Pop music in the 1950s was less stratified than it is in the 21st century (where every genre has its own radio station and bandwidth), and listening to the hits in 1959, say (the year covered by this fun compilation), meant hearing pop crooners, jazz vocalists, nascent rockers, shined-up teen idols, and even
the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
-- whose passionate version of
"The Battle Hymn of the Republic"
hit the charts that year. This set collects 27 of 1959's hits, including
"Battle Hymn,"
Dinah Washington
's often overlooked version of
"Unforgettable,"
and
Patti Page
's
"Old Cape Cod,"
just to name a few, and most of these sides are presented here for the first time in true stereo, making this package a collector's bonanza. ~ Steve Leggett