Customer Reviews

Standard Catalog of American Records, 1950-1975 (Goldmine Price Guide to Collectible Record Albums)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the best price guide books for American records. Due to its detailed information and clearly organized listings, it surpasses all previous publications in its scope and usefulness. It adds artists not previously mentioned in past price guides but does omit artists on a somewhat arbitrary basis. Why Getz and not Gillespie etc.? For the artists it does include, much hard work is reflected in the thorough discographies which list reissue information and pressing chronology with great accuracy. Obscure artists with limited product are, as is common with books of this type, omitted. For the money, this is the best book. Only Osborne's Rockin Records covers more ground, but in less essential detail.

A good catalog by Tim Neely, as they usually are, but this newest edition had too many missing artists from the early rock era. Important artists such as Dion, Dion and the Belmonts, and Del Shannon are entirely missing from this catalog. The color section is very good, but I am disappointed with this book.

I had heard about some complaints regarding this book so I was prepared for it to not be the best that it could be. The book in general is pretty good. There are a lot of listings of singles. What I really do like is that it lists the "B" side of the singles. That was a nice touch that another Record book I have does not have.

My real problem with the book is that it tends to cover mainly well-known artists. It would be nice if it would have covered more lesser known acts. I would imagine that lack of space was a main reason to not cover more artists, as it is a big book. My biggest gripe is that it sometimes leaves out artists that were supposed to be in the book. For instance, it tells you under the listing of David Crosby that you can also check out his recordings with The Byrds...but that group is not found anywhere in the book! Whoever did the editing did a bad job. It's a shame because it really could have been better than it is.

It's a pity that there is not one book that lists all or nearly all of the 45 records complete with the "B" sides. That would be the ultimate book. "American Records 1950-1975" is good but not great. Hopefully if another edition comes out some improvements will be made.

The Goldmine book is like the record collectors bible. The only problem is it was printed in 2008 and this is a problem because the prices today are far from the reference from the 6th Edition. Otherwise it is GREAT!!!

A great book, perhaps the best and most complete vinyl guide for all collectors from the world.Totally unknown in Spain.
Great seller. I received this guide in less than two weeks in Spain. Thanks

The Goldmine Standard Catalog of American REcords has valuable information if you know who the recording artist was. It does not have a cross reference index where you can look up a record by the title if you do not know the artist. I was disappointed that it lacked a cross reference index.

Listed all the albums I've looked up so far. Helping me put a value on the collection I have....

What a letdown! While this book purports to cover the period 1950-1975, I was sadly disappointed to find that it completely omits one of the most important musical influences of that period, DON COSTA, who was a noted arranger-conductor, master of the 12-string guitar, a performer in his own right, and a man who influenced the careers of many well-known performers like Frank Sinatra, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, Johnny Mathis, Ferrante & Teicher, Paul Anka, and the list goes on. Don Costa's fabulous arrangements have appeared on labels such as ABC-Paramount, Columbia, Mercury, United-Artists, and his own label, DCP-International. Don Costa was a true musical genius and as such, he was hired to be the musical director of a major Boston, MA radio station when he was only 15 years old!... One can only wonder what other important performers or facts were left-out of this book, and such omissions only serve to cast doubt on the seriousness of the data that did manage to find a place between the covers of this publication!