also involved with The 6ths, but 1995's popular Wasps' Nests predated the weekly charts and 1999's Hyacinths and Thistles failed to reach the top 50.

Future Bible Heroes was the only other Merritt-involved project to successfully chart.

Memories Of Love, the debut release from this musical collective, hit the campus chart during 1997, peaking at #16 and remaining on the chart for 7 weeks. The band's 2002 follow-up, Eternal Youth, surfaced for two weeks, rising to #45.

On this date 10 years ago Stereolab's Cobra & Phases Group Play Voltage In The Milky Night remained at #1 for a third consecutive week, followed by The Sadies' Pure Diamond Gold at #2 and Sloan's Between The Bridges, which rose two spots to #3. SIANspheric's Else jumped six places to grab #4, while The Folk Implosion's One Part Lullaby fell two positions to #5.

The week's highest debut went to the Insect Gods' self-titled release, which entered at #14. Choke's Foreward arrived at #15, with Selina Martin's Space Woman debuting at #25.

Other notable new entries included No Use For A Name's More Betterness! at #28, and Cinematic Orchestra's Motion at #31. Chantal Kreviazuk's Colour Moving And Still entered at #39 and Hefner's The Fidelity Wars at #45.