# The Ultimate Road Trip Mix {Tape, CD, mp3 playlist} **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 15, 2007, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-road-trip-mix-tape-cd-mp3-playlist/396043 "2007-03-15T15:12:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-road-trip-mix-tape-cd-mp3-playlist/396043/1 "2007-03-15T15:12:18Z")
So back when I was a strapping young lad, if we wanted to have songs from different artists and albums play sequentially, we made a mixed tape. Now you youngsters with your burned CDs and your mp3 players have changed everything around… it’s easier to carry thousands of songs with you in the car and never have to choose the best of the best. But come with me now to yesteryear, when you had to work within the confines of a 90 minute cassette tape. Metal, 45 minutes per side, with Dolby C noise reduction for best sound. That was about 9-11 songs per side. I don’t require we use the songs of yesteryear either, so Flock of Seagulls is not an automatic inclusion… but the format of yesteryear. Give me one (or two) sides, or just signle song suggestions, for the greatest road trip mix tape ever. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-road-trip-mix-tape-cd-mp3-playlist/396043/2 "2007-03-15T15:35:32Z")
Road trip? You have to include **Chuck Berry** ’s **“You Can’t Catch Me”** , in which our protagonist’s car sprouts wings, allowing him to escape the New Jersey State Patrol. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-road-trip-mix-tape-cd-mp3-playlist/396043/3 "2007-03-15T16:26:51Z")
Side 1: Sugar - The Act We Act The B-52s - Rock Lobster The Feelies - Let’s Go The Clash - Complete Control The New Pornographers - Use It Joshua Radin - These Photographs Metric - Monster Hospital Meat Puppets - Swimming Ground New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle (12" Mix) Otis Redding - Try A Little Tenderness (Live at the Monterey Pop Festival) Side 2: The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner The Pogues - Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Billy Bragg & The Blokes - St. Monday The Replacements - Takin’ A Ride Marshall Crenshaw - You’re My Favorite Waste Of Time Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated The Stone Roses - Elephant Stone The Soft Boys - I Wanna Destroy You The Beatles - Day Tripper Beastie Boys - Shake Your Rump The dB’s - Black and White Belle & Sebastian - Women’s Realm Husker Du - Divide And Conquer The Divine Comedy - Tonight We Fly Belle & Sebastian - Women’s Realm ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-road-trip-mix-tape-cd-mp3-playlist/396043/4 "2007-03-15T16:34:40Z")
It would have to include “Radar Love” ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-road-trip-mix-tape-cd-mp3-playlist/396043/5 "2007-03-15T16:59:48Z")
Road mixes are my specialty. Side 1 Magnificent Seven - The Clash She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult Cities In Dust - Siouxsie and the Banshees Coming Up Close - Til Tuesday Fascination Street -The Cure Bring On the Night - The Police Once In a Lifetime - Talking Heads Bullet the Blue Sky - U2 Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top Side 2 New York New York - Ryan Adams Southbound - Allman Brothers Band Travelling Riverside Blues - Led Zeppelin California Stars - Billy Bragg and Wilco Big Sky Country - Chris Whitley Texas Flood - Stevie Ray Vaughan Going to California - Led Zeppelin Two Of Us - The Beatles Tangled Up in Blue - Bob Dylan Let It Ride - Ryan Adams & the Cardinals Comin’ Home - Lynyrd Skynyrd ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-road-trip-mix-tape-cd-mp3-playlist/396043/6 "2007-03-15T17:14:04Z")
_Free Fallin’_ - Tom Petty (without, I believe, the Heartbreakers?) - especially good when driving alone and you can whoop and holler along. _Clocks_ - Coldplay (I know, I’m a little sick of it too, but it’s an awesome highway song.) _Riders on the Storm_ - The Doors (best after dark in the rain.) _Good Morning, Starshine_ - the original cast recording - because every driving mix needs a sing-along around mile 724 to wake everyone up. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-road-trip-mix-tape-cd-mp3-playlist/396043/7 "2007-03-15T17:22:19Z")
Oops. Delete that last (redundant) entry for “Women’s Realm”, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-road-trip-mix-tape-cd-mp3-playlist/396043/8 "2007-03-15T17:28:15Z")
Tom Petty - Running Down a Dream Primus - Over the Electric Grapevine Two good songs about driving. ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-road-trip-mix-tape-cd-mp3-playlist/396043/9 "2007-03-15T19:20:16Z")
**I remember these!!!** Made from vinyl, no less. (But no metal tape, that stuff flakes. 😉 ) Here are two I still have (not necessarily meant for a road trip, but used that way.) The first is one of the oldest I remember making, probably in the summer of 1980. **A** 1. Lady Fantasy - Camel 2. Cities on Flame - Blue Oyster Cult (live from _On Your Feet Or On Your Knees_) 3. Stand Up \> Running - Santana 4. All My Love - Led Zeppelin 5. The Romantic Warrior - Return To Forever 6. Liar - Queen **B** 7. The Wizard - Black Sabbath 8. Europa - Santana (live from _Moonflower_) 9. Automatic Man - Automatic Man 10. In The Court Of The Crimson King - King Crimson 11. Messin’ The Blues - Robin Trower 12. Fool In The Rain - Led Zeppelin 13. What Is and What Should Never Be - Led Zeppelin 14. Lady Love - Robin Trower 15. Soldier Of Fortune - Deep Purple The next one I made in 1995 for a high school reunion. The idea was to give a prize to whoever could name the most songs. (We never got around to playing. Just as well, it probably would have been ugly.) **A** !. Situations - Jeff Beck Group 2. People, People - Tommy Bolin 3. From Another Time - James Gang 4. Late December - Gypsy 5. Pegasus - Allman Brothers Band 6. Desert Rose - Eric Johnson 7. Crash And Burn - Pat Travers Band 8. Sunhair - Ozric Tentacles 9. Country Music (a night in hell) - Stuart Hamm **B** 1. The Storm - Bloodline 2. Believe Me - Blues Traveller 3. Shaky - Limbo Cafe (a ringer as Limbo Cafe was a local band I liked) 4. Echo - Joe Satriani 5. The Fan - Little Feat (live from _Hoy Hoy_) 6. Atilla The Hun - The Dregs 7. Jelly Roll - Blue Murder 8. The La La Song - Zebra 9. Song For George - Eric Johnson 10. Gringo - Little Feat ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-road-trip-mix-tape-cd-mp3-playlist/396043/10 "2007-03-15T21:08:15Z")
I don’t know if it’s a road tape, but it’s my favorite mix tape. It’s roughly eighties on one side, seventies on the other. What’s Going On- Four Non Blondes Method of Modern Love- Hall & Oates Heart & Soul- T’Pau Video Killed the Radio Star- The Buggles Come Back and Stay- Paul Young Running Up That Hill- Kate Bush Wuthering Heights- Kate Bush Only the Lonely Can Play- The Motels Bad Blood- Neil Sedaka Afternoon Delight- Starland Vocal Band It’s Magic- Pilot Delta Dawn- Helen Reddy One Tin Soldier- Coven Wildfire- Michael Martin Murphey Wichita Lineman- Glen Campbell Love Is Alive- Gary Wright And I _sing_! I may be a freak but I have a good time. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-road-trip-mix-tape-cd-mp3-playlist/396043/11 "2007-03-15T21:24:18Z")
When certain songs come to an end, I still expect to hear the song that was next on one of my old mixed tapes. Boys of Summer was on a mixed tape that was made for me by the cute younger sister of one of my best friends. I still think of her every time I hear that song. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-road-trip-mix-tape-cd-mp3-playlist/396043/12 "2007-03-15T21:28:42Z")
Me too, Shelbo. It’s even worse when that’s the only song on the record I like, I always associate it with the mix tape rather than the record. Or the worst: when someone makes a mix tape for you that has songs that sound nearly the same and puts them together on the mix. I always associate **Town Called Malice** by _The Jam_ with **Lust for Life** by _Iggy Pop_ because someone put them together on a mixtape and they have a nearly identical beat. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-road-trip-mix-tape-cd-mp3-playlist/396043/13 "2007-03-15T21:30:05Z")
I only have two to offer, but I can’t believe neither was yet mentioned: Don’t Look Back, by Boston Life is a Highway, by Rascal Flatts (the road montage in Cars was AWESOME set to that music)