best driving albums

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As near as I can tell, this has never been done -- though I'm sure this reflects something lacking in the search engine more than anything else.

What albums are, from beginning to end, great to drive to?

Swervedriver - Raise
New Order - Get Ready
Afghan Whigs - 1965

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Thursday, 24 April 2003 20:44 (twenty-two years ago)

And just so you know, this is not an idle question. I have about 1300 miles coming up here in a couple months, and I want to be STOCKED. And very very awake.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Thursday, 24 April 2003 20:55 (twenty-two years ago)

my dad sez bitches brew

― matthew james (matthew james), Thursday, 24 April 2003 20:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Why are you asking your dad?

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Thursday, 24 April 2003 20:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Cuz his mom's buzy!

― buttch (Oops), Thursday, 24 April 2003 21:03 (twenty-two years ago)

my dad just told me. he was driving me round the south orbital to collecta mattress thi smorning, and i was too tired for conversation. after twently minutes, and with no apparent cause, he says, "bitches brew's a good driving album too." and he knows that i can't drive. he doesn't know i smoke though.

― matthew james (matthew james), Thursday, 24 April 2003 21:51 (twenty-two years ago)

depends what kind of driving...

for fast driving.... ned's atomic dustbin "god fodder"... for around town i like something with a little more boogie... saturday night fever soundtrack... or james brown live at the apollo....

minor threat's "discography" has never failed to keep me awake.
m.

― msp, Thursday, 24 April 2003 21:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Think long stretches of midwestern highway. Think approaching Chicago at dusk.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Thursday, 24 April 2003 22:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Frank Black - s/t
Nitzer Ebb - That Total Age
AC/DC - Highway to Hell

― paul cox (paul cox), Thursday, 24 April 2003 22:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Plastikman - Sheet One. But YMMV (i.e. it might put you to sleep; but it works for me)

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Thursday, 24 April 2003 22:45 (twenty-two years ago)

You can use this time to finally listen and learn to admire the Grateful Dead!

― SplendidMullet (iamamonkey), Thursday, 24 April 2003 22:54 (twenty-two years ago)

That's the exact reason as to why I don't have a driver's licence.

― Ally (mlescaut), Thursday, 24 April 2003 22:55 (twenty-two years ago)

I think the Dead makes for really good driving music... but you must first like the Dead!

― Sam J. (samjeff), Thursday, 24 April 2003 22:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Hitchhikers like the Dead so bring some along just in case!

― SplendidMullet (iamamonkey), Thursday, 24 April 2003 22:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Haha, actually the last drive I took I listened to the expanded Europe '72 cd!

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Thursday, 24 April 2003 23:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Superfly! (that was not in response to Mr. Diamond's post, although I do not doubt his superflyness)

― buttch (Oops), Thursday, 24 April 2003 23:15 (twenty-two years ago)

If I'm driving somewhere that's 6 or more hours away, it's impossible to make the trip without my 'computerwelt'/''mensch maschine' cassette. (same cassette I dubbed for myself in '84 onto a cheap memorex... and sounds great) there is no better driving music.

― milton, Thursday, 24 April 2003 23:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I've done the Dead thing before, with some very fashion-conscious, SUV-driving "hippie" who had nothing in her car but bootlegs. And you know what?

http://www.sjhnasalsinus.com/images/snore.gif

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Friday, 25 April 2003 00:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Friday, 25 April 2003 01:20 (twenty-two years ago)

basic channel owns this thread.

― Mike Taylor (mjt), Friday, 25 April 2003 01:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Any good hiphop sounds great in a car.
AC/DC and Queens Of The Stones and Chili Peppers
sound great
Mega distortion sounds AWFUL cranked in a vehicle.
And remember, people, there's such a thing as
too much bass.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Friday, 25 April 2003 04:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Feelies: The Good Earth
Tom Petty: Full Moon Fever
Neu!: Neu!

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Friday, 25 April 2003 04:03 (twenty-two years ago)

And remember, people, there's such a thing as
too much bass.

Eh uh. too much 'dirty', ie distorted, bass yes. Too much clean bass, no--assuming that you have the high end to match.

― buttch (Oops), Friday, 25 April 2003 04:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Any and all Neu!.
Kinski - Airs Above Your Station
Roy Montgomery - Scenes From The Sound Island (for driving through midwest thunderstorms)

― Chris Barrus (Chris Barrus), Friday, 25 April 2003 04:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Mother Sky

― autovac (autovac), Friday, 25 April 2003 04:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Would it be cliche to suggest "Autobahn"?

― Hayden Nicholls (Pop the Weasel), Friday, 25 April 2003 11:00 (twenty-two years ago)

another vote for Neu!, but to be more specific: Neu!75 (make a copy and put Hallogallo from the first album before it and Für Immer from Neu!2 at the end of the tape/cd-r and I think you have a near perfect driving album!)

aptly titled but maybe (just maybe) not appropriate: Modest Mouse - This is a long drive for someone with nothing to think about

long stretches of midwestern highways.... Ry Cooder - Into the Purple Valley. greatgreat album. 1st song: How can you keep moving (unless you migrate too)

― willem (willem), Friday, 25 April 2003 11:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Great road-trip rekkids (in the Best For Sunny Cloudless Days division):

Beck's Midnight Vultures
TCQ's Beats, Rhymes, & Life
Paul Pena's New Train
Medeski Martin and Wood's Shackman
Sly and the Family Stone's Stand

Great road-trip rekkids (in the Best For Rainy Cloudy Days division):

Radiohead's The Bends
Jimi Hendrix's Axis: Bold as Love
Genius/Gza's Liquid Swords
Miles Davis' In a Silent Way
Buckethead's Bermuda Triangle and Electric Tears

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 25 April 2003 12:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Absu - Tara
Meshuggah - Chaosphere
Daft Punk - Discovery
Boredoms - VCN
Biggie - Ready to Die

And the importance of mixes that jump between styles cannot be underestimated. Lots of hip-hop is always good on these, cause I find myself getting bored with many of the full albums while driving.

― original bgm, Friday, 25 April 2003 12:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde
Rolling Stones - Exile On Mainstreet

and most other double albums
what, you're really gonna sit still listening for over an hour at home?

― Paul (scifisoul), Friday, 25 April 2003 12:29 (twenty-two years ago)

okay, speaking of double albums, Fucking Champs - III - electrostomp, whammy bar crunch with bursts of pastoralism.

worked for me, made me ooh! and aah! and uh!

― nebbesh (nebbesh), Friday, 25 April 2003 12:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I LOVE the Fucking Champs!

― SplendidMullet (iamamonkey), Friday, 25 April 2003 12:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Best for approaching Chicago at dusk:
Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me.
Screaming Blue Messiahs - Gun Shy
Spoon - Telephono

Best for being stuck in traffic:
Neil Young - Comes a Time

― dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 25 April 2003 13:04 (twenty-two years ago)

I used to be a busdriver in college and sometimes I would drive for 12 hours straight. My findings.

You need albums that you love all the way through- for me that was Pavement, Stone Roses, X Ray Spex, Modern Lovers, H'Boy Modeling School, De La Soul. You need albums where you can sing loudly along too in case it's a late night and you must stay awake- Sleater Kinney, Slade, Prince. I also found for some reason that listening to jazz or even Tortoise just made me really, really angry driving. I had to stop that.

― Carey (Carey), Friday, 25 April 2003 13:27 (twenty-two years ago)

The Melvins-Gluey Porch Treatments (Eye Flys alone is classic)
Sleep-Jerusalem
Tony Conrad With Faust- Out Side The Dream Snydicate
Neu (lready mention but you cant beat Hallogallo)

― brg30 (brg30), Friday, 25 April 2003 23:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I am actually preparing to make a 2000-mile drive next month. Most of my CDs are currently packed away, with only a select few still out. These CDs will, hopefully, keep me from falling asleep on the highway. Among the titles I've kept out:

Yo La Tengo: Summer Sun
Wilco: Being There, Summerteeth, YHF, the new EP
Pixies: The Purple Tape
Stereolab: BBC Sessions
Pavement: S&E double CD
Camper Van Beethoven: Cigarettes & Carrot Juice
Beck: Odelay, Mutations, 1 Foot In The Grave
Uncle Tupelo: Anthology

In the past, I've found that YLT's Painful works wonders as a road-trip album as well.

― mike a (mike a), Friday, 25 April 2003 23:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, a large mp3 player set on random play is the best. The best road trips mixes have been entirely generated by 2600 randon songs on my iPod

― Chris Barrus (Chris Barrus), Saturday, 26 April 2003 00:07 (twenty-two years ago)

jenelle:

Carol King - Tapestry
Sly & the Family Stone - Greatest Hits
Le Tigre - From the Desk of Mr. Lady
Go Go's - Greatest Hits

matt:

Duran Duran - Rio
Van Halen - Van Halen

― jenelle and matt, Saturday, 26 April 2003 23:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Re: Buttch
Dirty bass is worse, but even clean bass when taken to
extremes becomes this huge pulsing physical thing - it
isn't musical anymore. YMMV but I prefer to hear the
actual music.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Sunday, 27 April 2003 01:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I would just pack both of the Nuggets boxed sets, but I'm afraid my girlfriend would kill me.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Sunday, 27 April 2003 01:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Anything in (or mostly in) mono is great car music for me, considering the rest of my music listening is usually done with headphones. :-)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 27 April 2003 01:31 (twenty-two years ago)

neu! again, blue oyster cult (anything up to/incl. "agents of fortune"), chrome ("alien s/t" or "half machine"), hawkwind

― duane, Sunday, 27 April 2003 01:39 (twenty-two years ago)

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