RIP Doc Watson

"There may not be a serious, committed baby boomer alive who didn't at some point in his or her youth try to spend a few minutes at least trying to learn to pick a guitar like Doc Watson," President Bill Clinton said in 1997 when presenting Watson with the National Medal of the Arts.

Guitarist Doc Watson died at the age of 89 on May 29. His style had a profound impact on folk and bluegrass. Chris Talbott of the Associated Press wrote an obituary:

Guitar picking master Doc Watson dies in NC at 89

Our collection allows you to not only see and hear Watson in action but learn how to play like him. Among the highlights of works by Watson:

• Doc & Merle Watson: In Concert (DVD 1143)
• The Doc Watson Family (CD 11390)
• Doc's Guitar: The Fingerpicking and Flatpicking of Doc Watson (LVD 169)
• The Songs of Doc Watson (MP126.W4 S6)

Listen to the Latest Additions to the National Recording Registry

The Library of Congress has announced this year's selections for the National Recording Registry. Established ten years ago, the registry contains recordings that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and are at least 10 years old.

Not all of the 25 sound recordings are of music, but many of the musical selections are already in our collection:

• "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," Patsy Montana (1935) [On The Best of Patsy Montana (CD 21574)]
• "Artistry in Rhythm," Stan Kenton & and his Orchestra (1943) [On The Complete Capitol Studio Recordings of Stan Kenton 1943-47 (CD 15435-15441)]
• "Let’s Go Out to the Programs," The Dixie Hummingbirds (1953) [On The Best of the Dixie Hummingbirds (CD 2786)]
• "Also Sprach Zarathustra," Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1954, 1958) [On Richard Strauss in High Fidelity (CD 3063)]
• "Bo Diddley" and "I’m a Man," Bo Diddley (1955) [On Bo Diddley; Go Bo Diddley (CD 11579)]
• "Green Onions," Booker T. & the M.G.’s (1962) (CD 6585)
• "Forever Changes," Love (1967) (CD 16472)
• "A Charlie Brown Christmas," Vince Guaraldi Trio (1970) (CD 27615)
• "Coat of Many Colors," Dolly Parton (1971) (CD 23426)
• "Mothership Connection," Parliament (1975) (CD 1863)
• "I Feel Love," Donna Summer (1977) [On The Casablanca Records Story (CD 14082-14085)]
• "Rapper's Delight," Sugarhill Gang (1979) [On The Sugar Hill Records Story (CD 10273-10277)]
• "Purple Rain," Prince and the Revolution (1984) (CD 40)

Iranian Leader Likes R.E.M.? You Can, Too

The Onion has reported "Ahmadinejad Kind Of Getting Back Into Old R.E.M. Again." If you, like the Iranian president, want to get back into old R.E.M., you can explore their IRS-era CDs:

• Murmur (CD 215)
• Reckoning (Annex CD (Box 58))
• Fables of the Reconstruction (CD 6396)
• Life's Rich Pageant (CD 4629)
• Document (CD 214)

Remember that students can check out and take home three CDs for three days unless the CDs are on reserve.

For those not already familiar with it, the Onion is a satirical newspaper. Really, it's French President Nicolas Sarkozy, not Ahmadinejad, who is getting back into old R.E.M.; he has the time after losing his bid for reelection.

Happy Travels While We're Closed

The library will be closing at 8:45 p.m. on Friday, May 11 and reopens at 12:00 noon on Monday, May 21 for Registration Week. See our hours for details.

If you are on the road during the semester break and miss the library, consider staying at one of the hotels with libraries highlighted by Departures:

Wonderful Hotel Libraries

Gladstone’s Library at St. Deiniol’s, Hawarden, Wales

RIP Adam "MCA" Yauch

Adam Yauch, a.k.a. MCA of the Beastie Boys has died a 47 following a battle with cancer, which was diagnosed in 2009. He missed the ceremony last month for the band's induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Beastie Boys burst onto the scene in 1986 with their sophomoric debut Licensed to Ill (CD 11103) and went on to revolutionize hip-hop with their 1989 follow-up Paul's Boutique (CD 12108). Although the band stopped touring in 2009 and Yauch's illness prevented their making videos for last year's Hot Sauce Committee. Part Two (CD 32800), they were equally renowned for their videos, such "Sabotage," their homage to 1970s cop shows, which is included on the Beastie Boys Video Anthology (DVD 444-445).

An advocate for the free Tibet movement, Yauch co-organized a series of Tibetan Freedom Concerts, including ones in New York and San Francisco in 1997 (CD 14859-14861). 

Get to Know Krautrock

The hour-long BBC4 documentary about Krautrock examines not only the new music emerging from Germany from 1968 to 1977 but also the political, cultural and social forces behind the musical movement.

Krautrock - The Rebirth of Germany (BBC Documentary) - Full Version


Want to hear more? Here's a sampling of some of the prominent artists from the scene.

• Neu! Neu! (Annex CD (Box 57))
• Can Ege Bamyasi (Annex CD (Box 4))
• Tangerine Dream The Electronic Magic of Tangerine Dream: the Anthology (Annex CD (Box 11))
• Kraftwerk Trans-Europe Express (CD 16442)
• Amon Düül II The best of 1969-1974 (CD 677)
• Faust Faust IV (Annex CD (Box 4))