It was announced yesterday that the Library of Congress has gone on a major shopping spree in record stores across Washington, DC, in an obvious attempt to impress the Senate and the Department of Agriculture, and has added 25 new recordings to its already bulging backstock of music.
The Library of Congress, which has spent the last couple years struggling with puberty and multiple attempts to ‘express itself,’ has added new music (by artists ranging from De La Soul to Captain Beefheart) to the ninth annual National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, which adds 25 new songs each year.
“Audio recordings have documented our lives and allowed us to share artistic expressions and entertainment. The salient question is not whether we should preserve these artifacts, but how best collectively to save this indispensable part of our history,” says LoC Librarian (and total nerd) James H. Billington.
Other recordings/musicians selected by the LoC this year include: Al Green, Edward Meeker’s 1908 sing-along “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” a 1970 recording of “Songs of a Humpback Whale,” Tammy Wynette’s “Stand by Your Man,” Steely Dan’s Aja, Nat King Cole, Les Paul, Lydia Mendoza, Kid Midnight, Blind Willie Johnson, The Sons of Pioneers, George Crumb, comedian Mort Sahl, and The Almanac Singers. Sorry, Justin Bieber. Keep the dream alive.
• Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov