Coldplay 'Ghost Stories' Leads UK Album Sales for 2014: Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith Sell High

It's been quite the spooky year for music in the United Kingdom. For the first half of 2014, Coldplay's chilling break up album Ghost Stories leads album sales overseas.

According to The Official Charts Company, Ghost Stories has sold more copies than any other album in the U.K. thus far in 2014. The revelation should come as no surprise: the album debuted strongly at No. 1 upon its May release, selling in excess of 168,000 copies in its first week. Until Ed Sheeran slayed everything with his new album x last week, it was the fastest-selling British album of the year.

To date, Ghost Stories has moved over 375,000 copies in Coldplay's homeland.

The top five-selling albums in the U.K. beneath Coldplay are notably British, in both taste and musical origin. Though Coldplay's album similarly debuted at No. 1 in the United States, Nos. 2 through 5 have fared less well abroad than at home.

The No. 2 selling U.K. album thus far goes to Paulo Nutini's Caustic Love, which spent three weeks atop the charts upon its release. Best known in the U.S. for his debut single "New Shoes," Nutini still rules overseas and has moved nearly 330,000 copies of his third record.

Britain loves its Ellie Goulding, and the spacey "Lights" songstress continues to dominate album sales in the U.K. with her 2012 album Halcyon, which has topped the charts consistently over the last two years. So far in 2014, Halcyon and its deluxe edition Halcyon Days have sold 275,000 copies, clinching the No. 3 spot.

Nos. 4 and 5 go to beloved British musicians Paloma Faith and Sam Smith, whose albums A Perfect Contradiction and In The Lonely Hour respectively sold 255k and 228k.

Check out the top 10 selling albums in Britain below:

1. Coldplay, Ghost Stories
2. Paolo Nutini, Caustic Love
3. Ellie Goulding, Halcyon
4. Paloma Faith, A Perfect Contradiction
5. Sam Smith, In The Lonely Hour
6. Pharrell Williams, G I R L
7. Bastille, Bad Blood
8. London Grammar, If You Wait
9. Beyoncé, Beyoncé
10. Arctic Monkeys, AM

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Coldplay, Paolo Nutini, Ellie Goulding, Paloma Faith, Sam Smith, Pharrell Williams, Bastille, London Grammar, Beyonce, Arctic Monkeys