Linda Ronstadt, Queen, Wu-Tang Clan Inducted Into National Recording Registry
Linda Ronstadt, Queen and Wu-Tang Clan are among the artists to have recordings archived in the Library of Congress, the National Recording Registry have announced.
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today named 25 recordings as audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.
“The National Recording Registry reflects the diverse music and voices that have shaped our nation’s history and culture through recorded sound,” Hayden said. “The national library is proud to help preserve these recordings, and we welcome the public’s input. We received about 1,000 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry.”
The recordings selected for the National Recording Registry bring the number of titles on the registry to 600, representing a small portion of the national library’s vast recorded sound collection of nearly 4 million items.
The latest selections named to the registry span from 1921 to 2010. They range from rock, pop, R&B, hip-hop and country to Latin, Motown, jazz, and recordings of history as it happened. In addition to the musical selections, the new class includes the famous speeches of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, WNYC’s broadcasts on 9/11 and a podcast interview with comedian Robin Williams.
Along with the 1987 Linda Ronstadt album Canciones de Mi Padre, Queen’s 1975 single Bohemian Rhapsody and Wu-Tang Clan’s 1993 debut album, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), the new full-length additions to the registry are Alicia Keys’ Songs In A Minor, The Shirelles’ Tonight’s The Night, A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory, Terry Riley’s In C, the Ry Cooder–produced Buena Vista Social Club, Bonnie Raitt’s Nick Of Time, Duke Ellington’s Ellington At Newport, and Max Roach’s We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite.
Individual songs added include The Four Tops’ “Reach Out (I’ll Be There), Ricky Martin’s Livin’ La Vida Loca, Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song and Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’. Robin Williams’ 2010 appearance on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast also made the list. Check out the full rundown at the Library of Congress website.