[ds_tx]

STOP, LOOK, LISTEN, READ! - You are confusing my 2 different setups, which are
1) Kodi app running on Mac OSX 10.13.6 on MacBook Pro 2011, and
2) Kodi running on CoreELEC on Odroid N2. 

Playlists work just fine on Mac Kodi app after adding smb, etc code to advancedsettings.xml
Playlists are m3u files exported from iTunes with NO MODIFICATIONS.
Before adding path substitution to advancedsettings.xml, playlists would play first track or two on playlist, then revert to playing tracks from entire music library not on playlist.
After adding path substitution to advancedsettings.xml, iTunes exported m3u playlists play just fine ON MAC KODI. REPEAT, ON MAC KODI.

Because that worked on Mac Kodi, I tried same approach with CoreELEC Kodi, but with negative instead of positive results.
Now you're telling me there's no need for path substitution in advanced settings with local connected external HDD.

So I went to Kodi wiki How to Create a Normal Playlist (not a Smart Playlist), to see what a normal playlist created with CoreELEC Kodi interface looked like compared to what iTunes exports, to modify iTunes export for Whatever the Heck Kodi Wants on CoreELEC.
Even though I'm using default skin (Estuary), I do NOT have the context menus described in the Kodi wiki and cannot create a normal playlist as instructed there.
When a track is playing and I right click for Contextual Menu, all I get is the following ...
Information, Play using..., Add to favs, Move up, Move down, Move item, Remove
It would be EXTREMELY HELPFUL if the Kodi wiki did NOT cause even more confusion.
I should be able to create playlist intuitively from Kodi GUI the following way but it does NOT work (a huge problem with Kodi) -
Music Home Screen > Playlists > New Playlist > Files > Albums > Album X (e.g. Beatles Abbey Road, etc.) > Save (Qwerty keyboard pulls up, enter name TEST, click OK)
That's the most straightforward method, but it doesn't save anything to Kodi > userdatea > playlists > music
When I looked at files in playlists > music - there was no TEST.m3u file.

So I tried this -
Music Home Screen > Recently Played Albums > Album X > Album track (track plays) > Context menu (right click) yields ....
More of Kodi labyrinth, lost in the maze of completely unituitive GUI ....

So I tried this -
Music Home Screen > Recently Played Albums > Album X > Options screen (lower left) > Go to Playlist (Qwerty keyboard pulls up, enter name TEST, click OK)
WOW!!!! Now, FINALLY, theres a TEST.m3u file in playlists > music
Open and compare to iTunes m3u exports.
Kodi -
#EXTCPlayListM3U::M3U
#EXTINF:0,01. Album Name - Track Name  (I suppose this order is because Kodi created playlist from Album)
iTunes -
#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:920,Track Name - Album Name (I suppose this order is because iTunes created playlist from Library list of all tracks)

Change #EXTM3U in iTunes export playlist to #EXTCPlayListM3U::M3U like Kodi CoreELEC playlist.
Kodi frowns and still will NOT play playlist

Replace comma after track number in iTunes export playlist with a period and a space like Kodi CoreELEC playlist.
Kodi makes a face and still will NOT play playlist

Add 0, in front of track number like Kodi CoreELEC playlist.
Kodi sticks out tongue and still will NOT play playlist

SO WHAT THE HECK DOES KODI WANT ANYWAY
If it were as intuitively straight forward and easy to create a playlist on Kodi as iTunes, I would.
But there is no track list with check boxes to turn tracks on/off, or drag and drop tracks and whole albums to create playlist.
So I need to import playlists from iTunes, but this got ridiculous days ago!