Customer Reviews

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 9th Edition: Complete Chart Information about America's Most Popular Songs and Artists, 1955-2009 (Billboard Book of Top Forty Hits)

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This book is probably the greatest single reference for the modern popular music fan. The last edition of "Top 40 Hits" that I owned only covered up to 1990, and it was around 600 pages long. This new edition goes all the way up to 2009 and it's huge---900 pages---almost a third longer. I have been without one of these Whitburn "Top 40" references for a while and I had forgotten how much I missed having it as a music listening tool. With this book you can identify your favorite top 40 hit record (from 2009 back to 1955) when you hear it on the radio, or just look up your favorite song titles to see when they were hits, and learn their peak chart position. Or you can see just how many of your favorite band or artist's songs made it to Top 40 hit status. The thoroughness of Whitburn's research is unbelievable! In this latest edition there is still trivia about many of the bands and artists including listings of many bandmembers and their previous and subsequent musical involvement. And in the hands of a skilled music programmer, this book is a powerful programming tool. So it is both entertaining and useful. I guess it's all a matter of perspective, but since I received my copy it has never been up on the shelf. It is out on the table, and used almost constantly. This was some of the best reference book money I have spent in a long time.

After being a local DJ for over 25 years, I've always relied on Joel Whitburn's reference books to locate hard to find information on older top 40 hits that you just don't hear much anymore. Joel relies on the info from Billboard's charts & then when I'm ready to purchase a new up-to-date edition, I've found the place to contact & that's Amazon.com ! Everytime I check with them they have what I'm looking for, in stock @ the best price. Their shipping rates are reasonable & I get my order in a incredible fast time! Why waste your time looking anywhere else? For me, it's Amazon.com everytime! One other thing, Amazon.com has a great selection of other editions for those people that may be looking for a different need.

I am a big fan of music and this book was exactly what I was looking for.. The transaction was awesome and I definitely will do it again!

Within 1 minute of reading the back page, I found an error. This statement is not true:

Marvin Gaye's song "Sexual Healing" spent 15 weeks at #3 in 1982, while the same song was #1 on the R&B chart for 10 weeks.

No song ever spent 15 weeks at #3. The song spent 3 weeks at #3 and was in the Top 40 for 15 weeks.

I was surprised that no one on the Record Research staff caught this error.

Comparing this 9th edition with prior editions, to make room for 6 more years worth of songs, they dropped a prior feature that I liked.

All of the early editions had trivia pages scattered throughout the book with pictures of the artists and their hit songs. That feature was removed for this update.

Apart from the embarrassing error on the back cover claiming "Sexual Healing" spent 15 weeks at #3, there are several omissions in this edition that are disappointing.

As previously mentioned, there are no photos of selected picture sleeves scattered throughout the text. More disturbingly, the Hot 100 Airplay and Hot 100 Singles Sales chart positions have been removed. These statistics were in the previous edition, and there is no reason for their absence here.

Still, the book is a good reference work, although it continues the Whitburn tradition of omitting data in subsequent editions of his books. Joel, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Joel Whitburn's 1955-2009 book of music for Billboard facts is the perfect way to find out facts about music to songs which are actually worth buying a C.D. or talking about

I received this book as a birthday present. We've worn out two previous editions. We carry it with us on our travels and use it to verify answers to our music trivia contests. What I like the best is it lists the songs both by author and by title so we can usually find the informaiton we need.

I have been in the broadcasting industry for over 50-years. That in itself explains the need for Joel Whitbur's "Billboard of Top 40 Hits". I recall many things from my years as a disc jockey/radio announcer, but as with all good things, my memory is not what it used to be. Whitburn makes it much easier to add flavor and insight to my current program on CROC Radio, Live365 24/7/365, & errorfmLIVE 4-7p every Wed. Jimmy Cole

I've been buying Joel Whitburn books for over 30 years and I am never disappointed. There's a reason why these are called the DJ's "Bible." If there was ever an argument settler, this is it. Biography of the artist, all their top 40 hits arranged by artist, then again by song title. In the back of the book is reviews of the chart records by year, who was tops in different catagories and all the information a trivia nut like me would want. I recommend it to all my friends and my old issues are fought over by my children when it comes time to pass it on down.

I first became acquainted with Joel Whitburn and his impressive series of music reference books way back in the late 1970's. Over the years I have purchased a good many of them. Whether you are an avid collector like myself or just a casual music fan Joel Whitburn offers a fantastic line of indispensable reference books that will greatly enhance your enjoyment of this great pastime. Joel Whitburn has just released the 9th edition of his basic and most affordable book "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Singles 1955-2009". Believe it or not this is a book that offers extensive chart information on every single tune to make the Billboard Top 40 over the past 55 years!!! In addition, you will be treated to other great features like "Record Holders", "Top Artists by Decade," and a comprehensive list of "#1 Singles 1955-2009". Meanwhile,the more serious collectors among us will particularly enjoy the biographical information provided on each and every one of the artists in this book. I have found that there is a wealth of information packed into each and every Joel Whitburn book and "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits 1955-2009" is certainly no exception in this regard.

Now for those who have never seen Joel Whitburn's superb reference books before "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits 1955-2009" will serve as a kind of introduction to the entire format. Chances are that if you enjoy this book you just might be tempted to order one or more of the others. Among the books available right now are "Top Pop Singles 1955-2008", "Joel Whitburn Presents Hot Country Songs 1944-2008", and "Joel Whitburn Presents The Billboard Albums" which is in essence a comprehensive 50-year history of the rock era. This sensational book includes the complete information on the more than 25000 albums that made "The Billboard 200" album chart between 1956 and 2005. Amazing! The volumes issued by Whitburn's publishing company Record Research are generally hard cover and contain considerably more chart data for your information and enjoyment. These books are certainly not cheap but are considered indispensible by both disc jockeys and serious collectors alike. In the long run I have found any book from Joel Whitburn to be well worth the investment. If I have whetted your appetite in any way I urge you to pick up a copy of "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits 1955-2009" and see if you don't agree. This book can usually be had for around $25.00 and I am quite confident that you will not be disappointed! Very highly recommended!