Platinum Proof: Europe Rocks: Ifpi Awards Go To Chili Peppers, Morissette, Ac/dc, Guano Apes

LONDON - April's International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) Platinum Europe Award certifications revealed that European record buyers are extremely fond of "Californication," that Alanis and AC/DC are still sales commodities, and that Apes roam freely in Germany.
Guano Apes, that is, as the quartet completed 1 million European sales of its "Proud Like A God" album, released in October 1997 in Germany on Super Sonic (via BMG Ariola). Meanwhile, Red Hot Chili Peppers broke the 2 million barrier with their Warner Bros. set "Californication" only 10 months after its street date.
Only four records qualified for the IFPI's April index of albums achieving at least 1 million in European sales, but the list made happy reading for Warner Music International, which also reached that watermark with Alanis Morissette's "MTV Unplugged" and AC/DC's "Stiff Upper Lip."
"Californication" took over earlier this year from 1991's "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" as the Chili Peppers' best-selling album ever in Europe, according to Jon Uren, marketing director, U.S. labels, for Warner Music Europe. "We think we're far from finished with this album," he says.
The title track goes to European radio this month as the fifth single from the set. "Three of the [previous] videos are still getting rotated on the various video channels," Uren notes. "We had trouble getting [lead single] "Scar Tissue' off the radio in some markets, which was quite pleasant."
In addition to sales for "Californication" in Germany and Italy of almost half a million units each, Uren cites strong performances in Sweden (175,000), Denmark (150,000), and Holland (130,000) and applauds the band's close promotional involvement in the project. The album is close to platinum (300,000 units) in the U.K.
Warner Music's success with AC/DC's "Stiff Upper Lip" is remarkable not only for giving the veteran antipodean rockers yet another major seller-almost 23 years after its name first appeared on international charts with "Let There Be Rock"-but also because the company does not have the act for the U.K. There, "Lip" debuted at No. 12 on EMI but spent only four weeks on the Chart Information Network top 75.
By contrast, the album had no fewer than four No. 1 European sales chart debuts in March in Germany, Austria, Sweden, and Finland. It is still charting in all those territories and in France, Spain, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Belgium.
Andy Murray, Uren's fellow marketing director/U.S. labels for Warner Music Europe, describes the figures as "a bit of a triumph," adding that the company's hope for "a classic album from a classic act" was affirmed, as was its feeling that a "resurrection of classic rock" was taking place in Europe.
"It charted higher, in most cases, than their last album ["Ballbreaker"] five years ago," says Murray of "Stiff Upper Lip." He anticipates that European dates will be included in AC/DC's yet-to-be-announced touring plans later in the year.
Morissette's success with the "MTV Unplugged" album, released on Maverick last November, will be especially welcomed at Warner Music, where her previous studio album, late-1998's "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie," represented an inevitable commercial downturn from the spectacular heights scaled by her "Jagged Little Pill" breakthrough. Particularly strong markets for the live set were the Germany/Switzerland/Austria region, plus Holland, Italy, and France. "The territories who were very committed [to the album] benefited hugely," says Uren, singling out sales of 140,000 units in Portugal.
Guano Apes may be the least recognized name in the April Platinum Europe honors, but support for the band has grown rapidly since "Proud Like A God," its debut album, emerged 2ƒ years ago. On its Web site, the band says that the album's success "exceeded all our expectations [and] took us on many, many fantastic concerts and festivals all over Europe, from Finland to Croatia and Portugal to Hungary."
"God" was released in the U.S. by RCA in September 1999 and has reached sales there of 80,000, according to SoundScan. The album's certification also coincides happily with the May 2 European release of the band's follow-up album, "Don't Give Me Names," which features the leadoff single "Big In Japan," an interpretation of countrymen Alphaville's international hit from 1984.