Playlist Update: The "B Sides" Were Better, the Godfather of Hip-Hop, and More

New springtime additions to the newsletter library, just a click away.

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Five new playlists are now live for your listening pleasure.

Each one explores a specific question, argument, or curiosity. They join the full Spotify library, which includes a paid back catalog of nearly 20 playlists. Access them here. If you’re not a Spotify user, TuneMyMusic transfers any of these playlists to the service of your choice in 2-3 minutes.

Now, here’s what’s new:

Free Tier Playlists

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Free Playlists

The best playlists are more thought experiments than mood boards (for me, anyway). I have little interest in creating something that’s essentially, “Here’s some soul music, see you later, bye.” Instead, I tend to pivot and think more along the lines of, “Here’s what the soul canon gets wrong about which records mattered.”

Less mythologizing, more exploring what those commonly-held cultural tenets leave out, purposely or not. These new free playlist additions are built along those lines.

The B-Side Was Better

38 tracks from artists who consistently saved something better for the people paying closer attention, whether that means deep album cuts or official B-side songs that served as counterpoints to the A-side radio hit hopefuls. Prince’s “The Beautiful Ones” over “When Doves Cry.” The Rolling Stones’ “Moonlight Mile” over “Brown Sugar.” D’Angelo’s “Spanish Joint” over “Untitled (How Does It Feel).” The argument holds across genres and decades.

Classic Rock That Actually Swings

39 tracks built around a single filter: does the rhythm section make you move before the guitar does anything? Featuring Bonham, Watts, the Meters, Humble Pie, ZZ Top, and a few dozen others who answered in the affirmative.

60s & 70s Soul You Should Know Better

Forty-two tracks from Hi Records, Philadelphia International, Stax, and Muscle Shoals featuring artists who were in the same rooms, with the same session musicians, at the same cultural moment as the songs you already know by heart, and still somehow didn’t make the short list. Doris Duke, Bettye LaVette, Timmy Thomas, Gloria Ann Taylor, and many more featured here.

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If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to paid, the collection is at a point where it’s worth it. One price, hours of music to explore.