Perhaps because I was imprinted in my youth by the stentorian announcers of "Cee Key Ell Double You" in Windsor, the concept of the Top 10 has always been of interest. This, of course, is not just my personal fetish as is shown by the lists of "Golden discs" we see from time to time. But the problem seems to be that the titles in these lists bear absolutely no relation to the records which we find with depressing frequency at the lawn sales and the bins at the Salvation Army store.

In fact, I have seen only one list which even slightly coincides with this collector's reality. It appears in John Batten's Book, the interesting, but rather disjointed memoirs of English Columbia‘s artist and repertoire man from the 'twenties to the fifties. At any rate, his English best sellers list correct to December 1954 goes like this (English catalogue numbers, of course):

Now this is more like it. English though it is, it reflects the Toronto 'Sally Ann' more faithfully than anything in Golden Discs. It also indicates that early so-called million sellers did in no way reach that figure. Vesti la giubba being a case in point.

But let's go way back to the early years and make up our own list for the Canadian market in the period before 1920. What I am hoping is that having read my suggestions you readers will respond with your own versions of the listing. Ed Moogk in Roll Back the Years makes some suggestions for titles that were popular with the Canadian public, but again his ideas don't always agree with my experience as a collector.

Here, then, are my suggestions - in no order - and a prosaic lot they are. Remember too, that at this time it was titles that sold rather than specific artists, so I often give the catalogue numbers of two firms.

And, of course, Cal Stewart as Uncle Josh. But what title? No single title seems to predominate since he made so many, although "The Village gossips" with Byron G. Harian and "Uncle Josh Buys an Automobile" would be my suggestions, on every label known.

I know there will be those who will say that I have missed key artists such as John McCormack whose records sold in such inundating quantities, but he like Caruso and Kreisler and Ada Jones and Billy Murray made so many that no one title predominates. In McCormack's case I would suggest '‘Berceuse"” from Jocelyn with Kreisler not "I Hear You Calling Me". Remember too, that this list only goes to December, 1919. So most of those red seals by Galli-Curci, Caruso, Farrar and the gang may have been recorded in the 'teens, but they sold in the 'twenties. Red Seals weren't double-sided until 1923. It was then that they really began to move.

But if pushed, I will admit that the Caruso side I would add to the bottom of the list is "Dreams of Long Ago" (Victor 88376) not "Vesti La Guibba" nor "O Sole Mio" as both are commonly in the double-face versions. Galli-Curci might just hit best-seller status before 1920 with the "Bell Song" from Lakme, but I still think that her day was after 1920.

The Dance Craze of 1913 to '16 did sell a lot of records, but again there is no overwhelming title.

Much as these titles may not set the collector's heart aflame with desire, they are, I think, what the public bought in those happy times. I used to puzzle, though, over the lack of popular titles in the Canadian home; I mean, why six copies of "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere" to one of "I'm Afraid to Come Home in the Dark?" The answer is to be found in the piles of sheet music, not in the record bins. There one finds the popular hits by the ream. So it would seem that these were rattled off by the domestic pianist while the gramophone reserved for "selections of real interest..." was value and enduring to quote the record sleeves, such as the "Robin's Return..."