The Live 8 concerts held at the weekend were remarkable for many things: Pink Floyd appeared on stage and didn't stab each other in the eyes; Paul McCartney was wheeled out of retirement yet again to deliver a cheery scouse grin and hoist his thumbs aloft; and, for the first time in living memory, Bob Geldof completely forgot to say "fook" live on TV.

But most remarkable of all was the phenomenal increase in album sales of the acts that appeared – apart from basket case Pete Docherty, whose old band actually saw sales drop. UK music retailer HMV reports that newly-reunited Pink Floyd's 'Best of' album was flying off the shelves with sales up an astonishing 1,343% and veteran rockers The Who, or at least the half still living, were rewarded with a more modest leap in sales of 863%.

Those sales volumes for Live 8 acts in full:

1 Pink Floyd - Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd - 1343%
2 The Who - Then and Now - 863%
3 Annie Lennox - Eurythmics Greatest Hits - 500%
4 Dido - Life For Rent - 412%
5 Razorlight - Up All Night - 335%
6 Robbie Williams - Greatest Hits - 320%
7 Joss Stone - Mind, Body and Soul - 309%
8 Sting - The Very Best of Sting & The Police - 300%
9 Travis - Singles - 268%
10 Madonna - Immaculate Collection - 200%

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