British pop group One Direction have made history in the United States, becoming the first group to have their first four albums go straight to number one on the Billboard 200 chart. The band, who formed following a stint on the UK X-Factor, shifted 387,000 copies of Four in the first week of sales, coming second only to Taylor Swift's all-conquering 1989 for largest debut of the year.

One DirectionOne Direction are surely the biggest pop act on the planet

Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne are undoubtedly biggest pop group on the planet and, if there success on the Billboard chart is taken into consideration, could be the biggest of all time. The band have now surpassed their own record, set when their third album, Midnight Memories, went to No.1 in the States.

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However, the band have competition in the form of numerous solo acts to have achieved the same feat. Britney Spears also saw her first four albums go straight to the top of the US Billboard 200, whole DMX and Beyonce saw their first five records go in at No.1 The Monkees and The Kingston Trio achieved number ones with their first four albums, though not immediately.

Though One Direction are clearly the biggest band in the world right now, Taylor Swift is certainly the biggest solo act. She sold 1.287 million copies of her album 1989 in the first week of release earlier this month to record the fastest-selling album of the past 12 years. She enjoyed further success last week when she became the first female to succeed herself at the top of the US singles chart.

Other new, albeit it not as successful entries into the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart this week include rockers Nickelback who went in at No 4 with No Fixed Address and the metal group In This Moment who took a respectable No 8 with Black Widow.

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