Acrobat's highly popular "America's Greatest Hits" series has so far focused on the 1950s and '60s, but there is a clear demand for collections which address earlier years, and so this collection starts at the very beginning of the 1940s with what was the very first year of the record sales charts. In July 1940, Billboard began to publish the "Best Selling Popular Retail Records" Top 10 on a weekly basis, and this collection comprises every record which appeared in that chart from July through to December of 1940. Inevitably, it includes records by a number of the top swing orchestras of the day including Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw and Charlie Barnet, along with their featured singers, notably Frank Sinatra's early hits with Tommy Dorsey, as well as hits by top vocalists like Bing Crosby, Judy Garland and Ella Fitzgerald. Alongside those are doowop records by Ink Spots, and some fine boogie-woogie hits as well, and the 47 titles featured make up a great-value 2-CD set which provide an entertaining snapshot of the dawn of the chart era. Once again, there are detailed background notes on every record in a 5,000 word bookle
4 Practice Makes Perfect (Bob Chester & His Orchestra with Al Stuart) - Bob Chester and His Orchestra
5 We Three (Ink Spots) - Ink Spots
6 Only Forever (Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra with Allan Storr) - Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra
7 Pompton Turnpike (Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra) - Charlie Barnet and His Orchestra
8 Ferry-Boat Serenade (Kay Kyser & His Orchestra with Ginny, Harry, Jack & Max) - Kay Kyser and His Orchestra
9 Our Love Affair (Tommy Dorsey & Frank Sinatra) - Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra
10 Our Love Affair (Glenn Miller & His Orchestra with Ray Eberle) - Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
11 The Call of the Canyon (Glenn Miller & His Orchestra with Ray Eberle) - Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
12 Down Argentina Way (Leo Reisman & His Orchestra with Sara Horn) - Leo Reisman and His Orchestra
13 We Three (Tommy Dorsey & Frank Sinatra) - Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra
14 A Handful of Stars (Glenn Miller & His Orchestra with Ray Eberle) - Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
15 Scrub Me Mama with a Boogie Beat (Will Bradley & His Orchestra Feat. Ray McKinley) - Will Bradley and His Orchestra
16 Ferry-Boat Serenade - la Piccinina (Andrews Sisters with Vic Schoen & His Orchestra) - the Andrews Sisters
17 Down Argentina Way (Bob Crosby & His Orchestra with Bonnie King) - Bob Crosby and His Orchestra
18 A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (Glenn Miller & His Orchestra with Ray Eberle) - Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
19 Down the Road a Piece (Will Bradley Trio with Ray McKinley) - Will Bradley Trio
20 There I Go (Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra) - Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra
21 There I Go (Will Bradley & His Orchestra Feat. Ray McKinley) - Will Bradley and His Orchestra
22 Star Dust (Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra & the Pied Pipers) - Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra
23 Five O'Clock Whistle (Ella Fitzgerald & Her Famous Orchestra) - Ella Fitzgerald and Her Famous Orchestra
Acrobat's highly popular "America's Greatest Hits" series has so far focused on the 1950s and '60s, but there is a clear demand for collections which address earlier years, and so this collection starts at the very beginning of the 1940s with what was the very first year of the record sales charts. In July 1940, Billboard began to publish the "Best Selling Popular Retail Records" Top 10 on a weekly basis, and this collection comprises every record which appeared in that chart from July through to December of 1940. Inevitably, it includes records by a number of the top swing orchestras of the day including Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw and Charlie Barnet, along with their featured singers, notably Frank Sinatra's early hits with Tommy Dorsey, as well as hits by top vocalists like Bing Crosby, Judy Garland and Ella Fitzgerald. Alongside those are doowop records by Ink Spots, and some fine boogie-woogie hits as well, and the 47 titles featured make up a great-value 2-CD set which provide an entertaining snapshot of the dawn of the chart era. Once again, there are detailed background notes on every record in a 5,000 word bookle
