Actually, Barry, your comments are welcomed. My family used to fall into the same rut after Sunday dinners with friends. You see, we only had two "Sing Along With Mitch Miller" albums - those 25 or 30 songs are indelibly etched in my brain, and all other versions sound "funny." I guess to some extent that all but the most creative of us are bound by the versions we learn along the way - at least until another comes along. Your point is well taken - that if no other sources are ever sought out or used, there is no way to move the music forward. As RUS has many songs I am not likely to run into anywhere else soon, though, I see it as helpful. In fact from where I am, the book moves the music forward for me. On the other hand, there are probably 1200 or so other songs that I would have selected were I to compile such a book.