The Beatles, who have been smashing records on the U.S. charts since 1964, did it again last week. The group had nine of the week's 20 best-selling albums and 12 of the week's 30 best-sellers. Michael Jackson had set the old records in both categories just two months ago. At the peak of his posthumous sales, Jackson had seven of the week's 20 best-selling albums and nine of the week's 30 best-sellers. (Both tallies include Jackson 5 albums.)

The Fab Four sold 626,000 albums last week, the biggest one-week haul by any artist since July, when Jackson topped that mark for three weeks in a row. (His sales peaked the week ending July 12, when he sold 1,096,000 albums in one week.) The difference, of course, is that Jackson had just died. The Beatles dominated the public consciousness without being the subject of such sad and shocking news.

The Beatles' achievements overshadowed Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3, which entered The Billboard 200 at #1. The album sold 476,000 copies, which is the

Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" this week becomes the first song that was released prior to 2000 to sell 3 million downloads. (It's so far in front of the pack, it's the only song released prior to 2000 to sell even 2 million downloads.) This raises an obvious question: Of the tens of thousands of songs that were released prior to 2000, why has "Don't Stop Believin'" sold so well in the digital realm? I have given this question much thought in recent weeks and I believe I have come up with the answer. It's a very catchy song.

You probably want more than that. Well, let's start with this: "Don't Stop Believin'" is a well-constructed song with broad demographic appeal, a built-in sense of optimism and a throbbing pulse.

The song could hardly have broader appeal. The song's arena-pitched dynamics make it a natural for pop and rock fans, while its strong melodic sensibility makes it relatable to older, adult contemporary fans. Moreover, it's highly singable. A generation of students came

For the seventh consecutive week, Michael Jackson has three of the five best-selling albums in the U.S. Number Ones sold 98,000 copies and would have topped The Billboard 200 for the sixth week if catalog albums were eligible to compete there. The Essential Michael Jackson sold 54,000 and would have held at #3. Thriller sold 47,000 and would have inched up from #5 to #4.

This ongoing success will enable Jackson to make history (or should I say HIStory?) on Nielsen/SoundScan's year-end charts. Do I have a crystal ball? No, I have something better: the tracking company's year-to-date sales chart. Jackson has three albums in the top 15 on that list. Number Ones holds at #2 and will probably pull ahead of Taylor Swift's Fearless, the long-time leader, in two weeks. Thriller jumps to #10, while The Essential Michael Jackson climbs to #15. Jackson is likely to become the first artist to have three albums in Nielsen/SoundScan's year-end top 20 since Garth Brooks achieved the feat in 1992.

Michael Jackson's Number Ones is the best-selling album in the U.S. for the fifth time in the past six weeks. This is the longest that an artist who had died has had the nation's top-seller since Double Fantasy, by John Lennon and his widow, Yoko Ono, topped The Billboard 200 for eight weeks from December 1980 to February 1981. In both cases, shock at the untimely passing of a pop legend spurred sales. Lennon was just 40 when he was shot to death outside his apartment building in Manhattan. Jackson was 50 when he died of cardiac arrest at a rented mansion in Los Angeles.

This is the longest that a greatest hits set has been the best-selling album in the U.S. since the Beatles' 1 held the top spot for eight weeks from November 2000 to January 2001. It's the longest that Jackson has had the top-seller since Bad held the top spot for six weeks in September and October 1987.

This is the sixth consecutive week that Jackson has had three of the five best-selling albums in the U.S. Number