'Licensed To Ill' Turns 30

Soundscan Surprises, Week Ending 10/20

Back-catalog sales numbers of note from Nielsen SoundScan.

Photo: Deirdre Woolard

The definition of “back catalog” is: “at least 18 months old, have fallen below №100 on the Billboard 200 and do not have an active single on our radio.”

According to the Corpus Christi Caller Times, Selena’s sister Suzette gave a preview of the new limited edition vinyl of the late Latina singer’s posthumous greatest hits record, Ones. The album was originally released five years after Selena’s death, in 2002, on the growing popularity of the eponymous 1997 film, which also happens to be Jennifer Lopez’s best movie. Selena was also recently immortalized in wax for Madame Tussaud’s, and MAC is released a capsule collection of Selena-inspired makeup.

The Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill is about to turn thirty years old, so that of course calls for a vinyl reissue too. According to Noel Gallagher, Oasis’s third album, Be Here Now, was released too soon after their second record, and also they were doing way too much blow at the time. But all that’s fine now because they just released a reissued remaster, which is available for some reason on three CDs, as though that’s a measure anyone uses anymore.

Noel Gallagher: We should never have made Be Here Now then

Finally, we have the Christmas records! Mostly Christian and Country compilations, and one surprise soundtrack: The Nightmare Before Christmas. Hey, that’s what I like to call the election!

5. BEASTIE BOYS LICENSED TO ILL 4,076 copies

7. SELENA ONES 3,042 copies

11. OASIS BE HERE NOW (3CD) 2,685 copies

43. MERCYME MERCYME IT’S CHRISTMAS 1,580 copies

87. PRESLEY*ELVIS MERRY CHRISTMAS LOVE ELVIS 1,226 copies

87. CASTING CROWNS PEACE ON EARTH 1,226 copies

165. NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS SOUNDTRACK 966 copies

168. JOEY + RORY A FARMHOUSE CHRISTMAS 956 copies

178. VARIOUS ARTISTS COUNTRY CHRISTMAS 937 copies

188. CROSBY*BING BING CROSBY CHRISTMAS 913 copies

191. VARIOUS CHRISTMAS SING­ALONG 910 copies

(Previously.)