Taylor Swift beats Susan Boyle to US Christmas top spot: Swift's Speak Now returned to the top of the countdown after selling 5,000 more copies than Boyle's The Gift. Michael Jackson's posthumously released album Michael made its debut in third place, having sold 228,000 copies. Swift also beat Boyle to the US best-selling album accolade in 2009.

Eminem's Recovery was 2010's biggest seller with US sales of 3.2 million.  Record company Epic had hoped Jackson's album would fare better in the US, projecting first week sales of 400,000. Yet the record performed better overseas, topping the chart in Germany, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands. This is the third time Swift, 21, has topped the Billboard chart since Speak Now's release in October.

The country singer's biggest-selling US album of 2009, Fearless, was originally released in 2008. In November, Boyle's second album topped the UK and US charts less than 12 months after her debut achieved the same chart position, a feat matched by The Beatles and The Monkees.