Would you share your music suggestions for road trip entertainment?

As a classical music lover, one of the things that I particularly enjoy about my annual migration to the Midwest is the chance to listen to uninterrupted symphonies on the drive. I don’t know Spotify, so I don’t know whether you can get orchestral productions via that source, but I love the Beethoven symphonies, Mozart’s symphonies and some operatic arias, the Peer Gynt Suite from Grieg, Rossini’s William Tell Overture, The New World Symphony (Dvorack’s 9th) ... too many to mention (but actually more whose names I can’t recall).

I used to do a yearly drive from Seattle to New York with just the (very tolerant) goofy dog. I found that kinda thumps sing along stuff kept me going, Neil Diamond, Motown, Billy Joel, stuff like that.
Now there are certain things I hear that immediately take me back. I miss those drives, I miss that dog! :-)

ABBA, Partridge family (did you have that where you were as a kid) Elton John, Bee Gees, Pet Shop Boys, Queen, best hits of the 70’s/disco.

Van Morrison (Caravan era), Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, Dire Straits and Simon and Garfunkel are my go-to road trip bands. Also, a Mo-town compilation I have.

And you know, there’as always Eric Bogle…....

Donald Fagen – Kamakiriad
The whole album.
Very road trippy.

I like a mix tape fro road trips that is a mix of older and newere music. And it has to be somewhat designed for the route. A mix for mountains is much different for a mix along the coast.

For driving in the Rocky Mountains, my Mountain Road Mix includes:

Tangerine – The Voyces
Road to Nowhere – Talking Heads
Calamity Song – The Decemberists
Breathe – Alexi Murdoch
Girl Sailor – The Shins
When You Love Somebody – The Decemberists
Demons- Imagine Dragons
Human – The Killers
Stubborn Love – The Lumineers
Your Rocky Spine – Great Lake Swimmers

My list I call “Gaviota” for driving along the Southern California beaches includes some old surf music by Honk, Vahevala by Loggins and Messina, some arcane Beach Boys, and Southern Cross by Crosby, Stills, and Nash.

19–2000 and/or Rock the House by Gorillaz, Autobahn by Kraftwerk, “I will survive” by Gloria something, that rolling on the river song by Tina Turner, Wake me up before you go-go by WHAM, Highway to Hell and/or Hell’s Bells by ACDC, Stop the Rock by Apolo440..

You could find some vaporwave too, it’s very good for long roads, especially if you go alone. Look up some playlists on Youtube.

Holding on for a hero by Bonnie Ter and We are Golden by Mika

Anything by ZZ Top, is great driving music. The Eagles also make some great driving music, Life in the Fast Lane, Hotel California, etc. Makes me want to get out and take a drive just thinking about those groups.

Oh, 30,000 Pounds of Bananas the live version by Harry Chapin. That will kill almost 12 minutes of driving right there.

I have a list of classic songs I always reccomend, but instead I’m going to reccomend some newer songs:

The Wire – Haim

Traveller – Chris Stapleton

Keep it Between the Lines – Sturgill Simpson

Hold On – Alabama Shakes

Try Jerry Jeff Walker, if you can find his recordings in Oz… https://youtu.be/bQezneIHZD8 https://youtu.be/tnSCpLH6CP8

I can tell you some of the tracks that I take with me on long journeys:

Frank Zappa: RDZL, Inca Roads, Burnt Weeny Sandwich, Black Napkins.
Satie: Gymnopedie
Borodin: Polovtsian Dances
Chick Corea: Crystal Silence
Chieftains: The Walls of Liscarrol, Women of Ireland and many others
Duncan Chisholm: Fiddle music
Fernando Porto: Eletricidade
Holst: The Planets
K.D Lang: Ingenue
Sade: Is it a Crime, No Ordinary Love and others
Scott Walker: Windows of the World, Montague Terrace in Blue and others.

PS Have a great trip!

@flutherother Polovetsian Dances is a reminder of my youth.

It takes me back a little too. Lovely music! I’m listening to it now.

I know you asked for music suggestions but what about audiobooks too? Great for passing time.

On long drives a lot of the time I like to vary between “softer” songs that don’t play well in traffic, such as
Radical Face – “Welcome Home”
Sleeping at Last – “Saturn”
and louder, really “driving” songs that I don’t feel like turning up the volume so much when I’m driving through town, such as
Rammstein – “Ich Will”
Outasite – “Tonight’s the Night”
or music with themes (or words) that I prefer not to play so much around town, like
CeeLo Green – “Fuck You”

Or music that I wouldn’t want a soul that I know to know that I enjoy the least little bit, like
Aqua – “Barbie Girl”

Audiobooks

I’m tired just thinking about this drive.

I’m excited thinking about this drive! We’ll see amazing scenery, animals, meet people. We’re going to do a helicopter flight, boat trips through the wetlands with crocodiles and birds, we’ll go whale watching, see sunsets and sunrises over amazing landscapes and the Western coast. It will be awesome! And we actually really like being on the road together.

Thanks everyone for the tips so far. I’ll go through and create some playlists. I hadn’t thought about audiobooks, but that’s a good idea too. I’ve got an Audible account. I’ll look for a book we will both enjoy.

:)