music for loooooooooooooooooooong car trips (or trips in general.)

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as some may know, i am going to be driving across the u.s. in less than two weeks. to fill up this daunting task, as well as to provide a soundtrack for seeing the usa in my chevrolet, please offer up suggestions for a trip of the long duration.

― jess, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

bonus points awarded for "evocative" music, or evocative music which might not be readily apparent.

― jess, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Acquatica by Scenic, especially if you're going through any desert- like areas.

― Andy K, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Equinoxe by Jean Michel Jarre if you're going through any rainy areas

― michael, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Anything by Neu! when you're driving along flat spots without deviation for a while at a brisk speed. The Midwest, then.

― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

see ned, i immediately thought of neu of course, but the problem with the extant neu albums is that i'd need 70 minutes of motorik, so maybe i'll make a mix.

no one has said kraftwerk yet, so i will.

― jess, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Aphex Twin 'Selected Ambient Works Vol. 1' is a good one for driving. Vol. 2 might prove to be a little disconcerting.

― Johnathan, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Listen to Margo Guryan in the evening, esp. if you're passing through a city, or even a medium-sized town. I'm listening to 25 Demos right now and it's terrific. (Thanks, ILM!) It would also be good for a change after abrasive music, windows closed.

― youn, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

A Chain Reaction/Basic Channel/M mix of Monolake, Porter Ricks, Pelon, Maurizio, etc. etc. etc. is great for the Midwest -- especially this time of yr.

― Andy K, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

BOC's "In a Beautiful Place...", especially "Amo Bishop Roden".

― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Slowly developing pieces like SAW2 or Consumed, where background "voices" gradually emerge and then recede are MADE FOR traversing the Great Plains. There's this visual effect that occurs where little, isolated farm houses dotting the landscape appear to be "sailing" the mist-coated wheat fields relative to one another. Dare I say trippy?

― Curt, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

'The Charm of The Highway Strip'- The Magnetic Fields

― Todd Burns, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

The first Silver Mount Zion cd is really creepy to listen to on back roads. Driving around western Virginia, blaring that cd, I got the creeps.

Modest Mouse "Moon and Antartica" is a great long trip cd as well. Great late night cd. It scares the crap out of me too with all of the backwards guitar production going on.

― Brock K, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I highly recommend _For Those About to Rock, We Salute You_ and _Doolittle_.

I also highly recommend my mixes--Jess, email me privately with your address and preferred format (CD or cassette).

― Douglas, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

CCR=excellent road trip music.

― adam, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

All this droney shit is awful for long drives. I expect this would be as true of other regions as the midwest. You don't want to fall asleep!

― Josh, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

My favorite driving record is probably Grateful Dead Europe '72. You've got to have some Dead, in any case.

― Mark, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

JOE'S GARAGE Acts I,II and III by Frank Zappa

― Alex in NYC, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Jess... call me... There's one thing I might like better than road trips. And that is.. planning on music to bring along to road trips. In fact, road-trip-ability is usually my favorite quality in music regardless.

The following is just a mere SMIJJIN of what I played during my West Coast road trip over Xmas vacaciones:

Hochenkeit "Omu4h 4aholab/400 Boys"
The KLF "Chill Out"
Stereolab "Emperor Tomato Ketchup"
Stereolab [home made CDR of 1995 stuff on Aluminum Tunes]
High Llamas "Hawaii"
Comet "Chandelier Musings"
Young Marble Giants "Colossal Youth + Test Card + more"
Beach Boys "Good Vibrations Box Set - Disc 3"
Super Furry Animals "Rings Around The World"
The Wedding Present "Bizarro"
Pell Mell ALL OF THEM... "Flow", "Interstate", "Star City", "The Bumper Crop", "Rhyming Guitars", you name it
They Mysteries Of Life "Keep It Like A Secret"
Pinback ALL OF THEM... "Pinback", "Some Voices", "Blue Screen life", "Live in Donny's Garage", you name it
Amon Duul II "Yeti" and "Tanz Der Lemminge"
Minutemen "Double Nickels On The Dime" and "Post Mersh Vol. 2"
Meat Puppets "Meat Puppets", "II", and "Up On The Sun"
Tall Dwarfs "Hello Cruel World", "The 3 EPS",..

You know, it's probably pointless to go on here.. Anyway, you'll find often how lyrically apt the music you choose will just fall into place while on the road. To me, it's worth those moments alone.

― Brian MacDonald, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I don't know if you can afford the luxury, but if you can... get a portable Mp3/CD player. That way, you don't have to lug a suitcase worth of CDs alone to keep you sane. But again, it is a luxury...

Although, I've sharpened my changing-CDs-while-driving skills quite well this last time..

― Brian MacDonald, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Josh is OTM about staying away from dones and ambient and kraut. To me, country and folk are made for long distance drives. Largely because they have a very midwestern and southern appeal to them. So Johnny Cash or Hank Williams or some Dylan or Bruce.

― bnw, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

No need to pack any Bruce, CCR or AC/DC. Or doesn't your car come with a radio? And if staying awake is important [rolls eyes], think about audio books. If you're lucky, the local library has road companions to lend.

― Curt, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

No droney stuff? Hows about "Pinkerton" on repeat, ad nauseam?

― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

That Rhino edition of 'Funhouse' with twenty thousand versions of each track. Time and distant will just slip away.

― Snotty Moore, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

That Rhino edition of 'Funhouse' with twenty thousand versions of each track. Time and distance will just slip away. (Oops , spelling error there)

― Snotty Moore, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

for the night time driving: Massive Attack

― A Nairn, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Droney and ambient stuff, no, but c'mon guys- motorik Kraut doesn't make you sleepy at all. Autobahn works brilliantly, it really does. Nobody ever lets me put my tapes on in the van, so I don't know how well they really go, but I heartily suggest 'Hats Off To Larry' by Del Shannon. Although if you're going to see your missus (which I believe you are, aren't you?) then it might not be so apt...

― emil.y, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

billy joel

nothing is funkier than "big shot" on a car stereo

― ddd, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Just make a bunch of mix CDr's of your favorite tracks. It may sound weird, but I think a lack of musical variety is a good thing on a car trip. Rather than 50 albums, try 5-10 cdr's. The reason being that it forces those songs to truly become a soundtrack as you listen to them over and over in the context of your trip.

of course, I am one of those people who perfer to really know a few great records, than just glance over a bunch of material. Also, if you are not traveling alone, take more music, just to please your other passengers.

― mt, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

left frizzell, johhny cash , sally timms, hank iii , robbie fulks, carter family and cake

― anthony, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Recently, I found _Laughing Stock_ to be perfect accompanyment to a rain-drenched drive on the highway. Almost any music with a good sense of space & dynamics makes for quality car listening on long journeys (sez he that drives 3 hours round-trip to Boston quite often) - that covers the ambient beat-happy stuff, and all the cool rock albums. (_Go Forth_ & _Change_, for instance.) (And _A Series of Sneaks_, oh yeah!) I'm sure there's some hip-hop that meets these criteria, but I can't think of any right now.

― David Raposa, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I agree with the comment that a lack of variety can work well. The instinct is to pack as much variety as space will allow in order to be prepared for whatever yen may arise, which means not selecting more than one or two things by any one artist. However, think about including several CDs each of a few artists you've been meaning to spend more time with. Or different artists that share a style. Or a box set. I've turned to doing this on road trips, and it can be a lot more satisfying than always mixing things up to avoid boredom, which becomes boring in itself, because it's just like being at home.

― Curt, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Depends if your travelling alone or not. Otherwise Aphex Twin Selected Ambient Works 85-92. Sloan One Chord To Another, if you have passengers sleeping GYBE F#A#howdoyoudoinfinity is grate as long as you arent tired too. Screamadelica was surprisingly not well recieved at all by those in my van but Rheostatics Melville was. Any Spiritualized album is a good bet as well.

― Mr Noodles, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

You need to tape different genres: Definitely singalong pop so people can gawk at you when they pass you by in the car. Secondly kling klang noizzz when you enter the city. Minimal music which will be perfect when you roam the streets at night. Rock when you want it confrontational and in YOUR FACE. And of course singer songwriter music. You can lipsync to that. People will give you the money you need to move to other city.

― helenfordsdale, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Skynyrd. No kidding, only good for long tired drives. Also, just listen to the country music on the radio.

― Sterling Clover, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Detroit Escalator Company , or for that matter anything from the motor city, a mp3 cd with :
Carl craig - Landcruising,
Detroit Escalator Company - black buildings
True People : The Detroit Techno Album
Model 500 - Classics
Robert Hood - Internal Empire
Jeff mills live at the liquid room

all on shuffle, i'd never stop driving ..

― jk, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I had some MP3s on my laptop when I was in NY with my cousin. Played "Addicted to Bass" so much my cousin is now thinking about buying the CD. hah! She also liked Cold As Ice.

― helenfordsdale, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I was passenger a couple of days across South Australia. Surprise CDs that 'worked' in that context were Plone (the "For Beginer Piano" -I think that's the title - one), Add N to X's "Avant Hard" and that Air one that came after Moon Safari (the compilation of singles). Eno's "On Land" is good for twilight/early evenings...

― Loop Dandy, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Comedy tapes.... Andrew Dice Clay, Martin Lawrence, Eddie Murphy. Try to tune into a multicultural radio station and get cantonese/mandarin sessions...either there'll be awesome hong kong dream-pop or hilarious clucking banter where the dudes may try to freestyle... Also I love stopping at gas stations, buying some weird compilation tape, listening to it, and, whether I enjoyed the tape or not, chucking it out the window later on....makes me feel wealthy (I am).

― Ramosi, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Saint Etienne are ace for watching street lights pass in the dark, especially the early stuff.

― Graham, Tuesday, 5 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Graham is so right here.

― Robin Carmody, Wednesday, 6 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

You want bangin' techno/hardcore/rave/industrial for this trip. One of the best car rides I've ever been on involved my father and me driving from the Twin Cities to Chicago with the following soundtrack:

_Speed Limit 140+ BPM, Vol. 2_
_XL Recordings Chapter 3_
_Experience_ - The Prodigy
_Bad Mood Guy_ - Severed Heads
_Showtime_ - Nitzer Ebb
_Disintegration_ - The Cure
_Tour Of East Asia_ - Harvard Glee Club

Admittedly, those last two CDs are not techno/hardcore/rave/industrial.

― Dan Perry, Wednesday, 6 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

You should bring one of those Morricone compilations-appropriate for the city, the grainbelt, the high desert, the Continental Divide, you name it.

― Arthur, Wednesday, 6 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

g-funk!

― richelleux, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

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