Lennon Anthology Box Set Makes Its Debut At No. 99 With a Bullet in the Billboard Top Current Albums Chart, Becoming Second Best-Selling Box Set of 1998.

LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Nov. 11, 1998--

First Week Sales Nearly 17,000 Units

"The John Lennon Anthology," a 4-CD career retrospective of the legendary artist's solo work featuring nearly 100 never-before-released tracks, makes its debut in the Top 100 of the Billboard "Current Albums Chart" at No. 99 with a bullet next week.

Selling nearly 17,000 copies, it is the second top-selling box set of 1998 and has performed strongly at both major retail accounts and independent record stores nationwide. This first-week debut places it among the top five best-selling box sets upon release during the SoundScan era, in such excellent company as Garth Brooks, The Doors, AC/DC and Metallica, and outselling collections from Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley, Elvis Costello, Billy Joel, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and more.

John Michael, media manager at Best Buy, had this to say about the strong sales of "The John Lennon Anthology": "First and foremost, being a fan, it was very exciting to hear this music for the first time after hearing about it for so long. We had a huge first week.

"Best Buy has always been a destination for Beatles and solo Beatles recordings, so we gave it a tremendous ad campaign and made it very visible in our stores. Capitol and Best Buy did a great job setting the record up -- and the fans responded," Michael added.

At the other end of the retail spectrum, Rob Roth of Vintage Vinyl in Ford, N.J., commented: "My impression of the CD as I listened to it is that it captured the absolute essence of John Lennon, the poet, the philosopher, the rebel and the rocker. Sales are very good; everyone's very impressed with the packaging. It's not just a compilation of songs or outtakes -- it works cohesively as a great body of work."

Roy Lott, Capitol Records president, echoed Roth's sentiments about this extraordinary artist: "John Lennon was one of the greatest talents to have graced our world. `The Anthology' is a testament to this, and all of us at Capitol are very proud of this project.

"The Capitol and EMI distribution team have worked extremely hard in support of this incredible project. Yoko Ono's spirit, dedication and creative vision are inspiring, and it has been an honor to work with her," Lott added.

Lou Mann, Capitol senior vice president/general manager, added: "It's been extraordinarily gratifying to be involved in a project as important as `The John Lennon Anthology.' The response from consumers to this collection has been phenomenal. This, with the recent successes we've had with the Beastie Boys, `Hope Floats,' Everclear and Marcy Playground, heralds an exciting new era at Capitol."

"What a thrill it's been for me personally to be involved with a collection of work that has such a profound emotional effect on so many people," said Capitol Senior Vice President of Sales Joe McFadden. "We look forward to this being one of the highlights of the holiday season, and anticipate consumer demand will make this one of the best-selling box sets of all time."

Critics everywhere also agree that "The John Lennon Anthology" deserves recognition. Steve Morse, writing in The Boston Globe, said, "This new project is the most intimate, and arguably the most creative, boxed set in the history of the genre." Spin gives "Anthology" a "9," and states that it not only "provides sacred relics for devotees," but "ultimately reveals Lennon as a man worthy of myth."

"The John Lennon Anthology" has also been featured by Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Daily News and GQ, among others, with future coverage coming in Rolling Stone, Request, Pulse!, Details, Maxim, The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, People, USA Today, Stereo Review, Raygun, Bikini, Seconds and more.

Radio nationwide has been playing -- and talking about -- the collection, with an "ABC Rock Radio" Lennon special garnering millions of listeners via its satellite broadcast last week. Television has also embraced "Anthology," with "Access Hollywood," "E!," "CNN World Beat," "CBS This Morning" and local news coast-to-coast singing its praises.