As Chosen By the Master Himself
Thomas Pynchon actually compiled a playlist of sorts for his 2009 novel, Inherent Vice, as an Amazon Exclusive. It was definitely and infinitely weird and eclectic, a wide-ranging hodge-podge of musical digressions, rounding up everyone from Roy Rogers and Frank Sinatra to The Doors and The Beach Boys, from bossa nova to surf music. Heck, The Archies even make the cut.
Odd?
You bet.
The official intro follows:
Larry “Doc” Sportello is a private eye who sees the world through a sticky dope haze, animated by the music of an era whose hallmarks were peace, love, and revolution. As Doc’s strange case grows stranger, his 60s soundtrack–ranging from surf pop and psychedelic rock to eerie instrumentals–picks up pace. Have a listen to some of the songs you’ll hear in Inherent Vice—the playlist that follows is designed exclusively for Amazon.com, courtesy of Thomas Pynchon.
I’ve tweaked it a bit, so that the links will lead you to the actual individual MP3 downloads for the songs or albums, except of course for those that don’t actually exist except in Pynchon’s brain. Sorry, Meatball Flag fans… and whatever happened to Carmine & the Cal-Zones? Or Droolin’ Floyd Womack?
And, just to add to the confusion, it should be noted that there was also an actual Inherent Vice soundtrack album, featuring original music by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, plus selections from the film  mentioned in the novel and on this playlist.
 
Alphabetically…
- “Bamboo” by Johnny and the Hurricanes
- “Bang Bang” by The Bonzo Dog Band (from The Doughnut In Granny’s Greenhouse)
- Bootleg Tape by Elephant’s Memory
- “Can’t Buy Me Love” by The Beatles (from A Hard Day’s Night)
- “Desafinado” by Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto, with Charlie Byrd from Jazz Samba)
- “Elusive Butterfly” by Bob Lind (from The Best of Bob Lind)
- “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra
- “Full Moon in Pisces” by Lark
- “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys (from Pet Sounds)
- The Greatest Hits of Tommy James and The Shondells by Tommy James and The Shondells
- “Happy Trails to You” by Roy Rogers (from Along The Navajo Trail)
- “Help Me, Rhonda” by The Beach Boys (from Summer Days [and Summer Nights])
- “Here Come the Hodads” by The Marketts (from the Inherent Vice soundtrack album)
- “The Ice Caps” (aka “The Other Side”) by Tiny Tim (from God Bless Tiny Tim)
- “Interstellar Overdrive” by Pink Floyd (from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn)
- “It Never Entered My Mind” by Andrea Marcovicci
- “Just the Lasagna (Semi-Bossa Nova)” by Carmine & the Cal-Zones
- “Long Trip Out” by Spotted Dick
- “Motion by the Ocean” by The Boards
- “People Are Strange (When You’re a Stranger)” by The Doors (from Strange Days)
- “Pipeline” by The Chantays (from Pipeline)
- “Quentin’s Theme” by Charles Randolph Grean Sounde (Theme Song from “Dark Shadows”)
- Rembetissa by Roza Eskenazi
- “Repossess Man” by Droolin’ Floyd Womack
- “Skyful of Hearts” performed by Larry “Doc” Sportello
- “Something Happened to Me Yesterday” by The Rolling Stones (from Between the Buttons)
- “Something in the Air” by Thunderclap Newman (from Hollywood Dream)
- “Soul Gidget” by Meatball Flag
- “A Stranger in Love” by The Spaniels
- “Sugar Sugar” by The Archies
- “Super Market” by Fapardokly (from Fapardokly)
- “Surfin’ Bird” by The Trashmen
- “Telstar” by The Tornados (from The Sound of the Tornados)
- “Tequila” by The Champs
- “The Big Valley” by Beer (Theme Sing from “The Big Valley”)
- “There’s No Business Like Show Business” by Ethel Merman (from There’s No Business Like Show Business)
- Vincebus Eruptum by Blue Cheer
- “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)” by Domenico Modugno
- “Wabash Cannonball” by Roy Acuff & His Crazy Tennesseans
- “Wipeout” by The Surfaris (from Wipe Out)
- “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by The Beach Boys (from Pet Sounds)
- “Yummy Yummy Yummy” by Ohio Express
