Stuck in the 60s and 70s

A few months ago, I came across this post on Yelp by Michael K: The Cranford Public Library has, by far, the most eclectic and interesting collection of blues, rock,  folk, country, and popular music CD's I have found in any of the dozen-or-so local community libraries that I have checked out in this part of NJ. . . . Their collection includes some real gems, by great, obscure artists, including Blind Willie Johnson, Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Little Willie John, Mississippi Sheiks, Rev. Gary Davis, and Tim Hardin. Also, rather than just a smattering of random albums by more well-known acts, you will find relatively comprehensive catalogs by Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, the Beatles, the Stones, The Band, Dylan, Springsteen, Van Morrison, Elton John, Tom Petty, Zeppelin, Santana, Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, etc, etc. Besides my own musical likes, they also have plenty of jazz, opera, classical, and international music. Thank you, Michael K, for the kind words.

Using the library's CD collection is a risk-free way to try out music. I select the CDs for the library and strive for an eclectic collection, but, I have to admit a bias toward pop, rock, R&B and reggae from the 60s and 70s. However, this bias seems to dovetail with the patrons who borrow CDs. Although I often see younger patrons browsing the CD racks, and I try to have contemporary artists available for them, the majority of the browsers seem to be baby boomers (like me) looking for classic 60s and 70s music. (No doubt a lot of younger listeners prefer to get their music online nowadays, whereas we middle-age Luddites still love the CD.)  Without a doubt, the CDs from the 60s and 70s are borrowed far more than CDs from  any other period. As an example, the library's top 10 all-time circulating CDs are the Beatles' White Album (291 times), Abbey Road (260), Sgt. Pepper (256), the Allman Brothers' Fillmore Concerts (248), Let It Bleed (233), Rubber Soul (222), Jimi Hendrix's Radio One (219), Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' Greatest Hits (205), Revolver (204) and Who's Next (202).  Except for Petty, whose most significant work spanned the mid-70s to the mid-80s, all these artists were solidly planted in the 60s and 70s.

Of course, one reason the CDs in this list have gone out a lot is that they've been in the library collection a long time. But you can also look at how many times a CD goes out per year, which is perhaps a better measure. Using circulations per year, the top 10 all-time CDs are Queen's Greatest Hits (20.5 times per year), the Rolling Stones' Forty Licks (19) and Beggars' Banquet (16.5),  The Best of Talking Heads (16.2), Abbey Road (16.1), Green Day's American Idiot (16.1), Best of Bowie (16.1), the Allmans' Stand Back: The Anthology (16), Pink Floyd's The Wall (16) and Beatles for Sale (16).  Aside from Green Day, who released their first CD in 1991, every artist on this list dates, again, to the 60s or 70s. One surprise for me is that the Bruce Springsteen, a Jersey guy, is not in the top ten circulating CDs per year.  Although we have virtually all his CDs, and have had many of them for a long time, his highest circulating CD per year is Working on a Dream, with 13.29 circulations per year.

In looking at the type of music that is borrowed the most, the preference is overwhelmingly in favor of pop and rock.  The top 14 circulating CDs are all pop and rock (which also includes hip-hop, R&B, soul, etc.).  Sneaking in at number 15 is Sinatra Reprise: The Good Years, which I consider traditional pop, as opposed to modern pop, and, at number 17 is the Chieftains' An Irish Evening, which falls in the international music category.

Looking at most circulations per year, the domination of pop and rock is even more prominent.  The 34 top CDs are either pop or rock.  At number 35 is The Long Journey Home, the soundtrack to a PBS special about the Irish in America, which features the Chieftains, Elvis Costello and a number of other artists.

Here are some other statistics (assuming you're still reading this).  Top all time circulating CDs from other genres—New Age: Enya's The Celts (160); Broadway Musical: West Side Story (157); Country: The Patsy Cline Story (152); Folk: Troubadours of the Folk Era, Vol. 1 (141); Soundtrack: Dirty Dancing (129); Classical: Beethoven, Symphonie Nr. 5 C-Moll Op. 67 (119); Jazz: Benny Goodman Live at Carnegie Hall (118); Blues: Blues Masters: Postwar Chicago Blues (101); Opera: Carmen (90); Gospel: Blind Willie Johnson, Dark Was the Night (51); Holiday: Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Silent Night: The Greatest Hits of Christmas (48).  And here are leaders in circulations per year from other genres—Blues: James Cotton, High Compression (13); New Age: Enya, The Celts (10.1 per year); Soundtrack: Grease (9.62); Broadway Musical: Rent (9.56); Country: The Patsy Cline Story (8.25); Folk: Troubadors of the Folk Era, Vol. 1 (7.83); Jazz: Benny Goodman, Live at Carnegie Hall (6.84); Classical: Beethoven, Symphonie Nr. 5 C-Moll Op. 67 (6.35); Opera: The Very Best of Maria Callas (6.08); Holiday: Christmas with Bing Crosby (5.33); Gospel: Israel Houghton, The Power of One (5.25).