By pejepeine
Lots of driving experiences this week, and it was great to read about rides, the roads and the reminiscences from so many contributors. The A-list is more a reflection of the stuff that caught my ear when I was listening to the noms, but compiling the B-list, which is a lot more hard-rockin’. I realised it's every bit as good, and there were dozens more tunes I could have chosen.
Some complained it was a baggy theme, and I agree, but the aim was to let people cut loose and tell us about their on-the-road experiences, and it turned out to be full of those, from Tatanka's elegant Citroen to George's new mobility scooter.
Let's start with ParaMhor's uncle, rising at 3am to drive a big milk wagon round the rural roads. Dire Straits are a classic drivetime band and Solid Rock did the job for him. Dark roads, hard work, spotless licence, a job well done.
Back into town and it's a little eerie at this time of morning, with just a few cleaners and nurses on their way to work and a gaggle of all-night clubbers weaving home, perfect for RZA's Ghost Dog Theme, which Traktor Albatrost recommends for slow driving in urban areas.
A hearty breakfast and it's time for the school run. Marco appears to be an old hand at this, and I'd have like to have got the kids bouncing up and down to the Paw Patrol song, but YouTube won't allow it, so it's another classic back-seat bouncer with Princess Cupcake, Katy Perry.
OK. The kids are safely dropped off and we've got a long journey ahead. The last set of traffic lights before we leave the city cues up one UncleBen's favourites: Dexys Midnight Runners and Tell Me When My Light Turns Green.
The sun's out, there's an open road ahead and the scenery's lovely, so BanazirGalbasi recommends the classic Ventura Highway by America as we open the window and let the wind rush through our gloriously feathered hair.
I like French toll roads. You pay your money and get a good long stretch of perfectly maintained asphalt – they're not always pretty but it's a great place to get into that subconsciously alert, trance like state when you just drive. Neu!'s E-Music, which Mnemosene2 discovered on the way to the ATP festival in Minehead, is the perfect accompaniment.
Oh no, how did we end up on the M25? Loads of traffic, angry honking horns, heavy vehicles and overcast weather. Still, T3 by Carter Tutti Void , the “monotonous motorised backdrop” that Mussolini Headkick played on the ring road while visiting his mum during lockdown fits the mood perfectly.
The sun's out again, and look at this lovely scenery! So let's just cruise slowly through the rolling hills and woodlands to the sound of the godfather of pastoral motorik, Johann Sebastian Bach. We've got all day and, as Chris 7572 says, “It's a real spirit lifter.”
OK, time to clear our heads and head back to town. Long Blondes' Separated By Motorways rinses the synapses – “a total headrush”, as Vastariner correctly points out – for the return trip.
Now we're on the way back it's time for another groove. I've done a lot of driving to Eddie Kendricks'deep grooves and wicked falsetto, and his classic Keep On Truckin', with that awesome, thumping Motownrik mid-section, was a welcome nom from AltraEgo.
Flamenco always reminds me of just before sunset, as that's when one of the main programmes on Spanish national radio comes on. Maki's suggestion of Aire (Bulerías) by the great José Mercé is great stuff as we put on our sunglasses, pull the sun visor down and set the controls for the heart of the sun.
Quite how we got to Mount Coolangatta is anyone's guess, but ajostu once watched the sun set over this natural monument to the gorgeous jazz of Village of the Sun, so let's share the magic.
Back into town, and DiscoMonster's weaving in and out of the Helsinki traffic to The Dur Dur Band from Somalia, and their irresistible Duurka. “Are we nearly there yet?”, one of the kids might have piped up from the back seat if they weren't at their grandparents..
Is that the turn-off for home? Time to put the indicator on, hang a left and roll gently up to park on that old familiar street once again? Nah, forget it, let's allow TatankaYotanka – whose memories of motors and a rewarding life of listening behind the wheel were one of this week's highlights – lead us into the beautiful dark with another great offering from Robb Johnson: “The road goes on...”
Riding-Along-In-Your-Automobile A-List Playlist:
Dire Straits – Solid Rock (ParaMhor)
RZA – Ghost Dog Theme (Traktor Albatrost)
Katy Perry – Hot & Cold (Marconius7)
Dexys Midnight Runners – Tell Me When My Light Turns Green (UncleBen)
America – Ventura Highway (BanazirGalbasi)
Neu! – E-Musik (Mnemosene2)
Carter Tutti Void – T3 (Mussolini Headkick)
Johann Sebastian Bach – Brandenburg Concerto No 3 (Chris7572)
The Long Blondes – Separated By Motorways (Vastariner)
Eddie Kendricks – Keep On Truckin’ (AltraEgo)
José Mercé – Aire (Bulerías) (Maki)
Village of the Sun – Village of the Sun (ajostu)
The Dur Dur Band – Duurka (DiscoMonster)
Robb Johnson –The Beautiful Dark (TatankaYotanka)
Brakes Off B-List Playlist:
Fu Manchu – King of the Road (TraktorAlbatrost)
“Overtaking while shouting singing along to the line ‘King of the road says you move too slow!’ is one of the greatest joys of driving.”
George Thorogood – Gear Jammer (SweetHomeAlabama)
“It's a Totally Genuine Fact™ that if you play this song on your vehicle's sound system you'll gain an additional two to three miles per hour”.
Weekend – Coma Summer (DiscoMonster)
“..hitting sixth gear and prison speeds while the guitars in Coma Summer blend with the tyre noise.”
Blondie – Union City Blue (happyclapper)
“Bit of steering wheel drumming called for here”
Jimi Hendrix – Crosstown Traffic (George Boyland)
“...it would sound so dashingly cool blaring out of an open window at speed”
The Fall – Blindness (Song Bar Landlord)
“Putting the finger up to all annoyances and blasting your way through all of life's difficulties with a blistering riff at full volume.”
Gorillaz – 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix) (Mussolini Headkick)
“Open topped hire car. Lesvos coast road from Petra to Anaxos. Sun, excitement and ready for the beach”
DB Boulevard – Point Of View (Pop Off!)
“A song for sunset or just after when you are of to the clubs in the city. Especially good when every light is green as they usually are when you are in the zone.”
Pure Prairie League – Two Lane Highway (magicman)
“He may have played it through more than twice. He was tripping on acid, and he'd just deserted from Norfolk Navy Base. 24 hours later he dropped us on the South Side of Chicago.”
Dwight Yoakam – Readin’, Rightin', Rt. 23 (TatankaYotanka)
“Got into the crawl to and through the Euston underpass and there inching the other way was Robbie Coltrane in a ridiculous Buick convertible with the top down but looking cool and perfectly in scale with the car. I'm there, all windows down, sweaty in a singlet, arm hanging out of my window, Hillbilly Deluxe on top volume. He looked over, nodded gracefully, and I nodded back.”
Lighthouse Family – Ocean Drive (magicman)
“I love it in my driver's bones”
Jimi Tenor – Call Of The Wild (UncleBen)
“One evening, we were playing this song in the car, just as a wild boar appeared in the headlights - standing stock still in the middle of the track and not showing much inclination to move out of our way.”
Guru’s Wildcard Picks:
MFSB – In The Shadow
Sophisticated disco for a sunset ride.
Philemon Wehbe – Basita!
School run fun with my son.
Grover Washington – Knucklehead
Urban prowling in my unwieldy whip.
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations in response to last week's topic: The feel of the wheel: ideal driving songs. The next topic will launch on Thursday at 1pm UK time.
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