Rose immediately saw Williams’ talent for what it was and signed him as a songwriter. The rest is legend on its way to myth: under Rose’s guidance as song publisher-polisher/producer/father figure, Williams became country’s biggest star and most accomplished songwriter, generating genre-transcending classics “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “Cold, Cold Heart,” “Move It On Over,” “You Win Again,” “Jambalaya,” “Hey, Good Lookin’,” “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You),” and arguably, greatest of all, “I’m So Lonesome I’m Could Cry,” before dying in the back seat of his limo after a yearlong bender at the age of 29.
“Lonesome” wasn’t even a hit single for Hank (it was released as the B side of “My Bucket’s Got a Hole In It” in ‘49), but the song’s stature has risen ever since, its quiet desperation unsettling each generation anew. It is reputed that Rose had Williams change the last word in the song’s refrain and title from “die” to “cry,” tipping the scales back to despondency from despair, but he couldn’t disguise the true nature of that cry.
- Guys and Dolls. Original cast recording. (1950)
The Broadway musical fable Guys and Dolls is considered to be one of the greatest musical comedies every produced. It features a masterful score by Frank Loesser as well as an excellent book based on short stories of Damon Runyon. The recording by its original cast preserves aurally many definitive performances of the show's musical treasures, most notably, those by Vivian Blaine and Stubby Kaye.
"Old Soldiers Never Die" (Farewell Address to Congress). General Douglas MacArthur. (1951)
After President Harry S. Truman relieved General Douglas A. MacArthur of duty for a series of public statements that urged the invasion of China and hinted that the President was practicing appeasement, MacArthur was invited to address a joint session of Congress. In spite of the controversy, surrounding MacArthur, his speech is noted for its eloquence and effectiveness.
Songs by Tom Lehrer. (1953)
This popular album of satiric songs started as a campus hit at Harvard University where Lehrer was a graduate student in mathematics and a regular performer. Lehrer has said that he recorded it for $15 for release to his Harvard audience, but despite this minuscule budget, it sold an estimated 370,000 copies. Among the prominent comedians to have claimed Lehrer as an influence are Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, and Weird Al Yankovich. [more on Lehrer here]
"I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man." Muddy Waters. (1954)
Muddy's first recordings were made for Alan Lomax and the Library of Congress in the early-'40s on acoustic guitar while he still lived in Mississippi (represented on his own fine series collection by "Country Blues, Number One"). Waters first went to Chicago in the mid-'40s and he changed to electric guitar in '44 - one of the most important instrument switches in popular music history. Waters began recording for the Chess label in the late-'40s and his music evolved into the rockin' Chicago band sound with the addition of a second guitar, drums, bass, and the great Little Walter on harmonica. Through the '50s Waters also developed a slashing, shivering electric slide guitar style and recorded the greatest body of electric blues, ("Rollin' Stone," "Mannish Boy," "Got My Mojo Working") making Chicago his own in the process.
Article comments
1 - Temple Stark
Well we didn't all that list since it is at the link.
To take this much of the text, in this case, it should be pointed out, is OK because it is a 100-percent government release. As in, no copyright.
I'll have to get back this but very cool. I was going to commend the poster for the link back to other blogcritic articles - before I saw it was EricO. :-)
2 - Eric Olsen
bolded the titles to make it more readable; yes, government source, ripe for the picking, but I did include my own input as well: that which is not indented
3 - DrPat
Well, I thank you! I would never have thought to check the list without this link and the substance posted here. It makes me feel good to realize I have more than a half-dozen of these in my own collection...
4 - Eric Olsen
glad it was helpful, the '02 and '03 lists are worth perusing as well
5 - Eric Berlin
Man, I'd love to check out those Murrow broadcasts from London circa The Blitz. Now that's some history for you.
Yesterday, I was walking along when the Ewok celebration from Return of the Jedi popped into my iPod. That song transitions into the Star Wars main theme, and I was thinking about how amazing it is, how striking, how original, how utterly... Star Wars it is. If that's not the greatest movie theme ever, I don't know what is.
6 - Eric Olsen
I love the jaunty faux-jazz of the nightclub scene in the original
7 - Eric Berlin
Are you talking about the Cantina scene? That music is fabulous. And I love the blue dude with like elephant-type hands that plays the keyboard-like instrument.
8 - Eric Olsen
yes, cantina, it's been a while
9 - Al Barger
Bad as I hate the idea of guvment as art critic, I gotta say this is a pretty sweet list. Jimmie Rodgers, the Beach Boys and Public Enemy all together. Plus some real pickin' fiends from Flatt & Scruggs and the Allman's. What more could you want?
10 - JR
Actually, it's the government as a library, maintaining our intellectual infrastructure. These are just the librarians' picks.
11 - Eric Olsen
with nominations from the public
12 - Dave Nalle
I've got 8 of those on my iPod including 2 of the albums. Not bad. Bet you''d never guess which ones I have tho.
Dave
13 - Beto Mattos
Friends!!!
Friends are with a lot of affection and pleasure that me same Beto Mattos singer and Brazilian composer request her/it this recording support, because I have a wonderful work of a lot of more success with the bankruptcy of the big ones recording in Brazil am disabled of selling my work, so much that with the great success of my album don't have cd in the market and I seek a recording one or even dealer that can help myself in this process visits my site hears some of the music hope to count with this considered company.
www.betomattos.art.br
011 (97342103
14 - Joe Arnold
Mike Johnson's "YODELING 40 YEARS" 2-disc CD
is now part of the Library of Congress' Recorded Sound collection!
What's so special about Mike Johnson's release, you ask, since there have been many, many yodeling albums containing 20 to 30 yodeling songs on them! Quite true, but none of them can boast that ALL of the songs on those releases were written by ONE person! Well we can, because all 50 of the yodeling songs on this 2-disc CD album were written & composed by Mike Johnson.
These songs will take you on a journey from Mike's raw beginnings and development to becoming Country Music's No.1 Black Yodeler. Also debuting on this release are more of Mike's unique wordless yodeling songs like "Black Yodels No. 2 to 7", "Snuggle-Up Yodel", "Wild Horse Yodel", and "Yodel Round Up." Mike has written over 100 yodeling songs.
On 15 March 2007 we received a confirmation letter from the Library of Congress informing us that Mike Johnson's "Yodeling 40 Years" and "Black Yodel No.1" CDs, and related yodeling material, are now part of the Recorded Sound Reference Center's permanent collection. This is a part of the Library's Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division.
Mike Johnson is also one of the 18 World Famous Yodelers featured on the "Rough Guide To Yodel" CD, singing his ever-popular "Yeah I'm A Cowboy."
Wanna hear some of those songs, go to www.indiecharts.com/yodeler
Wanna see Mike in action, go to www.YouTube.com and type the following titles into the Search Engine bar;
1. Mike Johnson's Tarzan Did! [Mike is 60 years old on this performance]
2. Mike Johnson's Wild Horse Yodel [and this one too!]
3. Mike Johnson - Mama Don't Allow No Music Round Here.
Radio DJs can download Mike Johnson songs at;
www.airplaydirect.com/music/bands/12725
Mike's Mother's Day hit "DID YOU HUG YOUR MOTHER TODAY?" is now part of the CD Baby lineup.
www.cdbaby.com/all/mikejohnson
Have a good day.
Joe Arnold, Roughshod Records
P.O. Box 100933, Arlington, Va. 22210