Quarantine the Past

Rating

Album: Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement (2 LP) [Vinyl]
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	Gold Soundz	More Info...	0:02
2)	Frontwards	More Info...	0:03
3)	Mellow Jazz Docent	More Info...	0:02
4)	Stereo	More Info...	0:03
5)	In the Mouth a Desert	More Info...	0:03
6)	Two States	More Info...	0:01
7)	Cut Your Hair	More Info...	0:03
8)	Shady Lane/J Vs. S	More Info...	0:04
9)	Here	More Info...	0:04
10)	Unfair	More Info...	0:02
11)	Grounded	More Info...	0:04
12)	Summer Babe (Winter Version)	More Info...	0:03
13)	Range Life	More Info...	0:05
14)	Date W/Ikea	More Info...	0:02
15)	Debris Slide	More Info...	0:02
16)	Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)	More Info...	0:03
17)	Spit On a Stranger	More Info...	0:03
18)	Heaven Is a Truck	More Info...	0:02
19)	Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite at :17	More Info...	0:03
20)	Embassy Row	More Info...	0:04
21)	Box Elder	More Info...	0:02
22)	Unseen Power of the Picket Fence	More Info...	0:04
23)	Fight This Generation	More Info...	0:04

Album: Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement (2 LP) [Vinyl]
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	Gold Soundz	More Info...	0:02
2)	Frontwards	More Info...	0:03
3)	Mellow Jazz Docent	More Info...	0:02
4)	Stereo	More Info...	0:03
5)	In the Mouth a Desert	More Info...	0:03
6)	Two States	More Info...	0:01
7)	Cut Your Hair	More Info...	0:03
8)	Shady Lane/J Vs. S	More Info...	0:04
9)	Here	More Info...	0:04
10)	Unfair	More Info...	0:02
11)	Grounded	More Info...	0:04
12)	Summer Babe (Winter Version)	More Info...	0:03
13)	Range Life	More Info...	0:05
14)	Date W/Ikea	More Info...	0:02
15)	Debris Slide	More Info...	0:02
16)	Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)	More Info...	0:03
17)	Spit On a Stranger	More Info...	0:03
18)	Heaven Is a Truck	More Info...	0:02
19)	Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite at :17	More Info...	0:03
20)	Embassy Row	More Info...	0:04
21)	Box Elder	More Info...	0:02
22)	Unseen Power of the Picket Fence	More Info...	0:04
23)	Fight This Generation	More Info...	0:04

Performer Notes

Pavement's first compilation takes its title from a lyric Stephen Malkmus sings on "Gold Soundz," a line about how "you can never quarantine the past" -- which, of course, is precisely what a retrospective like this intends to do, to present a nice, tidy overview to accompany the group's 2010 reunion. Of course, it's always difficult to assemble a best-of package for a band that never had any hits, and Pavement only had one -- 1994's alt rock puncturing "Cut Your Hair" -- which means it's possible to endlessly quibble about the other 22 tracks on Quarantine the Past, especially since the compilers decided to leave the singles "Father to a Sister of Thought," "Rattled by the Rush," and "Carrot Rope" behind, and fan favorite Wowee Zowee is represented by just two tracks, the same number culled from the 1992 EP Watery, Domestic. That might seem an idiosyncratic choice, but there's no arguing that "Frontwards" and "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)" should be here alongside "Here," "Summer Babe," "Box Elder," "Debris Slide," "Grounded," "Trigger Cut," "Range Life," "Shady Lane," and "Stereo," the songs that provide the foundation of any strong Pavement overview. And while it's possible to make strong arguments that some of the surrounding tracks should have been replaced by other songs -- not just the aforementioned singles, but anything from "Forklift" to "The Hexx" -- everything here is excellent, everything illustrates the range and depth of the best indie rock band of the `90s. So, think of Quarantine the Past as a cousin to Hot Rocks or the Red and Blue Albums: it doesn't tell you everything you need to know, but as a primer, it's hard to beat. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Professional Reviews

Spin (p.92) - "[L]oose, lo-fi, casually graceful."

Kerrang (Magazine) (p.50) - "[T]oday, thee songs and their lightness of touch are still remarkable."

Paste (magazine) (p.91) - "Mixing deathless classics with a few non-album gems, it's a near-ideal primer on the savviest slacker-rock band ever."

Pitchfork (Website) - "The very best Pavement songs delight in curiosity and imagination, drawing connections between images and ideas as if everything in the world was full of character and significance."

Uncut (magazine) - "You can hear the band get tighter, chops get slightly slicker....They're a reminder of the indie band as enduring public enigma..."