This is how I set up my iTunes playlists.

First I wanted to meet these objectives

1. Separate the good hits/songs from the "filler" but not deleting the unwanted songs.

2. To be able to listen to either the "best of band" songs or their entire collection.

3. To have playlists that more accurately express the stress level of each song, regardless of genre.

4. If a status of a song changes that a simple click would automatically update all the playlists.


This is how I met my objective.

I set up 5 "stress level" smart playlists giving them the following descriptions (and set to shuffle, numbers keep them at the top):

1: Very Light (1 star)
2: Easy Listening (2 star)
3: Rock (3 star)
4: Hard Rock (4 star)
5: Heavy Metal (5 star)

Every song in my Library is listened to and rated, no rating means I don't wish to listen to it.

Then I have "best of band" which each band has it's own named playlist accepting (1-5 Stars)

As you know you can change the star rating of any song directly in any playlist, without calling up a window.

So what I get is five "radio stations" depending on my mood and stress level, a quick way to hear the best of band and if I want to hear a bands other songs they are accessible through the standard Library interface.