885 Essential XPN Songs Countdown - All Hail Richard Thompson!

I'm always a little skeptical of XPN's annual countdown extravaganza, probably because the "Greatest Artists" and "Greatest Albums" of previous years were way too heavy on classic rock. On top of that, last year's "Most Memorable Musical Moments" was a very outside-the-box concept that had some great community-building, blog-ready moments, but it was a little too intangible to be really significant.

This year's "885 Essential XPN Songs" countdown (obnoxiously interrupted and overshadowed by the Fall Fund Drive) got a lot of things right. Take a look at the top 5 tunes:

5. Wilco - "Impossible Germany"
4. Kirsty Maccol - "In These Shoes"
3. Jeff Buckley - "Hallelujah" (3rd version of the song included in the countdown)
2. David Grey - "Babylon"
1. Richard Thompson - "1952 Vincent Black Lightning"


I can't even tell you how proud I am to live in a city where a Richard Thompson tune is the most essential anything. I was seriously moved -- much more so than I am watching the Phillies get shut out in Game 2 -- so kudos to XPN and all my fellow listeners. Even the top 20 looks good, with Amos Lee and the long forgotten Alexi Murdoch both making appearances.

Still, Barnes and Barnes "Fish Heads" is my top XPN song. A Kid's Corner childhood is a hard thing to overcome....


And what about you folks? Any favorite XPN-centric tunes, or a similar disgust with Helen Leight's playlists?