Saturday, February 22, 2025

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Albums

Dave’s Music Database


Hall of Fame

ALBUMS

Originally posted 1/22/2019; last updated 2/22/2025.

Dave’s Music Database Hall of Fame was established January 22, 2019 in honor of the 10th anniversary of the DMDB blog. Every month, a class of acts, albums, or songs are inducted. Here are the album inductee classes so far:

Here are all of the individual albums which have been inducted. Click on the title to see the album’s DMDB page. Click on the highlighted month/year to see the album’s induction entry.


A


5/20: AC/DC Back in Black (1980)
2/19: Adele 21 (2011)
11/22: Aerosmith Toys in the Attic (1975)
11/21: Alabama Greatest Hits (compilation: 1980-86, released 1986)
11/20: Louis Armstrong The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings (box set: 1925-28)
2/25: Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (1954)


B


2/24: Johann Sebastian Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Violin (1717-20)
5/24: Johann Sebastian Bach The Brandenberg Concertos (1719-1721)
5/19: Johann Sebastian Bach Goldberg Variations (1741)
2/22: The Band Music from Big Pink (1968)
2/22: The Band The Band (1969)
5/24: Béla Bartók Concerto for Orchestra (1944)
8/19: Beach Boys Pet Sounds (1966)
11/23: Beastie Boys Licensed to Ill (1986)
5/23: The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
5/23: The Beatles Help! (1965)
2/19: The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
11/22: The Beatles The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (1968)
2/20: The Beatles Abbey Road (1969)
2/20: The Beatles 1 (compilation: 1962-70, released 2001)
11/24: Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 3 (1804)
5/24: Ludwig van Beethoven Violin Concerto in D Major (1806)
2/21: Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor (Fate) (1808)
11/24: Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 6 (1808)
2/21: Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major (Emperor) (1811)
2/21: Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A major (1812)
2/21: Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor (Choral) (1824)
2/24: Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 13 (1826)
2/24: Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 14 (1826)
2/24: Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 15 (1826)
8/20: Harry Belafonte Calypso (1956)
11/24: Hector Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique (1830)
8/24: Georges Bizet Carmen (1874)
8/21: Bobby “Blue” Bland Two Steps from the Blues (recorded 1956-60, released 1961)
2/23: Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet (1986)
11/22: Boston Boston (1976)
11/24: Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 4 (1885)
5/19: James Brown Live at the Apollo, Vol. 1 (1962)
5/21: Dave Brubeck Time Out (1959)
11/20: Henry Burr Anthology: The Original King of Pop (compilation: 1903-28)
11/21: The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968)


C


5/19: Johnny Cash Live at Folsom Prison (1968)
2/25: Ray Charles The Genius of Ray Charles (1959)
11/21: Ray Charles Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music (1962)
11/21: Patsy Cline 12 Greatest Hits (compilation: 1957-63, released 1973)
8/21: Eric Clapton From the Cradle (1994)
2/25: Natalie Cole Unforgettable…With Love (1991)
5/21: Ornette Coleman The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959)
5/23: Phil Collins No Jacket Required (1985)
5/21: John Coltrane A Love Supreme (1965)
8/21: Robert Cray Strong Persuader (1986)
8/20: Bing Crosby Merry Christmas (aka ‘White Christmas’) (1945)
2/22: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Déjà Vu (1970)


D


2/19: Miles Davis Kind of Blue (1959)
5/21: Miles Davis Bitches Brew (1970)
2/23: Def Leppard Pyromania (1983)
2/23: Def Leppard Hysteria (1987)
11/23: De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
8/19: Derek & the Dominos Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
5/20: Dire Straits Brothers in Arms (1985)
8/21: Willie Dixon The Chess Box (compilation: 1951-69, released 1988)
11/22: The Doors The Doors (1967)
11/23: Dr. Dre The Chronic (1992)
11/24: Antonin Dvořák Symphony No. 9 (From the New World) (1893)
2/22: Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
8/19: Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
5/19: Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde (1966)
2/22: Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks (1975)


E


2/20: Eagles Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 (compilation: 1971-75, released 1976)
5/20: Eagles Hotel California (1976)
11/20: Duke Ellington The Blanton-Webster Band (box set: 1939-42)
5/21: Duke Ellington At Newport (1956)
2/19: Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
2/20: Eminem The Eminem Show (2002)
2/20: Eminem Recovery (2010)


F


2/25: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook (1956)
11/19: Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977)
11/21: The Flying Burrito Brothers The Gilded Palace of Sin (1969)
8/23: Aretha Franklin I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967)
8/23: Aretha Franklin Lady Soul (1968)
8/20: Jane Froman With a Song in My Heart (soundtrack, 1952)


G


2/23: Peter Gabriel So (1986)
11/19: Judy Garland Judy at Carnegie Hall (live, 1961)
5/19: Marvin Gaye What’s Going On (1971)
8/22: George Gershwin (music) & Ira Gershwin (lyrics) An American in Paris (1951)
5/21: Stan Getz with João Gilberto Getz/Gilberto (1963)
8/20: Jackie Gleason Music for Lovers Only (1953)
11/20: Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert (live: 1938)
5/19: Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987)


H-I


5/21: Herbie Hancock Head Hunters (1973)
2/24: Franz Josef Haydn String Quartet No. 3 (Emperor) (1797)
2/24: Franz Josef Haydn String Quartet No. 5 in D major (Largo) (1797)
8/19: The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced? (1967)
11/23: Lauryn Hill The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
2/25: Billie Holiday Lady in Satin (1958)
8/22: James Horner Titanic soundtrack (1997)
8/23: Whitney Houston Whitney Houston (1985)
5/23: Whitney Houston Whitney (1987)
8/21: Howlin’ Wolf Moanin’ in the Moonlight/Howlin’ Wolf (aka “The Rockin’ Chair Album”) (1959/1962)


J


8/23: Janet Jackson Control (1986)
5/23: Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)
8/23: Michael Jackson Off the Wall (1979)
2/19: Michael Jackson Thriller (1982)
5/23: Michael Jackson Bad (1987)
5/23: Billy Joel The Stranger (1977)
5/20: Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
2/19: Robert Johnson The Complete Recordings (recorded 1936-37, released 1990)
8/20: Al Jolson Songs He Made Famous (soundtrack, 1946)
5/21: Norah Jones Come Away with Me (2002)
2/23: Journey Escape (1981)


K


8/21: Albert King Born Under a Bad Sign (1967)
8/21: B.B. King Live at the Regal (recorded live 1964, released 1965)
11/19: Carole King Tapestry (1971)


L


8/20: Mario Lanza The Student Prince (soundtrack, 1954)
5/23: Cyndi Lauper She’s So Unusual (1983)
5/19: Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
11/22: Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti (1975)


M


5/23: Madonna Like a Virgin (1984)
11/19: Henry Mancini The Music from Peter Gunn (soundtrack, 1959)
5/20: Bob Marley & the Wailers Legend (compilation: 1973-83, released 1984)
2/20: Johnny Mathis Heavenly (1959)
8/21: John Mayall’s Blue Breakers Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (1966)
8/20: M.C. Hammer Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em (1990)
5/20: Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell (1977)
2/24: Felix Mendelssohn Octet for Strings in E flat major, Op. 20 (1825)
2/20: Metallica Metallica (aka ‘The Black Album’) (1991)
5/23: George Michael Faith (1987)
11/20: Glenn Miller Glenn Miller (aka “Glenn Miller & His Orchestra”) (compilation: 1939-42)
5/21: Charles Mingus Ah Um (1959)
2/22: Joni Mitchell Blue (1971)
5/19: Claudio Monteverdi L’Orfeo (Orpheus) (1607)
2/24: Claudio Monteverdi Madrigals of Love and War (Madrigali Guerrieri ed Amorosi) (1638)
5/20: Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill (1995)
2/22: Van Morrison Astral Weeks (1968)
2/22: Van Morrison Moondance (1970)
5/24: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 (1785)
5/24:

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 (1785)
    2/21: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) (1786)
    2/21: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni (1787)
    11/24: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 40 (1788)
    2/24: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A major (Stadler) (1789)
    5/24:
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A major (1791)
    8/24: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) (1791)
    11/20: Billy Murray Anthology: The Denver Nightingale (compilation: 1903-40)
    N-O


    11/21: Willie Nelson Red-Headed Stranger (1975)
    2/19: Nirvana Nevermind (1991)
    11/21: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Will the Circle Be Unbroken (1972)
    11/23: The Notorious B.I.G. Ready to Die (1994)
    11/23: N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton (1989)


    P


    2/21: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Pope Marcellus Mass (Missa Papae Marcelli) (1565)
    11/21: Gram Parsons Grievous Angel (1974)
    11/20: Charley Patton Founder of the Delta Blues (compilation: 1929-34)
    2/19: Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
    11/22: Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here (1975)
    5/20: Pink Floyd The Wall (1979)
    2/23: The Police Synchronicity (1983)
    8/20: Elvis Presley Blue Hawaii (soundtrack, 1961)
    8/20: Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984)
    8/23: Prince Sign ‘O’ the Times (1987)
    5/19: Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
    8/24: Giacomo Puccini La Bohème (The Bohemian Life) (1896)
    8/24: Giacomo Puccini Tosca (1900)


    Q-R


    5/24: Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor (1901)
    8/23: Otis Redding Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965)
    2/23: REO Speedwagon Hi Infidelity (1981)
    8/23: Lionel Richie Can’t Slow Down (1983)
    11/21: Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits (compilation: 1969-80, released 1980)
    11/22: The Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street (1972)
    8/24: Gioacchino Rossini Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) (1816)
    11/23: Run-D.M.C. Raising Hell (1986)
    11/23: Tupac Shakur All Eyez on Me (1996)
    2/23: Rush Moving Pictures (1980)


    S


    2/24: Franz Schubert Piano Quintet in A major (Trout), D 667 (1819)
    5/19: Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)
    2/22: Simon & Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)
    11/19: Paul Simon Graceland (1986)
    2/25: Frank Sinatra In the Wee Small Hours (1955)
    5/21: Frank Sinatra Songs for Swingin’ Lovers (1956)
    2/25: Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (1958)
    8/23: Sly & the Family Stone There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971)
    11/20: Bessie Smith The Essential (compilation: 1923-33)
    11/23: Snoop Dogg Doggystyle (1993)
    11/22: Bruce Springsteen Born to Run (1975)
    5/20: Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
    2/20: Taylor Swift 1989 (2014)


    T-V


    2/21: Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor (1875)
    11/24: Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 (1893)
    11/19: U2 The Joshua Tree (1987)
    11/22: Van Halen Van Halen I (1978)
    2/23: Van Halen 1984 (1984)
    8/21: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble Texas Flood (1983)
    8/19: Velvet Underground & Nico Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
    2/21: Antonio Vivaldi The Four Seasons (Le Quattro Stagioni) (1725)


    W-Z


    8/24: Richard Wagner Tristan Und Isolde (1859)
    2/21: Richard Wagner The Ring Cycle (Der Ring Des Nibelungen) (1874)
    8/21: Muddy Waters At Newport (live, 1960)
    11/22: The Who Tommy (1969)
    8/19: The Who Who’s Next (1971)
    11/21: Hank Williams 40 Greatest Hits (compilation: 1947-53, released 1978)
    8/23: Stevie Wonder Talking Book (1972)
    8/19: Stevie Wonder Innervisions (1973)
    11/19: Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
    11/23: Wu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
    8/19: Neil Young After the Gold Rush (1970)
    2/22: Neil Young Harvest (1972)
    2/23: ZZ Top Eliminator (1983)


    Various Artists


    11/20: Various Artists (edited by Harry Smith) Anthology of American Folk Music (box set: 1923-32)
    8/22: American Graffiti (soundtrack, 1973)
    8/20: Various artists (Whitney Houston et al) The Bodyguard (soundtrack, 1992)
    2/20: Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics) & Frederick Loewe (music) Camelot (musical/cast album, 1960)
    8/22: Dirty Dancing (soundtrack, 1987)
    5/22: Jerry Bock (music), Sheldon Harnick (lyrics) Fiddler on the Roof (musical/cast album, 1964)
    8/22: Footloose (soundtrack, 1984)
    8/22: Frozen (soundtrack, 2013)
    5/20: Various Artists (including Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta) Grease (soundtrack, 1978)
    5/22: Galt MacDermot (music) with Gerome Ragni & James Rado (lyrics) Hair (musical/cast album, 1967)
    5/22: Lin-Manuel Miranda (music & lyrics) Hamilton (musical/cast album, 2015)
    8/22: Various Artists (Jimmy Cliff et al) The Harder They Come (soundtrack, 1972)
    8/22: High School Musical (soundtrack, 2006)
    5/22: Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) & Tim Rice (lyrics) Jesus Christ Superstar (musical/cast album, 1971)
    5/22: Cole Porter (music & lyrics) Kiss Me, Kate (musical/cast album, 1949)
    5/22: Meredith Willson (music & lyrics) The Music Man (musical/cast album, 1957)
    2/20: Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics) & Frederick Loewe (music) My Fair Lady (musical/cast album, 1956)
    8/22: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (soundtrack, 2000)
    5/22: Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) Oklahoma! (musical/cast album, 1944)
    2/20: Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) Oklahoma! (soundtrack, 1955)
    5/22: Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) with Charles Hart & Richard Stilgoe (lyrics) Phantom of the Opera (musical/cast album, 1986)
    11/20: George Gershwin (music) with Ira Gershwin & Dubose Heyward (lyrics) Porgy and Bess (musical/cast album: 1935)
    11/19: Various Artists (including the Bee Gees) Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack, 1977)
    5/22: Jerome Kern (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) Show Boat (musical/cast album, 1927)
    2/20: Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) The Sound of Music (musical/cast album, 1959)
    8/22: Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) The Sound of Music (soundtrack, 1965)
    2/19: Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) South Pacific (musical/cast album, 1949)
    2/20: Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) South Pacific (soundtrack, 1958)
    5/22: Leonard Bernstein (music) & Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) West Side Story (musical/cast album, 1957)
    8/20: Leonard Bernstein (music) & Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) West Side Story (soundtrack, 1961)


    Resources and Related Links:

  • Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Album Inductees (Feb. 2025)

    The Top Traditional Pop/Jazz Albums

    Originally posted 2/22/2025.

    January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog. To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This month marks the 25th group of album inductees. These are the top 10 traditional pop/vocal jazz albums of all time (see the DMDB’s top 25 list here). Three were inducted in previous classes – Frank Sinatra’s Songs for Swingin’ Lovers, Judy Garland’s Judy at Carnegie Hall, and Norah Jones’ Come Away with Me.

    See the full list of album inductees here.

    Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (1954)

    Inducted February 2025 as “Top Traditional Pop/Jazz Albums.”

    AllMusic.com: “This recording was not only Louis Armstrong's finest record of the 1950s but one of the truly classic jazz sets.” He covers 11 songs written by W.C. Handy, including the notable “St. Louis Blues.” This is “essential music for all serious jazz collections.” Read more at Wikipedia.

    Ray Charles The Genius of Ray Charles (1959)

    Inducted February 2025 as “Top Traditional Pop/Jazz Albums.”

    Ray Charles was one of the most influential singers of all time with “a revolutionary fusion of blues, jazz, R&B, and gospel.” RD The Genius of Ray Charles showed an artist “still in his twenties and signaled both his eagerness and ability to transcend genres at will.” RD It “comes on strong with a ravishing set of six big-band-flavored jazz numbers.” RD On the second side, “Charles turned in a more seductive direction and arrived at a roster of ballads backed by massive, swooning string sections.” RD Read more.

    Natalie Cole Unforgettable…With Love (1991)

    Inducted February 2025 as “Top Traditional Pop/Jazz Albums.”

    Natalie Cole was born into music royalty as the daughter of Nat “King” Cole, a jazz crooner who charted more than 100 times in the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s. She became a star in her own right, winning the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1976 and charting sixteen top-10 R&B hits in the ‘70s and ‘80s. However, she found her greatest success in 1991 when she recorded an album of songs her father had made famous. It won her the Grammy for Album of the Year and sold seven million copies in the U.S. Read more.

    Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook (1956)

    Inducted February 2025 as “Top Traditional Pop/Jazz Albums.”

    “Ella Fitzgerald was already the preeminent voice in the jazz world when she began what became her signature project in 1956; a series of recordings devoted to works by each of the great stage and screen composers of postwar America.” TM They “are all wonderful, but her natural wit and intelligence was at its most perfect” AZ on Sings the Cole Porter Songbook, the first collection. She “shines as the perfect interpreter of Cole Porter’s bittersweet love songs.” AM It “is a dream pairing of singer and song,” TM “arguably history’s finest jazz singer singing some of the best-written American pop standards.” AM Read more.

    Billie Holiday Lady in Satin (1958)

    Inducted February 2025 as “Top Traditional Pop/Jazz Albums.”

    “Lady Day was in big trouble by 1958.” BL “Although not yet 43, she could have passed for 73.” AM “Her raspy singing reflected a lifetime riddled with abusive relationships, drug addiction and time spent in prison.” PM “The sweet tones of Holiday’s upper register were practically non-existent, but her voice remained an immovable force.” PM Lady in Satin is “as heartbreaking and necessary as it is gorgeous,” PM a “startling masterpiece rooted in tough times.” BL Without it, “there would simply have been no divas like Nina Simone or Janis Joplin crying their hearts out so uncompromisingly in the decades to come.” RD Read more.

    Frank Sinatra In the Wee Small Hours (1955)

    Inducted February 2025 as “Top Traditional Pop/Jazz Albums.”

    Sinatra’s “break-up with Ava Gardner provided the perfect catalyst” TL for what has been hailed as “the all-time greatest break-up album.” RD “The wisecracking, finger-snapping Sinatra of popular legend is absent;” RD this is an “authoritative take on masculine loneliness.” TL It is also “one of the finest jazz albums of all time.” CAD and “considered by many to be the first concept album.” CAD Read more.

    Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (1958)

    Inducted February 2025 as “Top Traditional Pop/Jazz Albums.”

    “The sad songs come one after another on this album, Sinatra’s definitive ballad collection.” TMOnly the Lonely follows the same formula as his previous down albums, but the tone is considerably bleaker and more desperate.” AM The “world’s greatest saloon singer is in his element” TM playing the part of “a wounded Everyman…who lurk[s] in the lounge nursing their disappointment, bending the ear of the barkeep, seeking consolation in the woozy hues of jazz and cocktails.” TM “It’s a heartbreaking record, the ideal late-night album.” AM Read more.

    Monday, February 17, 2025

    Roud Folk Song Index: Top 100 Songs

    Roud Folk Song Index:

    Top 100 Songs

    Steve Roud created the Roud Folk Song Index which, as explained at Wikipedia, has “references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world.” Roud combines the Broadside Index (printed sources before 1900), all printed sources in the Child Ballads compiled by Francis James Child, and a field-recording index. More than 5000 of the titles are listed on Wikipedia. The entire database is searchable online at the Vaughn Williams Memorial Library .

    This page is a ranked of the 100 highest-ranked titles in Dave’s Music Database. Only the song titles and earliest known dates of songs’ publications are listed here.

    Click here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations.

    1. “Over the Rainbow” (1939)
    2. “St. Louis Blues” (1914)
    3. “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (1911)
    4. “The House of the Rising Sun” (1933)
    5. “After the Ball” (1892)
    6. “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (1908)
    7. “Over There” (1917)
    8. “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” (1938)
    9. “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1949)
    10. “When the Saints Go Marching In” (1896)

    11. “Give My Regards to Broadway” (1904)
    12. “Silent Night” (1818)
    13. “The Star-Spangled Banner” (1814)
    14. “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home” (1902)
    15. “Happy Birthday to You” (1893)
    16. “The Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)” (1851)
    17. “Shine on, Harvest Moon” (1908)
    18. “You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)” (1913)
    19. “All the Things You Are” (1939)
    20. “Sixteen Tons” (1955)

    21. “This Land Is Your Land” (1944)
    22. “Jingle Bells” (1857)
    23. “Amazing Grace” (1772)
    24. “The Prisoner’s Song” (1925)
    25. “Listen to the Mocking Bird (aka “The Mocking Bird”)” (1855)
    26. “Turkey in the Straw” (1820)
    27. “It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary” (1912)
    28. “A Hot Time in the Old Town” (1896)
    29. “Oh Susanna” (1846)
    30. “Goodnight Irene” (1933)

    31. “Home on the Range” (1873)
    32. “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again” (1863)
    33. “Down by the Old Mill Stream” (1910)
    34. “Dixie” (1859)
    35. “Yankee Doodle” (1754)
    36. “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” (1934)
    37. “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” (1832)
    38. “You Are My Sunshine” (1940)
    39. “The Yellow Rose of Texas” (1853)
    40. “Joy to the World” (1719)

    41. “Darktown Strutters’ Ball” (1917)
    42. “Camptown Races (Gwine to Run All Night)” (1850)
    43. “O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)” (1905)
    44. “Auld Lang Syne” (1799)
    45. “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No Mo’” (1923)
    46. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” (1855)
    47. “The Little Drummer Boy” (1958)
    48. “Wabash Cannonball” (1882)
    49. “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” (1706)
    50. “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” (1806)

    51. “Tom Dooley” (1940)
    52. “Clementine” (1863)
    53. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” (1873)
    54. “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” (1894)
    55. “O Holy Night (Minuit, Chrétiens)” (1847)
    56. “On the Banks of the Wabash” (1897)
    57. “The Arkansaw Traveler” (1863)
    58. “The First Noel” (1823)
    59. “Hello Central, Give Me Heaven” (1901)
    60. “Ave Maria” (1825)

    61. “Away in a Manger” (1882)
    62. “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” (1881)
    63. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (1868)
    64. “The Man on the Flying Trapeze” (1867)
    65. “She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain” (1899)
    66. “Wildwood Flower” (1928)
    67. “Jimmy Crack Corn (The Blue Tail Fly)” (1846)
    68. “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” (1850)
    69. “The Battle Cry of Freedom” (1862)
    70. “We Three Kings of Orient Are” (1857)

    71. “Baa Baa Black Sheep” (1744)
    72. “Greensleeves” (1580)
    73. “Rock of Ages” (1763)
    74. “Buffalo Gals (Buffalo Girls Will You Come Out Tonight)” (1844)
    75. “London Bridge Is Falling Down” (1744)
    76. “I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen” (1875)
    77. “On Top of Old Smoky” (1841)
    78. “Danny Boy” (1913)
    79. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman” (1760)
    80. “Drill, Ye Terriers, Drill” (1888)

    81. “Shenandoah” (1837)
    82. “O Where, O Where Has My Little Dog Gone” (1864)
    83. “Grandfather's Clock” (1876)
    84. “Rock-a-Bye Baby” (1884)
    85. “The Twelve Days of Christmas” (1951)
    86. “Alphabet Song (The ABC Song)” (1761)
    87. “Skip to My Lou” (1832)
    88. “Beautiful Dreamer” (1864)
    89. “Pop Goes the Weasel” (1853)
    90. “Michael Row the Boat Ashore” (1867)

    91. “Hail Columbia (The President’s March)” (1789)
    92. “Row Row Row Your Boat” (1852)
    93. “Mary Had a Little Lamb” (1830)
    94. “Froggie Went a Courtin'“ (1700)
    95. “Polly Wolly Doodle (All the Day)” (1843)
    96. “Goodbye Dolly Gray” (1897)
    97. “Among My Souvenirs” (1928)
    98. “In the Sweet By-and-By” (1868)
    99. “What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor?” (1740)
    100. “Lorena” (1857)


    Resources/Related Links:


    First posted 2/16/2025.

    Friday, February 14, 2025

    Manic Street Preachers: A Retrospective (1986-2025)

    left to right: Nicky Wire, Sean Moore, Richey Edwards, James Dean Bradfield

    Manic Street Preachers

    A Retrospective: 1986-2025

    Overview:

    Rock quartet formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, Wales in 1986. The four band members attended Oakdale Comprehensive School together. They took their name from Bradfield’s days of busking when he was 16. He made friends with a tramp in Cardiff where he regularly played and when he arrived, the man would say, “Oh my God, it’s the Manic Street Preacher again.” WK

    Woodward left the band in 1988, feeling like they were moving too far away from their punk roots. They released their first single, “Suicide Alley,” that year. Despite its poor recording quality, it received an enthusiastic review from NME magazine. WK

    Richey Edwards, a friend who drove the band to and from gigs, joined the band in 1989. In addition to becoming singing, writing, and playing guitar, he designed the band’s record sleeves and artwork. WK

    In 1990, the band signed a deal with Damaged Goods Records to release an EP, New Art Riot. The band moved on to an indie label, Heavenly Records, and released the single “Motown Junk” in 1991. Then they signed with Columbia Records/Sony Music UK and released their debut album, Generation Terrorists, in 1992.

    By 1994, Edwards was dealing with multiple mental and physical health difficulties including anorexia, alcohol abuse, depression, and self-harm. He disappeared in February 1995. It was widely believed he committed suicide by jumping off the Severn Bridge. He was eventually declared legally presumed deceased.

    After a six-month hiatus, the three remaining members resumed the band with the blessing of Edwards’ family. The band’s next two albums, Everything Must Go and This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours, became their most successful, each reaching triple-platinum status in the UK and reaching #2 and #1 respectively on the UK charts.

    The band have landed fifteen top-ten albums on the UK charts as of 2025. Twelve of their albums have reached silver, gold, or platinum status in the UK. They reached #1 on the UK charts a second time in 2021 with The Ultra Vivid Lament.


    The Players

    • James Dean Bradfield (vocals/guitar: 1986-)
    • Richey Edwards (vocals/lyrics/guitar: 1989-1995)
    • Sean Moore (drums: 1986-)
    • Nicky Wire (rhythm guitar/bass/lyrics: 1986-)
    • Miles “Flicker” Woodward (bass: 1986-88)


    Links

    Awards

    Awards here

    Studio Albums

    Compilations

    Under each album snapshot, songs featured on the anthologies are noted. If the song charted, the date of the song’s release or first chart appearance and its chart peaks are noted in parentheses. Click for codes to charts.

    Generation Terrorists (1992)

    • You Love Us (5/25/1991, 16 UK) FD, NT
    • Stay Beautiful (7/29/1991, 40 UK) NT
    • Love’s Sweet Exile (10/28/1991, 26 UK) NT
    • Slash ‘n’ Burn (3/16/1992, 20 UK) NT
    • Motorcycle Emptiness (6/1/1992, 17 UK) FD, NT
    • Little Baby Nothing (11/16/1992, 29 UK) FD, NT
    • Spectators of a Suicide (12/17/2020, --)


    About the Album:

    The band’s first album reached #13 on the UK charts, supported by six singles.

    Gold Against the Soul (1993)

    • From Despair to Where (6/7/1993, 25 UK) FD, NT
    • La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Whisper) (7/26/1993, 22 UK) FD, NT
    • Roses in the Hospital (9/20/1993, 15 UK) NT
    • Life Becoming a Landslide (2/7/1994, 36 UK) NT


    About the Album:

    The band’s second album landed them in the UK top 10 for the first time.

    The Holy Bible (1994)

    • Faster (6/6/1994, 16 UK) FD, NT
    • Revol (8/1/1994, 22 UK) NT
    • She Is Suffering (10/3/1994, 25 UK) NT


    About the Album:

    This was singer Richey Edwards’ last album with the band. He went missing in 1995 and was presumed dead. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.

    Everything Must Go (1996)

    • A Design for Life (4/15/1996, 2 UK) FD, NT
    • Everything Must Go (7/22/1996, 5 UK) FD, NT
    • Kevin Carter (9/30/1996, 9 UK) FD, NT
    • Further Away (10/16/1996, --)
    • Australia (12/2/1996, 7 UK) FD, NT


    About the Album:

    After a six-month hiatus following the disappearance of their singer Richey Edwards, the band resumed with the blessing of his family. They found their greatest success yet with this album. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.

    This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours (1998)

    • If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next (8/24/1998, 11 UK) FD, NT
    • The Everlasting (11/30/1999, 11 UK) FD, NT
    • You Stole the Sun from My Heart (3/8/1999, 5 UK) FD, NT
    • Tsunami (7/5/1999, 11 UK) FD, NT


    About the Album:

    The band topped the UK album chart for the first time and also reached #1 on the singles chart with “If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next.” Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.

    Know Your Enemy (2001)

    • So Why So Sad (2/26/2001, 8 UK) FD, NT
    • Found That Soul (2/26/2001, 9 UK) NT
    • Ocean Spray (6/1/2001, 15 UK) NT
    • Let Robeson Sing (9/1/2001, 19 UK) NT

    Forever Delayed: The Greatest Hits (compilation)

    Manic Street Preachers


    Recorded: 1991-2002


    Released: October 28, 2002

    Peak: -- US, 4 UK, -- CN, -- AU


    Sales (in millions): 0.60 UK


    Genre: Britpop/alt rock


    Rating:

    3.490 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings)

    Awards:

    (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks:

    (1) A Design for Life (2) Motorcycle Emptiness (3) If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next (4) La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh) (5) There by the Grace of God (6) You Love Us (7) Australia (8) You Stole the Sun from My Heart (9) Kevin Carter (10) Tsunami (11) The Masses Against the Classes (12) From Despair to Where (13) Door to the River (14) Everything Must Go (15) Faster (16) Little Baby Nothing (17) Suicide Is Painless (Theme from M*A*S*H) (18) So Why So Sad (19) The Everlasting (20) Motown Junk


    About the Album:

    The Manic Street Preachers’ first greatest-hits album gathered together 20 of their biggest hits from their first six albums.


    Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

    • Motown Junk (1/21/1991, 94 UK) FD, NT
    • Suicide Is Painless (Theme from M*A*S*H) (9/7/1992, 7 UK) FD, NT
    • Masses Against the Classes (1/10/2000, 11 UK) FD, NT
    • There by the Grace of God (10/14/2002, 6 UK) FD, NT
    • Door to the River FD

    Lifeblood (2004)

    • The Love of Richard Nixon (10/18/2004, 2 UK) NT
    • Empty Souls (1/10/2005, 2 UK) NT

    Send Away the Tigers (2007)

    • Underdogs (3/19/2007, --)
    • Your Love Alone Is Not Enough (with Nina Persson) (4/30/2007, 2 UK) NT
    • Autumn Song (7/23/2007, 10 UK) NT
    • Indian Summer (10/1/2007, 22 UK) NT

    Journal for Plague Lovers (2009)

    • Jackie Collins Existential Question Time (3/9/2009, --)
    • Peeled Apples (3/25/2009, --)

    Postcards from a Young Man (2010)

    • It’s Not War, Just the End of Love (9/1/2010, 28 UK) NT
    • Some Kind of Nothingness (12/6/2010, 44 UK) NT
    • Postcards from a Young Man (2/28/2011, 54 UK) NT

    National Treasures: The Complete Singles (compilation)

    Manic Street Preachers


    Recorded: 1990-2011


    Released: October 31, 2011

    Peak: -- US, 10 UK, -- CN, -- AU


    Sales (in millions): 0.10 UK


    Genre: Britpop/alt rock


    Rating:

    3.642 out of 5.00 (average of 17 ratings)

    Awards:

    (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks, Disc 1:

    (1) Motown Junk (2) Stay Beautiful (3) Love’s Sweet Exile (4) You Love Us (5) Slash ‘n’ Burn (6) Motorcycle Emptiness (7) Suicide Is Painless (Theme from M*A*S*H) (8) Little Baby Nothing (9) From Despair to Where (10) La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh) (11) Roses in the Hospital (12) Life Becoming a Landslide (13) Faster (14) Revol (15) She Is Suffering (16) A Design for Life (17) Everything Must Go (18) Kevin Carter (19) Australia

    Tracks, Disc 2:

    (1) If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next (2) The Everlasting (3) You Stole the Sun from My Heart (4) Tsunami (5) The Masses Against the Classes (6) So Why So Sad (7) Found That Soul (8) Ocean Spray (9) Let Robeson Sing (10) There by the Grace of God (11) The Love of Richard Nixon (12) Empty Souls (13) Your Love Alone Is Not Enough (14) Autumn Song (15) Indian Summer (16) It’s Not War Just the End of Love (17) Some Kind of Nothingness (18) Postcards from a Young Man (19) This Is the Day


    About the Album:

    The Manic Street Preachers released their first greatest-hits compilation in 2002. This more comprehensive collection covers another nine years over two discs. The songs are presented chronologically.


    Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

    • This is the Day 9/18/2011, --) NT

    Rewind the Film (2013)

    • Rewind the Film (7/8/2013, --)
    • Show Me the Wonder (9/9/2013, 77 UK)
    • Anthem for a Lost Cause (11/25/2013, --)

    Futurology (2014)

    • Walk Me to the Bridge (4/28/2014, --)
    • Futurology (9/22/2014, --)

    Resistance Is Futile (2018)

    • International Blue (12/8/2017, --)
    • Distant Colors (2/16/2018, --)
    • Dylan & Caitlin (3/9/2018, --)
    • Liverpool Revisited (4/26/2018, --)
    • Hold Me Like a Heaven (5/4/2018, --)

    The Ultra Vivid Lament (2021)

    • Orwellian (5/14/2021, --)
    • The Secret He Had Missed (7/16/2021, 83 UK)


    About the Album:

    This album reached #1 on the UK album chart, giving the band their second chart-topper.

    Critical Thinking (2025)

    • Decline and Fall (8/29/2024, --)
    • Hiding in Plain Sight (10/25/2024, --)
    • People Ruin Paintings (1/10/2025, --)
    • Brushstrokes of Reunion (1/31/2025, --)
    • Let the Light Return (2/14/2025, --)

    Resources/References:


    Related DMDB Links:


    First posted 5/8/2026.