Eagles Black Out Britney

Tue., Nov. 6, 2007 4:28 PM PST by David Jenison

Britney Spears might sit at number one when the Billboard charts come out Wednesday, but according to Wal-Mart, it's the Eagles who truly soared to the top.

A year ago, the easy-rocking supergroup inked a deal with Wal-Mart that led to the release of an exclusive deluxe DVD reissue of Farewell 1 Tour—Live from Melbourne. More important, the arrangement made Wal-Mart and Sam's Club the exclusive U.S. distributors for the band's first studio album in 27 years, Long Road Out of Eden.

The critically praised double album hit the big-box stores—as well as the Eagles' Website—last week. And per figures released Tuesday by Wal-Mart, Eden sold more than 710,000 copies in its first week. That's the second biggest opening sales week of the year, behind Kanye West's Graduation, which moved 957,000 copies in September, to the chagrin of 50 Cent.

Still, it'll be Spears' Blackout sitting atop the Billboard 200 despite selling a fraction as much—about 290,000, sources say.

Because of its exclusive arrangement with Wal-Mart, the Eagles' new album does not qualify for the Billboard 200. In fact, Billboard notes that titles "not generally available at retail" appear on the Top Comprehensive Albums chart instead, which covers catalog and proprietary releases. Fair or not, this means the Eagles will be a no-show on the Billboard 200, and Blackout will take the number one spot by default.

Nonetheless, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers set an undeniable sales record at Wal-Mart, the country's top music retailer.

"We were confident Eagles fans would embrace Long Road Out of Eden, but it has exceeded our first week projections," Gary Severson, Wal-Mart's senior vice president of entertainment, trumpeted in a statement.

"With the holiday season approaching, we are confident the double-CD package will be one of the biggest sellers in Wal-Mart history. We’ve notified the RIAA of the sales, to quickly certify Long Road Out of Eden’s multiplatinum status.”

Eagles manager Irving Azoff added: "The band produced and delivered an album of integrity that was in keeping with their legacy…and the fans responded. The phenomenal first-week sales of Long Road Out of Eden are a testament to Wal-Mart’s marketing and distribution.”

Meanwhile, across the pond, Eden was made available through general retail outlets, which allowed the album to sail past Blackout and give the Eagles their first U.K. number one. With several countries releasing their charts before the U.S., Eden has also already hit the top spot in Australia and the Netherlands.

The Eagles last topped the U.S. charts in 1994, when their live album Hell Freezes Over spent two weeks at number one.