Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004

Rating:
Summary: Detailed and comprehensive
Review: This very extensive tome is the most up to date and detailed reference work on the British singles charts from their inception in the New Musical Express Top 12 of 1952 up to the end of 2003.

The introduction provides a key to the symbols used and explanatory notes to the format of the information. Then follows the alphabetical list of artists from the British group A to ZZ Top. Each entry contains biographical information on the artist, every single that charted with its chart entry date, highest position, weeks at number one, weeks on chart, gold, platinum, Grammy, MTV, BPI and other awards, the catalogue number and further information like the contribution of other artists in an uncredited role or which songs contain samples of other songs.

The next section provides a chronological list of number ones from 1952 to 2003, from Here In My Heart by Al Martino to Mad World by Michael Andrews. The following section is an alphabetical listing of all the songs from the period, starting with () by Sigur Ross and concluding with Zungo Zeng by K7 and the Swing Kids.

The author has consulted periodicals like Billboard, Blues & Soul, Melody Maker, NME, Music Week, Record Collector, Record Mirror, Rolling Stone and Sounds plus a list of books which is provided. This is an indispensable reference work for music journalists and ought to be very helpful for anyone wishing to investigate the careers of their favorite artists.