MY FIVE FAVORITE SEEDS FOR SPOTIFY RADIO (OR PANDORA)

Personally, I'm a bigger fan of Spotify Radio than Pandora.  With the former, I feel like it knows which elements made me choose the seed and isn't simply finding related music.  That's just my opinion, but if you haven't tried Spotify radio, most people I speak to prefer it, as well.  

With that said, here are My Five Favorite Seeds For Spotify Radio.  No order.  

5. "Matrix" by Dizzy Gillespie 

Electric Dizzy Gillespie, which can just as easily be filed under Funk/Soul as it can under Jazz.  "Matrix" appears on a terrific "Various Artist" rarities compilation called The Best of Perception & Today's Records—which, I totally reccommend, by the way.  That's part of what I love about this seed.   The vast majority of the time when I want to listen to Funk/Soul, I'm not going to be interested in hearing Parliament/ Funkadelic or Isaac Hayes.  If I want to hear those guys, I'll just put one of their records on.  The "Matrix" seed will often select from other Funk/Soul rarities compilations and your bound to hear some music that pretty much NOBODY has ever heard before.  That that gives you some hipster credibility is irrelevant.  I've STARRED a lot of these songs, because the music is that good.  If you love Funk/Soul and Jazz Fusion, I promise that you can't go wrong with choosing "Matrix" by Dizzy Gillespie as a seed.

4. "Band On The Run" by Paul McCartney/Wings 

You won't just hear McCartney and Wings, but terrific hits from some of the best artists of the 60s/70s.  Much like theClassic Vinyl Station on Sirius XM Radio.  

3. "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" by Neil Young

This is kind of like the "Band On The Run" station, but you'll get a lot more stand-out harmony and folk music with this one.  That means plenty of CSNY, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and early James Taylor. 

2. "Mr. Blue" By The Fleetwoods

Putting this station on guarantees some great Doo-Wop, R&B and Early Rock & Roll of the late 50s and early 60s.  Also, since this was more of a singles period than an album period, you'll get a lot of rarities by artists that only had  two or three hits.  "Mr. Blue" is the quintessential relaxing Doo-Wop hit, so it's good for late night reading.

1. "All Blues" by Miles Davis

You'll hear plenty of Classic Jazz on this station taken from some of the best albums ever released.  Don't be surprised if you hear some familiar numbers from  Giant Steps, Mingus-Ah Um  and  The Sidewinder.