America's Greatest Hits 1947 (Various Artists)

• Track Listing

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 1947, the seventh full calendar year of the Billboard Best Sellers chart - the chart was launched in July 1940 - and the third year to feature both a Most Played in Juke Boxes and Most Played by Disc Jockeys charts as well. This great value 98-track 4-CD set comprises every record which peaked in the Top 10 of the Best Sellers chart or in the Top 7 of the Juke Box or Disc Jockey charts during the year. For reasons of space, it excludes those records were still in the chart at the start of the year, but which peaked in the Top 10 in 1946, and so are included in our existing 194 collection. It was a big year for solo vocalists, who were starting to dominate as the big swing bands declined in the era of post-war austerity, although the "sweet" orchestras with their featured singers continued to hold sway, and the year had it's customary smattering of novelty songs, often in jazzy R&B or country styles. Eighteen different records made No. 1 in the various charts, although only nine of those topped the Best Sellers. As usual, there were also quite a number of highly collectable records by some artists we don't hear too much about these days. It makes for an intriguing and very entertaining musical snapshot of the music scene during a period of creative transition as the world finally settled down after the turbulent years of conflict. It includes a 15,000+ word booklet with a commentary on every record as well as full discographical and chart information