British (Reissue) Invasion ’09/’10
With the reissue of Exile On Main Street, it looks like the Stones’ classic album is set to enter the Billboard Top 200 at #2 this week (behind Glee: The Music Vol. 3). Exile had a huge marketing push, and Keith and Mick—especially Mick—were everywhere in the past few weeks promoting it. That other big British band had their own enormous reissue campaign last Fall, so I took a look at SoundScan to see how some of the first week sales numbers compared. (I rounded all of the numbers.)
The Rolling Stones — First Week Sales (2010 reissue)
- Exile On Main Street 75,000 units
The Beatles — First Week Sales (2009 Reissues)
- Revolver 46,000 units
- Rubber Soul 57,000 units
- Abbey Road 88,000 units
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 73,000 units
The rest of the Stones catalog is a bit harder to compare as it’s been reissued piecemeal by different labels. As a point of reference, the May 2009 reissue of Sticky Fingers sold about 1,400 units in its first week.
With a gun to my head I’d say Beatles, but every time I hear that opening “Rocks Off” riff, I reserve the right to change my mind.
