Each year, radio stations of all types bring together their 'best-of-the-year' songs, albums, artists, and so on, and present them in marathon programs. Far beyond the focus of a single year, author Sullivan puts forward, essentially, a 'best-of-the-best' list of great songs in this new two-volume set. Sullivan consulted multiple sources, including published greatest-hits lists for specific styles and genres, song inductees from various musical halls of fame, and articles and books offering top song choices of music-industry writers and performers. Sullivan’s compilation is not simply a list of popular songs, as he states in the introduction: 'Instead, my intent is to provide a journey through all eras and genres of popular music over the past 120-plus years.' Few readers would have qualms about the inclusion of the majority, if not all, of these songs. Some might decry the inclusion or exclusion of specific titles in a work that, because of the author’s editorial eye, cannot possibly contain every recorded hit song. Sullivan breaks up the selections into 10 'playlists' of 100 songs each, loosely connected by a theme, although the songs in each playlist cover many genres and span roughly a century. Each entry is exceptionally detailed with historical backstories, quotes from artists and authors, and Sullivan’s own fresh take on the song’s importance. Most entries are at least several paragraphs long, and many are quite lengthy. For example, Scott Joplin’s 'Maple Leaf Rag' and the Beatles’ 'A Day in the Life' each receive a full four columns (two pages), providing much more detail than the average album-liner notes. A smattering of black-and-white photographs and a 20-page bibliography add value to the text. Sullivan admirably accomplishes his goal of bringing together important pieces of our musical past into a form that lets readers learn historical details about these songs and reminisce about their meaning in their own lives. Highly recommended for most academic and public libraries.

Booklist

Sullivan explores the diversity of popular music in one- to three-page entries covering some 1,000 recordings from 1889 to 2012. Selections are chosen from well-known lists such as those of the Grammy Hall of Fame, National Recording Registry, Rolling Stone, and the top 100 hits from Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories, 1890-1954 (1986)–the final example a sometimes maligned (for misinformation) publication ghostwritten by Sullivan. This well-documented encyclopedia draws on many respected sources, including Music Trades, which is particularly pertinent for earlier works. Popular music herein includes rock, soul, country, jazz, blues, gospel, and ethnic music. Entries are chronological within ten 'playlists,' providing charting/list information, performer, writer, recording specifics, and documented history and commentary covering the song and the creators and performers. . . . The indexes are superb. For breadth of coverage and currency, this set (also available electronically through ProQuest and EBSCO) is a useful, superior complement to David Ewen's American Popular Songs. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers.

Choice Reviews

Lists of popular song recordings and hit books abound, covering various genres and time periods. Rarer are sources that bring these recordings together into one 'great list,' and which also treat readers to a musical journey with an in-depth examination of each song—from little-known root influences to interesting claims to fame, alternate recordings, and other trivia. Sullivan’s new two-volume set covers all popular genres, from blues and jazz to country and hip-hop—even world music—and spans all recorded time periods, from 1889 to the present. Interestingly, it presents songs based not only on their established greatness in various compiled lists, but also on the quality of the recordings themselves. . . . Heavily footnoted, Sullivan’s enjoyable, worthwhile reference work includes an extensive bibliography including biographical sources and discographies. Separate title and subject/name indexes are included.

American Reference Books Annual

What Sullivan has given us here is not a best-of list, but rather 10 separate road maps to genres and times—an experience to be had through listening, not a purely introspective reflection of taste geared toward shaping the listener’s preferences. With the detailed history of each song, he has documented histories and experiences from disparate sources and provided a new reference work to guide us in answering detailed questions about over 1,000 significant recordings across a wide variety of genres. The Encyclopedia of Popular Song Recordings will serve both as a destination and as a launching pad for further research, and should be a welcome addition to any library whose patrons are interested in popular music.

Music Reference Services Quarterly

Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings is a good supplementary title for any academic or public library that serves interests in popular music.

Reference and User Services Quarterly

There is a generous bibliography, ideal for the nerd, the cultural historian (especially of American popular songs), the resources librarian, anyone connected with the popular music industry and the general reader. The bibliography is divided up into sections like all-time great records, American pop charts, popular music 1800s 1940s, country music, ethnic and world music (this includes calypso and Cuban, klezmer/traditional Jewish music and Latin American and reggae), gospel/spirituals, jazz and ragtime, movie music, rhythm & blues, Tin Pan Alley and Broadway and rock. Summing up: at the price good value from Scarecrow (who publish a lot on popular and classical music, check out their website); likely purchasers are reference libraries, specialist libraries and specialists. Looking back will remain strong: any good researcher will try to keep up with change.

Reference Reviews