May 19, 2009

By By Andre Paine, London

Eminem's comeback "Relapse" (Interscope) is set to return the rapper to the top of the album charts in the U.K. with the biggest week one sale of the year so far.

Entertainment retailer HMV reports that the set has proved to be its biggest day one release of 2009. HMV is also predicting total market sales in excess of 175,000 for "Relapse," which would make it the biggest opening week so far for an album in 2009.

U2's "No Line On the Horizon" (Mercury) had first week sales of 168,000 in March.

Eminem's set sold more than 64,000 on its day of release (May 18), although it just failed to beat U2, whose album sold a similar amount (64,700) on its first day in stores.

The rapper is planning a free show at the 1,500-capacity MotorCity Casino Sound Board theater Detroit today (May 19) to coincide with the U.S. release.

He announced the show on his MySpace page and fans queued up for tickets on Monday morning at Record Time in the Detroit suburb of Roseville.

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