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.
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Other than maybe Marvin Gaye and Duke Ellington, no one looms quite as large over the DC music scene as Ian MacKaye. This is one of MacKaye's first projects, and it set the stage for the DC punk scene. Unlike punk scenes in London or New York (perhaps the only cities with larger punk scenes than DC), DC punk rockers were known for promoting their "straight-edge" lifestyle: abstinence from drugs and alcohol. While this album is a great collection of punk songs, I do feel I need to mention "Guilty of Being White": on the surface it appears to be white supremacist in nature, but according to MacKaye the (admittedly hard to comprehend) lyrics actually relate to being white in a black-majority school, neighborhood, and city. While it appears to me to be misguided, the intent is that MacKaye sympathizes with the plight of minority Americans.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
2
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This is MacKaye's most famous project. Fugazi are THE DC punk band, credited with developing the post-hardcore genre. Their music is what put MacKaye's record label (Dischord, which he still runs) on the map.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,523
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Go-go is DC's official music genre, and there's no better place to go for go-go than Chuck Brown. This live set was recorded at the Crystal Skate in Temple Hills, just outside of DC (fun fact: it's still around, I had to go to the hospital with a sprained knee after roller skating there). This album features a surprise rap cameo by then-mayor of DC Marion Barry (on the song "Go-Go Drug Free", ironic considering his later prison sentence for being caught smoking crack).
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
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Other than Fugazi, Bad Brains is probably the most important band of the DC punk scene. However, Bad Brains were banned from playing at all the DC clubs at the beginning of their career, largely because they were the only black punk band around, and they fused genres like reggae and metal into their punk music. Hence the song "Banned in D.C.". Fortunately the de facto ban was lifted and Bad Brains became major players in the DC punk scene. Lead singer H.R. (Human Rights) was actually born in Liverpool, England, but grew up in DC. He's a devout Rastafari, but he holds some...antiquated views about gender and sex that don't jive with either his belief system or his stage name.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,456
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While DC is largely known for its punk and go-go music, the city was also once known for its eclectic bluegrass music. The Seldom Scene are the finest example of progressive bluegrass, and this live album recorded at DC's Kennedy Center features guests like Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, and John Fogerty.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank in 1988:
None
Rank in 1980s:
None
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Unrest was an indie rock band formed by Mark Robinson, who went on to found TeenBeat Records. This album pays homage to a central DC park.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
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Another great jazz album recorded in DC, this one at Howard Theater.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
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Gil Scott-Heron was a full-time literature and creative writing professor at the University of the District of Columbia in the 70s while still retaining his music and poetry career. This album was released after Scott-Heron left UDC, but many of the tracks have their origin in his time in DC (including obviously "Washington, D.C.").
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
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Trouble Funk are another go-go act from DC. As with many other go-go bands, Trouble Funk has numerous songs sampled by hip hop and rap artists. That includes "Drop the Bomb" and "Pump Me Up" from this album.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
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My biggest regret in creating this list is that I wasn't able to source more Native American music, particularly music created by members of the Piscataway Nation, the peoples whose land was stolen to create the District of Columbia and parts of Maryland and Virginia. This album of contemporary pieces was created in the late 1970s/early 1980s when American Indians were fighting for civil rights through a series of national protests. One of these, "The Longest Walk" is the subject of the first track. The walk saw Native Americans and allies march from California to Washington, DC over the period of 5 months to raise awareness about legislation threatening to take away tribal sovereignty. The protests succeeded in blocking that legislation. Other songs deal with the history of American Indians from Columbus's first contact through the present: centuries of genocide, abuse, and mistreatment. The liner notes on this album are incredible. It's a detailed description of each song, the history behind it, and a collage of quotes and newspaper articles about the unfortunate history of Native Americans. In addition to this album, I recommend looking up videos of traditional Piscataway music. There's a lot out there, just nothing that I was able to find in album form.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
Total albums: 10. 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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
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|
|
| The Seldom Scene | 2 | 4% | |
| Marvin Gaye | 1 | 2% | |
| Bikini Kill | 1 | 2% | |
| Sharam | 1 | 2% | |
| Beauty Pill | 1 | 2% | |
| The Walkmen | 1 | 2% | |
| Duke Ellington And His Orchestra | 1 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
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EyeKanFly (2024)Washington, DC is paradise to me! 51 albums of DC history ratings
89/100 (from 5 votes)
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Showing all 5 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
75/100  | 06/30/2022 21:50 |  MadhattanJack | | 84/100 |
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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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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