Those ‘60s Boys, the Beatles, Close in on Backstreet Boys

Something in the way the Beatles move albums continues to keep the nation’s music retailers pleasantly surprised. The news today: The legendary ‘60s band may soon knock teen sensations the Backstreet Boys out of the No. 1 spot on the album chart.

The Boys held on to the top position this week, but only after seeing sales of their “Black & Blue” album decline by nearly 60%.

“Black & Blue,” which debuted at No. 1 on the chart last week with sales of 1.59 million copies, sold 690,000 in its second week, which left it with only an 83,000 unit lead over the Beatles’ latest anthology, “1.”

The Beatles’ album fell only about 10% from the 662,000 total of the previous week.

“I think a lot of die-hard [Backstreet Boys] fans went out and bought it that first week,” says Wherehouse buyer Craig Swedin. “But it will continue to sell through the holidays--especially if they get a second single going soon.”

The secret of “1”?

“It appeals to everyone,” Swedin says. “A lot of younger people don’t know who the Beatles were, but when they hear them, they go ‘Who are these guys?’ ”

“I wasn’t surprised that [the Backstreet album] dropped,” says Tower Records buyer Bob Feterl. “I’m just surprised that it dropped that much.”

Sam Milicia, vice president of music purchasing for Handleman Co., a distributor that supplies 4,000 retailers in the U.S., says, “We feel the Beatles are going to be very consistent. Backstreet Boys are usually consistent too, so I don’t know if the Beatles can overtake them. . . . But the Beatles album is doing extremely well, and it’s going to continue being strong on into next year.”

Another big winner last week was Creed. The rock group’s “Human Clay,” which has been on the charts for more than a year, jumped from No. 13 to No. 4, thanks in part to the group’s exposure on last week’s My VH1 Music Awards telecast. Total sales to date: almost 7.2 million.

“Now That’s What I Call Music! 5” a pop hits compilation, held its No. 3 position. The slots five through 10 are occupied by Tim McGraw, Sade, Limp Bizkit, Britney Spears, R. Kelly and ‘N Sync. The nation’s best-selling single continues to be Mya’s “Case of the Ex.”