David Bowie's 'The Next Day' Debuts #1 on Charts in 12 Countries and Tops iTunes Chart in Over 60 Countries

First Album in Decade Sparks Passionate Global Response
 
David Bowie's new album 'The Next Day' (ISO/Columbia Records) has debuted at #1 in the U.K., Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland a week after its release, and has topped the iTunes chart in over 60 countries across the world. The album is scoring landmarks for Bowie, including his highest-ever chart position in the U.S. (#2), and the title-holder as the fastest-selling album of the year so far in the U.K.

'The Next Day' has already achieved Gold status in the U.K., Austria, France, Ireland, Poland and Sweden, is the musician’s first-ever #1 in Germany, Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland and is his first #1 album in the U.K., Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland and New Zealand in decades.

'The Next Day,' which was written by Bowie and co-produced with long-term collaborator Tony Visconti, also skyrocketed to the top of the iTunes store in 64 countries across the world after its release. (Full list of countries at bottom of press release.) Worldwide critical acclaim for 'The Next Day' has paralleled the album's chart-topping successes. Bowie's triumphant return from a decade-long hiatus has been embraced by critics as a "masterpiece" (The New York Times, USA) and "the greatest comeback album ever." (The Independent, UK)

More Press Quotes:

"Breathtaking... a marvelously successful return" - LA Times (U.S.)

"Music that's rich, dense and urgent" - Wall Street Journal (U.S.)

"A great album and something that is rare in an age when everything is explained and revealed: a sense of mystery" - The Times (U.K.)

"An absolute wonder: urgent, sharp-edged, bold, beautiful and baffling" - The Telegraph (U.K.)

"Sonically rich, lyrically intriguingly and elegantly energized. The bad news? There is no bad news." - Globe and Mail (Canada)

"Some of the best work in recent rock music." - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany)

"[Bowie] dazzles with his new album" - El Mundo (Spain)

"A triumphant return. And a reminder of how the musical world is sorely missing a self-propelled superstar like David Bowie" – Herald Sun (Australia)

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'The Next Day,' Topped iTunes chart (64 Countries):
1. Argentina
2. Armenia
3. Australia
4. Austria
5. Belarus
6. Belgium
7. Brazil
8. Bulgaria
9. Canada
10. Chile
11. Colombia
12. Costa Rica
13. Cyprus
14. Czech Republic
15. Ecuador
16. Egypt
17. Estonia
18. Finland
19. France
20. Germany
21. Greece
22. Guatemala
23. Hong Kong
24. Hungary
25. India
26. Indonesia
27. Ireland
28. Israel
29. Italy
30. Japan
31. Latvia
32. Lebanon
33. Lithuania
34. Luxembourg
35. Malaysia
36. Malta
37. Mauritius
38. Mexico
39. Netherlands
40. New Zealand
41. Norway
42. Peru
43. Philippines
44. Poland
45. Portugal
46. Qatar
47. Romania
48. Russia
49. Saudi Arabia
50. Singapore
51. Slovakia
52. Slovenia
53. South Africa
54. Spain
55. Sri Lanka
56. Sweden
57. Switzerland
58. Taiwan
59. Thailand
60. Trinidad and Tobago
61. Turkey
62. UK
63. USA
64. Vietnam