Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002

Rating:
Summary: Music lovers -- get this book!
Review: I've employed Joel Whitburn's books for over 20 years to help me know what are the tops songs, to help me remember, to help me remember who did what song.
Cut thru the "greatest hits" nonsense where 1 or 2 songs are known and the rest are filler with "Top Pop Singles".
Each time I go to the record store I take "Top Pop Singles" with me (dog eared and all :) )
It's easy to look-up a song by either song title or artist.
Many artists/groups also contain interesting bios.
Also, #1 Hits by year lists.
Also, Special Christmas singles lists.
The BEST song reference book. I recommend fully.
Any bad comments? Only published once every 4 years. Yes, there are updates available, but for a song/music junkie, like me, I prefer the book!
Check out the other books by Joel Whitburn for other titles as these books are also great reference.
-- Kraig

Rating:
Summary: Joel Whitburn has outdone himself yet again!
Review: First of all, I too was disappointed that this book is not for sale on Amazon. But these books are so useful and so essential for people addicted to musical history (like me) that I went ahead and bought the hardcover edition direct from the Record Research website. Since I hope it will be available on Amazon in the future, I've decided to go ahead and post a review of the book.

Joel Whitburn has put together another masterpiece. Each edition has improved upon the last, and this one is no exception. The main improvement here is the use of the color red to highlight certain facts or figures regarding each artist. At first you might think this is not a big deal, but once your eyes get used to picking out the items in red, you'll realize how valuable it is. For example, each artist has all of their Top 10 songs colored red. At a single glance, you can see which hits cracked the top 10 and which failed to reach that high. A red circle is also drawn around every song that reaches #1, meaning you can quickly pick out the most successful songs.

For this edition, Joel has made an effort to include some type of biography and tidbit of information on almost every artist. While this is a small thing, you'll appreciate the fact that you can now learn where your favorite artists/groups are from and usually one or two more facts about their past.

My favorite section is in the back of the book, where the top 600 artists are ranked according to a points-based formula that places specific values on #1 hits, #2 hits, Top 10 hits, etc. If you buy these books every three years like I do, you'll have fun watching your favorite artists slowly climb (or fall) up or down the charts. This section is also useful for picking out musical trends. This year, many R&B acts moved quickly up the charts, due to the frequency that many acts are currently collaborating with each other on songs. Ex. - Jennifer Lopez Featuring Ja Rule.

Overall, this book provides a wealth of information on every song and artist that has charted on the Billboard Pop charts in the last 47 years. In my opinion, this is an essential book for any music lovers bookshelf.

Rating:
Summary: Why did Amazon suddenly pull out this book?
Review: I have been waiting for the release of this book and ordered it in advance, only to be notified by Amazon that it will never be released (no further explanation was given). Well this book has in fact been released by Mr. Whitburn on his website, so how come Amazon is not able to sell it? Is it because Amazon is selling it at a discount price while Mr. Whitburn sells it at full price on his website? I am deeply disappointed that this has happened. Hopefully Mr. Whitburn will change his mind and release it to Amazon.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Reference for Music !!!!
Review: I recommend this book to anyone with even a passing interest in music. It is great.
The book arrived with no problem. Amazon must have worked out whatever problem the other reviewers were complaining about.
So many times this book has settled debates at my workplace over which artist did what song or what year a song came out.
This latest edition has many updates and additional information. I especially like the attempt to include bios on all the artists that ever charted. Nice touch.
Buy this book for yourself or anyone who loves music.
You will not be disappointed.



Rating:
Summary: One small consolation....
Review: I too had my order cancelled and was told that they are not selling to Amazon.com. One thing you will notice is that Amazon was selling the PAPERBACK version, not the hardcover that is for sale on Mr. Whitburn's website. Personally I can't figure out how a hardcover can cost $20, (Note to self: Invest in cardboard...) but I'll probably buy it anyway, or wait two more years...