The Book of Hit Singles 4 Ed: Top 20 Charts from 1954 to the Present Day

Rating:
Summary: Not up to Joel Whitburn but an interesting variation
Review: A variation on pop-chart history books, McAleer summarizes a month's worth of charts into a single top twenty. Each page contains 3 months of singles charts, with the even numbered pages showing UK charts directly opposite the same month's summary in the US. The margins are filled with the music trivia of the day. The odd format of monthly charts exaggerates the chart success of songs that were around at the start of the month, but hurts songs that peaked in mid-month. Also odd, each country's chart also include a cross-reference to the WEEKLY position in the other country. But as a nostalgia tool, it's great fun to see what songs were popular in a given month, such as a birthday, wedding or graduation. Also includes an All-time US 100 (with The Twist at #1) and UK Top 100 (where Rock Around the Clock reigns), and cross reference by song title & artist.