There is a great set of tapes (or CDs) that the Smithsonian compiled, called AMERICAN POPULAR SONG. It starts with Sophie Tucker singing One of These Days...and goes all the way up to the early 60s, I think. They picked what they saw as the definitive recordings of each song. Some of them are just amazing! There are several tracks by Fred Astaire, because Irving Berlin said he'd rather have him introduce a song than anyone else. There are several also by Bing Crosby, including Brother, Can You Spare a Dime, and a bunch by Sinatra. One of the songs by Astaire also features his sister, Adele, with whom he started in show biz. My favorite on the entire set is Our Love is Here to Stay, sung by Gene Kelly, from the soundtrack of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. I love listening to the old pop stuff...it's still wonderful!