Not that there was ever any doubt that Nirvana are still a draw 20 years after they disbanded in the wake of frontman Kurt Cobain‘s suicide, but the grunge legends have now claimed the top spot in the Billboard vinyl singles chart with their Pennyroyal Tea 7″, released for Record Store Day 2014.
As Rolling Stone reports, this year’s RSD was the most successful ever for vinyl sales, which rose 58 percent from RSD 2013. Independent record stores saw a 91 percent overall sales increase compared to the previous week and to the 59 percent seen in 2013 and 0.4 during its 2008 debut.
Record Store Day 2014 also aided independent stores in claiming their highest weekly share in physical album sales in the 23-year history of Nielsen’s record-tracking SoundScan system with 19 percent. Vinyl accounted for more than half of all album sales at independent stores that week.
43 of the LPs among the Top 50 vinyl albums sold that week were Record Store Day releases or released for the first time that week and 68 different vinyl album titles sold more than 1,000 copies that week, compared to 17 for the previous year’s Record Store Day. The event also helped push vinyl sales up 36 percent over the same time last year, setting it up to exceed 2013’s record sales.
Independent stores weren’t the only ones profiting during the week, with a copy of Jack White‘s Record Store Day release Lazaretto selling for $649.99 on eBay. The rampant Record Store Day flips even lead UK legend Paul Weller to announce that he would no longer take part in the event.
Watch: Nirvana – Pennyroyal Tea, MTV Unplugged
Billboard‘s Top Vinyl LPs for the Week Ending April 20th
1. Childish Gambino – Because the Internet
2. Afghan Whigs – Do to the Beast
3. The Notorious B.I.G. – Life After Death
4. Bruce Springsteen – American Beauty
5. Jimi Hendrix – Live at Monterey
6. Grateful Dead – Live at Hampton Coliseum
7. Tame Impala – Live Versions
8. Joy Division – An Ideal For Living
9. Flaming Lips – 7 Skies H3
10. Ramones – Meltdown With the Ramones
Billboard‘s Top Vinyl Singles for the Week Ending April 20th
1. Nirvana – Pennyroyal Tea
2. Flaming Lips and Devo – Gates of Steel
3. The Cure and Dinosaur Jr – Just Like Heaven
4. David Bowie – 1984
5. Love and Rush – 7 and 7 Is (released as unnamed “mystery artists”)
6. Frank Zappa – Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow
7. Pantera and Poison Idea – The Badge
8. Paramore – Ain’t It Fun
9. Fleetwood Mac – Dragonfly
10. Garbage – Girls Talk Shit
