America's Greatest Hits 1949 (Various Artists)

We continue our popular and successful series devoted to the biggest chart records of each calendar year in the early chart era as we focus on 1949, the final year of the first decade of the Billboard Best Sellers chart - the chart was launched in July 1940. This great value 103-track 4-CD set comprises just about every record which peaked in the Top 15 of the Billboard Best Sellers and Cash Box charts during 1949. For reasons of space, it excludes some records were still in the chart at the start of the year, but which peaked in the Top 15 in 1948, and so will be included in the forthcoming 1948 collection. It was a big year for solo vocalists, who were now dominating as television offered an ideal means of exposure and the big swing bands declined in the era of post-war austerity, although the "sweet" orchestras with their featured singers continued to hold sway, and the year had it's customary smattering of novelty songs, often in jazzy R&B or country styles. Only eight different records made No. 1 in the chart, some with very long stays at the top. As usual, there were also quite a number of highly collectable records by some artists we don't hear too much about these days. It makes for an intriguing and very entertaining musical snapshot of the music scene as the war receded in people's minds and a momentous new decade in music approached. It includes a 15,000+ word booklet with a commentary on every record as well as full discographical and chart information.