The Comparison Book 1954-82

If the volumes will be by date, then the cutoff should
be 12/5/98 when the Hot 100 transitioned from a record
chart to a song chart. I always cringe when
Billboard's writers compare the chart stats compiled
by today's artists to those achieved in the past.
Drake has charted the most songs ever since his album
tracks can chart - something that could not be done
by, say, the Beatles in the '60's or Elton in the
'70's. How many more Hot 100 or even Top 10 hits
would artists like them have amassed if their album
tracks had been able to chart? All the tracks from
albums like "Rumours" or "Thriller" would have
probably charted...disregarding that Jackson
ultimately mined "Thriller" for seven singles anyway!
Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift may have charted more
times than Aretha Franklin. But, how many of their
charted songs only lasted a week like Swift's or
charted as by a featured artist like Minaj's when
compared to Franklin?

I must admit I would prefer by artist. I would rather
see an artist's entire chart history together than in
two volumes. What would be done for songs that re-
chart? Brenda Lee's "Rockin..." first charted and
peaked in the '60's, but reached a new peak in 2019.
Should the song be included in the book when it was
first released or when it peaked? Reference would be
needed in one that it is in the other as the song was
a success in both book eras. From a financial
standpoint, it would also require readers to purchase
both volumes every time the books are updated.
Undoubtedly, publishing two volumes will be more
expensive which will be reflected in the price.

There's really no perfect way to divide these though, is there?

A clean break at the turn of the century may work better than 1990. Something like "Vol. 1 - The 1900s" and "Vol. 2 - The 2000s".
As mentioned, the chart did significantly change at the very end of 1998 which would add just one transitional year to the first book.

However, Top Pop Singles likely does well because it promises a complete overview of the Hot 100 since its inception despite all of Billboard's criteria machinations over the past 30 years. Breaking it up by century could negatively affect the appeal of each, with the first volume feeling like an edited rehash of every edition released since 1999, and the second feeling lopsided without the bulk of more legitimate Hot 100 eras to anchor it.

And I don't see dividing by artist as being beneficial to anyone other than possibly the publishers.

My unsolicited "focus group" contribution:

Having bought so many volumes over the years - and given the current state of the charts and world - I'm happy hitting pause with the latest edition that runs up to 2018 in a single book. I'm especially unlikely to buy an update if it's split into two expensive volumes regardless of how it's done. Maybe a decade from now when more time has passed, a new generation of acts have emerged and there's more data to document and contrast? (Assuming the Hot 100 is even still a thing.)

Finally, I don't say this to be harsh as the work and love that goes into these books is obvious and very much appreciated, but... It would be nice if more effort went into discerning between authentic single sleeve art and the "fan-made" ones that pollute google's image results. We're all such sticklers for accuracy I think this is a fair concern to raise as several fakes have graced not only interior pages but in some cases the COVERS of these books in recent years.

I really do appreciate all that has gone into keeping these books updated and in print for decades, and that an effort is made to speak directly with chart enthusiasts on these forums. Thanks!

I appreciate reading all of the comments here.

Frankly, I'd love to keep it at one volume myself, regardless of how big it's getting. But, ultimately Joel is the one who
makes that decision.

The decision has already been made that the first volume will cover 1955-1989. Believe me, I raised all of your points (and
then some) in our conversations these past few months. Joel's explanation to me is that 1955-89 covers the era of the 45 rpm
single and thus is a logical time frame.

The plan is to release the first volume and then work will begin on the next volume, so we won't hit our customers with both
books at the same time.

There are some other details with the exact contents of the book that I'm not at liberty to divulge at this time. As I
mentioned before, we will be making a formal announcement in the first quarter of 2021.

Even though I work extensively on these books, I was a customer for many years before that and I'm first and foremost a fan of
these books like many of you are and I know that Joel is still very passionate about delivering a quality product.

Edited by Paul Haney

Paul Haney wrote: The decision has already been made that the first volume will cover 1955- 1989. Believe me, I raised all of your points (and then some) in our conversations these past few months. Joel's explanation to me is that 1955-89 covers the era of the 45 rpm single and thus is a logical time frame. I know that Joel is still very passionate about delivering a quality product.

I think I agree, and I know everybody wants to make a quality product. Have
you considered bring back research such as the Single Sales / Airplay only
charts which where in the books till 2005 or so? That's one way to increase
sales and a sizeable chuck of that data (at least till 2005 or so) would already
be within the Record Research database. Particularly as size would not be an
issue for the 1955-1989 volume as it would be significantly less than currently
I would imagine).

As I stated above, I would also prefer two volumes
divided alphabetically. However, I appreciate the
rationale behind this decision. Although the Hot 100
is a now 60+ year old chart, it is simply impossible
to compare the accomplishments on today's Hot 100
versus those achieved 30-60 years ago. Drake recently
landed seven songs in the Top 10 surpassing the
Beatles' long held record of five. Drake achieved
this under far different circumstances than the
Beatles from the media used to access and hear his
music to chart rules allowing album tracks to chart
now unlike during the Beatles' era. We could argue
endlessly whose achievement was greater. As a chart
enthusiast, I would prefer a more meaningful cutoff
for the first volume either in 1991 when Soundscan was
introduced or in 1998 when the chart transitioned from
records to songs. Thanks to cassingles, 45s were
already harder to find in 1990. The other dates, to
me, would define chart and music eras better.

I have multiple questions which will likely be
answered when the books are announced, but I'll ask
anyway!

* Will the books include Sales and Airplay dataT
There were many songs that reached these charts,
but never made the Hot 100 that should still be
documented for posterity. It would also be nice to
see this info in Book 1 to see how much one or the
other contributed to a record's peak.
* How will the books handle chart re-entries? With
so many songs now re-charting every holiday season or,
sadly, when an artist passes away, will the song be
listed in both books? For example, several songs
by Whitney Houston and Prince that re-entered in the
2010's (Book 2) were originally released in the 1980's
(Book 1). Will these songs be entries in both books
or footnoted in Book 1 with the original chart entry?
* Since Book 1 will be a record book, will songs
that were re-released and charted more than once be
listed separately? Olivia Newton-John's #1 "I
Honestly Love You" was first released in
1974, but re-released as a different 45 with a
different B-side in 1977 to promote her first
"Greatest Hits" album peaking at #48. Will Book 1
credit "Honestly" twice?
* Similarly, how will re-recordings be treated?
Olivia re-recorded and re-released "I Honestly Love
You" in 1998 with production by David Foster and
background vocals by Babyface peaking at #67. Will
this record appear in Book 2 as its own entry or be
footnoted in Book 1?
* B-side and 45 record numbers will pertain to every
entry in Book 1. Will this information be included in
Book 2 for all relevant songs?

Edited by Scanner