Favorite driving music


While the system in my car (a serviceable Harmon Kardon unit that is oem from BMW) is no where as good as my home system, it does get the job done while I'm tooling about.

I generally prefer uptempo jazz while I'm driving on winter roads in the northwest: heavy brass - sax players like Illinois Jacquet, King Curtis, Ike Quebec or Gene Ammons. Lately, as the weather's getting better, I've also been listening to Gatemouth Brown, Los Lonely Boys, Katie Webster and the Phantom Blues Band. When the sun comes out, and the top goes down, I'll probably start slipping in discs by Taj Mahal or even the Beach Boys. Of course, most selections are motivated by the kind of driving I'll be doing.

What's in your vehicle's cdp right now? And do you have any favorites for freeway driving? How about those demanding back country roads? Late night?
islandear
For local driving the theme song to All Things Considered is the only music I hear. When I travel I stream NPR Music app with my iPhone over Bluetooth. That's how I find new jazz artists.
Double Life - The Cars; Born to Run - Bruce; Pretender - Jackson Brown; No Fences - Garth Brooks; Kern River - Merle Hagard.
Pat Metheny Group Still Life Talking by a mile,Dick Dale the King of the Surf Guitar and without a doubt Hot Rod Linclon by Commander Cody both radio hit and live version and original Charlie Ryan.
Jaybo, outstanding! Golden Earring, one of my favorite bands. I prefer mixed oldies compilations in the car.
Doors-RIDERS ON THE STORM, Golden earring-RADAR LOVE, Jannis Joplin-ME AND BILLY MAGEE
I forgot "i'm in Love with my Car', from Queen's Night at the Opera.
Buffalo Springfield, "Mr. Soul", CSNY Deja Vou" Neil Young's "Mr. Soul" from Trans, Boston's first album, and both Surfing" and "Blue Dream" by Satriani.
But then there's Foghat, DP's MachineHead, some Rainbow, or maybe i'm too old for that this year. Okay, I'll blast Heifitz Scotish Fantasy. or maybe not.
Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die - Freedom Rider
John Mayall - Turning Point - California
Allman Brothers - Live at Filmore East - Memory of Elizabeth Reed
Doesn't this depend on the kind of driving at hand?

For example:

Route 80 W, Summer, Western Nebraska sunset, nursing a broken heart, just off chicken fried steak at a diner where the waitress called you honey, California not that far down the road, and love is seeming possible again. Cowboy Junkies, "The Caution Horses."

On the other hand:

Route 40 E, Winter, Oklahoma mud, long past midnight, the day's seen all of Arizona and New Mexico, caffine, nicotine, sugar, and whatever other stimulants you've got have long ceased to have meaning, and you're due in New York by dinner for an awkward family occasion. There can only be one disc: Speedball, "Do Unto Others, Then Split."

As may be evident, I've had a few miles to ponder this. Nice thread.

Keep the shiny side up,

jmd
Just to add to Audiofeil's excellent post...

Four Wheel Drive- Bachman Turner Overdrive
The Chauffeur - Duran Duran
Red Barchetta - Rush
Little Red Corvette - Prince
Life is a Highway - Tom Petty
Every Day is a Winding Road - Sheryl Crow
Highway to Hell - ACDC
Legs - ZZ Top ( remember the cherry red Ford roadster in the video! )
She Drives me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals
Hit the orad Jack - Ray Charles
Love Shack - B52's
Cars - Gary Numan
I drove all Night - Cyndi Lauper
Driving in my Car - Madness
Drivin' my Life Away - Eddie Rabbit
Fun Fun Fun - The beach boys
Roll on down the Highway - Bachman Turner overdrive
Workin at the Car Wash - Jim Croce
Paradise by the Dasboard light - Meatloaf
Gotta Keep Rollin' - Hoyt Axton
Truck Drivin' Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Audiofeil, very compelling (eg, driving) list!

Jaybo, how could I have overlooked that classic?
Audiofeil, that's the first time I've seen Aliotta, Haynes, Jeremiah on a 'gon post. Saw them live many times in Chicago in the late 70s. Man, they could rock! How many times have I cruised LSD with those guys blasting out of the speakers? Thanks, great memories. Now I'm going to put them on the home rig. Do you know anything about them today?

Tom
Neil Young - Living With War!
and REM - The Best of REM In Time 1998-2003
I sing at the top of my lungs to both in the car. Ilove it!
"Drive My Car"- Beatles
"Driving With Your Eyes Closed"- Don Henley
"Drive"- REM
"Driving Sister"- Mott the Hoople
"Moonlight Drive"- The Doors
"Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man"- Byrds/Joan Baez
"Truck Drivin' Son Of A Gun" - Dave Dudley
"You Drink You Drive You Spill"- Offspring/Nofx
"Drive"- The Cars
"I Can't Drive 55" - Sammy Hagar
"Lake Shore Drive" - Aliotta, Haynes, & Jeremiah
Some great choices. Some I'll have to check out. I agree about Rory - another great, largely unsung guitar hero. Great in the car.

Okay, Paladin, I'll bite: what were the other 'goodies?'
I prefer compilation CDs for my driving. I've gotten to the point where I actually remix material in Adobe Audition and add interesting transition clips. (For example, a switch from a Vivaldi cello short to Ray Parker's Ghostbusters tune, using Monty Python's "and now for something completely different" mixed directly into the start of the Ghostbuster tune.

Of course, it makes for a pretty slow process to build an hour long CD this way, but when I'm done, it's a keeper.
Andreas vollenweider "Behind The...", (limits aggression)
Bootsie Barns "Bopping Round the Center" (fun);
Jimmy Heath "Turn Up the Heath" (push it!)
Midnight Oil "Blue Sky Mining" (I'm going to the Shore!)\ Push it!)
Too many to list.
I once got a ticket for driving my Benz @ 158 mph on the Southern State Parkway in NY while listening to the Eagles "Already Gone"!
The trooper wanted to arrest me, but when he saw the other goodies I had in my car - Gave me a ticket for doing 78 mph in a 55 mph zone.
Ho hum....been there, done that: Best driving music

For some reason, I still like southern rock when I drive, yeah Allman Brothers, etc. I very rarely listen to southern rock at home. Go figure.

John
"What's in your vehicle's cdp right now? "

Widespread Panic, live in concert. I listen quite a bit to jambands, so most of the time I find myself listening to Panic, Moe, String Cheese, New Monsoon, and Steve Kimock. When I'm really blasting on the back roads, Sonny Landreth always gets my tires squealing and my motor revvin'.

Oh yeah, I was cookin' to Rory Gallagher yesterday, may he RIP...

-RW-