89.7 FM, WTMD, the Towson University radio station, is unequivocally the best rock station in the Baltimore area. Their slogan is "Radio for Music People", and while I may have some bickering to do about some of their playlist choices, the philosophy is no doubt there. First off, WTMD is a university station, so it's commercial-free and member-supported. Secondly, its style leans heavily (but not stubbornly) towards indie styles and more sophisticated listenership. And Thirdly, WTMD caters to the genuine music fan by generally foregoing radio edits, picking their own singles off albums, keeping the DJ talk to a minimum and NOT running the songs together and overlapping them (a big pet peeve of mine).
WTMD is also into lists. And currently they are working through one of the grandest countdowns I've ever witnessed: the 897 Greatest Albums of All Time. This is a list compiled by listeners' votes. They've been working through it, playing about four songs of each entry and talking about the album's importance, during their main hours of the week for at least a few weeks, and they are just over halfway through (it may not surprise you to learn that a pledge drive is happening along with the countdown). In addition, WTMD has been keeping track of the countdown on their own blog, so you can see the current list there.
You can also stream WTMD online, but unfortunately because of dumb, stupid, idiotic web streaming regulations they aren't able to broadcast their countdown there. But once it is over I would continue to recommend them to anyone.
Yes, I have opinions about the list. Herbie Hancock's "Head Hunters" and Talk Talk's "Laughing Stock" should have been higher. Paul Simon's "Rhythm of the Saints" and Jellyfish's "Spilt Milk" should have been WAY higher. Feist's first album is better than her second, so they should switch places. And the current player, Joan Osbourne, sucks (although it's nice to have such difficulty finding a name on the list which I really detest).
I also think it's unfair to have some very recent albums on there. I think when making these kind of "All Time Best Of" lists, you must have an age requirement, as creative material takes some time to mature and truly find its place. Some good albums from 2007 are on that list, but come on, will they still be on that list in five years?
Overall, great list though. I'm looking forward to what the second half holds.
Comments (1)
I'm definitely going to have to check that out. I usually listen to 88.9, WAMU, Morgan State University's radio. They occasionally forget to hit the switch and stuff (it's college radio, after all), but the music and talk are excellent.
On weekday mornings (when I'm on my way to work) they have a blend of Jazz from all eras, and pretty good stuff too. On the weekends around noonish they have a Reggae/African show with good weekend music, and every evening they've got really relevant talk about Baltimore, race, politics, and technology.
Posted by Benjamin Jancewicz | February 13, 2008 5:47 PM
Posted on February 13, 2008 17:47