Diarrhia Planet on home turf performing in Nashville.
Best bad band names
 With the best bad name in music already taken by Sammy Hagar for his outfit Chicken Foot pop music can only attempt to top the tequila swilling, hard rockin’, Van Halen hatin’ Hagar.

 Here are a few of the summer’s hottest contenders for the moniker that makes us moan loudest.

 Diarrhea Planet, yup, they thought it was a good idea at the time. Diarrhea Planet is a Nashville band just releasing their debut record “Loose Jewels.” While the band is still a fledgling project they have flushed out a few A-list endorsements including what we think are kind words from Spin.com who says "Its bouncy guitars are underpinned by some thunderous bass -- think the Romantics, taken on a desert rock acid trip with Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme." Diarrhea Planet is on tour through July 28 (playing NYC’s The Cake Shop 7/15).   

 Maryland’s death-metal rock veterans Dying Fetus have been around since the early ’90s, but their name never ceases to make us cringe. While keeping a low profile in a womb with a view Dying Fetus is alive and well having just released a full length CD titled “Reign Supreme” last week. There’s a small window of opportunity to hear them live before their summer European tour when they play El Paso’s House of Rock and the Scout Bar in Houston tomorrow and Wednesday respectively. 

  Really great bad band names not only evoke bile, but serve as a personal brag. Topping the list in this doubly edged category is Chicago based Scum of the Earth whose album, “The Devil Made Me Do It,” is set to drop August 28. Don’t underestimate Scum. Their first single from the CD -- “The Devil Made Me Do It III,” was released last month and has already gotten attention having been played during the recent New Jersey Devils Stanley Cup playoff games. 

 The tag that’s simultaneously disturbing yet clever is a “punk’’ One Direction cover band that’s operating by the name One Erection. While the band’s handout flyer was snagged in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, when trying to locate the group on Facebook DTMP was unsuccessful instead coming up with another band also named One Erection from the UK (Liverpool of all places)  who lays claim to the name and boasts a plan to take over pop in a 2010 posting. Is there really room for two One Erections?  

 Honorable bad name mentions go to Pennsylvania’s Terrible Things; doom metal band Witchsorrow who are just releasing their record “God Curses Us”;  SoCal pop act The Dirty Heads” ; and Philly’s metalologists Rumpelstiltskin Grinder.

Musicians' desire to make a great record has taken  on a new meaning this summer with Jack White,  grunge band  the Melvins and alt rockers The Flaming Lips all making separate attempts to be noted in the Guinness Book of World records. 

 

 The Melvins,  the seminal punk/grunge band who were early influences of Nirvana, Sound Garden and Pearl Jam are  attempting to become the  the first band to make a concert stop in  every state in the union  (as well as a show in the nations capital  in 51 days. Their bid for infamy starting Sept. 5 in Anchorage, Alaska and and wraps up Oct. 25 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

  Finally, Dan The Man Press is trying to enter the Guinness Records for most stories written about musician who are attempting to enter the Guinness Book of Records.

Fiona Apple has a stinky octopus on her head and a stinky album on her hands. See CD of the Week for a full review of Apple's "The Idler Wheel. . ."

Solar Punch to play Washington Square Park on the Summer Solstice. funkfied blues belter Valerie Ghent (below).
Tune In, Turn On, Unplug
You’ve heard  about how musicians unplug to get an intimate sound?  Next Thursday, the longest day of the year, a group of New York musicians don’t just unplug, but bolt off the grid for the Solar-Powered Songwriter’s Beat concert in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park. 
 
 The free, four-hour concert  is presented on the Summer Solstice  by Songwriters Beat,  a New York-based composer’s organization.  The performers signed up so far include Marla Mase with the Tomas Doncker Band, funk ’n’ blues pianist/vocalist Valerie Ghent; eco-rock band, Solar Punch; Fred Gillen’s Hope Machine (Americana, rock, roots); guitarist Ann Klein;  twanger  Deborah Berg; and The Lucy Foley Band, a Celtic pop act.
 
 James Conklin, from the Solar Punch band says “We're always happy when we can use solar energy to amplify music.”  Simplifying the technology behind solar powered music Conklin says “The energy system is a working model of a typical off-grid, battery-based solar electric system. We scoop up sunshine with solar panels  and we plug in and play.”

 The event is set to run from noon to 4 p.m. in Washington Square Park, east of main circle, across from Garibaldi Statue. For more details go to songwritersbeat.com.

John Mellencamp performing; author John Steinbeck (below).

John Mellencamp to receive The Steinbeck Award
  For the last 40 years John Mellencamp has express the plight of the little guy in his songs and next month he’ll be honored for that effort when he’s presented the coveted John Steinbeck Award.   

 The ceremony, set for July 30, at the California Theatre in San Jose, CA,  features an in depth interview of  Mellencamp by  Robert Santelli, Grammy Museum director, followed by a full concert performance.  

 The Center for Steinbeck Studies at San Jose State University present awards annually to artists and activists whose work exemplifies the themes and values found in Steinbeck’s writings such as  a concern for the natural environment, willingness  to fight for the common man, and the bravery to be critical of  contrasts between the have’s and have-not’s.  

 Speaking of Mellencamp, the author’s surviving son Thomas Steinbeck, who’s been tapped to present the award said "My father always carried a deep and profound respect for songwriters and musicians. He felt they were the voice of the people and had the unique opportunity to reach their souls. Like Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, and a handful of others, John Mellencamp has done just that. He has spent his life serving as a voice for the people.”  

 Mellencamp commented, "John Steinbeck's remarkable ability to give voice to the common man and to people on society's margins, to describe their plight and aspirations, continues to inspire me more than a century after his birth."  

 Previous recipients of the John Steinbeck Award include: Bruce Springsteen, Arthur Miller, John Sayles, Jackson Browne, Garrison Keillor, and Joan Baez.  

 Tickets for this event, "A Conversation and Special Performance," will go on sale tomorrow (Friday, June 8, at 10 a.m.) via ticketmaster.com.

Dolly Parton and Prince among those honored  by Library of Congress

The voices of former slaves, the sounds of Native American culture, the creative wordplay of Sugarhill Gang’s "Rapper’s Delight," Donna Summer’s electric 1977 hit, and the only surviving recording of a stage icon are among the sound recordings selected for induction into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.
 
  Marking the 10th anniversary of the registry, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington said "America’s sound heritage is an important part of the nation’s history and culture and this year’s selections reflect the diversity and creativity of the American experience."  He added  "These songs, words and natural sounds must be preserved for future generations."
 
  The 25 selections named to the registry feature an array of spoken-word and musical recordings—representing nearly every musical category—spanning the years 1888-1984. They cover a great breadth of sounds and music, ranging from the first commercial recording and the authoritative voice of journalist Edward R. Murrow to the innovative music of Hawaiian Sol Hoopii and the novelty of the all-women’s jazz band International Sweethearts of Rhythm.

 Among this year’s selections are Dolly Parton’s autobiographical song, "Coat of Many Colors"; Prince and the Revolution’s "Purple Rain," the soundtrack from Prince’s 1984 movie debut; Leonard Bernstein’s debut performance with the New York Philharmonic; the 1912 "Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star," the only surviving recording of Lillian Russell who is considered one of the greatest stars of the American musical stage; the Grateful Dead’s 1977 Barton Hall concert; an album from "A Charlie Brown Christmas"; and the pioneering hip-hop album "Rapper’s Delight."

 Other additions to the registry feature notable performances by Ruth Etting, Bo Diddley, the Dixie Hummingbirds, Love, Parliament, Booker T. & the M.G.’s and the Gregg Smith Singers. To qualify for inclusion the  recordings must be  "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and are at least 10 years old. The selections for the 2011 registry bring the total number of recordings to 250. Nominations are gathered through online submissions from the public. The Library is currently accepting nominations for the next registry at www.loc.gov/nrpb/.

Here’s the complete list of this year’s inductees  in chronological order:

1. Edison Talking Doll cylinder (1888)
Few, if any, sound recordings can lay claim to as many "firsts" as the small, mangled artifact of a failed business venture discovered in 1967 in the desk of an assistant to Thomas Edison. This cylinder recording, only five-eighths of an inch wide, represents the foundation of many aspects of recording history. It was created in 1888 by a short-lived Edison company established to make talking dolls for children, and is the only surviving example from the experimental stage of the Edison doll production when the cylinders were made of tin. As such, this recording of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," as sung by an anonymous Edison employee, is the earliest-known commercial sound recording in existence. It is also the first children’s recording and, quite possibly, the first recording to be made by someone who was paid to perform for a sound recording. Due to its poor condition, the recording was considered unplayable until 2011 when its surface was scanned in three dimensions using digital mapping tools.

2. "Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star," Lillian Russell (1912)
 "Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star" is the only surviving recording of Lillian Russell, one of the greatest stars the American musical stage has ever known. She was a versatile performer at home in operetta, burlesque and vaudeville whose personal life often generated as much publicity as her performances. Born in 1861, she was a star before movies and recordings, which in their early days could not do justice to her famous beauty, voice, style and stage presence. "Come Down" was her signature song. She introduced it in the 1902 burlesque review "Twirly-Whirly," parodying the nouveau-riche society figure she had become, but investing it with a poignancy that reflected its troubled history. Russell’s former music director John Stromberg wrote the song. Hours after finishing it, he committed suicide because of the pain of chronic, untreatable rheumatism. Russell recorded the song in 1912, but it was not released until years later. In 1943, rare record dealer Jack L. Caidin found a lone test pressing of "Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star," inscribed by Russell herself, and released it on his own specialty label, providing us with a brief echo of the Lillian Russell phenomenon and a fleeting glimpse into 19th-century American theater.

3. "Ten Cents a Dance," Ruth Etting (1930)
Singer Ruth Etting was one of the first great singers of the electrical era of recording, the period after the mid-1920s when the microphone replaced the acoustic recording horn. As with the best of the male crooners of the period, Etting's vocal delivery was artfully understated and personal. In the words of popular music writers Phil Hardy and Dave Laing, Etting, "[b]y turns peppy, fragile, and gallant … evinced the contradictory spirits of America in the Depression: sometimes beaten down, sometimes bearing up, whenever possible blithe." All these characteristics are evident in her recording of Rodgers and Hart's "Ten Cents a Dance," recorded only two weeks after Etting introduced the song on stage in the musical "Simple Simon."

4. "Voices from the Days of Slavery,"(1932-1941 interviews)
In 2002, the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress created the online presentation "Voices from the Days of Slavery," gathering together 24 interviews with former African-American slaves conducted mostly between 1932 and 1941 and across nine Southern states as part of various field recording projects. During this period, thousands of slave narratives were also collected on paper by WPA workers, but these are the only known audio recordings of former slaves. As historian C. Vann Woodward said of the WPA narratives, these recordings "represent the voices of the normally voiceless," but with all the nuances of expression that written transcriptions cannot reproduce. They recall aspects of slave life and culture, including family relations, work routines, songs, dances and tales, as well as the harsh realities of slavery, including punishments and auctions. They recount experiences of the Civil War, Emancipation and Reconstruction. One interviewee worked for Confederate President Jefferson Davis, as did his father and grandfather. These are fragments of history and reflect the technical and social limitations of the recording sessions. The voices of these ex-slaves, however, provide invaluable insight into their lives, communities and the world of slavery they left behind.

 5. "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," Patsy Montana (1935)
 Singer Patsy Montana's signature song, "I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart," was written in 1934 when she was feeling lonely and missing her boyfriend. Montana recorded the song a year later when Art Satherly of ARC Records needed one more song for a recording session with the Prairie Ramblers. Her song's lively, quick polka tempo and yodeling refrain, and Montana's exuberant delivery, resulted in it being requested at every performance. The song became one of the first hits by a female country-and-western singer. A popular performer on the WLS radio program "National Barn Dance," Montana was the soloist with the Prairie Ramblers, a group that successfully melded jazz and string-band music. Montana's film appearance in the Gene Autry film "Colorado Sunset" in 1939 introduced her to a wider audience, and her independent, high-spirited personality and singing style quickly secured her popularity as a singing cowgirl. Montana was named to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996.

 6. "Fascinating Rhythm," Sol Hoopii and his Novelty Five (1938)
In the 1890s, Hawaiian musicians began playing open-tuned guitars flat in their laps, fretting the strings with steel to produce distinctive sliding tones. The style soon reached the U.S. mainland, and when young Sol Hoopii arrived in California in 1924, the Hawaiian steel guitar was a mature and demanding instrument with national popularity. Hoopii emerged as its greatest exponent, applying it to traditional hulas, ragtime, jazz and pop. He and his peers influenced blues and country slide guitarists, and Dobros and pedal steel guitars are descended from the Hawaiian model. Hoopii switched to electric guitar in the 1930s and displays his formidable technique on this Gershwin standard, deftly mixing tonal variations, a chord solo and bass runs into an adventurous and swinging improvisation.

7. "Artistry in Rhythm," Stan Kenton and his Orchestra (1943)
 That Stan Kenton led a jazz orchestra, not a dance band, is obvious from the first notes of "Artistry in Rhythm." This was no smooth, melodic song intended for swaying couples in the big-band ballrooms, but a complex jazz concert piece. Though he composed the song in 1941, Kenton was unable to record it until 1943 because of the recording ban imposed by the American Federation of Musicians over royalty payments. The music stood out then and its freshness remains obvious to listeners today. Arranged as well as composed by Kenton, "Artistry in Rhythm" exhibits traits that are typical of his work—an aggressive sound, innovative for the layering of one section of the orchestra playing over another, then another layer over both. As one reviewer observed, Kenton’s music "was always controversial, but never sleepy."

8. Debut performance with the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein (Nov. 14, 1943) 
On Nov. 14, 1943, 25-year-old Leonard Bernstein, then the little-known assistant conductor of the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York, made his conducting debut with the ensemble as a last-minute substitute in unenviable circumstances. Guest conductor Bruno Walter was sick, regular conductor Artur Rodziński was hundreds of miles away, and the concert was to be broadcast live across the country by CBS Radio. Bernstein met briefly with Walter, but had no time to rehearse. Concertgoers and radio listeners were moved deeply as Bernstein led the orchestra through the program. After the second piece, he was brought back to the podium four times and excitement continued to grow. In Boston, Bernstein’s mentor Serge Koussevitzky dictated a telegram: "Listening now. Wonderful." Bernstein’s triumph made the front page of the next day’s New York Times and was reported across the country.

9. International Sweethearts of Rhythm: Hottest Women’s Band of the 1940s (1944-1946)
The International Sweethearts of Rhythm was an interracial all women jazz band formed in the late 1930s at the Piney Woods Country Life School, a boarding school for African-American children in Mississippi. The band made very few commercial recordings, but toured extensively in the 1940s, performing in Europe as well as at predominantly African-American theaters. The band also was showcased in several motion pictures. Professional musicians who joined the band include vocalist Anna Mae Winburn, Viola Burnside on tenor saxophone and Ernestine "Tiny" Davis on trumpet. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm album, released in 1984 by Rosetta Records—a record label dedicated exclusively to reissuing performances by female jazz and blues artists—includes commercially recorded tracks by the band and excerpts from an appearance on the Armed Forces Radio Service program "Jubilee."

10. "The Indians for Indians Hour" (March 25, 1947)
Originated by Don Whistler (a.k.a. Chief Kesh-Ke-Kosh), radio show "The Indians for Indians Hour" aired on the University of Oklahoma’s WNAD in Norman, Okla., from 1941 until 1985. It was a weekly venue for Native American music and cultural exchange featuring guests and music from 18 tribes reached by the station’s signal, including Apaches, Arapahos, Caddos, Cheyennes, Choctaws, Comanches, Kaws, Kiowas, Osages, Otos, Pawnees, Poncas, Seminoles, Shawnees and Wichitas. Whistler allowed only Indian music and had no non-Indian guests unless they worked for Indian Services. This program, one of 320 known to survive, includes news of a recent powwow and songs praising Indian war veterans sung by a group of Kiowa war mothers. Though the program was sometimes criticized for primarily highlighting music and entertainment instead of issues, it nevertheless served as an important tool for generational sharing and the popularization and preservation of Native American culture. In 1946, the show reached an estimated weekly audience of over 75,000, nearly all of Native American origin. Whistler hosted the show until his death in 1951. Later hosts included Boyce Timmons, Elton Yellowfish, David Timmons and Sammy "Tonekei" White.

11. "Hula Medley," Gabby Pahinui (1947)
Gabby Pahinui was a master of slack-key guitar, a style originating in Hawaii. In slack key, one or more of a guitar’s strings are loosened or "slacked" from the standard EADGBE format to create a different tuning, usually a chord that allows it to be played without using the fretboard. Often the thumb plays rhythm on the lower strings, while the fingers play the melody on the higher strings. Pahinui made some of the first modern recordings in this genre, including the lovely instrumental "Hula Medley" in 1947.

12. "I Can Hear It Now," Fred Friendly & Edward R. Murrow (1948)
"I Can Hear It Now" was an unlikely hit—a collection of speech excerpts and news reports from 1933 to 1945 featuring a wide array of speakers from Will Rogers to Adolph Hitler. Columbia Records gambled on radio producer Fred Friendly’s idea when a musicians’ strike limited the recording of new music. Friendly, later president of CBS News, spent months locating and copying 100 hours of broadcast disc recordings, using newly introduced magnetic recording tape to create compelling montages. CBS Radio’s Edward R. Murrow added star power as narrator and co-writer. "I Can Hear It Now" found Americans eager to relive their own history, and sold briskly on 78-rpm discs and in Columbia’s new LP format. The ease of editing and recording on magnetic tape allowed the creation of portions of the album that are now controversial, such as the fabrication of a break-in announcement of the Pearl Harbor attack, and the re-recording of a newscast to replace a damaged original. However, the recording was widely imitated and Friendly and Murrow produced two sequels, along with radio and television spin-offs.
 
13. "Let’s Go Out to the Programs," The Dixie Hummingbirds (1953)
At the time of its release, "Let’s Go Out to the Programs" was considered to be a novelty, but it now stands as a celebration of a golden age of African-American gospel music. In the ’50s, high-energy quartets and quintets like the Dixie Hummingbirds played multi-artist shows known as "programs," where several top gospel acts pushed each other to the limit. Led by the legendary Ira Tucker, the Hummingbirds recreate such a program in less than three minutes with striking although good-natured imitations of four gospel groups: the Soul Stirrers (with their young lead singer, Sam Cooke), the Blind Boys of Mississippi, the Pilgrim Travelers and the Bells of Joy. The Dixie Hummingbirds continue to perform today, led by Ira Tucker Jr. Younger singers carry on the legacy of the Soul Stirrers while original members of the Bells of Joy still sing in their home of Austin, Texas.

14. "Also Sprach Zarathustra," Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1954, 1958)
Richard Strauss’ "Also Sprach Zarathustra" was recorded several times during the 78 rpm era, but had to wait for magnetic tape, superior microphones and advances in disc mastering for its extremely wide dynamics to be fully captured as recorded sound. The dawn of high-fidelity recording happily coincided with the beginning of the Fritz Reiner era at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, when the ensemble was hailed by Igor Stravinsky as "the most precise and flexible orchestra in the world." One of Reiner’s first recordings with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, "Zarathustra," was taped simultaneously in mono and stereo by two RCA Victor teams although only the mono version was initially issued. The album’s 1958 release in RCA’s Living Stereo line a few years later showed just how great the recording and performance were, with the perspective and balance Reiner drew from the orchestra fully revealed.

15. "Bo Diddley" and "I’m a Man," Bo Diddley (1955)
Born Elias Otha Bates in Mississippi in 1928, Bo Diddley acquired his stage name after moving to Chicago as a child. He played guitar locally with a small group, drawing inspiration from the polyrhythmic song and music emanating from storefront churches, a pulsing blend that he distilled into the song "Bo Diddley," the A-side of his first single. Drummer Clifton James played the defining beat, and Bo’s guitar and Jerome Greene’s maracas added further rhythmic layers beneath the chanted couplets. Having introduced himself, he threw down the gauntlet on the B-side, "I’m a Man," a throbbing slow blues that, as simple as it seems, took nearly 30 takes to get down just right. It was also a major hit and inspired Muddy Waters’ answer song, "Manish Boy."

16. "Green Onions," Booker T. & the M.G.’s (1962)
Booker T. & the M.G.’s were a rarity when they were formed in the early 1960s—a racially integrated rhythm-and-blues group. Formed as a house band for Stax Records, Booker T. & the M.G.’s were playing around in the studio in early 1962 when they came up with two catchy instrumentals. "Green Onions" was originally intended as the B-side to "Behave Yourself," but was quickly reissued as the A-side, then later as the title cut to their first LP. Anchored by the rhythm section of drummer Al Jackson Jr. and bassist Lewie Steinberg, "Green Onions" is propelled by Booker T. Jones’ driving organ and Steve Cropper’s stinging guitar.

17. "Forever Changes," Love (1967)
Love was an integrated psychedelic band from Los Angeles that played an aggressively original mix of rock, folk and blues, but the band was falling apart as its members prepared for their third album, "Forever Changes." Leader Arthur Lee was alarmed and pessimistic about the state of the world and was convinced his own demise was imminent, although he lived until 2006. His new songs were filled with unexpected shifts and rife with foreboding, though his message was ultimately about resolution and self-reliance in the face of uncertainty and impermanence. Two compositions by second guitarist Bryan MacLean somewhat augmented Lee’s musings, but were no less striking and unusual. Rock was growing more electric in 1967, but "Forever Changes" is essentially acoustic, with a restrained and supple rhythm section supporting the ambitious horn and string charts of pop arranger David Angel, making Johnny Echols’ searing guitar solos all the more memorable. The fusion of psychedelic, mainstream and classical styles, now seen as a landmark, found few takers at the time. Love soon disintegrated, but "Forever Changes" continues to loom large.

18. "The Continental Harmony: Music of William Billings," Gregg Smith Singers (1969)
Composer William Billings published six collections of his choral music between 1770 and 1794. His "New England Psalm Singer" (1770) was the first tune book devoted entirely to the compositions of a single American composer. Billings was largely self-taught, yet his a cappella choral writing, featuring the melody in the tenor, created an indigenous sacred music that expanded the musical language of America. While Billings was well-known in his lifetime—his song "Chester" was nearly as popular as "Yankee Doodle" during the American Revolution—his work was largely forgotten for more than a century. Despite his having composed over 340 works, little of Billings’ music was included in mainstream American sacred choral music collections after 1820. His musical style and some of his pieces, however, were kept alive within America’s Southern shape-note singing tradition. Following World War II, a generation of scholars and performers rediscovered his fresh and vigorous music. This recording by the Gregg Smith Singers, a 16-member choral ensemble dedicated to the performance of American music, helped re-introduce Billings’ music to the world.

19. "A Charlie Brown Christmas," Vince Guaraldi Trio (1970)"
A Charlie Brown Christmas" introduced jazz to millions of listeners. The television soundtrack album includes expanded themes from the animated "Peanuts" special of the same name as well as jazz versions of both traditional and popular Christmas music, performed primarily by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. The original music is credited to pianist Guaraldi and television producer Lee Mendelson. Best remembered is the "Linus and Lucy" theme, originally composed by Guaraldi for an earlier "Peanuts" project, which remains beloved by fans of the popular television specials, those devoted to the daily newspaper comic strip and music lovers alike.

20. "Coat of Many Colors," Dolly Parton (1971)
Dolly Parton's autobiographical song, "Coat of Many Colors," affectionately recounts an impoverished childhood in the hills of Tennessee that was made rich by the love of her family. The song was instrumental in establishing Parton’s credibility as a songwriter. Her voice uplifts the song with emotion and tender remembrances of her close-knit musical family. Parton has called "Coat of Many Colors" the favorite of her compositions because of the attitude and philosophy it reflects. Parton's prolific songwriting career has embraced many different musical styles, including pop, jazz and bluegrass, as well as country. Dolly Parton was voted the Country Music Association's Female Vocalist of the year for 1975 and 1976, and the its Entertainer of the Year in 1978. She also was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999.

21. "Mothership Connection," Parliament (1975)
"Ain’t nothin’ but a party, y’all" intones George Clinton on the title track of this lively and rhythmic funk album. While this undeniably is a party record, it is also rooted in the deepest currents of African-American musical culture and history. For example, the words "Swing down, sweet chariot/Stop, and let me ride" are an unmistakable reference to the influential spiritual recorded by the Fisk Jubilee Singers. "Mothership Connection" was released in late 1975 shortly after the arrival to Parliament of saxophonist Maceo Parker and trombonist and arranger extraordinaire Fred Wesley. Like Parker and Wesley, bass player Bootsy Collins, dubbed by one critic a "bass deity," had played with pioneer of funk James Brown. Add to such assembled talent the classically trained Bernie Worrell, whose synthesizer conjures galaxies of cosmic sound but whose piano, as heard on the track "P-Funk," evokes the ethereal chords of jazz pianist McCoy Tyner. DJ, conductor, arranger and wild lyricist George Clinton oversees the whole, providing an amazing range of space characters (Lollipop Man, Star Child) outlandish vocabulary ("supergroovalistic," "prosifunkstication") and all-around funkiness. The album has had an enormous influence on jazz, rock and dance music.

22. Barton Hall concert by the Grateful Dead (May 8, 1977)
The Grateful Dead was known for its eclectic style that drew on many genres of popular and vernacular music, an improvisational foundation, and a commitment to touring and "live" performances. The Grateful Dead was one of the few musical groups to not only allow, but encourage fans to record its concerts, offering tickets to a special "tapers" section at their shows. The organized trading of Grateful Dead tapes goes back at least to 1971 with the formation of the First Free Underground Grateful Dead Tape Exchange. Fans of the Grateful Dead will never completely agree about which one of their over 2,300 concerts was the best, but there is some consensus about the tape of their Barton Hall performance at Cornell University on May 8, 1977. The soundboard recording of this show has achieved almost mythic status among "Deadhead" tape traders because of its excellent sound quality and early accessibility, as well as its musical performances.

23. "I Feel Love," Donna Summer (1977)
Brian Eno famously declared after hearing Donna Summer’s single "I Feel Love" that the track would "change the sound of club music for the next 15 years." Summer wrote the song in collaboration with producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Belotte, who felt that the song was supposed to represent the music of the future and should be entirely electronic. Consequently, they hired Robbie Wedel who brought four cases of Moog synthesizers to the session. Those produced nearly all the sounds on the record, including synthesized bass drums and cymbals. Particularly notable was the bass line that Belotte has described as "a giant’s hammer on a wall." When the thunderous sound was combined with Summer’s breathy and ethereal vocal, the cut—as Eno predicted--took the clubs by storm. Partly through the involvement of Patrick Cowley, who made a 15-minute remix along with an 8-minute one, the song won particular popularity in gay dance clubs and soon achieved the status of an anthem in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

24. "Rapper's Delight," Sugarhill Gang (1979)
The Sugarhill Gang’s infectious dance number from late 1979 might be said to have launched an entire genre. Although spoken word had been a component of recorded American popular music for decades, this trio’s rhythmic rhyming inspired many future MCs and rap artists. The album version of "Rapper’s Delight" is an epic 14 1/2 minute salvo of irreverent stories and creative wordplay. The song dates from hip-hop's infancy. As such, it does not address subject matter that has given rap music both positive and negative notoriety, but the song's inventive rhymes, complex counter-rhythms and brash boastfulness presage the tenets of hip hop. "Rapper’s Delight" also reflects an early instance of music sampling, drawing its bass line and other features from Chic’s 1979 hit "Good Times." As a result of an out-of-court settlement for copyright infringement, songwriting credits for "Rapper's Delight" include that song’s composers, Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards, as well as Sylvia Robinson and the Sugarhill Gang (Michael Wright, Guy O’Brien, and Henry Jackson).

25. "Purple Rain," Prince and the Revolution (1984)
Prince was already a hit-maker and a critically acclaimed artist when his sixth album, the soundtrack for his 1984 movie debut, launched him into superstardom. Earlier, he had played all the instruments on his records to get the sounds he wanted, but now he led an integrated band of men and women who could realize the dense, ambitious fusion that he sought, blending funk, synth-pop and soul with guitar-based rock and a lyrical sensibility that mixed the psychedelic and the sensual. Prince experimented throughout the album, dropping the bass line from "When Doves Cry" to fashion a one-of-a-kind sound, and mixing analog and electronic percussion frequently. Portions of "Purple Rain" were recorded live at the First Avenue Club in Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis. The success of the album served notice that the Twin Cities were a major center for pop music as numerous rock and R&B artists from the region emerged in its wake. Like much of Prince’s other work, "Purple Rain" was provocative and controversial, and some of its most explicit lyrics led directly to the founding of the Parents Music Resource Center.