America'S Greatest Hits 1942 / Various America'S Greatest Hits 1942 / Various CD

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 1942, the second full calendar year of the Billboard Best Sellers chart - the chart was launched in July 1940. This great value 85-track 4-CD set comprises every record which appeared in the Best Sellers Top 10 during the year - the chart was restricted to ten places in those days. The big names of the swing era were very much in evidence, and the year started with Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo Choo" at No. 1 and finished Dinah Shore's "Dearly Beloved" with occupying the top spot. In between, a host of other big names made their presence felt - Jimmy Dorsey, Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Bing Crosby, Benny Goodman and others - alongside many highly collectable lesser-known records by some artists we don't hear too much about these days like Kay Kyser and Alvino Rey. It makes for an intriguing and very entertaining musical snapshot of a year when the USA had become fully embroiled in WWII and there were plenty of patriotic and sentimental wartime hits to give a period flavour, with prolific hitmaker Glenn Miller epitomising that particular strand. It includes a 10,000+ word booklet with a commentary on every record as well as full discographical and chart information

1. Chattanooga Choo Choo - Glenn Miller ; His Orchestra/Tex Beneke ; the Modernaires 2. Elmer's Tune - Glenn Miller ; His Orchestra/Ray Eberle ; the Modernaires 3. Piano Concerto in B-Flat Major - Freddy Martin ; His Orchestra 4. This Love of Mine - Tommy Dorsey ; His Orchestra with Frank Sinatra 5. Shepherd Serenade - Bing Crosby 6. You Made Me Love You - Harry James and His Orchestra 7. Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol' Me) - Woody Herman 8. This Is No Laughing Matter - Charlie Spivak ; His Orchestra with Garry Stevens ; the Stardusters 9. A String of Pearls - Glenn Miller ; His Orchestra 10. White Cliffs of Dover - Kay Kyser ; His Orchestra with Harry Babbitt ; Glee Club 11. Tonight We Love - Tony Martin 12. White Cliffs of Dover - Glenn Miller ; His Orchestra with Ray Eberle 13. I Said No - Alvino Rey ; His Orchestra with Yvonne King 14. Everything I Love - Glenn Miller ; His Orchestra with Ray Eberle 15. Remember Pearl Harbor - Sammy Kaye 16. I Said No - Jimmy Dorsey ; His Orchestra with Bob Eberly ; Helen O'Connell 17. Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol' Me) [Part One] - Jimmie Lunceford ; His Orchestra 18. Deep in the Heart of Texas - Alvino Rey ; His Orchestra with Bill Schallen ; Skeets Herfurt 19. Moonlight Cocktail - Glenn Miller ; His Orchestra/Ray Eberle ; the Modernaires 20. Blues in the Night - Dinah Shore 21. White Cliffs of Dover - Kate Smith 22. Rose O'Day (The Filla-Ga-Dusha Song) - Kate Smith 23. I Don't Want to Walk Without You - Harry James ; His Orchestra with Helen Forrest 24. Deep in the Heart of Texas - Bing Crosby with Woody Herman's Woodchoppers 25. Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol' Me) - Cab Calloway ; His Orchestra 26. Deep in the Heart of Texas - Horace Heidt ; His Musical Knights 27. A Zoot Suit (For My Sunday Gal) - Kay Kyser ; His Orchestra 28. Miss You - Dinah Shore 29. Somebody Else Is Taking My Place - Benny Goodman and His Orchestra/Peggy Lee 30. Jersey Bounce - Benny Goodman and His Orchestra 31. I Don't Want to Walk Without You - Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter ; His Orchestra 32. Somebody Else Is Taking My Place - Russ Morgan and His Orchestra 33. Tangerine - Jimmy Dorsey ; His Orchestra with Bob Eberly ; Helen O'Connell 34. Who Wouldn't Love You - Kay Kyser ; His Orchestra with Harry Babbitt ; Trudy Erwin 35. I Remember You - Jimmy Dorsey ; His Orchestra with Bob Eberly 36. Sleepy Lagoon - Harry James and His Orchestra 37. Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me) - Glenn Miller ; His Orchestra/Marion Hutton/Tex Beneke ; the Modernaires 38. Skylark - Glenn Miller ; His Orchestra with Ray Eberle 39. Always in My Heart - Glenn Miller ; His Orchestra with Ray Eberle 40. One Dozen Roses - Harry James ; His Orchestra with Jimmy Saunders 41. Miss You - Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter ; His Orchestra 42. One Dozen Roses - Glen Gray ; the Casa Loma Orchestra with Pee Wee Hunt 43. Jersey Bounce - Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra 44. Johnny Doughboy Found a Rose in Ireland - Kay Kyser ; His Orchestra 45. One Dozen Roses - Dinah Shore 46. Johnny Doughboy Found a Rose in Ireland - Guy Lombardo ; His Royal Canadians with Kenny Gardner 47. Jingle Jangle Jingle - Kay Kyser ; His Orchestra with Harry Babbitt ; Julie Conway 48. Jingle Jangle Jingle - the Merry Macs 49. Just As Though You Were Here - Tommy Dorsey ; His Orchestra with Frank Sinatra ; the Pied Pipers 50. Kalamazoo - Glenn Miller ; His Orchestra 51. Sweet Eloise - Glenn Miller ; His Orchestra/Ray Eberle ; the Modernaires 52. He Wears a Pair of Silver Wings - Kay Kyser ; His Orchestra 53. Strictly Instrumental - Harry James and His Orchestra 54. Cow-Cow Boogie - Freddie Slack and His Orchestra ; Ella Mae Morse 55. Take Me - Benny Goodman and His Orchestra 56. Idaho - Benny Goodman and His Orchestra 57. My Devotion - Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra 58. Amen - Abe Lyman and His California Orchestra 59. Strip Polka - Johnny Mercer 60. I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen - Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra 61. Amen - Woody Herman ; His Orchestra 62. My Devotion - Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra 63. My Devotion - Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra 64. Serenade in Blue - Glenn Miller ; His Orchestra/Tex Beneke ; the Modernaires 65. I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen - Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra 66. Take Me - Tommy Dorsey ; His Orchestra with Frank Sinatra 67. Strip Polka - Alvino Rey ; His Orchestra with the Four King Sisters 68. He's My Guy - Harry James ; His Orchestra with Helen Forrest 69. Strip Polka - Kay Kyser ; His Orchestra with Jack Martin 70. White Christmas - Bing Crosby 71. Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition - Kay Kyser ; His Orchestra 72. Der Fuehrer's Face - Spike Jones ; His City Slickers with Carl Grayson 73. Strip Polka - the Andrews Sisters 74. When the Lights Go on Again (All Over the World) - Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra 75. Daybreak - Tommy Dorsey ; His Orchestra with Frank Sinatra ; the Pied Pipers 76. There Are Such Things - Tommy Dorsey ; His Orchestra with Frank Sinatra ; the Pied Pipers 77. Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition - the Merry Macs 78. Mister Five By Five - Harry James ; His Orchestra with Helen Forrest 79. Manhattan Serenade - Harry James ; His Orchestra with Helen Forrest 80. I Had the Craziest Dream - Harry James ; His Orchestra with Helen Forrest 81. Juke Box Saturday Night - Glenn Miller ; His Orchestra/Marion Hutton/Tex Beneke ; the Modernaires 82. Mister Five By Five - Freddie Slack and His Orchestra ; Ella Mae Morse 83. Dearly Beloved - Glenn Miller ; His Orchestra with Skip Nelson 84. Moonlight Becomes You - Glenn Miller ; His Orchestra with Skip Nelson ; the Modernaires 85. Dearly Beloved - Dinah Shore