Editorial note: Opinions expressed here are solely those of the blogger
As I’ve noted in recent posts, our family just completed our annual summer road trip; this year to Las Vegas. My family didn’t take road trips growing up so for me the experience has been something of a novelty. While of course the destination and related activities surrounding it are memorable, so too is everything along the way. Ranking the different gas stations and rest stops. The it-never-goes-out-of-style license plate game. Salty, sweet and caffeine-loaded snacks. And of course the music selection.
Our family discovered two good podcasts – Heavy Medals, about the U.S. women’s gymnastics program, and Toxic: The Britney Spears Podcast. But we still found ourselves with countless hours to fill. So beyond occassionally finding radio stations in various areas we traveled through, my wife Wendy and I, the two primary drivers, accessed albums via Spotify and listened to them in their entirety. I thought at one point the trip would be a good way to discover some new music. But instead we listened to a variety of old favorites, sonic comfort food if you will; many of which we hadn’t heard in quite some time. Here’s a look:
Rockin’ The Suburbs – Ben Folds, 2001
It’s hard lyrically to get much better than Ben Folds. He’s cynical and biting without ever being bitter and is impressively ahead of his time in addressing many social issues of the day.
Speakerboxx/The Love Below – OutKast, 2003
OK, I believe many of you reading this post have probably heard “Hey Ya!” enough but the deep cuts on this concept album are amazigly produced and of course, catchy as all get-out. I am much less familiar with Hip Hop than most other music genres. But I’ve just been starting to dig into Kanye West over the past several months and honestly hear traces of OutKast in his work.
Tusk – Fleetwoood Mac, 1979
Back in the early aughts I was on a Lindsey Buckingham kick and purchaed this CD, listening to this quite a bit. Tusk is all the more impressive considering it was the follow-up to the mega-selling Rumours and couldn’t be more different. While Tusk features songs like “Sara” and “Angel” that are more reminisicnet of its predecessor, I believe the album’s strenth lies in the Buckingham-centric offerings that are raw, quirky and don’t sound remotely dated.
Now, for some context, we typically listened to these aforementioned albums between 3:00-6:00 p.m., when we were getting toward the end of the travel day, starting to think about exploring our next destination. The next couple of albums were ones I selected at about 10 or 11 a.m., when the caffeine started wearing off and I needed an alternative energy source.
Diver Down – Van Halen, 1982
This album holds sentimential value for me as it was the first Van Halen record I ever purchased. And, while I don’t believe it’s their best, it’s still my favorite. Diver Down contains a ton of covers but in typical Eddie Van Halen fashion, he keeps their familair elements while making them entirely unique. Listening to Diver Down reminded me of how much he’ll be sorely missed.
Pyromania – Def Leppard, 1983
Pyromania was one of my favorite albums growing up and it had been awhile since I listened to it from beginning to end. “Photograph” and “Rock of Ages” will continue to be awesome no matter how many gagillion times I hear them. But its the B-sides like “Stagefright,” and “Action Not Words,” that I believe truly make this album stand the test of time.
If you have a roadtrip planned for these remaining weeks of summer, my hope is this post inspired you. Or just click away on your device or laptop and check out these albums. Either way, happy listening and safe travels to you.
shishkabobgirldad 