I'm a chart junkie (is this a 12-step program?) and I'm a big fan of the Joel Whitburn chart-related books. I purchase most of them and they're typically very well done. Sadly, I'm disappointed with the latest albums book, "Top Pop Albums". For those of you who are familiar with the previous editions of this book, charting albums were always listed under an artist category. Below those album listings were an alphabetical list of every track from those albums and a number corresponding to the album(s) that each track was on. Simple concept it was and it worked. Unfortunately, I'm guessing that this was getting to the point where the books were becoming too big, because now Whitburn and his company Record Research have made a big change.

The new book covers the first part of the old equation, a listing of artists and all of their charting albums in chronilogical order. Gone, however, are the individual track listings. Those track listings are now available on a CD-ROM that you purchase separately. So now, to get the full picture, you have to open your albums book up while sitting in front of a computer where you've brought up the CD-ROM to see the PDF file that contains all of the track listings. UGH! In short, it's as awkward as you can imagine.

I get and support the fact that Whitburn is starting to check out computer technology. The DVDs that he's put out previously that are replacements for the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's chart books are very acceptable. I also get that Whitburn doesn't want to make his databases something that can be manipulated, hence putting everything out in a PDF format that doesn't make for easy copying to a database format. The thing that doesn't work in my mind though is this awkward combination of book and PDF files. He needs to pick one or the other...or both. In this case, he should have left the album books the way they were and broken the data up into two books if needed. (A through M and N through Z perhaps.) He could have also put the whole thing on a DVD. I just don't think that the book/CD-ROM combination works.

For the record, this book was originally due in May or June, but as is the case with almost every book that Record Research puts out, the original publication date is a joke. The chart book (and DVD format) for the 2000's was also due in this time frame and it's now expected to come out in September.

I agree. I didn't go for the CD-ROM, so I'll hang onto my previous edition for most of the tracks. I guess since they added the "Bubbling Under" albums to the new edition, they felt they had to remove the track lists. Happy that they have now reprinted the 60's chart book. Mine is on order. I have the 70's book already - that and the 60's book are the only ones I really care about.

I actually like having the DVD format of the chart books, because it makes everything a little more portable. I guess my only problem here is a situation where I'm forced to access the book and computer at the same time, which is kind of awkward.

You're right in that they've added a lot to this book, which I'm sure is the reason that they couldn't fit everything in one book. I just think that they should have kept the track listings with the album listings and perhaps should have broken this up into two books.

I got my copy a few days ago. I agree about the missing song info. But I like to check out the updated sales info--all those multimillion-selling albums. Cool stuff.

Well maybe they corrected all the mistakes that still sit there each and every book relating to chart singles from the albums? Probably not.
I have no need for the CD-ROM. Joel asked everyone if they wanted it this way or as a 2 volume book which would've been insanely expensive. It's obvious what way people voted.
I love these books and I was able to sell my OOP Bubbling Under book (the one that combined Albums and Singles) for a few hundred dollars as soon as I found out the info was now going to be in the albums book as well.
Something I'll never understand is why they stopped keeping track of Bubbling Under Albums after 1985. They restored the Bubbling Under Singles in the 90's why not the albums???
I'd actually like to know when there will be an updated Dance/Disco hits book if ever. Not for the Disco, but all the Club hits and remixes bands I love have had hits with.

They could have made it even easier...putting all of it on a DVD-ROM. I just think that Joel is a little nervous about releasing the information in computer form. Even though they're now releasing things on DVD & CD, they're doing so in PDF format, making it a little trickier to put any of it into databases. The chart books on DVD are just printouts of each chart into the PDF file. The track lists here on the CD are text, but it would be tricky to put them into any other kind of useful database.

I refuse to pay for using this on demand online database that Joel has created, but I'd love to have this material in a form where it could be more usefully queried on my own PC.

Without the tracklists, it feels weird handling this new book because it's lighter and thinner than the previous edition!

I got this for Christmas as I get a Billboard book every Christmas. But this is very disappointing. For one thing, albums are listed out of order for a number of artists. I assume this is to group them by record label, but it makes no sense. The Cat Stevens listing in particular is all over the place.
Also, as usual the artists bios are awful and wrong. Tommy Shaw returned to Styx to replace Glen Burtnick in 2004? No-Shaw returned in 1995. Burtnick who was there from 1990-92, returned in 1999 and left in 2003 and was replaced by Ricky Phillips. I know I'm a geek for knowing all this but it's sloppy and bad. Also, in the Journey bio they state Steve Augeri replaced Steve Perry in 1998 but fail to mention that Augeri left in 2006 and was replcaed by Jeff Scott Soto, then Arnel Pineda in 2007. That last fact should absolutely be in there.
I also hate the seperate listing for comps and live albums under major artists-why is that in there? It looks akward and stupid.
Anyway, boo hiss to this latest edition! (I still will read it all the time as a total chart obsessive).

I haven't bought any of Joel's books in quite awhile & I'm overdue to update. I purchased the Top Pop Singles & Pop Annual books that covered 1955 - 1999. This was perfect for me because I have very little music in my collection from this century - or even the 1990s for that matter - and most of that is Country.

But my Top Pop Singles book is quite literally falling apart. The binding has failed & a section of the book is sitting in there loose. I know he did a "red-letter" version since then - but I'm intrigued by the idea of having the Top 100 & Bubbling Under information in one book. I'm worried about the size though - fearful that this one might fall apart also. I'd be interested in comments on the latest Top Pop Singles.

I was thinking about the Top Pop Albums also. Despitethe negative reviews, it might be a no-brainer for me, as my copy is very old: 1955 - 1985! Comments?

I'm also thinking about the Top Country and Top R&B books as well & would be interested in your opinions there.

Based on his website, the new edition of Top Pop Singles will be larger - 8 1/2 X 11 - which amounts to about an inch & a half taller and an inch & a quarter wider than the tradional size he has had for years.

Before his holiday sale ran out, I purchased - for the first time - his Top Country Songs & his Hot R&B Songs books. I've never had collections of these charts before.

I also bought the newest Top Pop Albums. As stated above, despite the changes this time around, my existing copy was just too old!

One thing I did notice - they have changed the paper they are using in these things! The grade is not as heavy - and I don't like it. You have to be VERY careful.