Thug Life Army

The late Ray Charles tops the wish list for music listeners this holiday season, according to a recent VH1 Poll that asked music lovers which artists topped their wish lists this holiday season.

Ray Charles'' "Ray: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" ranked at or near the top across all regions and all adult demographics in a telephone poll commissioned by VH1, which surveyed a random national sample of 766 20-49 year-olds who listen to music.

Box set compilations from artists such as the Beatles and Nirvana also rank near the top of the list. In fact, five of the top 10 CDs on the poll are by established acts including The Beatles, Ray Charles, Nirvana, The Rolling Stones and U2.

 The Top 10 CDs People Most Want This Holiday Season are:

 1. Ray Charles --"Ray: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"
 2. Beatles -- "The Capitol Albums Vol. 1: Box Set"
 3. Alicia Keys -- "The Diary of Alicia Keys"
 4. Tim McGraw -- "Live Like You Were Dying"
 5. U2 -- "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb"
 6. Nirvana -- "With The Lights Out: Box Set"
 7. The Rolling Stones -- "Live Licks"
 8. George Strait -- "50 Number Ones"
 9. Shania Twain -- "Greatest Hits"
 10. Usher -- "Confessions"

 Other intriguing findings in the VH1 poll ... .

 * Three of the top 10 are Country artists (#4 Tim McGraw's "Live Like You
 Were Dying," #8 George Strait's "50 Number Ones" and #9 Shania Twain's
 "Greatest Hits").

 * Two of the top 10 are Urban artists (#3 Alicia Keys'' "The Diary of
 Alicia Keys" and #10 Usher's "Confessions").

 * The youngest group surveyed (20-29) was the only demographic to place
 hip-hop and rap acts in their collective top 10.

 * Women are more open to newer artists, especially those in hip hop and
 r&b, while men have a greater interest in the more established acts,
 particularly rock artists.

The VH1 poll also broke out favorites in four regions of the U.S.: Northeast, Midwest, South and the West. The Northeast wish list is the most diversified. The Midwest is evenly divided between "classics" and Country. The South desired the most urban acts (rap/hip-hop), but was split evenly with "classics" selections too. The West are solid fans of established acts -- eight out of 10 were "classics." Regional breakouts follow below:

 Northeast Top 10

 1. Ray Charles --"Ray: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"
 2. Outkast -- "Speakerboxx-The Love Below"
 3. Beatles -- "The Capitol Albums Vol. 1: Box Set"
 4. Alicia Keys -- "The Diary of Alicia Keys"
 5. Guns N'' Roses -- "Greatest Hits"
 6. Nirvana -- "With The Lights Out: Box Set"
 7. U2 -- "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb"
 8. R.E.M -- "Around The Sun"
 9. 2Pac -- "Loyal To The Game"
 10. Prince -- "Musicology"


 Midwest Top 10

 1. Ray Charles --"Ray: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"
 2. The Rolling Stones -- "Live Licks"
 3. Beatles -- "The Capitol Albums Vol. 1: Box Set"
 4. Brooks & Dunn -- "Greatest Hits Collection II"
 5. Shania Twain -- "Greatest Hits"
 6. George Strait -- "50 Number Ones"
 7. Toby Keith -- "Greatest Hits Volume 2"
 8. Tim McGraw -- "Live Like You Were Dying"
 9. Jimmy Buffett -- "License To Chill"
 10. Pearl Jam - "Rearviewmirror - Greatest Hits 1993-2004"


 South Top 10

 1. Ray Charles --"Ray: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"
 2. Alicia Keys -- "The Diary of Alicia Keys"
 3. Beatles -- "The Capitol Albums Vol. 1: Box Set"
 4. Nirvana -- "With The Lights Out: Box Set"
 5. Usher -- "Confessions"
 6. Tim McGraw -- "Live Like You Were Dying"
 7. U2 -- "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb"
 8. Destiny's Child -- "Destiny Fulfilled"
 9. Prince -- "Musicology"
 10. Outkast -- "Speakerboxx-The Love Below"


 West Top 10

 1. The Rolling Stones -- "Live Licks"
 2. Beatles -- "The Capitol Albums Vol. 1: Box Set"
 3. Ray Charles --"Ray: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"
 4. Shania Twain -- "Greatest Hits"
 5. Alicia Keys -- "The Diary of Alicia Keys"
 6. U2 -- "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb"
 7. Pearl Jam - "Rearviewmirror - Greatest Hits 1993-2004"
 8. John Lennon - "Acoustic"
 9. Nirvana -- "With The Lights Out: Box Set"
 10. Elton John -- "Peachtree Road"

The VH1 poll was conducted by TNS Intersearch. TNS Intersearch (TNS), based outside Philadelphia in Horsham, Pennsylvania, is a division of Taylor Nelson Sofres, the fourth largest marketing information company in the world. With more than 230 offices in 54 countries, Taylor Nelson Sofres provides market information services in more than 100 countries. For more information about TNS, go to www.tns-i.com.

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists, and pop culture that matter to them most with series, specials, live events, exclusive online content, and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 84 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital services including VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, VH Uno, VH1 Mega Hits, and VH1 Country. Connect with VH1 at www.VH1.com.