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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2014
Of Joel Whitburn's reproduced week-by-week charts, this is the most fun.
These 1955-59 pop singles' charts are the source for the basic POP SINGLES book (I have the 1955-2002 edition) and the POP ANNUAL; however, while the POP SINGLES book gives the bare bones chart info, initial date, peak position, and total weeks, as well as in the tiniest little print imaginable the peaks on the multi-charts used before the Hot-100, this book has the basic information.
What makes this book interesting is that Billboard, up to 7/28/58, used a series of multiple single records' charts:
Top 100 (a store basic inventory listing which was later copied for what became the Top 150-175-200 Pop Lp chart)
Most Played by Jockeys (radio hits; normally 25 positions)
Best Sellers in Stores (normally 25 positions)
Most Played by Jukeboxes (20 positions)
You can spot the initial chart debut way down at the bottom of the Top-100, but when the song ran up high enough, the chart runs would split out in an airplay (Jockeys) vs. sales (Best Sellers...), and sometimes the same song listed significantly differently on the multiple charts, especially between late 1956 into 1958. Look up Frank Sinatra's #2 hit, "All The Way" (airplay!), which topped out at #15 (sales), and wonder about the Payola allegations in reverse. Pat Boone and Little Richard duked it out with "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally," (Frankie Lymon &) the Teenagers fought it out with Gale Storm on "Why Do Fools Fall In Love," Otis Williams and the Charms, Cathy Carr, and Gale Storm all dueled with "Ivory Tower," and Fats Domino finally buried the Fontane Sisters' "I'm In Love Again" (which only got up to #38 on the Top-100, well short of Fats' running the top five on all the charts on his Imperial original). Sometimes the same song by different artists might hold three places on the charts at the same time. Look at Elvis's short hits on the airplay charts, while he was a sales fixture.
Starting early August, 1958, Billboard combined it all into the Hot-100, weighted in favor of radio airplay, 55% airplay/45% sales, which had the effect of boosting white radio hits and downplaying rock 'n roll (look up The Kirby Stone Four "Baubles, Bangles and Beads").
Recommended!
These 1955-59 pop singles' charts are the source for the basic POP SINGLES book (I have the 1955-2002 edition) and the POP ANNUAL; however, while the POP SINGLES book gives the bare bones chart info, initial date, peak position, and total weeks, as well as in the tiniest little print imaginable the peaks on the multi-charts used before the Hot-100, this book has the basic information.
What makes this book interesting is that Billboard, up to 7/28/58, used a series of multiple single records' charts:
Top 100 (a store basic inventory listing which was later copied for what became the Top 150-175-200 Pop Lp chart)
Most Played by Jockeys (radio hits; normally 25 positions)
Best Sellers in Stores (normally 25 positions)
Most Played by Jukeboxes (20 positions)
You can spot the initial chart debut way down at the bottom of the Top-100, but when the song ran up high enough, the chart runs would split out in an airplay (Jockeys) vs. sales (Best Sellers...), and sometimes the same song listed significantly differently on the multiple charts, especially between late 1956 into 1958. Look up Frank Sinatra's #2 hit, "All The Way" (airplay!), which topped out at #15 (sales), and wonder about the Payola allegations in reverse. Pat Boone and Little Richard duked it out with "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally," (Frankie Lymon &) the Teenagers fought it out with Gale Storm on "Why Do Fools Fall In Love," Otis Williams and the Charms, Cathy Carr, and Gale Storm all dueled with "Ivory Tower," and Fats Domino finally buried the Fontane Sisters' "I'm In Love Again" (which only got up to #38 on the Top-100, well short of Fats' running the top five on all the charts on his Imperial original). Sometimes the same song by different artists might hold three places on the charts at the same time. Look at Elvis's short hits on the airplay charts, while he was a sales fixture.
Starting early August, 1958, Billboard combined it all into the Hot-100, weighted in favor of radio airplay, 55% airplay/45% sales, which had the effect of boosting white radio hits and downplaying rock 'n roll (look up The Kirby Stone Four "Baubles, Bangles and Beads").
Recommended!
