This is, in the main, an above average entry in Dynamic Sounds'
Hit Parade series -- assuming one can get past the schmaltzy
Kenny Baker rendition of
George Gershwin's "Love Walked In," which should be easy, as it's surrounded by
Artie Shaw's "Begin the Beguine" and
Ella Fitzgerald's rendition of "A-Tisket-A-Tasket." The rest of the disc includes mostly the top (and most enduring) talent of the era:
Bing Crosby,
Count Basie,
the Andrews Sisters,
Fred Astaire,
Roy Acuff,
Mildred Bailey,
Billie Holiday,
Duke Ellington,
Harry James,
the Mills Brothers,
Benny Goodman,
Bob Crosby,
Jimmy Dorsey, and
Tommy Dorsey. The sound is consistent and quite good, though a few of the tracks, such as "Begin the Beguine," seem a little bit heavy on the bass. As with the later entries in the series, the graphics are great and the annotation nonexistent.