As I pointed out in a previous post, the side-bar banner of my "Favorite XM Channels" was put together when my XM experience was still in it's infancy. I'm too lazy to alter it right now, but I daresay that had I waited until now to compile that list, a year after first subscribing to XM, it would be a slightly different list.
But just HOW "slightly"? That's what I mean to find out now, by evaluating each channel that is included on the list and revealing which channels, besides/instead of the ones I've listed, have actually recieved the most attention.
AUDIO VISIONS (new age, ambient, space music): I knew from the start that Audio Visions would get played a lot, and I was right. It has probably been listened to by me more than any other, but that's because I enjoy this kind of music while reading and relaxing.
FINE TUNING (eclectic mix): The concept is a good one, throwing together quality examples from all genres of music and hoping they coalesce into something where the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts. But alas, I noticed early on that way too much Celtic music was in the blend, and though I have nothing against Celtic music, like the blues a little but goes a long, long way. Fine Tuning is a perfect example of what I THOUGHT would be a "favorite XM channel" which wound up being rarely listened to.
XM CLASSICS(classical,symphonic,chamber): Along with Audio Visions, XM Classics has turned out to be a channel that I listen to almost every day. It's especially cool on a great composer's birthday when the channel plays only that composer's work for 24 hours. Only the heavy-hitters get this special treatment...Beethoven, Bach, Mozart...
I find that I supplement XM Classics with XM Pops, especially when XMC is playing a long piece by someone I've never heard of...
VOX (classical vocal, opera & choral music): Though I am not much of an opera lover, I do thoroughly enjoy choral music and Vox plays it's fair share of that. So even though I don't listen to Vox enough for it to qualify as a "favorite channel", when they are playing choral works I enjoy it immensely.
The TORCH (Christian rock): I don't really listen to the Torch very much at all, as I am just not hip to all the very young bands who are currently making that scene. If there were a Christian rock channel that played the classic stuff (sort of a Jesus Music version of Fred, with Daniel Amos, Larry Norman, Randy Stonehill and all those CCM pioneers) I would probably tune in often, but I just can't get too deep into the groups they feature on the Torch (though I would recommend them to younger folks).
The FISH (Contemporary Christian): I have enjoyed much of what I've heard on the Fish, and I've listened to it quite a bit. The problem isn't so much the Fish, but the general state of Contemporary Christian music itself that keeps me away. I don't like hearing 70's-80's secular hits turned into religious songs, nor do I enjoy hearing songs that might as well have been cloned from the current Top 20 hit charts churned out "for Christians" (throw the Saviour's name in a couple of times for bonus points). Still, every now and then they get on a roll with some good Praise & Worship songs, and it's all good.
I think I like XM Online's Enlighten southern gospel channel better than any of their regular Christian offerings, but I rarely listen to XM Online...
HANK'S PLACE (classic country, 60's-70's, honky tonk): Consistantly great country music at Hank's Place, except when they're playing something new that just SOUNDS like it came from the 50's-60's classic country era. I can't say I enjoy the tribute type stuff, and the "bar noise" between-song banter gets very old very fast. But still, Hank's Place is one of the reasons XM is so cool, and is definately a favorite.
AMERICA (classic country, 70's-80's): America is every bit as good as Hank's Place when it comes to the really classic stuff from the 70's-80's. I enjoy it much more than I thought I would even when I made the "Favorite XM Channels" list.
NASHVILLE (country): Nashville kind of straddles the line between current versions of the kind of country played on America and the "modern country" featured on Highway 16. I never listen to Highway 16, and to be honest, I have rarely listened to Nashvill, either, after having put it on the list based on an established taste for C&W music out of Nashville.
But seriously, I've listened to Bluegrass Junction more than Nashville, and of the three country channels I chose, it gets by far the least play in my house.
DEEP TRACKS (album rock): Yeah, I suppose Deep Tracks has earned it's spot on my "Favorite XM Channels" list. Especially when they're not so obscure that I have no idea who they're playing. And when they're broadcasting a concert or a special program. I hear a lot of "alternate versions" of songs I'm familiar with on Deep Tracks, and that's good...
FRED (classic alternative rock): I still acknowledge the greatness of Fred, but alas I find that I don't listen to it nearly as much as I thought I would. I suppose that has to do with the extremes of quality that come with the different acts they play...I mean, it's cool to hear a song from New Order's Movement album on the radio, but nothing's gonna stop me from grabbing the remote control when they follow it with some dreck by the Thompson Twins.
XM MUSIC LAB (jam bands, progressive rock): Call me a geek, but I do enjoy listening to the Music Lab, especially when they've dug out something interesting from their prog-rock vault, like Nektar or Gong or Gentle Giant...Even the jam bands are big fun to listen to, though I'd be more than happy to limit all jam band airplay to Phish, Moe, Widespread Panic and the String Cheese Incident...do we really need any more jam bands besides those four?
That said, I do tend to utilyze the trusty remote control whenever anything Les Claypool-oriented come on (and that occures MUCH too often on the Music Lab, I can assure you of that).
REAL JAZZ (traditional jazz): Yeah, it's real jazz, alright, and so how can I NOT like it? Well, I'll tell you: whenever they're playing vocal jazz, that's when. No, I have never cared for vocal jazz, though I have long been a fan of instrumental jazz. The selection on Real Jazz is pretty solid (not counting the vocal jazz, which does get played too much), but I recall having DMX music service with my cable TV back in 1993 and their jazz channel was more eclectic. Real Jazz is a real favorite, though.
BEYOND JAZZ (modern jazz, fusion): I'd like to hear more original fusion than I do on Beyond Jazz...more Weather Report and less Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, if you catch my drift...more Miles Davis & less Medeski, Martin & Wood. But that's just me and my arcane preferences...all in all Beyond Jazz is an excellent channel (except when they are playing that wretched vocal jazz), but there should be a rule in jazz that states "only REAL percussion instruments allowed...NO programmed drums.
The 70's on SEVEN (70's music): Yes, I am a child of the seventies (ages 8-18), so there's a soft spot in my heart for the 70's hits and semi-obscure stuff they play on this Decades channel. My wife, almost 10 years younger than me, enjoys the 80's on Eight probably just as much as I like this 70's crap. It has earned it's place on the "Favorite XM channels" list, but when it comes to Decades, lately I've listened to little more than the 50's on Five channel. I NEVER listen to the 90's on Nine and only rarely tune into the respective 80's and 60's stations. I do, however, sometimes find myself in the mood to really go back in time and check out the 40's on Four.
The SYSTEM (electronic, trance): Of the "dance music" channels that XM offers, the System is the closest to what I enjoy about "electronica" (and it gets close, it doesn't really nail it, rarely playing Autechre, Aphex Twin, Pole and other IDM artists that I prefer slightly over their fare). Victor Dinaire's Future Progression really helped open my ears to trance music and I enjoyed his program quite a bit until it got pulled. The System is a decent channel, though, and I would still call it a "favorite".
SONIC THEATER (audio theatre, books): There seems to be a bit of a move towards more audio theatre and less "books-on-tape" type stuff on Sonic Theater in the last couple of weeks, and so I have found myself listening to it more than I normally have. Surreal offerings from Crazy Dog Audio Theatre and New Frequencies have really boosted this channel's popularity with me, and I hope it remains in this mold.
FAMILY TALK (Christian teaching, talk): Even with Hank Hannegraff's Bible Answer Man broadcast I find that I just don't listen to this channel very much. The programming on BOT Network (terrestrial radio) is better, so if I'm needing this type of programming I generally will skip Family Talk in favor of BOT.
AMERICA LEFT (liberal talk): Well, it's no longer America Left...it's Air America. I can't stand Al Franken and though I originally wanted to attempt a balance by listening to both liberal and conservative viewpoints, I find that I rarely listen to either one...There's just TOO much opinionating out there for my tastes and I get enough of it watching the cable news shows, I don't really want to hear it on my XM (although this is likely because I have a home unit...if I had XM in my car and was a heavy traveller I don't doubt that a LOT of the "Talk & Entertainment" channels would get listened to a lot.
AMERICA RIGHT (conservative talk): See above. At least there's no Al Franken.
Other XM channels that I did not put on that list, but which wound up getting listened to quite a bit last year included:
XMU: When I finally got in the mood for "college rock" I was introduced to M83 on this channel.
SOUL STREET: Especially a program called "The Penthouse"...this is the REAL DEAL.
BBC WORLD SERVICE: Somehow all the depressing world news seems just a wee bit more endurable when delivered in a thick British accent.
XM COMEDY: Yes, I get offended by a lot of what I hear on this channel. But I think the ratio of belly laughs it provides makes up for the ratio of cringes.
LAUGH USA: The "clean" comedy channel, which has become my son's favorite XM channel. I enjoy listening to it with him, and it is pretty funny.
RADIO CLASSICS: You just don't hear these classic radio performances from the 50's anywhere else.
Biggest Disappointment with XM of the last year: That's easy. It was when they raised the subscription rate by $3.00 and the only thing to show for the extra cash was XM Online service and the Opie and Anthony show thrown into the basic package.
As for the XM Online...well, my regular XM is hooked up to a high end stereo unit and sounds GREAT...for some reason I just don't opt for the chinsy computer speakers that my XM Online comes through. Call me unappreciative, but I can count all the times I've listened to XM Online this past year on one hand.
And as for Opie and Anthony...give me a break. These guys are quite simply two of the most UNentertaining people to ever have their own radio show. Oooh, wee! Listen to 'em cuss! They just used the F-word! For shame! How do they get away with it? Oh, right...it's satellite radio. But really, these "Freedom of Speech Calisthenics" are just not amusing, IMO.
Most Exciting New Development for XM in 2006: There may be a few more surprises in store for the next year, but I've just learned that BOB DYLAN will host his own Deep Tracks show beginning in March of 2006...I don't know how they'll be able to top that!
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