ONE-DAY SALES:
BEASTIES BACK BIG

When we say that sales of the new Beastie Boys album have retailers getting ill, we mean that in the best way possible.

Indeed, after one day in the street, reaction to To the Five Boroughs (Capitol) is positively sick—and we mean that in the best way possible, too. Here’s why: According to early reports from national accounts, the Beastie’s latest effort (their first since 1998’s Hello Nasty) is on track to sell around 400k for the week, making it a “Sure Shot” for #1 on next week’s album chart.

That’s not surprising, given the great press the album has received and major radio and MTV support for single “Ch-Check It Out.”

The big X-factor here, however, will be whether B-boys doing their F-day shopping might drive that first-week number even higher. By F-day, we of course mean Father’s Day, which happens this Sunday and typically increases foot traffic in stores (and presumably online, except for the foot part).

Speaking of F-day, one would ordinarily expect this week’s #1 album, Velvet Revolver’s Contraband (RCA), to fall by the usual 50% on next week’s chart. But could a bunch of hard-rocking dads buoy the project in its second week? We’ll have to wait and see.

The father factor may also play into other titles in the Top Five that seem to have already found their levels, namely Usher’s Confessions (LaFace/ZLG), Avril Lavigne’s Under My Skin (Arista/RMG), Gretchen Wilson’s Here for the Party (Epic/Sony Nashville) and Hoobastank’s The Reason (Island/IDJ).