Do Ya Like Good Music..??

According to Wikipedia - The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000,^[1] which created the National Recording Preservation Board, whose members are appointed by the Librarian of Congress. The recordings preserved in the United States National Recording Registry form a registry of recordings selected yearly by the National Recording Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress.^[2]

Can I have this job in my next life? What a fun gig deciding which music has "cultural significance."
Below is this year's list, but you might be surprised at some of the previous inductees - they range from Fanny Brice's My Man to (Janis Joplin and) Big Brother's Cheap Thrills to Aboott and Costello's Who's On First. You can't say the registry isn't eclectic.

Here's a listing of the 2012 inductees to the National Recording Registry in chronological order:
1."After You've Gone," Marion Harris (1918)
2."Bacon, Beans and Limousines," Will Rogers (Oct. 18, 1931)
3."Begin the Beguine," Artie Shaw (1938)
4. "You Are My Sunshine," Jimmie Davis (1940)
5.D-Day Radio Broadcast, George Hicks (June 5-6, 1944)
6."Just Because," Frank Yankovic & His Yanks (1947)
7."South Pacific," Original Cast Album (1949)
8."Descargas: Cuban Jam Session in Miniature," Cachao Y Su Ritmo Caliente (1957)

9.Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, Van Cliburn (April 11, 1958)

10.President's Message Relayed from Atlas Satellite, Dwight D. Eisenhower (Dec. 19, 1958)
11."A Program of Song," Leontyne Price (1959)
12."The Shape of Jazz to Come," Ornette Coleman (1959)
13."Crossing Chilly Jordan," The Blackwood Brothers (1960)
14."The Twist," Chubby Checker (1960)
15."Old Time Music at Clarence Ashley's," Clarence Ashley, Doc Watson, et al. (1960-1962)
16."Hoodoo Man Blues," Junior Wells (1965)
17."Sounds of Silence," Simon and Garfunkel (1966)
18."Cheap Thrills," Big Brother and the Holding Company (1968)
19."The Dark Side of the Moon," Pink Floyd (1973)
20."Music Time in Africa," Leo Sarkisian, host (July 29, 1973)
21."Wild Tchoupitoulas," The Wild Tchoupitoulas (1976)
22."Ramones," The Ramones (1976)
23."Saturday Night Fever," The Bee Gees, et al (1977)
24."Einstein on the Beach," Philip Glass and Robert Wilson (1979)
25."The Audience with Betty Carter," Betty Carter (1980)

• Birth Certificate -- "Born In The USA"

  (April 27, 2011) -- The White House released President Barack Obama's "long form" birth certificate, adding documentation to a longstanding discussion over his ability to serve as commander in chief. "We do not have time for this kind of silliness," Obama said. "We have better stuff to do. I have got better stuff to do. We have got big problems to solve." (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

• Osama Bin Laden Killed -- "Tonight, Tonight"

  (May 1, 2011) -- In a televised address to the nation, Obama announces that Osama bin Laden is dead. His death was the result of a U.S. operation launched today in Abbottabad, Pakistan, against a compound where bin Laden was believed to be hiding. "[T]oday's achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people," Obama proclaimed. (Photo by Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images)

• Debt Ceiling Deal -- "Gold On The Ceiling"

  (Aug. 2, 2011) -- After the Senate passed a bill to raise the debt limit, Obama pleaded with Congress to shift their attention to jobs. "I will urge them to immediately take some steps -- bipartisan, common-sense steps -- that will make a difference; that will create a climate where businesses can hire, where folks have more money in their pockets to spend, where people who are out of work can find good jobs," he said. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

• Don't Ask Don't Tell -- "Don't Stop Believin'"

  (Sept. 20, 2011) -- As the ban on gays serving in the military came to an end, Obama hailed the fresh start, celebrating the fact that "patriotic Americans in uniform will no longer have to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love." (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

• Iraq War To End -- "Homeward Bound"

  (Oct. 21, 2011) -- Obama announced that all U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by 2011, fulfilling a promise that dated back to his campaign. "As a candidate for president, I pledged to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end," Obama said. "So today I can report that, as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year." (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

• Singing Al Green's "Let's Stay Together"

  (Jan. 20, 2012) -- During a fundraiser at Harlem's historic Apollo Theater, Obama delivered a memorable musical message to his donors. With Rev. Al Green in attendance, Obama sang part of Green's hit song "Let's Stay Together," drawing strong applause from the crowd.

• Singing Robert Johnson's "Sweet Home Chicago"

  (Feb. 21, 2012) -- Days after his Al Green rendition, Obama flexed his vocal chords again with a hometown favorite. The East Room of the White House had its blues fix filled when the president started swinging "Sweet Home Chicago."

• Gay Marriage -- "Can't Fight This Feeling"

  (May 9, 2012) -- In a sit-down interview with ABC's Robin Roberts, Obama explained his evolution on the issue, affirming his support for gay marriage. "[A]t a certain point I've just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married," he said.

• Immigration -- "With Arms Wide Open"

  (June 15, 2012) -- The Obama administration addressed America's immigration issue, announcing that it will halt deportations and grant work permits to young individuals eligible for Dream-Act benefits. "They pledge allegiance to our flag," Obama said. "They are Americans in their hearts, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper."(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

• Health Care Reform -- "Beautiful Day"

  (June 28, 2012) -- After weeks of speculation that Obama's signature piece of legislation could be overturned, the Supreme Court ruled that the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate is constitutional. "It should be pretty clear that I didn't do this because it's good politics," Obama said. "I did it because it's good for the country." (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

 

I'm not familiar with all the selections but Bacon, Beans and Limousines gets my vote for weirdest title.

 

Favorite on the list is Artie Shaw's Begin The Beguine. http://youtu.be/pCXVxE_YeP4

That one gets a lot of play on my Ipod.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the complete list in alphabetical order -

http://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/NRRcreditsbytitle2010.pdf

 

Name a title you'd propose for next year's list....

 

On the Glass Half Full

Our most foolish belief is that we have time. (author unknown)

ROBERTA: Last year my DH John went into New York for the launch of Grandparents.com, a website started by a former colleague. There was going to be a lot of talk about marketing to Baby Boomers, a subject near to John's heart because of his retirement website. The speaker began with an audience-engaging question: "Considering your life now, how many of you believe the best part of your life is yet to come?"

Many hands were raised.

"And how many of you believe the best part of your life is behind you?"�

John, thinking of his impending 60th birthday and the few aches and pains that were currently limiting his usual round of vigorous sporting activities, raised his hand. He was the only one.

The speaker laughed and said: "We'd better leave that between him and his therapist."

John was perplexed and embarrassed, only trying to make an honest assessment. I'd have to agree with him in some ways: my physical body isn't going back to its peak, no matter how many pilates sessions I attend. My writing, on the other hand, I'd like to think is only halfway (maybe even less!) to where it could be.

Big question for a Wednesday morning: Is the best yet to come for you?

RO: A resounding YES. I may not look or feel the way I did at my physical peak, but I'm so much less crazy now,that it more than makes up for it. Would I like to feel like a 20 yr old every once in a while, sure. And this week I discovered a great way to do it. Go to a Wednesday matinee in NY. It's filled with 80 yr olds. Saw South Pacific. Some of the people in the audience looked like they'd served with MacArthur. I felt like young stuff.
BTW, my DH, Bruce talks about this a LOT. He frequently mentions that each decade has been better than the last (I don't remind him that he was married twice before and this last decade was MINE!)

JAN: I understand John completely -- only because my DH, Bill, has also always been an athlete. Athletes feel the aging process most acutely because they remember how fast or fit they used to be. Lucky for me, I didn't become obsessed with sports and physical fitness until I was 35. So, to me, every ache and pain has to do with this new sports addiction of mine, NOT aging. I fail to make the association. I also think it helps to be a writer. For the most part, writing is about perspective -- and I think perspective improves with age.

HANK: Oh, we love John. And yes, he was just being honest. And doesn't that make the discussion more interesting?

Anyway, it's probably an indication of how old I really am, but it's so nostalgic for me, now, to watch teeangers struggle and battle for postiion and popularity and self-esteem. How many times did my mom tell me, in high shcool--don't worry, honey, high school is not the pinnacle of your life? And in hindsight of course, that's right. It just--seems as if it is, at the time.

Now I feel--stronger (usually), and confident (sometimes), and at least more flexible about what's to come. The world is funnier, somehow. People are strange, events are unpredictable and yeah, that's how it is. I can more easily go with it.

(And Ro, we have season tickets to Symphony here in Boston. It's terrific. And not just for the music. Except for the music students, I'm by far the youngest. Remember when we wished we were older?? Mwa ha ha.)

Is the best yet to come? Sure. Around every corner. I think we just have to be open for it.


HALLIE: Is the best is yet to come? I certainly hope so. But if not, this has been a pretty great ride.

It’s the old: Is the glass half full or half empty? Seems to me the real question is: What’s in the half that’s left? As for me, I hope it’s champagne.