Download Music Playlists
BTO's Playlist Vault (TM) contains over 200 playlists - by artist, by genre, by period or year, and by theme - with more in the works. BTO members can fill up their iPods or mp3 players directly from BTO's Playlist Vault (TM). These playlists also help remind you of artists or songs you long ago forgot (BTO didn't!), or music you never knew existed. You can also download music playlists as PDF files by clicking here.
For an explanation of some criteria used in creating the lists in BTO's Playlist Vault (TM), click here or scroll down below the lists.
Purchase PDF Playlists
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About The Playlists
The BTO-exclusive playlists were created from BTO's own database of more than 12,000 rock and pop tracks from the 60's, 70's and 80's.
You generally won't find any overtly obscure bands in these playlists. They're mostly just good, solid, mainstream Boomer rock and pop, with a forgotten nugget or two thrown in. And they're mostly from the 60's, 70's and 80's, unless an artist (e.g.
The Cure,
Tom Petty or
Bob Dylan) has recordings from the 90's and 00's worth including. Occasionally, a zinger or two pops up (a la
Jimmy Eat World in the "I've Been Workin'" playlist.) just for fun and enlightenment.
Artist playlists include the top 15 to 25 tracks from an artist or group's commercially-available recordings. Bootlegs are not included (see the Member Mixes section). Rankings are based on airplay statistics, published surveys and "hot" lists, professional critics' picks, and "choice cuts" selected by BTO's own Dr. Rock. Top tracks by each artist are ranked in descending order from highest score downward, with equal scores listed alphabetically within that score. With a few exceptions, "live" versions of songs are not included in the Top Tracks by artist unless the "live" version is artistically or commercially "better" than the studio version.
Genre, Period and Year playlists also contain large numbers of tracks with high industry and airplay scores, but BTO's Dr. Rock injected far more creativity in concocting these playlists than those by artist.
Year playlists purposefully include multiple genres, thus offering more variety and pleasurable listening than might come from a single-genre playlist covering one year. And, rather than take the easy path and list tracks alphabetically, Year playlist weave in and out of, and sometimes back into several genres within the same playlist.
Theme playlists are based entirely on Dr. Rock's creative aptitude and his love of Boomer music. Whimsical, yes, but with many of your old favorites, a lot of B-sides, a few lost gems and a long-forgotten "novelty" song.
Submit your own Playlists
Have you forged ahead in the digital age and created a favorite mix or two you're willing to share? BTO welcomes member submissions. Click below to access instructions for sending your recommendations to BTO. If your submission passes BTO's rigorous review process and receives the BTO Stamp of Approval, we'll include it in the Member Mixes section.
Click to submit your own playlist
Purchase Printed Playlists
Lists from BTO's Playlist Vault (TM) and BTO-approved Member Mixes are available as individual PDF files (e-mailed to you) or as a soft cover book containing more than 200 BTO playlists. Click below to purchase hard copies to complement your digital music when you download music playlists online at BTO.
Click to purchase printed playlists
