Princeton music top 40

As a child of the 70s I looked forward to Casey Kasem’s weekly (and cheesy) countdown of the top 40 hits of the nation. Flash forward a few decades and here I am: in charge of purchasing the music for this spectacular library. Today I get to be Casey and count down the most popular CDs in our collection…but not just for this week, for all time!

The list is in reverse order by total number of checkouts.  One thing to keep in mind: the list is  geared toward our older CDs as they have had more time to circulate; but it still gives an interesting look at Princeton’s musical tastes.

40. Symphony no. 9, D. 944: The great, in C major = en ut majeur = in C-Dur / Franz Schubert.

39. Camelot: original Broadway cast / books & lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe.

38. The Irving Berlin songbook, vol. II.

37. The blues: a Smithsonian collection of classic blues singers.

36. Kinderszenen, Scenes from childhood: op. 15   Kreisleriana: op. 16 / Robert Schumann.

35. The art of the fugue, BWV 1080 / Johann Sebastian Bach.

34. Sketches of Spain / Miles Davis. Orchestra arranged and conducted by Gil Evans.

33. Birth of the cool / Miles Davis.

32. The great Ray Charles / Ray Charles.

31. Ella Fitzgerald sings the Cole Porter songbook. Vol. II.

30. Concerto no. 1 in A minor for cello & orchestra, op. 33 / Camille Saint-Saens. Concerto in D minor for cello & orchestra / Edouard Lalo.

29. Days of open hand / Suzanne Vega.

28. Blonde on blonde / Bob Dylan.

27. Haydn quartets / Mozart.

26. Double concertos / Johann Sebastian Bach.

25. The Broadway album / Barbara Streisand.

24. The Beatles, 1962-1966 / Beatles.

23. Jazz ’round midnight / Chet Baker.

22. Violin concerto in E major, BWV 1042. Violin concerto in G minor, BWV 1056. Violin concerto in A minor, BWV 1041. Concerto for two violins in D minor, BWV 1043 / Johann Sebastian Bach.

21. Jimi Hendrix live at Woodstock / Jimi Hendrix.

20. Thelonious Monk and the jazz giants / Thelonious Monk.

19. Neck and neck / Chet Atkins, Mark Knopfler.

18. Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines (Louis Armstrong, vol. IV) / Louis Armstrong.

17. Edith Piaf / Edith Piaf.

16. Enya / Enya.

15. Este mundo / Gipsy Kings.

14. The piano quartets: opp. 25, 26 & 60 / Johannes Brahms.

13. Tower of song: the songs of Leonard Cohen / executive producers, Kelley Lynch and David Anderle.

12. The solo sessions, volume 2 / Bill Evans.

11. Madama Butterfly / Giacomo Puccini.

10. Creeque Alley : the history of The Mamas and the Papas / The Mamas and the Papas.

9. Slowhand / Eric Clapton.

8. Messa da requiem / Giuseppe Verdi.

7. My fair lady / book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe.

6. Ella in Rome: the birthday concert / Ella Fitzgerald.

5. West Side story / music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

4. The Jazz masters: 27 classic performances from the Columbia Jazz Masterpieces series.

3. The unique Thelonious Monk / Thelonius Monk.

2. Joan Baez / Joan Baez.

….and the number one recording at the Princeton Public Library is…

1. James Taylor’s greatest hits / James Taylor.

Princeton, you have eclectic and sophisticated tastes! Selecting music for you is a pleasure.