Who Did It First?

March 10, 2014
An argument settler if ever there was one, Bob Leszczak's (Who Did It First: Great Rhythm and Blues Cover Songs and their Original Artists) meticulously detailed assessment will help music aficionados set the record straight when it comes to song authorship. Music lovers who have long associated classics like "Always on My Mind" with Willie Nelson (originally recorded by Brenda Lee) and "I Will Always Love You" with Whitney Houston (originally recorded and written by Dolly Parton) are in for a surprise when they peruse this encyclopedic collection of cover songs. They'll discover that standards such as "I Write the Songs," popularized by Barry Manilow, Kenny Rogers's iconic "The Gambler," and even Glen Campbell's hit "Rhinestone Cowboy" were all first recorded by others. Each entry is briefly detailed with a selection of factoids including chart position, sales numbers, and occasionally a list of additional artists who covered it. While entertaining, it's far from definitive: readers looking for Alien Ant Farm's popular cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" or a mention of Social Distortion's cover of "Ring of Fire" will find a great deal of omissions. Leszczak's sweet spot is pop music from the mid-â50s through the mid-â70s. Fans of those eras will likely find themselves humming many a long-forgotten tune such as "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" or "I Write the Songs" as they flip through the pages.

April 1, 2014

Following up on his recent similarly titled book about rhythm and blues songs, oldies on-air radio personality Leszczak (Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979) addresses popular songs from the 1920s through the 2000s. For each tune he lists composers, original and most-well-known cover artists, release dates/labels/charting information for both versions and provides a few paragraphs of interesting tidbits, including mention of other covers where applicable, and historical or cultural contexts for the melodies. The book is organized alphabetically by song title with appendixes by topic and a short bibliography. Some illustrations of actual record labels and a few portraits are included. Unfortunately, inconsistencies (some songs' Academy Awards are indicated, others are not) and speculations (Linda Ronstadt's Parkinson's disease diagnosis may impede her career, but pronouncing judgments on what she will be able to do is inappropriate) detract somewhat. VERDICT Trivia buffs and those interested in the history of popular music will welcome the title; poring over the entries evokes nostalgia for the eras when the songs were getting airplay. The author's definite opinions appear less designed to stimulate discussion than to show his erudition, but with these caveats in mind, readers can have an enjoyable few hours.--Barry Zaslow, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014
Nearly 450 well-known songs, including Always on My Mind, Blue Moon, I Will Always Love You, and If I Had a Hammer, are profiled in this volume. Songs are arranged alphabetically by title, and each entry lists the composer, the original artist and year of release, the record label and number, and how it ranked on the charts. This is followed by information on the cover: the artist, year of release, record label and number, and how that version ranked on the charts. The narrative for each entry offers a brief history of both the original release and the release that made the song famous, along with other trivia. A must-read for music fans, this is a solid purchase for most circulating collections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)