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Elbow profit from Games performance

Elbow look to be among the biggest winners of artists performing at the Olympic Closing Ceremony with a massive boost in sales.

John Lennon - whose hit Imagine formed a central part of the show - and the Spice Girls have also seen huge rises in their sales.

Figures compiled by music retailer HMV found the band's Mercury Prize-winning album The Seldom Seen Kid up by more than 1,000 per cent in the hours following Sunday's ceremony.

The group performed One Day Like This and Open Arms at the music extravaganza in the Olympic Stadium. They were also behind the BBC's official Olympic Theme, First Steps.

Sales of Seldom Seen Kid shot up by 1,150 per cent and its follow-up Build A Rocket Boys! has shot up by 794 per cent.

Lennon's Imagine album increased its sales by 1,100 per cent following the title track's inclusion in the show as performers assembled a sculpture of the former Beatle's head.

The Spice Girls, who staged a one-off reunion for the evening, have seen their greatest hits compilation enjoy a 626 per cent sales jump.

Emeli Sande, who performed three times and also appeared at the opening ceremony, has enjoyed a 476 per cent boost for her album Our Version Of Events.

George Michael, who used the occasion to plug his new single White Light prompting some criticism, has reaped the benefits. It is likely to figure in the top 10 when the midweek charts are announced tomorrow, making it his biggest hit for eight years.

HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo said: "The closing ceremony was a celebration of British music, and with a huge broadcast audience in the UK and worldwide it's no surprise that the featured artists are seeing a big lift in sales of their recordings."

Source: music.uk.msn.com
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