Hit Parade 1938

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. ~ Bruce Eder