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 And while it’s possible to make strong arguments that some of the surrounding tracks should have been replaced by other songs -- not just the aforementioned singles, but anything from “Forklift” to “The Hexx” -- everything here is excellent, everything illustrates the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, Rovi
Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement is a compilation album released by Pavement on March 8, 2010 to coincide with the band's reunion. The title of the compilation references a lyric from the 1994 song "Gold Soundz", which is the first song featured on the compilation.
On January 5, 2010, Matador Records announced that a greatest hits compilation entitled Quarantine The Past: The Best Of Pavement would be released on March 9 on CD, double LP, and would contain 23 tracks from Pavement's entire career including “the scratchy and mysterious sounds of their early vinyl-only releases to the rich, multi-layered warmth of their final recordings.” The blog posting noted that “although the compilation does not include any unreleased material, it definitely digs deeper than the hits.” The blog posting revealed the artwork of the compilation, and announced a contest to guess the order of the songs on the album (except for the first track, which had been already revealed to be the band's 1994 single "Gold Soundz") in which the first place winner would get to see a Pavement reunion concert at Central Park Summerstage. In addition, a second place winner with the “most imaginative track listing” (as chosen by the band) would have their tracklisting pressed on a limited edition Record Store Day double LP version of Quarantine The Past.[3] On January 25, Matador announced the correct track listing of the album and announced the winner of the competition.[4]
"Unseen Power of the Picket Fence" - 3:50 from No Alternative compilation (1993)
"Fight this Generation" - 4:23 from Wowee Zowee (1995)
Record Store Day Limited Edition
On February 2, 2010 Matador Records announced the second place winner of their competition, in which their “most imaginative” track listing would be made into a special edition Record Store Day double LP release. Limited to 1,000 copies,[5] this edition features special silkscreen cover art designed by the band themselves and was released on April 17 at participating record stores.[6] The track listing is as follows:
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