Not since Beatlemania has one band dominated the music charts so completely.

But last night the Arctic Monkeys were on target to have a recordbreaking 18 songs in the top 200.

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The Arctic Monkeys: The Sheffield based band are on course to have 18 songs in the top 200 when the full results from the official UK charts are announced

The Sheffield-based group are likely to achieve the record for the official UK singles charts once all the sales of singles in record shops and through Internet downloads have been counted.

Brianstorm, the first single from their second album, did slip slightly from its high in second place down to seventh position when the top 40 singles chart was released yesterday.

However, the recent change in chart rules to include Internet downloads in the official figure means that many other tracks on the first two albums, which have been bought as downloads, have forced their way into the top 200 singles.

Their second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, topped the UK album chart yesterday. It sold 85,000 copies on its first day of release.

The group is currently selling one in every seven singles bought.

HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo said: "The Arctic Monkeys are currently on course to have 18 songs in the top 200 when the full results from yesterday's official UK charts are announced.

"You'd probably have to go back to the heyday of the Beatles in the Sixties to find anything that could come close to matching this record."

"Looking slightly further ahead, it adds fuel to the suggestion that the Beatles will dominate the top 40 once their songs are made individually available for download."