US Library of Congress also adds Blondie's ‘Parallel Lines’ to the National Recording Registry.
The US Library of Congress has finalised its annual list of albums to be preserved for posterity, with Green Day and Blondie making the cut this year.
Green Day’s breakout smash ‘Dookie’ was selected as one of the “defining sounds of history and culture”.
The 1994 album was the band’s third, and their first for a major label, and its success heralded the 90s pop-punk boom, with it going on to sell around 20 million copies to date.
“Say whaaattttt?” the band commented on social media, adding: “What an honour.”
Alongside ‘Dookie’ the punk community is also represented in this year’s National Recording Registry intake by Blondie’s 1978 landmark ‘Parallel Lines’.
Also Blondie’s third long-player, ‘Parallel Lines’ saw the New York band’s style coalesce into a robust punk-influenced power-pop that spawned international pop hits like the disco-inflected ‘Heart of Glass’ and the 60s pop stylings of ‘Sunday Girl’.
The Library of Congress selects recordings if they are deemed “audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time”, a high watermark that’s based on their “cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in [America’s] recorded sound heritage”.
In addition to Green Day and Blondie the ‘class of 2024’ also includes ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’, Perry Como’s ‘Catch a Falling Star’/‘Magic Moments’, Gene Autry’s ‘Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer’, and Bobby McFerrin’s ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’.
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said: “The Library of Congress is proud to preserve the sounds of American history and our diverse culture through the National Recording Registry. We have selected audio treasures worthy of preservation.”
Previous albums added to the Registry include Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’, Sonic Youth’s ‘Daydream Nation’, Metallica’s ‘Master of Puppets’, Talking Heads’ ‘Remain in Light’, The Police’s ‘Synchronicity’, Patti Smith’s ‘Horses’ and the Ramones’ first album.
Need more Punk In Your Life?
On The Cinder, Kingston Fighting Cocks, 17th July 2025
The Buffalo trio seemingly couldn’t care less that the Fighting Cocks is obviously not sold out – they’re far from home, and stoked that anyone
EP review: Darko – ‘Canvas’
Yes, this EP is the third in a conceptually-linked trilogy, but these folks are progressive in the sense that they’ve stuffed (or should that be
Live review: MoonPunx #5, LVLS, Hackney, 29th June 2025
Friends, punk family, and bands. What more could you ask for?! Family Of Strangers singer Lou Moon put on this lovely afternoon gig in a
Live review: The Uprising, The Pipeline, Brighton, 27th June 2025
What an incredible showcase of bands this was! Fluffy Bunny, the host of Underwrld, definitely knows how to put on a banging gig! With Mirrors
Live review: Guana Batz at Facebar, Reading, 3rd July 2025
It’s forty years since Guana Batz released their debut ‘Held Down to Vinyl…At Last’ and there has been a seismic change in the music scene
EP review: Petrichor release their self-titled debut
The kids are alright, folks. Washington DC quartet Petrichor are probably sick of journos like me mentioning their age (all between 13 and 15 years
An occasional writer on punk rock.
Click on Dom’s photo for more of his articles
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
