'Hamilton' mixtape beats Stones on US album chart

A compilation inspired by the Broadway smash hit "Hamilton" opened at number one Sunday on the US album sales chart, easily outpacing the first Rolling Stones album in a decade.

"The Hamilton Mixtape" features interpretations of songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical by top acts including Sia, John Legend and Wiz Khalifa.

The compilation album sold 187,000 copies or their equivalent in downloads or streaming in the week through Thursday, monitoring service Nielsen Music said.

"Hamilton," a hip-hop reimagining of the US founding fathers, has been one of Broadway's hottest tickets in years.

"Hamilton" recently returned to the news when Vice President-elect Mike Pence attended and the crew voiced concern to him over how the next administration would treat minorities, prompting an angry rebuke by President-elect Donald Trump.

The Rolling Stones opened at number four on the Billboard chart with "Blue and Lonesome," a cover album of Chicago blues standards that is the rock legends' first studio release since 2005.

"Blue and Lonesome" had opened at number one in Britain, the first for the Stones in their native country in more than 20 years.

The Stones have not had a number one in the United States since 1981's "Tattoo You"

Nonetheless the Stones extended a US record with "Blue and Lonesome" as the band now has entered the top 10 with 37 albums. Second is Barbra Streisand with 34.

R&B sensation The Weeknd slipped to number two on the latest Billboard chart with "Starboy," which earlier broke a streaming record on Spotify.

A cappella group Pentatonix was at number three with the holiday-themed "A Pentatonix Christmas."