In the midst of sheltering in place and sedating my anxiety with old movies, I almost forgot about the National Recording Registry. Yesterday, the NRR picked its 25 selections for 2019, which their press release refers to as the “Ultimate ‘Stay at Home’ Playlist”. Here’s the full list, presented in chronological order; links embedded whenever available.
- “Whispering” Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra (1920)
- “Protesta per Sacco e Vanzetti” Compagnia Columbia/“Sacco e Vanzetti” Raoul Romito (1927)
- “La Chicharronera” Narciso Martinez and Santiago Almeida (1936)
- “Arch Oboler’s Plays: The Bathysphere” (1939)
- “Me and My Chauffeur Blues” Memphis Minnie (1941)
- The 1951 National League tiebreaker: New York Giants vs. Brooklyn Dodgers Russ Hodges (1951) (aka “The Giants win the Pennant! The Giants win the Pennant!“
- Puccini’s “Tosca” Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Angelo Mercuriali, Tito Gobbi, Melchiorre Luise, Dario Caselli, Victor de Sabata (1953)
- “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh” Allan Sherman (1963)
- WGBH broadcast of the Boston Symphony on the day of the Kennedy assassination, Boston Symphony Orchestra (1963)
- “Fiddler on the Roof” original Broadway cast (1964)
- “Make the World Go Away” Eddy Arnold (1965)
- Hiromi Lorraine Sakata Collection of Afghan Traditional Music (1966-67; 1971-73)
- “Wichita Lineman” Glen Campbell (1968)
- “Dusty in Memphis” Dusty Springfield (1969)
- “Mister Rogers Sings 21 Favorite Songs From ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’” Fred Rogers (1973) [No clips directly from the album, but we could all use a little Mr. Rogers right now]
- “Cheap Trick at Budokan” Cheap Trick (1978)
- “Holst: Suite No. 1 in E-Flat, Suite No. 2 in F / Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks / Bach: Fantasia in G” Frederick Fennell and the Cleveland Symphonic Winds (1978)
- “Y.M.C.A.” Village People (1978)
- “A Feather on the Breath of God” Gothic Voices (1982)
- “Private Dancer” Tina Turner (1984)
- “Ven Conmigo” Selena (1990)
- “The Chronic” Dr. Dre (1992)
- “I Will Always Love You” Whitney Houston (1992)
- “Concert in the Garden” Maria Schneider Orchestra (2004)
- “Percussion Concerto” Colin Currie (2008)
Who knows what the future holds for this country, but at least we all lived long enough to watch Dr. Dre and Allan Sherman be inaugurated into the same registry.
Stay safe and wash your hands.
Tony
The Horse's Head 