When the Music's Over...(2)

Go find some more.

The sudden loss of the fine music stream that was Whole Wheat Radio left an awkward gap in my immediate environment. At some point on WWR I heard some discussion about last.fm so went there to check it out. The site prompted me to create an account and identify some musicians. I put in the names mentioned in my previous post. The resulting playlist was very reminiscent of WWR, many of the same artists, much of the same sound.

At one point, went looking for Sloan Wainwright, whom I should have added to my earlier list, and created a second music stream or, in the last.fm vernacular, a radio station. "Sloan Wainwright Radio" produces a stream that sounds similar to my original (my "Recommended Radio") but has many different musicians. A couple of nights ago I created my third stream as "Richard Thompson Radio" which created a playlist of fine British folk-rock and its relatives from Steeleye Span all the way to Kate and Anna McGarrigle.

All three palylists introduced me to new artists and new music. Some of that new music was by long favorite artists, both early work that I'd never heard and more contemporary work. It's a stream I can live with.

last.fm lacks WWR's quirkiness and intimate feel. The site is framed with advertisements and the system doesn't like it when I don't show some presence there. If I'm willing to subscribe, they won't keep asking. All of this is okay with me. Someone must pay the bills for the free music I receive. If I continue to like and use the site, I probably will subscribe. Whatever, its drawbacks, last.fm gives me the music I want.

To give myself some variety, I played the Rolling Stones' "Beggar's Banquet" and "Let it Bleed" from the original vinyl. Both albums retain all of their power four decades later. I even understood a reference in one lyric based on experience learned in those four decades.