Rating: 
Summary: Indespensible Guide To Every Hit Of The Era!
Review: Joel Whitburn is the authority on Top 40 hits and this Eighth edition of this comprehensive tome will give you the basics on every artist who ever had a charted single from the beginning of the Rock Era through 2003.
Organized in an easy to reference way, whether you are seeking an artist's name or a song title, or even a year a song was recorded, this is a fantastic book to track down every song that reached Billboard's storied "Top 40" listings.
It is simply the authoritative book on the topic.
Highly Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Indispensable! Reviewed it before I bought it!
Review: Joel Whitburn's Top 40 books are indispensible to anyone in the music business! I've worked as a DJ for nearly 20 years, and have referred to Joel's books daily---I learned how to be an "Oldies" DJ thanks to his books---I'm now known as the "Trivia King" in my market thanks to his research! I can immediately locate the top song on a given date for my "Day in History" radio feature, and in my club work, can immediately play a tune that was at the top on a person's birthday. Since I also use the book as an inventory tool for my personal and club record collection, if a client asks---"Do you have---?" I can immediately tell if I have it! Many regulars ask if they can "see the book"---in fact, my former edition is worn out---I have to get two copies---one for the club, and one for myself! I can't wait for this book to be accessible by CD-ROM! I hope there are plans for this to happen!
Rating:
Summary: Indispensable! Reviewed it before I bought it!
Review: Joel Whitburn's Top 40 books are indispensible to anyone in the music business! I've worked as a DJ for nearly 20 years, and have referred to Joel's books daily---I learned how to be an "Oldies" DJ thanks to his books---I'm now known as the "Trivia King" in my market thanks to his research! I can immediately locate the top song on a given date for my "Day in History" radio feature, and in my club work, can immediately play a tune that was at the top on a person's birthday. Since I also use the book as an inventory tool for my personal and club record collection, if a client asks---"Do you have---?" I can immediately tell if I have it! Many regulars ask if they can "see the book"---in fact, my former edition is worn out---I have to get two copies---one for the club, and one for myself! I can't wait for this book to be accessible by CD-ROM! I hope there are plans for this to happen!
Rating: 
Summary: cool book
Review: Posting Customer Reviews is a two-step process. First, complete the form below and click "Preview your Review." Then, we will show you how your comments will appear online. When you're ready to submit them, click the "Submit your Review" button on the bottom of the page.
Rating:
Summary: HOLD ON! The 7th Edition is on it's way!
Review: The 6th edition of this book covers the period up to 1996. The 7th edition, to be published Nov 2000, will contain info right up to Dec 1999. If it follows the format of the significantly more expensive "Top Pop Singles" from Whitburn (which covers the entire weekly top 100, as opposed to just the top 40), it will also include a number of new features. Among these, including airplay-only hits (such as Don't Speak, Torn, or One Headlight), separate positions for airplay and sales rankings, and possibly B-side info.What virtually everyone else has indicated holds true. This is the bible for pop music fans: accurate, detailed, and complete. I have probably about 100 music reference books, and Whitburn's are almost always the first I refer to. (For those interested, the other book I most often refer to is Martin C. Strong's "Great Rock Discography", also available at Amazon, and also highly recommended.) In summary, if you're interested in a general reference to music oldies, save a few bucks & get this edition. If you want to be right up to date on the big hits of today, wait for the 7th edition. And if you're positively anal about music trivia and obscure tracks, check out Whitburn's Hot Pop Singles.
Rating:
Summary: All The Hits
Review: The 7th Edition of Joel Whitburn's The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits is every bit as good as the previous six editions. If you are interested in how songs fared on the charts, this book is a must for you as it lists the chart positions of every song that has made the Top 40 from 1955 to 1999. There are some good pictures of 45 sleeves and newer singles covers with a bit of info on the song and artist. The book is easy to follow and under most every artist, there is a snippet of info about them as well as gold and platinum certifications for the songs. This book is one of the best reference books around.
Rating:
Summary: An Industry Bible
Review: The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits is an indispenable reference book and I have used the previous editions for years in my profession as a D.J. This reference covers the variety of charts and is exceptionally easy to use. I like the fact that it is cross-referenced by artist, song title, and year. It continually builds my knowledge of music, settles trivia debates, and answers all musical queeries. It has also kept so many songs from becoming lost to the new sounds/songs being produced every day. I refer to it as the bible of the industry, and have worn the covers off every single edition. If you want to be a part of the music field, then make this the very first edition in your music reference library. You will be surprised how much you learn, and you will also be reminded of so much that you have forgotten. It will make you smarter in the music field, and will bring back so many memories lost.
Rating:
Summary: A must for every music lover & great for gifts
Review: There are certain books that are sure fire bets if you have to buy a gift for someone and don't know what to get. This is such a book!! Every artist who had a top 40 hit single since 1955 is listed and all of the artist's top 40 hits are listed. If you remember a song years ago and remember who recorded it, if it made the top 40, it is in this book. What a great way to rediscover nearly forgotten recordings you once liked. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: 7th edition is the greatest ever
Review: This book is a dream come true for any pop music fan. I purchased the first edition when it came out back in 1983. The editions that came later had few improvements other than adding extra years, but this one is much improved because it includes airplay-only singles. This is a valuable addition because during the 1990's many record labels have refused to release songs as singles, causing smash hits such as "One Headlight" "Iris" "Killing Me Softly" and "Walking on the Sun" to miss the Hot 100 entirely. This new edition now includes all top airplay-only hits and list sales and airplay chart positions for the more recent songs. In addition, it also notes Top 40 songs that topped the album rock and modern rock charts, something not included in previous editions. My only complaint is that airplay-only hits that appeared on the Hot 100 Airplay chart in 1998 nearly all have Dec 5, 1998 as the chart debut date, due to them suddenly becoming eligible for the regular Top 40 on that date due to a change in Billboard's chart policy. So a 1998 summer hit like "Iris" shows as entering the chart on Dec 5 when we all know it had been played to death on radio stations as far back as May and June of that year. Also, curiously, "Torn" by Natalie Imbroglia doesn't appear at all, despite reaching number one on the airplay chart. Hopefully this error will be corrected in the next printing.
Rating:
Summary: Worth It!
Review: This book is worth every penny because it gives you every top 40 hit that every artist has had since 1955. it is interesting in the book the musical trends over the decades and how most artists are popular for so long. This album is great if you wanted to know how well their artist did on the Billboard charts this is the book to get and I also suggest Tops Of The Pops which features every hot 100 song.
|
