How many #1 hits did the Beatles have? How long did Thriller stay on the album charts? Did Milli Vanilli really have that many charting singles? These are all questions that have been answered thanks to the staff of Record Research. Joel Whitburn began compiling the chart data of Billboard magazine back in the early Seventies.

Since then, his company has released hundreds of books, covering the pop, soul, and country charts, even delving into the Big Band era. But, their latest book is a real find – it’s called The Comparison Book, and for the first time, the chart data from the top three music magazines – Billboard, Cashbox, and Record World, have been compiled in one handy reference book. We talk to one of the men who helped put this together – from Record Research, Paul Haney.