Can’t get motivated to write about the birthdays or much else today. I’m just exhausted from all the quilting.
I was driving home through the nearby rural-like nature of Sandia Pueblo last night, feeling for a few minutes like I was on another great American road trip. And just then Booker T. and The M.G.’s came up randomly on the iPod with “Green Onions,” the greatest of all road trip music.
And I thought, I need a road trip mix for the Z4. “Green Onions” obviously, Del Shannon’s “Runaway” of course, but what else?
And, come to think of it, why do The M.G.’s have an apostrophe in their name?
Get your kicks on Route 66 (I’d go with Nat King Cole)
Maybellene (Chuck Berry’s cover of course)
Hot Rod Lincoln (Charlie Ryan)
The New Lee Highway Blues (David Bromberg
Six Days on The Road (Taj Mahal’s cover is way cool!)
On The Road Again (Too obvious?)
How about “Bringing In The Sheaves”.
Ramblin’ Man (The Allman Brothers)
Graceland (Paul Simon)
Take Me Home Country Road (Israel Kamakawiwo’ole)
Hit The Road Jack (Ray Charles)
Green, Green Rocky Road (My favorite cover is from Kate and Anna McGarrigle)
King of The Road (Roger Miller)
The Road’s My Middle Name (Bonnie Raitt)
The MG stands for Memphis Group, so I guess it’s actually a possessive? The S doesn’t make much sense at all, when you think about it.
And I love AC/DC on the open road. It’s the only time I listen to that band.
No Particular Place To Go (Chuck Berry)
Truckin’ (The Grateful Dead)
Big Joe And Phantom 309 (Tom Waitts’ cover)
Runnin’ On Empty (Jackson Browne)
Cross Road Blues (Robert Johnson’s often imitated but never duplicated original)
Take It Easy (The Eagles)
I’m playing “No Particular Place to Go” and I may have to go at least sit in the car in the garage!
On my own I added Jerry Lee’s duet with Jimmy Page on “Rock and Roll” and Emmylou’s “Heaven Only Knows.” Oh, and the Kendalls “Heaven’s Just a Sin Away.” You drive like I do, heaven’s near at hand.
Come to think of it, I’d better add Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel.”
I’ve got Van Morrison and John Lee Hooker doing “Gloria” on the iPod right now, and every time it comes up I drive faster.
There’s also something to be said for “Sympathy for the Devil.”
You could do worse than Lonnie Brooks’ “Sweet Home Chicago.” Or, come to think of it, the Blues Brothers version (Steve Cropper on guitar) isn’t bad, either.
Finally, if I might get a little hoity-toity on you, there’s a John Adams composition called “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” that is all roaring start-up with no denouement. I’ve got the Bournemouth Symphony recording of it and if you put it on while driving a curvy road it makes you feel like you’re Cary Grant in “The Man Who Knew Too Much” and the bad guys are bearing down on you. The only problem is timing your arrival with the end of the song. As the last notes sound, you want to raise a cloud of dust sliding to a perfect stop. Then you straighten out your suit, hand the valet your keys, and walk coolly away.
Also Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.”
Don’t forget to get your kicks on “Route 66” and Dave Dudly’s “Six Days On The Road.” Oh, Eddie Rabbit’s “Drivin’ My Life Away”.
How about:
Etta James: At Last,
Patsy Cline: Crazy,
Ricky Nelson: Hello Mary Lou,
Roy Orbison: Pretty Woman,
Ray Charles: Hit The Road Jack,
Willie Nelson & Ray Charles: Seven Spanish Angels,
George Shearing: Lullaby of Birdland,
Jerry Lee Lewis: Sweet Little Sixteen,
Marty Robbins: El Paso,
Fats Domino: Blueberry Hill
At Elise’s suggestion and just in case, you know the devil takes exception to all the heaven music, I’ve added AC/DC “Highway to Hell.” And the Stones “Sympathy for the Devil” of course, as Tom suggests.
Sorry, I like “Take It Easy” well enough. But if I want to hear it I can just turn on the radio and find it somewhere. I did add “Life in the Fast Lane,” though.
My favorite “Route 66” is Chuck Berry (heard in the soundtrack for Cars). “Six Days on the Road” is essential.
Lots of good ones Ephraim. We are from the same generation. You must drive slower than me, though.
Oh and James McMurtry’s “Choctaw Bingo,” the best song ever about contemporary America.
And Sharon Jones’s “This Land is Your Land.”
Sorry, just ignore me. “Going Up the Country,” Canned Heat. I’ll be going out for a drive now.
Hang on Sloopy; Hold on I’m coming; Rider’s on the storm; Papa was a rolling stone; Mustang Sally; On the Road Again (willie nelson) On the road again (canned heat); Roll over Beethoven; You can’t catch me;Rock and roll music; Johnny B Goode Going up the Country; Bad to the Bone; Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going’ On; Great balls of Fire; Breathless; Louie Louie; Devil with the Blue Dress on; 96 tears; Wooly Bully; Wild Thing. Long Tall Sally; Black Magic woman Up around the bend; It’s bad you know; Orange blossom special’; Born to be Wild (steppenwolf); Radar Love; Like a Rolling Stone and Papa’s got a Brand New Bag. These will surely get you a speeding ticket so watch the speedometer.
Roadhouse Blues by the Doors
What a great list!
Tom Waitts’ Diamonds on my Windshield
Radar Love – Golden Earring
Plastic Jesus – got me – anybody?
Route 66 – Nelson Riddle
Can’t take it, gotta go work : (
Mike already mentioned it, but for a mix like that, I would have to have “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf. When I drive, I also love to listen to the Beatles 27, early Linda Ronstadt, and the early Moody Blues. Pink Floyd had some great driving music, too (“Welcome to the Machine”).
This is still a work very much in progress so keep those cards and letters coming folks.
I have included many, but not all of your suggestions. (I don’t own all the tracks you’ve suggested for one thing; I haven’t gotten to some of the others.)
I must also advocate for Talking Heads’ “Road To Nowhere,” “Get Out the Map” by the Indigo Girls and “Truckin'” by the Grateful Dead.
I used to spend an awful lot of time on the open road, and back in those days I always had super fun (and fast) cars. I miss both a lot.
To contribute, I’ll just make a quick list of the handful of CDs I always made sure to take with me:
The Shins Chutes Too Narrow & Oh, Inverted World
The Bangles Greatest Hits
Tom Jones Greatest Hits
Morphine Cure For Pain & Like Swimming
Metallica’s Black Album
AC/DC Highway to Hell
White Zombie La Sexorcista
Patsy Cline 12 Greatest Hits
The Ramones Anthology
ABBA Gold/Greatest His
The Pogues Peace and Love & Rum Sodomy and the Lash
&
all of the Golden Age of Country CDs
Indispensable driving music, all. 🙂
“Hold on, I’m a Comin'” Sam & Dave
“Why You Been Gone So Long” Johnny Darrell
“Run on for a Long Time” The Blind Boys of Alabama
“Love Shack” The B-52’s
“Far Away” Marty Stuart
“Vaya con Dios” Connie Smith
“Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground” Willie Nelson
Any Merle Haggard
Wall of VooDoo – Mexican Radio at least