Rolling Stones Rumble Towards UK Album Top Slot

The Rolling Stones are heading for their first No. 1 UK album in 16 years, with news that the much-anticipated reissue of 'Exile on Main Street' is topping the midweek charts.

As reported in Spinner, the band have unearthed previously unreleased tracks and alternate versions to accompany some editions of the re-released album that first came out -- and went to number one -- in 1972.

Even by the Stones' standards, this is some achievement, as few reissued works top the charts. T. Rex did it by repackaging their first two albums from 1968 as a double release in the same year 'Exile...' came out.

The veteran band last took the number one spot with 1994's 'Voodoo Lounge.' Currently, they are outselling two key new releases, LCD Soundsystem's third album 'This Is Happening' and 'The Dance' from Faithless, which is only being sold through the supermarket chain Tesco.

Part of the hype for the reissue includes a BBC 2 documentary 'Stones In Exile' set to be broadcast on May 24. The film made by Stephen Kijak premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival, a fitting location since the doc's subject was mainly recorded down the coast in Villefranche-sur-Mer. Kijak told the Los Angeles Times he was impressed with film footage he found in the Stones' archives. "There's a scene of Keith and Mick playing a simple blues in a hotel room that had our jaws dropped. That stuff is a gold mine, it's yet to be fully exploited," he said.