Beasties’ ‘Nasty’ Has a Big Hello

Intergalactic, indeed.

The Beastie Boys’ new album, “Hello Nasty,” sold nearly 682,000 copies during its first week in stores--the highest initial-week total this year.

It surpassed the year’s previous biggest debut, Master P’s “MP Da Last Don,” which sold 495,000 copies in the week following its June 2 debut. And it is the eighth-highest debut in the SoundScan sales tracking era, which began in 1991.

“I’m blown away . . . is an understatement,” said Phil Costello, senior vice president of promotion and marketing at Capitol Records, which released the album in conjunction with the group’s own Grand Royal label.

Anticipation for the new album--which features the hit single “Intergalactic” and is the first collection in four years from the New York rap ‘n’ rollers--was indeed out of this world by the time of its July 14 release, according to Scott Levin, director of marketing for the Musicland Group, the nation’s largest record retailer.

“There was a huge street buzz,” Levin said. “It’s just a very cool record--perfect for summer. It’s not totally nasty. It’s not stickered [with a parental advisory]. . . .

“It’s kind of the rappish alternative--without the killer message and the drug message. It’s stuff that’s more acceptable in the mainstream, but it has enough of an edge that kids in the street are excited to be associated with it.”

“Hello Nasty” is the third chart-topping collection for the Beastie Boys, whose 1986 set, “Licensed to Ill,” was the first rap album to reach No. 1 on the pop chart.

Though the trio is still respected in hip-hop circles, its music has evolved beyond the genre. It is played now almost exclusively on alternative-rock radio.

“For people who really know their music and are into production and sounds, they’ve got a lot of credibility [among rap fans],” said Sacha Jenkins, music editor at Vibe magazine. “But they’re something completely different. . . . They’re the future.”

Capitol’s Costello expects “Hello Nasty” to retain a high chart position as the Beastie Boys embark on a North American tour that kicks off July 31 in Seattle and reaches the Great Western Forum on Sept. 11.