Library of Congress Adds 25 Recordings to National Recording Registry (2009 Selections); New Entries Include Recordings by Tupac, Ethel Merman, and R.E.M.

From the Announcement:




Today, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington named the 25 new additions to the eighth annual National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, which will ensure that these cultural, artistic and historical recordings are always available to the American public.



Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian, with advice from the Library’s National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB), is tasked with selecting 25 recordings that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and are at least 10 years old. The selections for the 2009 registry bring the total number of recordings to 300.

The list of recordings named to the registry features a diverse selection of spoken word and musical recordings that span the years 1913-1995. They cover a wide range of sounds and music, attesting to the vast imagination and creativity flowing through the cultural stream of the nation’s aural heritage. Selections cross musical types ranging from klezmer to blues, pop and rap, but also include comedy, radio broadcasts, field recordings, Broadway cast recordings and lab experiments.



Among the selections are Coal Miner’s Daughter”; the 1923 recording, “Canal Street Blues,” by King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band that epitomizes the New Orleans sound; the last sessions by the 1961 lineup of the Bill Evans Trio and possibly the greatest live recordings in the history of jazz.



At the bottom of this announcement, you’ll find a complete list of 2009 entries with a brief summary about the recording.



Here are the titles a few of the 25 new entries to the National Recording Registry:



+ Fon der Choope (From the Wedding) – Abe Elenkrig’s Yidishe Orchestra (April 4, 1913)



+ “When You Wish Upon a Star,” Cliff Edwards (recorded 1938; released 1940)



+ The Library of Congress Marine Corps Combat Field Recording Collection, Second Battle of Guam (July 20 – August 11, 1944)



+ “The Little Engine That Could,” narrated by Paul Wing (1949)



+ “Tutti Frutti,” Little Richard (1955)



+ “Smokestack Lightning,” Howlin’ Wolf (1956)



+ “I Started Out As a Child,” Bill Cosby (1964)



+ “Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two),” Max Mathews (1961)



This recording, made at Bell Laboratories on an IBM 704 mainframe computer, is the earliest known recording of a computer-synthesized voice singing a song.



+ “The Band,” The Band (1969)

Jennifer Gavin from LC shares her thoughts about this album. From her blog post, “this album became a favorite when my older brother toted it home from college. There was something gritty and uncontrived about the sound of this group – it almost seemed like material collected by Library of Congress folk researcher Alan Lomax.”



+ “Radio Free Europe,” R.E.M. (1981)



+ “Dear Mama,” Tupac Shakur (1995)



You can review the entire registry through 2008 on the National Recording Preservation Board Web Site (Chronological Order). the registry can also be reviewed by artist (PDF) or by title. (PDF)



Source: LC / National Recording Preservation Board Web Site