Culture

Quarantine Playlist: Eddie Ashworth’s Binge Listening for Shut Ins

Posted on: Monday, April 20, 2020

Although gathering for live music will be impossible for a little while, WOUB Culture is trying to keep the groove alive by asking members of the regional music scene about the music they have been relying on to get through these strange times.

During the quarantine I’ve been enjoying extended (in some cases, day long) listens to specific artists or genres. I’ve really enjoyed deep diving into some old favorites, as well as discovering artists that I had snoozed on in the past. Some are these are box sets, others are playlists, and some are collections that have been curated on streaming services.

Here are some of the long listens (minimum: 2 hours) that have helped get me through these seemingly interminable days. I hope they might do the same for you.

Buffalo Springfield – Buffalo Springfield (4 hours 14 minutes): Heaps of demos, outtakes, and alternate mixes spanning the band’s career, plus the first two albums. Neil Young’s wonderful solo acoustic version of “Flying on the Ground is Wrong” is just the tip of the iceberg. (Streaming)

Trojan Reggae Classics Playlist Various (approximately 3 hours): Classic tracks by Lee “Scratch” Perry, The Upsetters, Desmond Dekker, Sophia George, Marcia Griffiths, Half Pint on the great British label Trojan Records You Tube site.

Factory Records: Communications 1978-92 Various (5 hours 14 minutes): If you’re in the mood for classic era Madchester new wave music (Joy Division, New Order, The Durutti Column), look no further. (Streaming)

Getting’ Funkier All The Time: The Complete Josie, Reprise, and Warner Recordings 1968-1977 The Meters (7 hours, 6 minutes). Over seven hours of The Meters. ‘Nuff said. (Streaming.)

The Atlantic Studio Album Collection John Coltrane (5 hours, 7 minutes) Hours and hours of Trane at his blazing zenith? Yes, please. (Steaming.)

Pebbles vol 1-18 Various (14 hours, 8 minutes) Fans of psychedelic rock archive label Pebbles Records will find a lot to love in this series of releases that highlights transnational psych and garage music from Cambodia, Iran, Africa, Bolivia, Argentina, Singapore, and many other unlikely locations. (Spotify playlist curated by Kyle Wayne.)

Stiff Records Box Various (2 hours, 22 minutes) Excellent compilation of artists loosely identified with the pub rock “movement” in late 70’s England who recorded for “the world’s most flexible label.” You’ll likely be familiar with some of them (Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker and the Rumour, Reckless Eric, Ian Dury and the Blockheads) while others (Lene Lovich, Jona Lewie, Rachel Sweet) perhaps not, but it’s all a great bash. There’s even a DEVO track on there!
(Spotify playlist curated by Brian Raleigh.)

Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994-2014 Wilco (4 hours, 38 minutes) These guys are known for recording wildly differing version of their songs, and this compilation is a great one stop shop to hear them, along with some previously unreleased live versions. (Streaming)

The Studio Albums [1968-1979] Joni Mitchell (7 hours, 5 minutes) All Joni, all day long. (Streaming)

Bossa Nova and Brazilian Jazz Various (4 hours, 18 minutes) Nothing better to chill out pandemic anxiety than four hours of Astrud and Joao Gilbert, Sergio Mendes, Antonio Carlos Jobin, and other Brazilian boss greats. (Spotify playlist curated by Masakic Records.)

Dead Man’s Pop The Replacements (3 hours, 42 minutes) Beautiful Matt Wallace remix of The ‘Mats 1988 album Don’t Tell A Soul (SO much better than the original), studio outtakes, a session with Tom Waits, and fantastic live recordings when the band was at their shambolic peak. (Streaming)

The Beatles (Super Deluxe Reissue) The Beatles (5 hours, 27 minutes) Of all the recent Beatles reissues, this one wins first place in my book, and by a wide margin. Spectacular (yet respectful) new mixes by Giles Martin, tons of unexpected outtakes and alternate versions, all of which make one hear this classic in a whole new light. (Streaming)

This Is Juana Molina Juana Molina (3 hours, 29 minutes) A great introduction to this Argentinian folk/electronica musician and her oddly mesmerizing songs. (Spotify playlist)

Last, but not least:

Will The Circle Be Unbroken Various (2 hours, 10 minutes) The groundbreaking 1972 album that teamed The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with Mother Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, Roy Acuff and other OGs of country music. This record introduced country music’s “big bang” to a whole new generation and influenced scores of artists currently reinvigorating this uniquely American musical style. (Streaming)

Thanks for reading. See you on the other side!

COVID-19 Quarantine Playlist