Did you know you can download a database with over 9000 record entries for square dance records? Thomas Bernhed has created a PC-based (not useful for me, since I use a Mac) database of 9732 records, 1275 callers & 252 companies.

Palomino Records sells a music database with over 25,000 titles. It’s DOS-based, so, of course, it doesn’t run on a Mac either.

Vic Ceder has an online record database, which contains 2563 records, with 2027 of them having cue sheets, which can be downloaded and used by Vic’s CSDS program. What a massive amount of work!

I’m working on a database here also, but I haven’t decided yet how to present it. I’m more interested in information about the music: sort of a Casey Kasem approach. I’m also interested in real critiques of the arrangements, especially for new music; obviously American Square Dance can’t be critical; they need the advertising from the record companies. Chris Pinkham used to do reviews where one could sort of figure out his opinion by lack of praise, but the current reviewer tries to be purely descriptive.

BTW, wouldn’t it be nice if American Square Dance would put some info that would be useful in the long run (like its record reviews) on line? Also BTW, wouldn’t it be nice if American Square Dance would do something with Burlesons Encyclopedia? A couple of years ago, Ed Juaire said they were working on a digital version, but I’ve heard nothing since. I’d sure like to be able to (a) get a current version and (b) be able to look things up quickly (like on a computer).