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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1. (=)

What's Going On 

 Marvin Gaye

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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]

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

1,644 charts

Rank Score:

18,984

Rank in 1971:

4

Rank in 1970s:

15

Overall Rank:

49

Average Rating:

 85 (1,953 votes)

Comments:

145

2. (=)

Ellington At Newport 
Live

 Duke Ellington And His Orchestra

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DC's other famous son. Ellington was a famous bandleader from the late 1920s to early 1940s, and this album helped revitalize his career in the late 1950s. Newport 1956 was one of the best recorded performances of Ellington's whole career. [First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]

Year of Release:

1956

Appears in:

228 charts

Rank Score:

1,645

Rank in 1956:

4

Rank in 1950s:

27

Overall Rank:

1,058

Average Rating:

 79 (207 votes)

Comments:

6

5. (=)

Any Other Way To Go? 
Live

 Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers

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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]

Year of Release:

1987

Appears in:

4 charts

Rank Score:

15

Rank in 1987:

525

Rank in 1980s:

5,345

Overall Rank:

45,072

Average Rating:

 72 (1 vote)

Comments:

0

6. (=)

Chocolate City 

 Parliament

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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]

Year of Release:

1975

Appears in:

58 charts

Rank Score:

126

Rank in 1975:

132

Rank in 1970s:

1,404

Overall Rank:

9,580

Average Rating:

 75 (55 votes)

Comments:

2

7. (=)

Bad Brains 

 Bad Brains

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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:

267 charts

Rank Score:

1,500

Rank in 1982:

18

Rank in 1980s:

183

Overall Rank:

1,163

Average Rating:

 77 (306 votes)

Comments:

15

9. (=)

Emergency & I 

 The Dismemberment Plan

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Formed in DC in 1993, The Dismemberment Plan is one of the most important indie and experimental rock bands of the 90s. Look no further than their best album. [First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]

Year of Release:

1999

Appears in:

465 charts

Rank Score:

3,560

Rank in 1999:

9

Rank in 1990s:

86

Overall Rank:

483

Average Rating:

 81 (527 votes)

Comments:

33

10. (=)

Ambition 

 Wale

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One of DC's most well-known rappers, Wale has no shortage of songs that pay tribute to DC and its cultural institutions (like go-go). Ambition is on the list for the track "DC or Nothing", but The Mixtape About Nothing is probably the best of Wale's work, drawing heavy influence and samples from Seinfeld. [First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]

Year of Release:

2011

Appears in:

5 charts

Rank Score:

6

Rank in 2011:

1,744

Rank in 2010s:

17,927

Overall Rank:

69,961

Average Rating:

 68 (7 votes)

Comments:

0

11. (=)

The Hope Six Demolition Project 

 PJ Harvey

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HOPE VI is a HUD program aimed at turning "projects" into mixed-income communities. One of these tactics is through demolition. English singer-songwriter PJ Harvey composed a whole album about the disparity between black and white and rich and poor Washingtonians. Despite being among the most diverse cities in the country, Washington is still effectively very segregated. [First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]

Year of Release:

2016

Appears in:

179 charts

Rank Score:

504

Rank in 2016:

44

Rank in 2010s:

500

Overall Rank:

3,004

Average Rating:

 73 (246 votes)

Comments:

10

12. (=)

Get Wild 

 Sharam

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An immigrant from Iran, Sharam has been a huge part of DC's electronica, dance, techno, and house scenes since he started making music 30 years ago. Also check out his band Deep Dish (with fellow Iranian-American DJs and singers) which features similar music. [First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]

Year of Release:

2009

Appears in:

4 charts

Rank Score:

4

Rank in 2009:

1,775

Rank in 2000s:

15,999

Overall Rank:

84,793

Average Rating:

 72 (1 vote)

Comments:

0

13. (=)

Rips 

 Ex Hex

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Frontwoman Mary Timony is a DC native and former bastion of riot grrrl feminist punk music. Ex Hex is a little more mainstream, but there are big similarities with bands like Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney. [First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]

Year of Release:

2014

Appears in:

50 charts

Rank Score:

117

Rank in 2014:

204

Rank in 2010s:

2,028

Overall Rank:

10,146

Average Rating:

 72 (56 votes)

Comments:

3

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Total albums: 47. Page 1 of 5

Washington, DC is paradise to me! 51 albums of DC history composition

Country	Albums	%
	47	92%
	1	2%
	1	2%
	1	2%
	1	2%

Washington, DC is paradise to me! 51 albums of DC history chart changes

Washington, DC is paradise to me! 51 albums of DC history similar charts

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Washington, DC is paradise to me! 51 albums of DC history ratings

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
75/100  !	06/30/2022 21:50	MadhattanJack	266	85/100
100/100  !	08/04/2021 19:51	travelful	208	99/100
100/100  !	05/27/2021 22:46	LedZep	1,105	84/100
100/100  !	05/06/2021 18:27	Hayden	32	100/100
100/100  !	04/23/2021 14:06	Patman360	73	100/100

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Washington, DC is paradise to me! 51 albums of DC history comments

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From travelful 08/04/2021 19:52 | #272256

John Fahey Visits Washington DC...now that's something I need to hear!

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

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From Hayden 05/06/2021 18:32 | #269433

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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