885 Greatest Albums of All Time

Almost anyone who has talked to me over the past 3 weeks has heard me wax rhapsodically about the 885 greatest albums countdown going on at WXPN, my favorite radio station. If you haven't had a chance to be a part of this wonderful event, you still have time (and you can listen on line*)! Right now (Sunday, 1 p.m.) they are playing #13, Blue, by Joni Mitchell. This album was on my top 10 list so I'm delighted that it placed so high in the countdown. This morning we also heard #15 Radiohead, OK Computer and #14 Miles Davis, Kind of Blue. Where else can you hear a mix of music like this other than XPN?

Tomorrow, starting at 9 a.m., they will begin the final countdown of the top 10. *Because of the Digital Millenium Copyright act, the station is not allowed to stream over the internet more than 3 songs by any one artist within an hour time period, so while the entire albums are played on the radio, only the first 3 songs are played on the internet stream. This promises to be a huge problem tomorrow, because there are still 5 albums from the Beatles that haven't showed up yet on the countdown and all will probably be in the top 10, if they don't hit at #12 or 11 today.

I didn't actually get around to voting (5,400 people did) but I did make up my own top 10 list. Assuming that the Beatle's Revolver is still to come (my #1 pick), 9 out of 10 of my picks made the list. Only Ottmar Liebert's Nouveau Flamenco wasn't recognized, but it's a wonderful album nonetheless.

UPDATE: The countdown is finally (and sadly) over. I was pleased to see Abbey Road come in at #1 and really enjoyed listening to it again. Five Beatles albums did make the top 10, along with some gems from Dylan and Pink Floyd, among others. Gotta say I was suprised to see London Calling by The Clash come in at #8, since it's an album I've NEVER listened to. Thanks to everyone at XPN who made this countdown so much fun.