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Release Date: 09/22/1998
Even with the more or less consistent rise in record sales that took place from the depth of the Depression in 1933 to the end of the 20th century, the "million-seller" tag remained a constant mark of success. Official certifications of million-selling status for records did not begin until 1958, but long before then, record companies unofficially declared records to be "gold." How many of them really were million sellers is a matter of conjecture. The start of Bing Crosby's career coincided with the Depression, and even according to his record labels, he didn't have a million seller until 1937's "Sweet Leilani." By the late '40s, however, with overall sales up, quite a few of his discs were becoming million sellers, at least according to Decca Records. This discount-priced compilation, however, is not, despite its title, really a collection of Crosby's "million sellers." Taking advantage of the 50-year European copyright limitation, Prism Leisure has simply chosen 25 Crosby recordings from the 1940s and remastered old records to produce this album. Nine of the tracks are ones said to be gold, but others are missing. Included are plenty of Crosby's '40s hits, sometimes accompanied by such fellow stars as the Andrews Sisters and Al Jolson. This material is available in many other compilations, but this one is inexpensive, even if it isn't what it says it is. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
Release Date: 09/22/1998
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