Here’s the trick – it has to sound equally good when you’re sailing along, definitely going a wee bit faster than you should, and when you’re stuck in a long, slow crawl.
My nominee: Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin, Love Devotion Surrender. It’s trippy and it totally soars. starting with the opening and its two screaming guitars, making it great highway music – but it’s also got serious content, making it worth meditating on when I’m stuck in traffic.
My # 1: UFO Tofu, by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Even if I listen to it at home, if I close my eyes I can see the scenery moving past.
Running on Empty, Jackson Browne. Self-explanatory.
Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac. I don’t know why, exactly, but the mix of voices and song styles makes for a great car CD. It helps if you know all the words to the songs, too.
ZZ Top: Deguello.
Don’t forget to turn it up!
Citizen Cope - The Clarence Greenwood Recordings
The ones we used to just leave in the car were The Sopranos soundtracks (seasons 1 and 2).
Madonna’s Immaculate Collection - I know every word to every song. It keeps me from getting distracted
Either of Garbage’s first two albums
Coldplay’s new one…X & Y
Duran Duran’s Seven and the Ragged Tiger
I also have a collection of Beethoven’s…uh, greatest hits, for lack of a better description…all done on piano. His “Moonlight Sonata” reminds me of my mom. She used to play it a lot when I was growing up.
SLAYER!
Anything by Isis, especially Oceanic or Panopticon.
Deep purple
Machine head
Don Henley,
Boyz of Summer
What could be better than
Anything by Stevie Ray Vaughan or Buddy Guy. Anything by Santana.
Van Halen’s music was specifically made to drive fast to. But I can get into it when I’m driving slow too.
By the way, I’m referring to Van Halen with David Lee Roth. That fast driving sound left with Diamond Dave.
The Piper’s Legacy by Rob Crabtree. Good mix of piping tunes from a variety of traditions.
Pink Floyd - Pulse
Musically, I can’t think beyond three minutes, so all I have are single songs. My choices (depending on terrain):
The Promised Land, words and music by Chuck Berry, performed by Elvis Presley
Going Mobile, words and music by Pete Townsend, from “Who’s Next” by The Who
Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antartica, Good News For People Who Love Bad News, etc
Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone