h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So paul, are you trying to create this collection personally, or is this just a list of what the masses have decided constitutes the 'best' music has to offer with their dollar votes?

Hi Broelan.

This is partly a personal collection, and partly a sampling of what's most popular. I can't rely completely on the best-seller lists, because they give short shrift to the first 60 years of the 20th century. Of the 155 names on the best-seller list, only 2 [Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett] had started their careers by 1955.

Here are some great artists and groups that are *not* on that list: Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Paul Simon [with and without Art Garfunkel], the Doors, the Grateful Dead, Rosemary Clooney, Joan Baez, Roy Orbison, Tom Jones, the Everly Brothers, Johnny Cash, Harry Belafonte, the Kingston Trio, and so on.

Here are some questionable artists that *are* on the list: Britney Spears, New Kids on the Block, Kylie Minogue, Kenny G, Michael Bolton, several rappers, etc.

It amazes me that Taylor Swift and Adele were able to sell 50 million albums before their 24th birthdays. I've listened to some of their CDs
and don't mind owning one CD for each artist, but Swift is no Patsy Cline. Adele has a fine voice and a lot of fire, and is likely to develop into a formidable presence with time.

There are lots of questions in my mind. Does Cindy Lauper deserve to be included? Did Dolly Parton sell all those records because of merit,or because she's a quirky but loveable personality? [Yes, I know she's written some Oscar-winning songs, so at least she can put together some good material.] How about Olivia Newton-John? Then there's Shakira. I'm happy that Colombia is represented among internationally famous singers, but do I need her in my collection?

Some decisions are hard. I could have put together a collection of 100 CDs without *any* of the names form that list. The trick is to blend the two concepts in a way that does credit to a century of music.