Beatles albums set to challenge top of UK album charts

he Beatles are set to get at least five albums in the UK top 20 with

Abbey Road on course to be the highest charting release, sales figures

showed today.

The band's back catalogue has been remastered and was released

yesterday on 14 albums, plus a pair of stereo and mono box sets.

However the box sets may well split the sales as they are being

regarded as one separate item, rather than as a number of individual

sales for each album title.

The Official Chart Company, which compiles the UK charts, said on the

basis of pre-orders and day one sales, the band look likely to bag five

Top 20 places.

The biggest selling titles among the reissues are 'Abbey Road' and 'Sgt

Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', while the stereo box set also looks

on course to appear in the Top 20.

The stereo box set - priced at £170 (€193.10), one of the most costly

items yet to make it into the chart - is set to make the top 20.

OCC managing director Martin Talbot said: "These results for the

reissues indicate that Beatlemania is alive and well.

"There are still three more sales days to be counted - today, Friday

and Saturday - so this story is not complete yet. But already it is

clear that the Beatles' enduring appeal shows no signs of waning."