What our president said to the nation, what the nation said to the universe and a cornucopia of musical milestones highlight the major themes of the 2007 National Recording Registry. On May 14, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington named 25 additions to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress as part of its efforts to preserve the nation’s aural history.
Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian, with advice from the Library’s National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB), annually selects 25 recordings that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” to preserve for all time. Registry recordings must be at least 10 years old. The selections for 2007 bring the total number of recordings in the registry to 250.
“Audio preservation constitutes a critical challenge,” said Billington. “Much has already been lost, particularly in the field of radio. As the nation’s library, the Library of Congress and NRPB are working to identify problems, come up with practical, consensus solutions and assist other institutions facing these daunting challenges.”
The list of selections named to the National Recording Registry for 2007 showcases the diversity, humanity and creativity of the nation’s sound heritage and features a wide variety of spoken and musical recordings, spanning the years 1925-1982.
Among the selections are Harry S. Truman’s legendary address to the Democratic National Convention in 1948; a collection of more than 1,000 radio broadcast recordings by Ronald Reagan before his election to the White House; the first trans-Atlantic radio broadcast in 1925; Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” the best-selling album of all time, produced by the legendary Quincy Jones; the “Sounds of Earth” disc that traveled with Voyager through space; Herbie Hancock’s “Headhunters,” which expanded his appeal and became a crossover hit; one of the few gospel recordings performed by Thomas Dorsey; and the first recording of “Call it Stormy Monday, but Tuesday is Just As Bad.”
Additions to the registry also feature a number of performances by significant artists such as Roy Orbison, Art Tatum, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
Nominations were gathered from online submissions from the public and from the NRPB, made up of leaders in the fields of music, recorded sound and preservation. The Library is currently accepting nominations for the 2008 National Recording Registry at the NRPB Web site (www.loc.gov/nrpb/).
As part of its congressional mandate, the Library is identifying and preserving the best existing versions of the recordings on the registry. These recordings will be housed in the Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation, the Library’s state-of-the-art preservation facility in Culpeper, Va., which was made possible through the generosity of David Woodley Packard and the Packard Humanities Institute. The Library’s Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division’s collections include about 5.7 million items, including nearly 3 million sound recordings.
2007 National Recording Registry
- “The First Trans-Atlantic Broadcast (March 14, 1925)
- “Allons a Lafayette,” Joseph Falcon (1928)
- “Casta Diva,” from Bellini’s “Norma”; Rosa Ponselle, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Giulio Setti. (Dec. 31, 1928 and Jan. 30, 1929)
- “If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again,” Thomas A. Dorsey (1934)
- “Sweet Lorraine,” Art Tatum (Feb. 22, 1940)
- Fibber’s Closet Opens for the First Time, “Fibber McGee and Molly” radio program (March 4, 1940)
- Wings Over Jordan, Wings Over Jordan (1941)
- New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia reading the comics (1945)
- “Call it Stormy Monday but Tuesday is Just As Bad,” T-Bone Walker (1947)
- Harry S. Truman speech at the 1948 Democratic National Convention
- “The Jazz Scene,” various artists (1949)
- “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,” Kitty Wells (May 30, 1952)
- “My Fair Lady,” original-cast recording (1956)
- Navajo Shootingway Ceremony Field Recordings, recorded by David McAllester (1957-1958)
- “’Freight Train,’ and Other North Carolina Folk Songs and Tunes,” Elizabeth Cotten (1959)
- Marine Band Concert Album to Help Benefit the National Cultural Center (1963)
- “Oh, Pretty Woman,” Roy Orbison (1964)
- “Tracks of My Tears,” Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (1965)
- “You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song,” Ella Jenkins (1966)
- “Music from the Morning of the World,” various artists; recorded by David Lewiston (1966)
- “For the Roses,” Joni Mitchell (1972)
- “Headhunters,” Herbie Hancock (1973)
- Ronald Reagan Radio Broadcasts (1976-1979)
- “The Sounds of Earth,” disc prepared for the Voyager spacecraft (1977)
- “Thriller,” Michael Jackson (1982)