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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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:
Rank Score:
1,516
Rank in 1956:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
6
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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]
8. (=)
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Before there was rock, before there was jazz, there were marches. I guess. As the Romantic era began trending towards the Modern era, Sousa helped bridge the gap with his mastery of the genre. He conducted the US Marine Band, the oldest professional musical organization in the United States. Sousa was very resistant to having his music recorded, nevertheless some recordings of his conducting finesse have survived, and they're collected in this compilation.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3
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Comments:
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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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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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The Bohemian Caverns was one of the greatest jazz venues not just in DC, but in the world. This is one of the greatest albums recorded there. Unfortunately the venue fell under hard times and closed in the late 2010s, but there are attempts at revitalizing it as a venue.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
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Another fantastic album recorded at Bohemian Caverns.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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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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Gospel singer Richard Smallwood graduated from Howard U, and founded his own gospel singing group in DC after graduating. This live album was recorded at his alma mater.
[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% | |
| Roberta Flack | 1 | 2% | |
| The Dismemberment Plan | 1 | 2% | |
| Lead Belly | 1 | 2% | |
| Priests | 1 | 2% | |
| Foo Fighters | 1 | 2% | |
| Wale | 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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