885

One of the good things about being in the Philly Metroplex is WXPN 88.5 FM, a public (as in pledge breaks) rock and roll radio station; they focus usually on new artists, singer-songwriter types, and other people who sound like they could be in the mainstream but arent. Some of the artists you may have heard of that get a boost from XPN are people like Jason Mraz, Amos Lee, My Morning Jacket, Shelby Lynne, and they produce a daily nationally syndicated show called World Cafe that plays this kind of stuff and has in-studio performances and interviews.

Recently XPN asked listeners to list their top 10 albums of all time, resulting in over 5,000 votes and a list of the 885 greatest albums of all time. It's pretty eclectic - they're up to number 85 and expect to be done playing tracks from the list on Monday the 17th. Lots of music XPN wouldnt normally play -- so far this morning, we've heard Guns and Roses' Appetite for Destruction, Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Waters, and now the Grateful Dead's Live '72. They've been playing three songs for every album and when they hit the top 25 they will play the whole thing.

In any event, if you want to see what made it on the list, or even (with the properly powerful computer) get the live broadcast feed over the web, go to www.xpn.org. Be warned, they will take every opportunity to make you feel guilty and become a member....this is public radio, y'know.