The Backstreet Boys' third Jive album "Black & Blue" DIDN'T break the first-week sales record of 2.4 million copies set by fellow Jive act 'N Sync's "No Strings Attached" earlier this year. But the set did move nearly 1.6 million units this week according to SoundScan, easily debuting at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and besting the 1.13 million copies the Boys' "Millennium" album sold in its debut week last year.
The only other album in front of the Backstreet Boys' new set in terms of first-week sales is Eminem's "The Marshall Mathers LP" (Web/Aftermath/Interscope), which sold 1.76 million copies earlier this year.
"Black & Blue" was buoyed by a huge promotional blitz at Wal-Mart stores. The retailer was the sole U.S. merchant to stock a version of the album with the bonus track "What Makes You So Different (Makes You So Beautiful)," and last Tuesday carried a special satellite broadcast performance from the group on its Web site and in the entertainment centers of 2,000 of its stores.
The Beatles' "1" (Capitol) continued to fly off shelves, selling more than 662,000 copies in its second week but falling to No. 2 in the Backstreet Boys' wake. Tim McGraw's "Greatest Hits" (Curb) debuted at No. 4 on the strength of more than 306,000 units sold, followed by the Wu-Tang Clan's "The W" (Loud/Columbia), which moved more than 301,000 copies to bow at No. 5.
Now was it me or didn't Kevin say something about NSync's record of 2.4 million was going "Bye Bye Bye" when their Cd was coming out? Sorry but that proves who has more devoted fans...NSYNC!!!!