Washington, DC is paradise to me! 51 albums of DC history by 
EyeKanFly 
Washington DC is home to some of the most powerful institutions and people on the planet, yet this is in stark contrast to the 700,000+ people who live within the District's borders: utterly powerless to change all but the most basic tenets of their local government.
These 51 albums encapsulate the artists, producers, venues, labels, and genres most important to the history and legacy of the District of Columbia. Some are by local DC artists, some are by artists who grew up in DC never to return in adulthood. Some are by foreigners who have made this city home, or maybe just passed through on a tour. Some are by artists who experienced DC at its best, and some are by artists who have experienced DC at its worst.
In addition to the 51 albums, here are a handful of honorable mentions, mostly songs or other recordings which don't fit into the "album" format. All however are important to the past, present, and future of Washington, DC:
- "A 1000 Times" - Hamilton Leithauser
- "Crew" - GoldLink
- "Embassy Row" - Pavement
- "Ghost of Old D.C." - J. B. Beverley & The Wayward Drifters
- "God Bless America" - Kate Smith
- "One Mint Julep" - The Clovers
- "Reunited" - Peaches & Herb
- "Summertime" - Billy Stewart
- "Swanee" - Al Jolson
- "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" - The Postal Service
- "The Hustle" - Van McCoy
- "Ugly Man" - Danny Gatton
- "Washington D.C." - The Magnetic Fields
- "Washington D.C. Hospital Center Blues" - Skip James
- Library of Congress recordings - Jelly Roll Morton; Woody Guthrie
- Native American music of the Eastern Woodlands - Piscataway Conoy Tribal Nation musicians
- Chart updated: 04/22/2021 14:15
- (Created: 04/21/2021 18:09).
- Chart size: 51 albums.
There are 2 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Washington, DC is paradise to me! 51 albums of DC history has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 5 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from the 1970s. (Remove this filter)
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DC born and raised, Marvin Gaye spent almost none of his adult life in his hometown. That said, What's Going On is an important project in music history. It's told from the point of view of a Vietnam veteran returning to the US only to experience racism, poverty, and drug dependence. It's also one of the first mainstream music projects to promote awareness of ecological issues. These issues all resonate with Washington, the seat of power of the country. The city where decisions get made which result in war, mistreatment of veterans, mistreatment of minorities, and mistreatment of the environment.
I would recommend listening to the 2001 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of this album, which features a live performance of (nearly) the whole album (plus some extras) at the Kennedy Center in 1972. [First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
I would recommend listening to the 2001 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of this album, which features a live performance of (nearly) the whole album (plus some extras) at the Kennedy Center in 1972. [First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
19,579
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
145
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Funk band Parliament's tribute to DC and "chocolate" (majority black) cities all over the USA. Now just under 50% black, at the time this album was released DC was around 70% black. Currently the US state with the highest percentage of Black Americans is Mississippi at a little under 40%. Among all US states and territories, only the Virgin Islands have a higher percentage of Black Americans (75%) than DC.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
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The Blackbyrds were formed Howard University students who were taught by jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd. This album includes the track "Rock Creek Park" which has been heavily sampled by rap artists like N.W.A. and MF Doom.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
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Born in DC, Fahey was an incredibly important folk musician, including the genre he helped develop: American primitive guitar. After selling his label Takoma Records (named after the suburb of DC), Fahey returned to his hometown to record this album, reviving his career which had been stagnant for 4 years prior.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank in 1979:
None
Rank in 1970s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
22. (=)
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E.U. were a go-go band nearly as important to the genre as Chuck Brown. While this album was more funk-based than strict go-go, it helped introduce and develop the genre. Check out their later albums Rock Yuh Butt and Livin' Large for true go-go masterpieces.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
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The Cellar Door was once a burgeoning nightclub in DC which attracted musicians like Neil Young. While I tried to limit this list to one album per artist, the other album credited to the Seldom Scene is largely a tribute album, so I included this too since features the prog bluegrass band in their prime.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
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Washington, DC has the largest community of ethnic Ethiopians outside of Africa. This is one of the finest Ethiopian albums I've ever heard. Mahmoud Ahmed is a very talented jazz musician who has played a handful of high profile concerts in DC, always to huge crowds. Ethiopian heritage events in DC always draw huge crowds, and it's never surprising to hear Ahmed's music at local events or restaurants.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
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The first iteration of the Muppets was a puppet TV show called "Sam and Friends" that aired on a local DC station from 1955 to 1961. Kermit was first introduced in "Sam and Friends", although he wasn't confirmed to be a frog until The Muppet Show. While not many episodes of "Sam and Friends" still exist, the recorded shorts largely feature lip synced music, rather than The Muppet Show which largely features covers or original music.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
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DC-based Starland Vocal Band member Bill Danoff wrote "Afternoon Delight", taking the name from the name of a cocktail at Clyde's of Georgetown. Danoff also co-wrote "Take Me Home, Country Roads" with John Denver. While obviously that song references West Virginia, the idea came up while driving on Clopper Road just outside of DC. Danoff didn't have a state in mind for the chorus and considered his birth state of Massachusetts before settling on West Virginia.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
Total albums: 9. Page 1 of 1
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Washington, DC is paradise to me! 51 albums of DC history composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
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|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 1 | 2% | |
| 1960s | 5 | 10% | |
| 1970s | 9 | 18% | |
| 1980s | 10 | 20% | |
| 1990s | 7 | 14% | |
| 2000s | 7 | 14% | |
| 2010s | 12 | 24% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| The Seldom Scene | 2 | 4% | |
| Tarica June | 1 | 2% | |
| Minor Threat | 1 | 2% | |
| The Ramsey Lewis Trio | 1 | 2% | |
| Fort Knox Five | 1 | 2% | |
| Kendrick Lamar | 1 | 2% | |
| Tuscadero | 1 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Washington, DC is paradise to me! 51 albums of DC history chart changes
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Washington, DC is paradise to me! 51 albums of DC history ratings
89/100 (from 5 votes)
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N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing all 5 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
75/100  | 06/30/2022 21:50 |  MadhattanJack | | 85/100 |
100/100 | 08/04/2021 19:51 |  travelful | | 99/100 |
100/100 | 05/27/2021 22:46 |  LedZep | | 84/100 |
100/100 | 05/06/2021 18:27 |  Hayden | | 100/100 |
100/100 | 04/23/2021 14:06 |  Patman360 | | 100/100 |
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Washington, DC is paradise to me! 51 albums of DC history comments
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100/100
From travelful 08/04/2021 19:52
travelful 08/04/2021 19:52
John Fahey Visits Washington DC...now that's something I need to hear!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Hayden 05/06/2021 18:32
Hayden 05/06/2021 18:32
Appreciate it EyeKanFly. Was definitely a bit of fun to make. Always wanted to and never got around to it until this year. Not going to kid myself and say it's done, but I'll admit I've stopped digging around the twoonie bins for a sec.
Oddly, Canada just released a 'Canada-based playlist' for people to 'do our census to', and there's a lot of suspicious overlap. I'm assuming the government has stolen my idea (as usual).
(I kid of course, but just a coincidence).
Hoping people pluck a few records from the list, whether or not they like them. The 70s folk scene in particular was very strong, and I'd double down on the northern indigenous work.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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