They may have split up 30 years ago, but in the battle of the bands the Beatles still reign supreme.
Music experts predict their first ever greatest hits album, which is released today, will dominate the charts in the run up to Christmas and knock Westlife off the top spot after just one week.
The Beatles' new album, 1, is virtually guaranteed to be number one for weeks, with eight million copies being shipped out to shops around the world to cope with demand.
People waited up until midnight last night to snap up copies at special openings of the HMV stores in Liverpool and London's Oxford Street.
All the group's number one singles - in both the UK and US - have been put together on the appropriately named 1, which is predicted to become one of the biggest sellers of all time.
Until now the band had resisted a greatest hits package. The closest they came were the pair of double albums popularly known as the Red Album (songs from 1962 to 1966) and Blue Album (1967-70) with many of their best known songs.
A budget of £1.5 million has been alloted to promoting the album in the UK, but £16 million will be spent on the release worldwide.
HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo said: "There's been a lot of hype about Westlife against the Spice Girls last week, but this is the real thing."
"It's a massive release, probably the biggest selling release of the entire Christmas period. These songs have never been available in this sort of format before."
"It appeals to so many fans. There are committed Beatles completists who will buy everything and the mainstream fans who want all the hits in one package."
It was at an HMV store in London that Beatles manager Brian Epstein first made a demo disc of the band.
A member of staff was so impressed with what he heard that he put Epstein in touch with Parlophone label boss George Martin, who signed them and became their producer.
The band had 27 UK and US number ones, which are all on the new album.
Mr Castaldo said that the interest in the Beatles could help boost sales of the group's back catalogue.
To coincide with the release, the band's first official website goes online tomorrow (at www.thebeatles.com). The £2 million site features archive material and a new video.