If the SoundScan record sales figures are any indication, the Easter Bunny was extra generous this year. Or perhaps it was just all those kids home from school over the holiday with money to burn. How else to explain the across-the-board hike in record sales last week, with most mortal albums moving a healthy couple of extra thousand copies than the week before and 'N Sync's No Strings Attached, already in a category all to itself, jumping from 422,000 copies sold the previous week to an even more staggering 655,000? Few superstar acts can even dream of moving that many copies their first week in stores, let alone five weeks in.

It was a doubly good week for Jive Records. In addition to the 'N Sync juggernaut, the label can also lay claim to the new No. 2 album in the country, My Name Is Joe from R&B singer Joe. With 286,000 copies sold its first week in stores, Joe dumped No Doubt from the No. 2 spot like an ex-girlfriend. No Doubt's Return of Saturn, which landed at No. 7, was one of only three acts in the Top 10 (and thirteen in the Top 100) to suffer a sales drop from the previous week. Others seeing their sales skids included the Romeo Must Die soundtrack (No. 14, down from No. 6), Da Brat's Unrestricted (No. 16, down from No. 5) and Big Punisher's Yeeeah Baby (No. 22 down from No. 8).

But sales declines were the exception rather than the rule. Several albums returned to the Top 10 (Christina Aguilera, Creed and Kid Rock), while Dr. Dre and Macy Gray dropped out but still showed sales gains. The only other debut in the Top 10, aside from Joe, was Carl Thomas' Emotional. Pink Floyd's Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall: Live 1980-1981 debuted at No. 19 (83,000 copies sold), while Vince Gill bowed at No. 39 with Let's Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye (47,000 copies).

From the top, it was 'N Sync's No Strings Attached (655,000 copies sold); Joe's My Name Is Joe (286,000); Sisqo's Unleash the Dragon (217,000); Santana's Supernatural (196,000); Destiny's Child's Writing's on the Wall (158,000); Christina Aguilera's Christina Aguilera (140,000); No Doubt's Return of Saturn (132,000); Creed's Human Clay (123,000); Carl Thomas' Emotional (115,000); and Kid Rock's Devil Without a Cause (113,000).

RICHARD SKANSE
(April 27, 2000)