Library of Congress adds a 'Twist' to latest recordings marked for preservation

Songs by Chubby Checker, Simon & Garfunkel, Artie Shaw, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Junior Wells, Frank Yankovic, the Bee Gees, Will Rogers and the Neville Brothers are among the newest list of recordings chosen for preservation by the Library of Congress and the National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB), Librarian James H. Billington announced Thursday.

"Congress created the National Recording Registry to celebrate the richness and variety of our audio heritage and to underscore our responsibility for long-term preservation, to assure that legacy can be appreciated and studied for generations," said Billington. "Our challenge, however, continues to be finding collaborative and innovative ways to protect and make available this unmatched legacy to the public."

The selections named to the registry include spoken-word and musical recordings spanning 1918-1980. Among this year’s selections are Simon and Garfunkel’s 1966 album, "Sounds of Silence"; Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon," which received the highest number of public nominations among this year’s picks; the soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever"; "After You’ve Gone" from 1918 by Marion Harris; Big Brother and the Holding Company's album "Cheap Thrills"; the radio broadcast featuring Will Rogers’ 1931 insights in support of Herbert Hoover’s unemployment-relief campaign during the Great Depression; and Artie Shaw’s "Begin the Beguine."

Nominations were gathered through public submissions and from the NRPB. The Library says it is currently accepting nominations for the next registry at the NRPB website. Several of the selections on the registry were public nominations.

The newest recordings added 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)

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