Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement

Background

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 track listing pressed on a limited edition Record Store Day double LP version of Quarantine The Past. On January 25, Matador announced the correct track listing of the album and announced the winner of the competition.

Track listing

1. "Gold Soundz" - 2:40 from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
2. "Frontwards" – 3:01 from Watery, Domestic (1992)
3. "Mellow Jazz Docent" – 1:52 from Perfect Sound Forever (EP) (1991)
4. "Stereo" – 3:07 from Brighten the Corners (1997)
5. "In the Mouth a Desert" – 3:48 from Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
6. "Two States" – 1:48 from Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
7. "Cut Your Hair" – 3:05 from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
8. "Shady Lane / J Vs. S" – 3:51 from Brighten the Corners (1997)
9. "Here" – 3:55 from Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
10. "Unfair" – 2:31 from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
11. "Grounded" – 4:15 from Wowee Zowee (1995)
12. "Summer Babe (Winter Version)" – 3:15 from Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
13. "Range Life" – 4:56 from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
14. "Date w/ IKEA" - 2:38 from Brighten the Corners (1997)
15. "Debris Slide" - 1:56 from Perfect Sound Forever (EP) (1991)
16. "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)" - 3:15 from Watery, Domestic (1992)
17. "Spit on a Stranger" - 3:01 from Terror Twilight (1999)
18. "Heaven is a Truck" - 2:29 from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
19. "Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite At :17" - 3:15 from Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
20. "Embassy Row" - 3:50 from Brighten the Corners (1997)
21. "Box Elder" - 2:24 from Slay Tracks (1933–1969) (1989) (alternative mix omitting bass guitar)
22. "Unseen Power of the Picket Fence" - 3:50 from No Alternative compilation (1993)
23. "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, this edition features special silkscreen cover art designed by the band themselves and was released on April 17 at participating record stores. The track listing is as follows:

1. "Zurich Is Stained" – from Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
2. "Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite At :17" – from Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
3. "Grave Architecture" – from Wowee Zowee (1995)
4. "Unfair" – from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
5. "…And Carrot Rope" – from Terror Twilight (1999)
6. "Shady Lane / J Vs. S" – from Brighten the Corners (1997)
7. "Two States" – from Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
8. "Fame Throwa" – from Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
9. "Cut Your Hair" – from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
10. "Here" – from Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
11. "Extradition" – from Wowee Zowee (1995)
12. "Stereo" – from Brighten the Corners (1997)
13. "The Hexx" – from Terror Twilight (1999)
14. "Shoot The Singer (1 Sick Verse)" – from Watery, Domestic (1992)
15. "Kennel District" – from Wowee Zowee (1995)
16. "Price Yeah!" – from Slay Tracks (1933–1969) (1989)
17. "No Life Singed Her" – from Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
18. "Stop Breathin’" – from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
19. "Type Slowly (Live)" – from Tibetan Freedom Concert compilation (1997)
20. "Fin" – from Brighten the Corners (1997)
21. "Forklift" – from Demolition Plot J-7 (1990)
22. "Fight This Generation" – from Wowee Zowee (1995)
23. "Box Elder" – from Slay Tracks (1933–1969) (1989)

Personnel