The Chart Time Tunnel: Sloan's Between The Bridges

11/13/09 2:39pm

by Chris Burland (CHARTattack)

As the majority of Chart magazine and subsequently CHARTattack readers know, we've covered every move by Sloan.

They've appeared on on half a dozen covers, Twice Removed won two out of our three Top 50 Canadian Albums of All Time polls, plus there have been stories and features on the individual band members from Jay Ferguson's interview with Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore to Chris Murphy's appearance with The Evaporators at a Mint Records X-Mas show.

The Halifax quartet have also had campus chart success, having charted nine albums on the weekly top 50 chart, beginning with their record-holding performance of One Chord To Another in 1996 through to their last release, 2008's Parallel Play. The band have also charted a greatest hits package (A Side Wins) and a live album (4 Nights At The Palais Royale).

As has been mentioned a number of times, One Chord To Another holds the record for length of time on this weekly chart, with 26 total weeks. While none of Sloan's subsequent albums have reached these these lofty heights, they have had substantial chart success.

One Chord's follow-up, Navy Blues, lasted only 12 weeks in 1998, but it did hit #1 in June. The double live album, 4 Nights charted for 11 weeks, peaking at #4 in April 1999.

Between The Bridges was released just six months later, and began a 15 week run. Ten years ago, during the week of Nov. 4 to 11, 1999 Between The Bridges moved up a spot to capture the #2 spot. Only Stereolab's Cobra And Phases Group Play Voltage In The Milky Night stood between Sloan and their third #1 album.

Below Sloan that week, The Sadies' Pure Diamond Gold traded places with them at #3 and The Folk Implosion's One Part Lullaby at #4 switched spots with SIANspheric's Else at #5.

Sloan's Pretty Together, which charted for 14 weeks in 2001 and 2002, was the last Sloan album to sit at #1. Action Pact peaked at #9 during its 15 week run through the autumn of 2003. Never Hear The End Of It only reached #15 in its short eight week run in 2006 while Parallel Play did rebound from those weak numbers, charting for 11 weeks while reaching #3 during the summer of 2008.

If you take into consideration that the band's first albums — 1992's Smeared and 1994's Twice Removed — charted at #1 on the monthly campus charts, Sloan has had eight top five albums on the campus charts in the past two decades.

Looking at the rest of the chart from 10 years ago this week, Julie Doiron And The Wooden Stars' self-titled album re-entered the chart at #7, Ocean Colour Scene's One From The Modern reappeared at #21 and the All Points In compilation resurfaced at #22. Those all bested the highest debut this week, Zap Mama's A Ma Zone, which entered the chart at #28.

The runner-up entries that week included Mr. T Experience's Alcatraz at #30, DJ Krush's Kakusei at #33 and The Minders' Cul-De-Sacs & Dead Ends at #38..