According to the Official Charts Company, James Arthur secured his second Number 1 album with Bitter Sweet Love, after a week-long race with The Reytons, who claimed their second Top 5 LP with Ballad of a Bystander. The Reytons were 2nd in the mid-weeks, with The Smile at number 1, however The Reytons were leading the chart for most of the week, however James Arthur was given an edge, not just by having solid album sales, but by complaints, and support from the music establishment – even the Official Charts website pushed James Arthur forward on the Tuesday before the announced winner of number 1 that week. Like it was a foregone conclusion.
So where was the main controversy – well it is in the actual numbers. The Reytons put out on their social media the reality with the numbers being James Arthur: 16,901 (Total Sales) and The Reytons: 17,262 (Total Sales). However the complaints seemed to work, The Reytons had 2,200 sales taken off as all of their Leadmill CD’s were rejected by the Official Charts Company. Apparently, in the ambiguous rules you cannot sell your album with a gig ticket after your album has gone live. You must do this before it goes live. Apparently.
It is moments like this that show why The Reytons have such a loyal and dedicated fan base – they are the underdogs, the truly independent band that has no establishment backing. They are The People’s Number 1!
