Paul McCartney’s The Boys of Dungeon Lane misses out on becoming his first No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Album Downloads chart as Boards of Canada rules. LONDON – CIRCA 1964: Bassist Paul McCartney of the rock band “The Beatles” poses for a portrait sitting on a bed in circa 1964 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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Paul McCartney is not just one of the most successful musical artists of all time, he’s also one of the most respected. He is beloved by millions all over the world, and he remains a commercial superstar in his home nation of the United Kingdom. Whenever McCartney returns with a new piece of music, it adds to his list of chart wins, and more often than not, an album debuts at No. 1.
The former Beatle’s latest project, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, arrives at the top of nearly every tally in the U.K. where it debuts this frame – but there is one list where even McCartney doesn’t rule.
Paul McCartney Misses a Clean Sweep
The Boys of Dungeon Lane narrowly misses a clean sweep on the U.K. charts this week. On the Official Album Downloads ranking, McCartney’s latest is forced to settle for second place. Inferno, the first project from Scottish electronic duo Boards of Canada in more than a decade, soars from No. 26, where it arrived last frame, all the way to the highest rung.
Boards of Canada Blocks Paul McCartney From No. 1
Boards of Canada scores its first No. 1 and second top 10 win on the Official Album Downloads chart as the band blocks McCartney from the summit. As the duo leads, the Wings frontman stops just short of claiming the top-selling title on download storefronts, such as iTunes, for the first time on his own. The Boys of Dungeon Lane now stands as his highest-rising smash as it debuts at No. 2. It beats the No. 3 high point that McCartney III fittingly established after arriving in very late 2020.
Paul McCartney Scores His Lucky Thirteenth Bestseller
On his own, McCartney has reached the Official Album Downloads chart, which features 100 spaces, with a lucky 13 titles. That sum includes The Boys of Dungeon Lane, which is now counted among his five top 10s.
Here are all of Paul McCartney’s top 10 bestsellers on the Official Album Downloads chart.
- The Boys of Dungeon Lane
- Egypt Station
- Kisses on the Bottom
- McCartney III
- Memory Almost Full
The Beatles Also Never Reached No. 1
Somewhat shockingly, The Beatles have also never dominated the Official Album Downloads tally. No. 2 stands as the group’s all-time high, just like McCartney on his own. The outfit’s compilation 1967–1970, otherwise referred to as The Blue Album, once soared all the way to No. 2, but never got a chance to run the show.
The Beatles have racked up eight top 10 successes on the Official Album Downloads chart since first appearing on the tally in 2010. The group’s most recent addition to that accumulation came less than a year ago, in December 2025, when Anthology 4 reached fourth place.
25th November 1963: Liverpudlian beat combo The Beatles, from left to right Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon (1940 – 1980), and George Harrison (1943 – 2001), performing in front of a camera-shaped drum kit on Granada TV’s Late Scene Extra television show filmed in Manchester, England on November 25, 1963. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
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Here are all of the top 10 bestsellers by The Beatles on the Official Album Downloads chart.
- 1
- 1962-1966
- 1967-1970
- Abbey Road
- Anthology 4
- Let It Be (1987 version)
- Revolver
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Boys of Dungeon Lane Rules Every Other Chart
The Boys of Dungeon Lane debuts on five U.K. charts this week, and while it doesn’t command each and every one of them, it does sit at No. 1 on every tally…except for the one that focuses on downloads. McCartney earns another ruler on the Official Albums, Official Albums Sales, Official Physical Albums and Official Vinyl Albums rosters.
