Pajiba

Ocean by the John Butler Trio is my official driving song.

The Hollies - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

I always start a road trip with Siouxsie Sioux and the Banshee's "Hong Kong Garden"

And musicals are always, always good.

"When the Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin. It's best to hear the grittiness of the song, not to mention the monstrous drums, by a car stereo.

The entire Boston album by Boston.

Second on Radar Love. Great tune. Also, Henry by New Riders of the Purple Sage. One you have to wind down the windows to fully appreciate.

Bob Seger is perfect road trip music. Roll Me Away, Travelin' Man, Katmandu, Hollywood Nights, Against the Wind...classic and still great. "Those are the memories that make me a wealthy soul" words to live by my friends.

I'm big on soundtracks for roadtrips. Because it helps pass the time listening to one thing, and by the time it's over you realize an hour or two has gone by and hurrah. My favorites:

Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou?
Wicked
Chicago

Also (and how could I forget?):

"Shut Up and Get on the Plane" -- DBTs

Actually Tenacious D and Flight of the Conchords is perfect for ride and sing. Also, Frank Zappa´s ¨Joe´s Garage¨ or Some The Who.

I would drive three hours from O'Hare Airport area to Dubuque, Iowa with my then finace/ now wife. I had to find my tape of The Kingston Trio, Roy Orbison, Simon and Garfunkel, Elton John and The Rolling Stones. It made my wife go to sleep and I was left to road and that made me happy.

ooo, ooo ...

"Paradise by the Dashboard Light"

The Beatles-Helter Skelter
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds-Red Right Hand
The Cure-The Love Cats
The Dead Weather-Rocking Horse
Doves-Compulsion
P.J. Harvey-A Perfect Day Elise
Kaiser Chiefs-Addicted to Drugs
Modest Mouse-Dashboard
The New Pornographers-The Jessica Numbers
Phoenix-1901
The Roots-The Seed 2.0
TV on the Radio-Red Dress
Kanye West-Flashing Lights
Yeah Yeah Yeahs-Soft Shock

Books on tape are my constant traveling companions. I wouldn't suggest listening to Stephen King when you're traveling with your mother though. From a Buick 8 almost got thrown out the window...

The whole self-titled Unwritten Law album. The first song, 'Harmonic', is fantastic for the open road. Listen to it *shakes fist*

I love The Who when I'm driving for a long time, and "Your Hand in Mine" by Explosions in the Sky feels like Texas, so do that one when you cross over the line. I'm so jealous! All I wanted to do this summer after I graduated was take a road trip out west. I've never seen the desert before, but I couldn't find anyone to blow off the real world with me. Maybe some day.

By the way, thanks for using that image. I've always meant to look up what The Thing is, and you finally inspired me to do so. In hindsight, I sort of wish I had saved it for my next journey down the 10, though.

Song to Play: Parallel Universe - RHCP

Songs to NOT Play: ANY song from the "Burnout" video game, if you play the game regularly. I foolishly decided to make a playlist from some of those songs and I subconsciously started speeding and darting through traffic. Once I started thinking how I could knock other cars off the road to get a clear path, I realized I was in the wrong driving mood and switched to Stevie Wonder's Musiquarium (good sing-a-long music).

Just this past weekend, I discovered the on-road joys of John Lee Hooker. I'm in the mood, oh baby, I'm in the mood.

A modest selection...

Movin' Right Along- from the Muppet Movie
Apocalypso- Mew
Kodachrome/Maybelline- Simon and Garfunkel live in Cenral Park
Ticket to Ride- The Beatles
Where the Streets Have No Name- U2
Sweetness- Jimmy Eat World
Just about anything by Chomsky
Dreams- Van Halen

For me it is definitely The Gaslight Anthem's Sink or Swim. I mean the opening track even begins with the words, "I took a drive today..."

Another White Dash - Butterfly Boucher

Freefallin' - Tom Petty (must be played after lunch, preferably around 4)

Higher Place - Tom Petty (Mr. TS's addition)

Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers (to be played as you drive through a desert such as the Mojave)

Someday We'll Know - The New Radicals (wait until after dark, and until your passenger is asleep if you have one. Full moon is best.)

Well, let me be the first to welcome you to Houston! It's not as bad as some people on this site make it out to be. But believe me, it's a whole different world here.

That being said, you probably should acquaint yourself with some Texas Country. You'll hear a lot of it here, if not hear references to it. Robert Earl Keen, Pat Green, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Lyle Lovett to name a few. When I first moved here 9 years ago, I had only heard of Willie Nelson and most people looked at me like I just arrived from the moon when I admitted I didn't know of the others.

Just to break things up a bit when you're sick of everything else, Esquivel is nice and mindless. I always feel like I'm driving in a 1950s car commercial when we listen to it on road trips.

Paint It Black - The Rolling Stones
Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
Rock and Roll - Led Zeppelin
Achilles Last Stand - Led Zeppelin
Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits
Lithium - Nirvana
Closer - Nine Inch Nails
Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots
Sex Type Thing - Stone Temple Pilots
I Wanna Be Sedated - The Ramones
Today - Smashing Pumpkins
Do the Evolution - Pearl Jam
Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf

highway forever.
actually the whole album.
127 times.
one way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIkU_kq1N5Y

I feel like a little Steppenwolf is essential to any road trip. Born to Be Wild and Wild Thing always get put on the driving mix.

Other things that frequently make my roadtrip mix:

American Girl - Tom Petty
America - Simon and Garfunkel
Another White Dash - Butterfly Boucher
Black Horse and Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall
Edge of Seventeen - Stevie Nicks
Flake - Jack Johnson
Hey Ya - Outkast
Human Behavior - Bjork
The Joker - The Steve Miller Band
Last Goodbye - Jeff Buckley
Least Complicated - Indigo Girls
Loser - Beck
Maggie May - Rod Stewart (or Melissa Etheridge's live cover)
Make Your Own Kind of Music - The Mamas and the Papas
Sabotage - The Beastie Boys
Santeria - Sublime
Singing in My Sleep - Semisonic
Someday We'll Be Together - Diana Ross and the Supremes
Sorry - Bic Runga
Summertime - The Sundays
These Are Days - 10000 Maniacs
Time Will Do The Talking - Patty Griffin
Young Folks - Peter Bjorn and John

Good god that drive SUCKS! You hit El Paso, thinking, "Yay! I'm almost there" and then you realize that you haven't even hit the halfway point.

Highway Star - Deep Purple
H.A.A.R.P., the entire damn album - Muse
Truckin' - The Grateful Dead
One of These Days - Pink Floyd
I'm in Love with My Car - Queen
I've Seen All Good People - Yes
Squash That Fly - Fu Manchu

And some great Texas music
The Way - Fastball
Ohio(Come Back to Texas) - Bowling for Soup
Possum Kingdom - Toadies
Cowboys From Hell - Pantera
Ugly Side - Blue October
The Underdog - Spoon
Overture to the Royal Mongolian Suma-Foosball Festival - UNT One O'clock Lab Band '75
Little Wing - Stevie Ray Vaughn
Light and Day - Polyphonic Spree
LaGrange - ZZ Top

I went school at UT, and would move back to Texas in a heartbeat, so I'm jealous of you, despite the drive.

Well, since you're moving, I'd use that time to listen to a series of long albums. Some good picks:

The Allman Brothers, Idlewood South & At Fillmore East, by The Allman Brothers Band

Southern Rock Opera, by Drive By Truckers

Exile on Main Street, by The Rolling Stones

If you're a metal fan, ...And Justice For All, by Metallica

And, if you have any taste, The White Album, by The Beatles

If you listen to all of those straight, that'll get you through 6 hours of driving.

My current on the road playlist starts with the singles that I have in my head:
1. Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap
2. Electric Feel - MGMT
3. No Intention - Dirty Projectors
4. Koop Island Blues - Koop
5. Heartbeats - The Knife
6. I Talk too Much - Just Jack

The rest of it is a mix of 80s and random other stuff that is fun to sing along to. Because sometimes the only way to stay awake is to belt something out at the top of your lungs.

Also, a tip from me to you, if you happen to start playing "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand while you're driving on the interstate, watch out. I've noticed I start bearing down on the gas in time with the song and by the time it gets to the first chorus I'm going 95 mph.

Oh, and I've found that audiobooks keep me going on the boring stretches. Paying attention to a plot keeps me awake, but not so distracted that I run into things.

There's nothing like good bluesy rock'n'roll for the road. I started my mix out with Bowie's "Queen Bitch", then threw in Led Zeppelin's "The Song Remains the Same", Velvet Underground's "Run Run Run", The Beatles' "Back in the USSR", and a few others including Chuck Berry, Sonic Youth, and The Kills. Ended it with Pink Floyd's "Fearless".

I also second the inclusion of some Explosions in the Sky.

I'll second the Femmes debut album and add their second, Hallowed Ground (esp. Black Girls and Country Death Song).

The entire Barely Legal album by the Hives, for when fatigue sets in. A gigantic fuckoff syringe of adrenalin straight to the heart that you don't need to keep a tune to sing along to

Other adrenaline syringes:
Anthrax, Among The Living
Slayer, Reign in Blood

Bill Hicks, Rant in E Minor

Muse, Starlight. The perfect uplifting goodbye song

Queen medley: the obvious ones (Champions et al) also Somebody to Love, Princes of the Universe, Who Wants to Live Forever, Seven Seas of Rhye

I'm sure theres more, but that will do for starters

Eve 6-The Open Road Song. Best listened to with the windows down

"Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict", by Pink Floyd. Best played at the darkness before dawn after driving all night.

Am I being to obvious and saying the unsaid?

AC/DC PEOPLE!

Riding down the highway
Goin' to a show
Stop in all the by-ways
playin' Rock n Roll!

Eels are brilliant for driving too.

And if you want to find regulating your speed impossible and completely confuse your sense of rhythm and direction, I suggest a bit of Beck.

For a mellow break or at night, As Falls Wichita So Falls Wichita Falls by Pat Metheny. Perfect desert/sunset music.

Let's see...

Almost anything from Head Automatica's Popaganda, but specifically "Graduation Day" and "Lying Through Your Teeth."
The Juliana Theory, "Do You Believe Me?" Perfect rockin' beat.
Anything by The Format, but specifically "The First Single," "Tune Out," "Make This Moment A Crime," and "She Doesn't Get It."
Relative to that last selection: "All the Pretty Girls," by fun.
"Blue Lining White Trenchcoat" by Mando Diao, preferably near dusk.
"You Can Run, But We'll Find You," Matchbook Romance.
Melee, "Drive Away."
"Nth Degree," Morningwood.
"Calling All Cops," Motion City Soundtrack
Phantom Plant, "Raise The Dead."
Every song by The Refreshments. But you know that already.
Almost anything by Rooney, specifically "I Should Have Been After You" and "Are They Afraid."
"Reckless Abandonment" and "Hush Hush" by The Spill Canvas (actually, the entirety of No Really, I'm Fine is one of my favorite car albums.
The Starting Line, "Island."
Sugarcult, "Dead Living," "Los Angeles," "Do It Alone" and "Hiatus."
Sunny Day Sets Fire, "End of the Road."
Superdrag, "I'm Expanding My Mind."
VHS or Beta, "Can't Believe A Single Word."
The Waking Eyes, Video Sound. The whole record.
And to end with a face-smasher: The Used, "Pretty Handsome Awkward."

Enjoy the drive and be safe.

All the songs I know are from bands you've told me about.

Am I being to obvious and saying the unsaid?

AC/DC PEOPLE!

Posted by: Mj88 at August 26, 2009 4:26 AM
---
Well OK, then, just plug in all of "If You Want Blood You Got It."

I can't drive, so I never get to choose the music. ('Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole' - words to live by, according to my designated driver(s)!)

But if I could, I'd go with:
U2 - the good stuff, before they got too pretentious;
Bowie's Platinum Collection;
Springsteen's hits;
A few soundtracks - Thelma & Louise, Pulp Fiction, Dr Horrible, Once More With Feeling.

We listened to the entirety of Led Zeppelin's "Houses of the Holy" during a car trip in the Southwest one summer many many moons ago. The penultimate moment came when we were driving through the Navajo Nation; I have never in my life been in NOWHERE like that - there were no buildings, cars, trees, animals, no NOTHING, just the road, sand and a few scattered bushes. A thunderstorm was gathering in the distance. Just as "The Rain Song" started, the Mesas that make up the Hopi nation came into view. With the thunderstorms, the emptiness, and the entire horizon filled with the Mesas....it was amazing. Definitely a lifelong memory. :-)

I know this is really late, but my favorite road music is Oingo Boingo's Dead Man's Party--it's a fantastic album to begin with and it's perfect for high speed highway cruisin'.