First Listen: NME Radio
Written Jun. 3, 2008 by Sean Ross in Internet Radio with 2 Comments
So with gold-based Alternative growing in the U.S., what would it sound like in the U.K., where a lot more punk, new wave and Britpop crossed to the mainstream than it did here? For now, you can hear the answer at NME Radio, the long-running British music publication's on-line/satellite TV/digital station that began its initial mostly-jockless "test" programming yesterday. (The official launch is June 24.)
NME Radio, which has gotten a lot of ink in the U.K., will have a full airstaff and long-form programming based on the magazine. During this sneak preview, it's also promising a daily show featuring Ricky Gervais that can also be streamed from the NME site. While a recent press story on NME Radio places it on the "cutting-edge of new music," the station heard here was about 80-85% gold with a few stretches that could have been the just-sold Virgin Radio.
This was NME radio today at 4:30 local time. U.K. chart positions, where applicable, are included for a sense of how familiar this music might be to a British listener:
EMF, "Unbelievable" (No. 1, 1990)
Bob Marley & Wailers, "Waiting In Vain" (No. 27, 1977)
The Doves, "Catch the Sun" (No. 32, 2000)
Kraftwerk, "The Model" (sounds electic, but a No. 1 UK hit in 1981)
The Charlatans, "Weirdo" (No. 19, 1992)
The Ruts, "Staring At The Rude Boys" (No. 22 punk single from 1980)
New Order, "Blue Monday" (1983, charted several times, as high as No. 3 eventually)
Supergrass, "Caught By The Fuzz" (No. 43, 1984)
Blondie, "Hanging On The Telephone" (No. 5, 1978)
R.E.M., "Fall On Me" (never charted U.K., meaning it actually did better here)
The Wombats, "Kill The Director" (current British teen-punk hitmakers with No. 35 single from last year)
The Who, "My Generation" (No. 2, 1965)
Human League, "Don't You Want Me" (No. 1, 1981 in the UK)
Talking Heads, "Psycho Killer" (didn't chart in the UK)
Ting-Tings, "That's Not My Name" (No. 1, this year)
Rolling Stones, "Gimme Shelter" (never a single)
Muse, "Supermassive Black Hole" (No. 4, 2006)
Depeche Mode, "Personal Jesus" (No. 13, 1989)
Faithless, "God Is A DJ" (No. 6, 1998)
Reader Comments
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You might also want to try Q Radio, a similar radio station that launched the day NME Radio started test transmissions:
http://qradio.qthemusic.com/qradio/
I bet these two will get compared once NME finally launches.
It should be noted NME Radio is currently in Test Transmission mode warming up for it's launch on June 24th at 11am. The current output is a reflection of the brands (56 year) heritage including a twice daily rockumentary outlining the above.
The station is run by Sammy Jacob, the founder of Xfm and the person responsible for pioneering the alternative independent radio format in the UK.
I wouldn't label the station just yet !