Radiohead‘s masterpiece record OK Computer (1997) has become one of the sound recordings selected by the Library of Congress for inclusion in its National Recording Registry.
According to Washington Post, the 25 sound recordings from 1890 to 1999 just added to the registry run the gamut, from a turn-of-the-20th-century collection of over 600 wax cylinders featuring homemade recordings to the Doors’ 1967 debut to Radiohead’s 1997 masterpiece OK Computer. Each year the library chooses recordings that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”
“I see it as part of a certain ongoing phenomenon in rock music that maybe begins with the Velvet Underground but also the Doors, who are on the registry this year. Pop music is not entirely positive in its outlook, shall we say,” curator Matt Barton said. “I think we can say that OK Computer really sums a lot of that up.”
As mentioned by The Guardian, as well as the contribution from Radiohead, among the recordings selected are The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Joan Baez’s first solo album, The Righteous Brothers’ You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ and Steve Martin’s A Wild and Crazy Guy comedy album, on which Martin broke new ground by swapping formulaic jokes and punchlines for less predictable humor.
Radiohead who have previously announced they are working on a new album in the studio, and even released new music through Polyfauna app, must be very proud their music has become a part of such a prestigious collection.