Mixtape | A catalog of American sounds

This week marked the 10th anniversary of the National Registry of Recordings created by the Library of Congress in 2002.

Click here to see the master list of the National of Recording Registry.

From voices, to songs, to chants, this archive of recordings is what the Library of Congress considers to be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States."

If you’ve never dabbled within the realms of this archive, I beg you to do so. From Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech to Native American chants to modern day pop songs like Tu-Pac’s “Mother,” this archive uniquely symbolizes the timeline of America through sound.

Dr. Martin Luther King, "I Have A Dream" speech, selected for the 2002 registry.

This year specifically speaks loudly about who we are and where we’ve come from as a country. And what’s most intriguing is that its wide spectrum of choices documents so many facets of our lives – from social issues to mainstream music to historical discovery.

"America’s sound heritage is an important part of the nation’s history and culture and this year’s selections reflect the diversity and creativity of the American experience," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. "These songs, words and natural sounds must be preserved for future generations."

Flat & Scruggs, "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," selected for the 2004 registry.

I was at first attracted to this story by a headline that simply proclaimed, “Summer, Prince, Parton added to Registry.” And albeit those are fantastic choices, after digging around and listening to many of the vast selections on the site, it’s amazing how underrated the Registry actually is.

Being able to listen to some stunning audio recordings from former slaves, one of Thomas Edison’s first talking doll recordings (it was, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” by the way) and then finally making it down the list of more recent tunes, I really felt quite lucky to have this resource literally at my fingertips.

Paul Simon, "Graceland," selected for the 2006 registry.

This year’s additions to the Registry are quite a mixed bag, and most of them fit nicely on this week’s mixtape. From funk to disco to country, the Registry added several artists in 2012 that not only have created great music, but also symbolize parts of our American life throughout the last century.

Three notable selections include Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” Love’s “Forever Changes,” and Booker T. & the M.G.’s “Green Onions.” All of these represent the growth and diversity of African American music through the 1960s to the 1980s.

From R & B to psych-rock to the beginning of hip hop, these three songs can stand alone to give us just a small peep into the major societal changes within that short 20-year period.

And that’s what is so great about having this kind of national archive available. History doesn’t have to be about reading dry, dusty old books. It’s much more than that, and the National Registry of Recordings, along with Library of Congress, is working hard to preserve our American mixtape.

Listen to the latest Twinkle Twinkle: Mixtape - Library of Congress Greatest Hits on Spotify.

Track Listing:

1. "When You WIsh Upon A Star" - Cliff Edwards
2. "Green Onions" - Booker T. and the M.G.'s
3. "The Red Telephone" - Love
4. "Hula Medley" - Gabby Pahihui
5. "Let's Go Out To The Programs" - The Dixie Hummingbirds
6. "Bo Diddley" - Bo Diddley
7. "My Pet Rhinoceros" Bill Cosby
8. "Blue Lou"
9. "I Want To Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart" - Patsy Montana & The Prairie Ramblers
10. "Coat Of Many Colors" - Dolly Parton
11. "Abba Zabba" - Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
12. "This Land Is Your Land" - Woody Guthrie
13. "Tumbling TUmbleweeds" - Sons Of The Pioneers
14. "Peter Gunn" - Henry Mancini & His Orchestra
15. "P-Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)" - Parliament
16. "I Feel Love" - Donna Summer
17. "Rapper;s Delight" - The Sugarhill Gang
18. "Let's Go Crazy" - Prince & The Revolution
19. "Silver Apples Of The Moon - PArt A" Morton Subotnick
20. "Pannonica" - Thelonious Monk

----------------------------------------------------------

Find Twinkle on Foodspotting, Tumblr and Twitter and at twinklevanwinkle.com.

Twinkle VanWinkle ponders, creates and discovers cool stuff about music, movies, food, fashion and so forth. Her thoughtful writings and interactives give great advice about healthy food, cooking tips, DIY projects, fashion and more. She’ll teach you a thing or two about music as well. Along with producing dynamic entertainment content for LIN Media, she is a mother, musician and social media fanatic.