MUSICQUEST EXPLORER MIX #35: AMERICANA, C&W, ALT-INDIE VIBES ◦ 159 TRACKS ◦ ABOUT NINE HOURS

I usually place music with which I am impressed into an undetermined, catch-all playlist, going through it later, turning it into a MusicQuest Explorer Mix with a specific or eclectic focus when possible. I had been slowly assembling this particular playlist over most of 2024. Many of the songs that come to me on a daily basis through online media are a derivative of Pop or Rock. These tracks, however, seem to fit well within the heading of this playlist: “Americana, C&W, and Alt-Indie Vibes.” What I like the most about this mix is that the songs are so musically and lyrically interesting as well as humorous and at times hauntingly deep . . . probably because they emanate from the band's or artist's School-of-Hard-Knocks.

 

I made the above graphic to showcase the “Americana” aspect of the playlist since that type of music is often associated with Western American culture. The romanticized backbone of this idea was the (now controversial) notion of Manifest Destiny that Hollywood films and TV shows later presented as Saloon-centered towns temporarily populated with farmer-immigrants, greedy gold miners, hustlers, prostitutes, dissociative sheriffs, gamblers, cowboys, and ex-Civil War, renegade outlaws (and avoided by uncooperative, warrior Indians). Many of us learned about those caricatures from movies and in high school history classes. That is why I placed NASA’s late 1960s era Lunar Lander in the center of an 1870s townscape from the Wild West, making sure to include Native Americans, Black cowboys, Hispanic vaqueros, and Chinese immigrant laborers along with frontier characters such as Annie Oakley and Wild Bill Hickok. Notice that John Wayne and Sitting Bull figuratively serve as the spacecraft’s cultural pilots with Apollo 11’s Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin looking out from behind the LM in his spacesuit while walking on the moon in 1969. Think about it: 1969 was only about 100 years after this fictional town's geopolitical time stamp. With that said, the above image could have had as it symbolic focus Southern, Blusey, Back Country Bayou vibes with some Bluegrass thrown in since there are several songs that operate in those realms.

 

What’s the point? The conflicted reality of American western settlement is far different from the romanticized “Dances with Wolves” version. It was a racist, sexist, cataclysmic, genocidal, cultural disaster as much as it was a new set of existential opportunities for risk-taking people who were not originally from that part of the globe. Back Country, Off-Grid Living and The Wild West can serve as musical metaphors for much of what people have historically faced in life, and many of these songs, to varying degrees, address those struggles, failures, triumphs, and contradictions.

 

Charles Calvin Best

 

MUSICQUEST EXPLORER MIX #37: THIS IS THE LIFE ◦ 174 TRACKS ◦ TEN HOURS & FORTY-THREE MINUTES

This playlist is about the exhilaration of human life with all of its abundant challenges, mysteries, and emotional ups and downs. In comparison to us, it is generally true that animals live in relative bliss, which is to say they are always mentally in the present tense – in the here and now, incapable of the angst of human sorrows and failures. Shakespearian, neurotic tragedies do not illuminate their instinctive behaviors. I have never known a cat, dog, or horse to compose music and lyrics and then sing about the meaning of existence. We humans, on the other hand, are literally born into the gift and challenge of expanded consciousness, and that means that we engage life through personhood, embracing and simultaneously exploring our opportunities for love, purpose, and collaborative fulfillment. It also means, however, that some of us, to use the language of legacy philosopher-psychologist Eric Fromm, can and do actively escape from human freedoms through being a destroyer of self and others. Animals, by comparison, are algorithmically much more limited in their liberties and are, therefore, orders of magnitude less destructive than we are.

 

The songs that makeup this playlist are about our human condition and its predicament. As I write these sentences, I am reminded that we all toil with our sense of personhood because we all search for meaning and purpose, and the latter has arguably become even more difficult since in our postmodern world most of us have a tendency to over-conceptualize and under perceive, spending too much isolated time on digital screens and devices and too little time outdoors and/or in physical work. There's too much ideology and divisiveness and not enough self-discipline and cheerfulness. I teach a lot of college history and psychology classes and in so doing repeatedly experience the mindset and emotional disposition of my students. I continue to appreciate that life presents itself to them similarly to the way it did to me when I was their age in the late 1970s except that now there are even more opportunities for escapism via the virtual reality of social media and, therefore, more time spent in non-reciprocal, shallow "conversations" with strangers on smartphones. Still, like my students, I, too, continue to wonder what is wrong with the world. I teach history students that the NAZI fascism that caused WWII (and the Holocaust) in Europe and then infected much of our planet flowed directly out of an authoritarian, feudalistic, us-versus-them distortion of human nature that animals do not have to face. I teach them in psychology that clinical personality disorders taken to an extreme – the kind seen in serial killers, cult leaders, dictators, and terrorists – are also part of the human psyche when it dissociates from relational accountability and then hubristically views “others” as things to manipulate and control. I champion in my classroom and personal life the healthy aspects of our unique human potential where creativity, spontaneity, humor, productivity, and love lead to gratitude and kindness – an understanding of reality that is based on Golden Rule Integrity.

 

Musically, this playlist falls loosely underneath the umbrellas of Power Pop, Synth Pop, and Alt Indie Rock, showcasing current songs as well as numerous others from previous decades, and I assembled the above graphical image to represent a young person’s sincere, unstoppable excitement about being alive because of life's novel possibilities. In my experience, music can liberate us, causing us to reach for a higher purpose and unity like the unencumbered young man in the above image.

 

I am not going to go through the songs on this lengthy playlist other than to discuss briefly the first two artists since they set the overall tone. The first four tracks are from veteran multi-instrumentalist Lance Ayers: “Yellow Sky,” “Sara,” “Dig Deep,” and “Emanation” from his 2024 “Dreamer” album. Ayers creates superb, interesting songs that are really catchy and infectious, and he clearly loves life and wants to share his excitement with us. His creative, optimistic energy reminds me of Maurice White and Earth, Wind, & Fire. I borrowed the title “This is the Life” from The Korgis 2021 song of the same name that is on their “Kartoon World” album as is “Bringing Back the Spirit of Love.” Both songs champion the core values described above. Their third track on this mix, “Something about the Beatles,” is from their 2015 “By Appointment” album, and it also salutes the enduring messages of love from the Fab Four. Like Ayers, The Korgis vibe is about what actually matters in life: optimism, thoughtfulness, unity, and being a lover of life. I sincerely hope these songs inspire you to quest for your best and to value your personhood and that of others because “This is the Life!”   Charles Calvin Best

 

MUSICQUEST EXPLORER MIX #34: INNER-SUBJECTIVE TRAVELER ◦ 152 TRACKS ◦ ABOUT NINE HOURS & THIRTY MINUTES

This playlist is chilled-out, relaxing, and something that could assist you when you need to “Down-Tempo” your psyche. These songs go well in the background but are worthy of direct attention and subsequent reflection. Let me tell you about a few highlights that are relatively new to me: I came across “carbeau” by accident when listening to a Spotify Radio, AI Mix that was based on another artist, so I had no previous knowledge of this Italo-French musician. I placed “Rengo,” “non c’e amore,” “per chi non muore,” and “Madrugada” from the 2023 album also called "Madrugada" at the beginning of this musical journey. I do not speak Italian, so the lyrics were not something I understood, and they were not available for investigation on Spotify as many are. That did not matter because the music, itself, is superb. I’ve listened to these songs as much as any of my older or current favorites. Click on the names of the songs for their music videos on YouTube. I cannot recommend carbeau enough!

 

Not too long ago I encountered Garoad’s 2016 album “VA-11 Hall-A (Original Soundtrack: Second Round)." Michael “Garoad” Kelly is a successful, multi-genre, freelance video game composer. I have placed nine tracks from the aforementioned album in this mix that are especially appealing. I also discovered several unique songs from former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman. They are his beautiful, piano-only interpretations of “Space Oddity,” “I’m Not In Love,” “Swan Lake,” and “Summertime." Let me also tell you about two Down-Tempo songs from Yoshinori Sunahara, a Japanese veteran DJ and record producer from Sapporo, Hokkaido. “Balance” and “Earthbeat,” both from his “Lovebeat” album from 2001, will take you back to those early 21st Century Trance Vibes that are so good because they quickly capture one's attention, taking the listener on a tranquil, peaceful odyssey.

 

I’ll stop there, encouraging you to follow in the above astronaut’s footsteps!   Charles Calvin Best

MUSICQUEST EXPLORER MIX #32: THE SEARCH FOR ROMANTIC MEANING IN THE COSMOS ◦ 185 TRACKS ◦ ABOUT FOURTEEN HOURS

I arranged the above banner so that it would show, front and center, exploratory astronauts with an image, slightly distorted from a fluctuating radio signal, of Michael Franks' “Blue Pacific” album cover from 1990 on the spaceship’s main view screen. There are several songs on that record that perfectly and beautifully capture the idea for this playlist that is called “The Search for Romantic Meaning in the Cosmos.” Our fictional astronauts are wearing headphones, listening attentively to Michael Franks' sincere, playful love stories.

 

A few years ago I read a religious book where the author called the search for God or an external deity a kind of “romantic,” intimate odyssey that was universal and embedded in our nature. I intellectually understood what he meant, of course, yet later on I would intermittently reflect on his discussion, realizing that he was correct. Many of us have been like the above astronauts, searching for a purpose in life  -- engaged in a quest that can be rightly described as romantic because it's passionate, vibrant, exciting, and necessary. It's the very thing that moves us from psychological dissociation or compartmentalization (or from games of existential, cynical Jumanji) into conditions of love, and speaking of the latter, let's define it. Love is trust, respect, and a freely given friendship that just gets better with time, and because the characteristics are right, it creates a reciprocal, autocatalytic effect, refueling itself eternally -- not in some grand scheme of academic, utopian, ideological solidarity between strangers but right where it matters -- for you and me at home and at work.

 

Music is arguably that “thing” in our lives and across all cultures that tells our stories about the search for romantic meaning through our engagement with, to utilize an old western movie title, “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.” I could write a small book about my own experiences in this realm, as I suspect many people could, keeping in mind that I am not just referring to intimate relationships. “Romantic” also encompass the integrity of our relationships in all aspects of living and our overall, actual approach to life.

 

We human beings have incredible powers of conceptualization that often overtake and compromise our five senses that we call perception. Romantic love, when it's right, brings those two, dominant features into alignment, and that makes us happy and content because we are simultaneously the lover and the beloved. In that zone, our human situation makes better sense, and we are more inclined to appreciate being alive, projecting a more optimistic temperament.

 

I placed two superb, luminous songs right after Michale Franks' opening set: “Every Kinda People” and “Mercy Mercy Me / I Want You (Medley)" from Robert Palmer. I followed those tracks with five of my favorite songs from Gino Vannelli; then, we journey forward from there.

 

Music is that force of human creativity that constantly, unyieldingly addresses our need for love, meaning, adventure, playfulness, and belonging within the vicissitudes of life. If you get into the lyrics and musical vibes in this playlist, I think you will agree.   Charles Calvin Best

 

MUSICQUEST EXPLORER MIX #33: CLASSIC SONGS FROM YESTERDAY MADE TO LAST FOREVER ◦ 309 TRACKS ◦ ABOUT THIRTEEN HOURS

Many musicians have said, and rightly so, that their work stands on "The Shoulders of Giants." This playlist affirms that assertion because it showcases outstanding songs from the 1950s and 60s (and into the 70s), which means that the majority of artists were born between 1915 and 1940 and are now regarded as "The Giants." This mix reminds me of what it is that attracts us to music when it's excellent: It functions like impressionistic art in that we experience something within ourselves that changes our mood regardless of who we are, when we are, or where we are. Great music causes us to join forces emotionally with the artist and also with fellow listeners. I encourage you to investigate this music backwards through time in order to enjoy the here and now, appreciating these superb works from roughly 55-70 years ago that have anchored today's melodies and arrangements while simultaneously launching future ones. About the above banner: Peggy Lee is juxtaposed against a romantic yet bold concept of cosmic exploration because she, herself, was a hugely successful musician in her time, building on the past, moving the sonic art we love forever forward through space and time. FYI: Peggy Lee passed in 2002 yet in 2024 has 2,260,628 monthly listeners on Spotify, and Dean Martin, who passed in 1995, has 6,045,524 monthly listeners!   Charles Calvin Best

 

MUSICQUEST EXPLORER MIX #31: MAKING VERY BIG PLANS - FROM FUNKY EDM TO TECHNO ◦ 168 TRACKS ◦ ABOUT TEN HOURS

These songs will ramp-up your energy and serve you well while you are going about your daily routine, whether at work, play, or orchestrating the next moon mission. Unfortunately, lots of Techno and House, in my opinion, can sound too repetitive and uninspired, and the same can be said of EDM when it becomes formulaic and tedious. To address that concern, these tracks showcase some of the best Funky EDM, House, Techno, Disco/Pop, and related types of songs that I could locate, and they compliment each other well. Incidentally and speaking of making Very Big Plans, I went with the above graphic because it showcases the four relatively new NASA astronauts -- Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch -- who will travel to and from the moon as part of the Artemis II Mission, the first crewed mission to the moon in more than 50 years. The entire Artemis Program, as was the case with Gemini-Titan and Apollo-Saturn back in the 1960s and 1970s, is arguably one of the best examples of human conceptualization, perception, cooperation, and implementation taken to the extreme for heroic ends rather than for dark, abhorrent purposes -- much like music!   Charles Calvin Best

 

MUSICQUEST EXPLORER MIX #30: RISK-TAKING STORY MAKERS ◦ 142 TRACKS ◦ ABOUT NINE HOURS

In describing this mix, I'm reminded of two terms that were in frequent use several years ago: Album-Oriented Rock and Adult Contemporary, and these days the latter is sometimes called Yacht Rock. Where to begin the playlist? I recently came across Papyllon, a band from Prešov, Slovakia, and their second full album called +1Y that they released in 2023. I was blown away with their song writing and musical arrangements. They are so good that I included eight tracks from the aforementioned album -- one of the best releases I've encountered in a long time. I immediately bonded with their sound -- fantastic!  I also did not know anything about John Gallen until recently but was so impressed with his songs that I utilized his approach to Pop Music as an organizing principle for this playlist, looking for releases that were more or less in his musical neighborhood or at least not too far away. To that end, I encountered a lot of really good artists from Graeham Goble to Julian Emery, from Supermoon to WYATT, from Glenn Harper to Siris, and from Blossoms to The Hails. Many tracks utilize Steely Dan-like vibes along with excellent R&B hooks. Additional Thought: I think their are two main types of music (regardless of genre) -- one favors close inspection and listening whereas the other can be enjoyed in the background while working on projects or up close and personal via headphones. I think this grouping of artists and bands can be both upfront or in the back. While wrapping up this playlist with a continuous, sequential listening of every song, Kimberly and I worked on lots of things at home on a rainy, cold, fireplace kind of day in late March 2024. Sometimes we were actively listening while at other times we were more focused on the details of our tasks; still, we remained connected to this superb, captivating music. We hope you like it as much as we do and that you find songs that are enjoyable and meaningful.  About the banner above: The Mercury Seven Astronauts (and their engineering co-heroes) took bold risks, reaping exceptional, extraordinary results, which is what artists and bands do, too!   Charles Calvin Best

 

MUSICQUEST'S DECADES OF GREAT, SOULFUL SONGS ◦ 332 TRACKS ◦ OVER TWENTY-FOUR HOURS

Many of us grew up with the radio playing much of the time. This massive, often romantic and optimistic mix showcases some of the best songs from the past several decades of radio airplay that share these dominant features: they are extraordinarily catchy, musically interesting, and are a cornerstone of our day-to-day history. Why is that? It's because they ignite a mood of happiness alongside strong, inner-subjective feelings, making us smile or pause as we reminisce about days gone by. I am glad that I was a teenager in the 1970s when many of these soulful songs dominated our radios, and, of course, so many more came to us over the next forty-plus years. I also think that R&B Soul is making a strong comeback here in the 21st Century. To quote Stevie Wonder's "Bird of Beauty" (1973), "There is so much in life for you to feel / Unfound in white, red or yellow pills / A mind excursion can be such a thrill / You please satisfy / Take a chance and ride / The bird of beauty of the sky."    Charles Calvin Best

 

MUSICQUEST EXPLORER MIX #29: UNDIVIDED ATTENTION ◦ 144 SONGS ◦ ABOUT TWELVE HOURS

It's not all pristine parties in the park with decorated, designer cupcakes when it comes to what artists and bands communicate to us. As much as I sincerely admire and routinely seek-out the Pop/R&B songs that are in the playlists just above and below this one, I also value Rock-n-Roll in general but especially when it ventures into Prog Rock or into arrangements that are gritty, powerful, and angst-oriented. I went with the above graphic to illustrate this playlist because it captures an escalating, combative anxiety in life: unstable conditions are present, hard decisions will have to be made, and deliberate actions will be required for self-preservation. Those Vibes Get My Undivided Attention.   Charles Calvin Best

 

MUSICQUEST EXPLORER MIX #28: POP SONGS THAT INSPIRE CONFIDENCE & HAPPINESS ◦ 175 SONGS ◦ ABOUT NINE HOURS

I loved making this playlist because it's loaded with optimistic songs that are fun, joyful, and clever. In doing so, I focused almost entirely on Pop, R&B, and Top-40 songs that utilize catchy hooks with equally strong singing and musicianship, and these interesting songs come to us from all across the world and were often produced by people in their 20s. I did not even know, for instance, about Jon Batiste prior to making this mix, and my encounter with his extraordinarily good music is what drives my search for more. Streaming, and the algorithms that underpin its artist recommendations, allows us to explore every nook and cranny of the planet compared to just a few years ago when we were limited as to what we could uncover no matter how hard we searched. In other words, when I came across Jon Batiste on Spotify, I actually, and by extension, came upon many more artists, and when I investigated those new-to-me musicians, I came across still more playlists and recommendations. That is the condition in which we now enjoy music. It's an infinite, escalating, auto-catalytic outreach that makes the entire enterprise of music exploration deeply satisfying. I could go on and on about what I discovered, but it makes more sense to encourage you to listen to this mix, as the latter proves (in my estimation) that the current state of popular music in 2024 is as good as it has ever been. That's why I say let's do away with the cynicism of "music-just-isn't-as-good-as-it-used to-be" thinking because such an assessment is highly inaccurate. Get into these songs and you, too, will see what I mean.   Charles Calvin Best

 

MUSICQUEST EXPLORER MIX #27: SONGS WITH PERFECT FUNCTION & FORM ◦ 260 SONGS ◦ OVER TWENTY-FOUR HOURS

I had wanted to make this type of mix for several months – one that would showcase songs that are especially “well-written” and “musically interesting,” but what do those terms mean, especially since music’s effects can be understood as both inner-subjective (one's internal world of feelings, thoughts, and experiences) and inter-subjective (one's connection to others, including large people groups, in context to that realm)? With that in mind, I think a musically interesting song will do some or all of the following: change keys, move in an unexpected direction, alter its timing, demonstrate excellent musicianship, establish an appealing, escalating theme or hook, and/or utilize beautiful vocal harmonies regardless of genre. A well-written song is often one I want to sing along with when jamming in my pickup since the latter has a really good stereo with a stout subwoofer and is, therefore, a great place to hold a private concert or, better yet, a shared one with my music-loving wife.

 

Music can also be understood as a form of language that communicates to us in a manner distinctly different from written words and speech, performing some or even most of its work at the subconscious level (think of Carl Jung’s Collective Unconscious). Songs can be brutally honest, expressing profound sorrow, anger, and even rage, yet they can just as easily spread deep happiness, satirical humor, and visceral hope.

 

An interesting song causes me to listen to it intently, internalizing its instrumental and/or lyrical message. As mentioned elsewhere on this website, remarkable music causes me to co-labor with it, getting involved with what it’s trying to say to me – to all of us. I can be so attracted to a song that the whole process leads to a reciprocal friendship. I like to listen on a recurring basis to Paul McCartney's "Oh! Darling" from the Beatles 1969 "Abby Road" album because it is a work of art that, figuratively speaking, creates a trusted compass heading for me, reminding me that greatness really does exist in our world and that I, too, should strive to do my best work.

 

I subtitled this mix “Songs with Perfect Function & Form” in connection to the world of engineering where it is well known that a thing’s function always determines its form. For example, shoe styles come and go, but what does not change is that an effective, comfortable shoe must accommodate a human foot, which is why an ancient Egyptian sandal from 1500 BCE looks similar to a 21st Century one. The same goes for bicycles and chairs. Nowadays, the superficial styling of those things may change because of advertising campaigns, but human beings sit in chairs and ride bicycles, so the latter’s forms must accommodate the user. Those things look like they do because of what they do. I think the songs on this playlist are so good, which is to say their function is so effective, that one could argue that their form has actually increased their function. Perhaps this is why great songs, regardless of genre, last through the decades and continually reconnect with new audiences. Their function causes their form to be authoritative and so well received that, arguably, their form ends up being the thing that was, in the end, most important and most enduring because it becomes valued art. For example, consider the Ozark Mountain Daredevils' 1974 hit "Jackie Blue." That song is still loved at this time, as indicated by the fact that on Spotify alone it has almost 20 million streams. The song will be 50 years old in 2024, yet it still resonates with millions of people. We could analyze or "deconstruct" its function in order to understand better how its form came to be, but that misses the point since it's the interesting, beautiful form that makes "Jackie Blue" so appealing.

 

Think about it like this: suppose a young kid in the late 1960s was so impressed with the Apollo Moon Program and the entire Golden Age of Spaceflight that resulted from the Space Race between the USA and the former Soviet Union, that without even understanding the politics, physics, science, or advanced machinery, he or she felt compelled to become an astronaut or aerospace engineer as an adult. In other words, the form of the Space Race (with its larger-than-life heroes and mighty rocket ships) was so fantastic that the young person in this example developed new goals for his or her life's work. I think it likely that some of those "kids" are still working in aerospace industries right now in France, China, India, Russia, New Zealand, Israel, Japan, and in the United States (and who knows where else). That’s something like how music works in terms of an autocatalytic, reciprocating, function and form dynamic. Incidentally, I selected the beautiful artwork of the human eye above as the best example I know of for perfect function and form reciprocity because its functional design allows us literally to perceive the world around us, but it's the "seeing" of life that causes us to reflect on what it means to be human regardless of how the eye was made. The eye literally causes "perception" and "conception" simultaneously.

 

There are many superb tracks on this playlist – too many, in fact, to discuss individually as I have often done for previous, shorter mixes, but, as always, it is my sincere hope that you enjoy these songs and find some new musical companions!    Charles Calvin Best

 

MUSICQUEST EXPLORER MIX #26: ALLURING, VIBRANT VIBES ◦ 192 SONGS ◦ ABOUT 12 HOURS

I put together the bulk of MusicQuest Explorer Mix #26: Alluring, Vibrant Vibes during the spring of 2023, completing most of it over the summer and fall of the same year with a few tweaks in early 2024. I often write a descriptive narrative to go with playlists, but this one, similar to #25, is just too long for that approach, so I will let the music, itself, do most of the communicating. With that said, if I were to articulate an overall theme for this playlist, I would say that it’s about an R&B, Soulful, Electronica, and Synth-Pop oriented approach to musical meaning and enjoyment.

 

I do want to say that I discovered new-to-me artists with whom I developed an immediate musical attachment; namely, Bayonne, Geno Samuel, and Ichisan. Bayonne, also known as Roger Seller, is an Austin-based composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. I placed his “It Is Time” from his 2023 “Temporary Time” album in the third position on this playlist followed immediately by his 2024 remix of "Must Be True," and then “Solo” and “FX,” also from the same release, in the 143rd and 144th spots, concluding his trek with "Temporary Time." What a find! This musician creates deep and perfect Synth-pop songs. Here's another great discovery: Geno Samuel, a young musician who is also a composer and multi-instrumentalist, was born in Lithuania, raised in Ireland, and is now based in China. Much like Roger Seller, he is gifted and talented, producing interesting, original songs with strong lyrics. “Convenience Store,” from his 2021 "Morgana" album, is excellent and our sixth track. “Wild Blue Yonder,” from his 2023 “Terra” album, is in the 140th spot, and “Let Me Be” follows from his 2022 “Shadow People” album. Lastly, Ichisan, also known as Igor Skafar from Slovenia, a beautiful country in the Balkans, creates exceptionally enjoyable House-Synth-Techno with a positive, hopeful vibe. I really like this man’s work and suspect you will, too! I’ve placed “Harmona,” from his 2022 Fantasound album, in the 149th position followed by “Yassa” from his 2018 “Megla” EP – Excellente! Honestly, this is one of my favorite groupings of songs -- soul satisfying!

 

I had heard that none other than Sir Paul McCartney had created, with the help of a British band called Youth (Martin Glover), a one-off Techno-Ambient record in 1993 simply called “The Fireman.” Well, it’s fantastic. I’ve placed its first offering, “Transpiritual Stomp,” in the 133rd position in this mix. It is outstanding as is the entire album – cannot recommend it enough! I also built in a very cool Electro-Swing section as well as a robust Latin and Bossa Nova segment.  I love all the songs in this mix because they are often playful, fun, and romantic and sometimes just as often passionate, somber, and deeply thoughtful. I hope you discover music that you enjoy.   Charles Calvin Best

 

MUSICQUEST EXPLORER MIX #25: ROCK-N-ROLL SOJOURNER ◦ 383 SONGS ◦ OVER TWENTY-FOUR HOURS

I began assembling MusicQuest Explorer Mix #25: Rock-N-Roll Sojourner in May of 2022, but it took over eighteen months to complete fully because it showcases 383 songs from a broad range of eras and from musicians across the world. The more I worked on it, the more types of representation from the numerous subcategories of Rock I thought should be included; therefore, still more exploration and consideration followed. I also spent plenty of time determining where to place songs in context to each other so that there was a sensible transition between them. All of these tracks share two features: they are musically interesting and emotionally engaging.

 

I encourage you to join our figurative Sojourner in the image above as she rockets through the sonic soundscape of exceptional music that has been decades in the making. While you will likely encounter artists from back-in-the-day with whom you are already familiar, it is my sincere hope that you also will meet many new, or new-to-you, talented practitioners of Rock-N-Roll. I enjoyed making this extended mix, admitting readily, however, that it is not comprehensive because no Rock compilation ever could be; still, it does present a vast number of superb songs from across a broad spectrum that I hope make a positive contribution to you.

 

For me, personally, music makes life worth living because it’s our ingenuous, exhilarating, and existential story that is imaginatively expressed both with and without words, so infinite thanks goes to the musicians, bands, engineers, and producers who created all of these works of art and who continue to do so, taking us, as the Beatles surely did and still do, on a recurring, Magical Mystery Tour.   Charles Calvin Best

MUSICQUEST PROGRESSIVE ROCK MIX #3 • FORTY-TWO SONGS • THREE HOURS & FIFTY-EIGHT MINUTES

This Mix Focuses on Prog Rock That Leans toward Beautiful, Melodic Arrangements, Going Deep by Artist. Re-investigate & Enjoy!

Dave Kerzner My Old Friend • New World • Solitude • Paranoia • Redemption (Stranded 6-10) RPWL Where Can I Go? • Sea-Nature • Sleep • Watching the World Hole in the Sky • Side by Side • I Don't Know (What It's Like) • Sugar for the Ape • Beyond Man & Time • The Way It Is • Tell Me Why The Mute Gods One Day
Atheists & Believers • Father Daughter • Twisted World Godless Universe • I Think of You Kino The Dead Club • Radio Voltaire Arena The Ghost Walks • Serenity What Happened Before • Elea The Dear Hunter The Moon / Awake • Regress Abigail's Ghost King of All • Sweet Serenity • Visceral Pete Trewavas Lazybones Darrel Tree-Birch Freedom Paradigm • Riding the Waves Am Fost La Munte Și Mi-a Plăcut Putea Sa Ma Prinda Acum • E O Passare? • E Un Avion? Fish on Friday Maybe This the Blues • Smile Tom Brislin Industry in the Distance • I Hold a Candle Dewa Budjana Queen Kanya