Tuesday, October 21, 2008

There is nothing that the road cannot heal.

Ladies and gentlemen of the 'spill, I know it's been a while but it's been an odd few weeks, with very little access to the web along the way. It's been busy, too. We've been up and down the country, we've been gazumped and been fooled, we've been disappointed and been looking at lots of fairly depressing toss. BUT! At last! It happened! In bleedin' Bradford of all places (for DsD alone, that city and its suburbs has given us a lot...)! So here it is. Representing in full effect. The snadfrod wagon.

(Just to be clear, it's the two-tonne, left hand drive 'Hymer Camp 57' in the front you're looking at, not the mother-in-law's Nissan Micra behind. We're not touring Europe in that, that would be insane.)

So, to recap for those of you who might not (quite reasonably) have been following - Mrs Frod, Mini Frod and I have returned from Ireland, jobless, homeless and more than a little directionless. In response to this rather debilitating state of affairs we came up with a pretty jolly ruse. The gist of it is this: we buy a cheap motorhome, run away round Europe for the next six months and, um, that's it.

So yesterday we went to Bradford, having previously had almost everything go wrong on the search, and brought home the beast. There had been false hopes, there had been insurance refusals, there had been payment concerns and there had been, I'll be honest, tears. It was, I imagine, a lot like buying a house except for the fact that ours is a very cheap house and constitutes almost all our worldly finances, in cash. And when the world collapses around us, maybe that will be a good thing...

But anyway, I digress. Finally, yesterday, we got it. It's a '91 Hymer, which means it is German built, which means - basically - that it'll be warm, dry and run forever. It sleeps four in comfort, has cupboards to cobble dogs with and even (miracle of miracles) has a separate shower. Mini Frod, having been leery at first, now loves her big bed above the cab and I have successfully driven it twice now without crashing.


Above, Mini Frod can be seen demonstrating her new, massive den. Don't worry folks, there's loads of air up there. Also, note our new wild-animal livery. Not my choice, but arresting nevertheless.

The plan thus far is a bit sketchy. We reckon it'll be mostly UK up until christmas, with a tentative toe dipped into Northern Europe via a friend who lives in Maastricht. After that, though, in January it'll be a run to the sun and we wont be back until one of us has a job or Mini needs to be in school. Or, more likely, the cash runs out, but still...

Whatever happens, though, it means that the road is now our friend. And my other friend, as it goes, will be the ten CD auto changer that the van has had fitted. Bonus! And so we come to your bit. I would love it if each and every one of you, whom I love respect and need music off, could choose for me your number one driving album. I'm talking proper road trip music. You know the kind of thing, right?

I hereby promise to, ahem, get a copy of every nominated album to go with us in the van and hopefully appraise for you. It's going to be a long trip and we are hoping to blog it but, equally, it could also just end up being a long time without internet access. Either way, I would love to get suggestions from you all and can't wait to let you know how it goes. Pip pip!!

P.S. I would have a song for you, but this ain't my computer. Conor Oberst gave me the blog title, so just play his song Moab in your heads, ok? Ta.

52 comments:

snadfrod said...

One other thing - maybe a little bit cheeky - but I wanted to say that if you didn't want to nominate an album but, instead, fancy doing an actual road-mix CD then I would be happier than words could ever say.

If you're interested I can give you a postal address, but I'm not going to just post it willy nilly, y'know?...

Cheers.

Anonymous said...

You mean you want MORE music from my collection?!

I've never had anyone like that much of it before ... not even (actually - "particularly") DarceysMam.

;o)

treefrogdemon said...

I'm with the Dude here, snadfrod - for driving, Creedence Clearwater Revival Chronicles vol 1 (I haven't got vol 2 or I'd probably recommend that as well).

Happy to b*rn it for you if you want.

PS Kirkcudbright is very nice. There's a caravan park next door to me or, well, we have a guest bathroom and plenty of hardstanding (not necessarily in that order).

snadfrod said...

@TFG - 'hardstanding'!!! As I'm starting to learn, this is the magic word... Many thanks for the offer, we'd actually spotted Kircudbright in a magazine somewhere as being recommended, and I remembered the name from previous discussions on here. Creedence it is, and if we're up that way I will let you know.

@DsD - more? Surely I haven't scratched the surface yet? Mood Indigo saw me round the country for a week or two. That Black tune (rapture, something...) is absolutely brilliant! As much as I can get, please!

Anonymous said...

Serious question then ... does that CD multichanger play mp3 files on CD-R? Because if it does I can get up to a hundred songs per disc for you.

Let me know asap; I'm in Redditch again on Thurs/Fri.

Anonymous said...

"Hardstanding" is one of my specialities....

Shoegazer said...

Great to hear from you Mr. Frod. No idea what tunes to send for your trip (I'm guessing family friendly). Feel free to drop a few hints of what you want from the shoevaults, maybe I can Boxtr something via Darce? Anywho, have a great trip.

snadfrod said...

@DsD - I don't think it will but, regardless, I'm going to be a purist and ask for the old C90 style disc, replete with beginning, middle, end and flow. Not asking much me, am I?

@speng - that's brilliant, could you give me some advice on my hook-up, then? And, whilst you're at it, can you help polish my awning?

Much obliged.

bethnoir said...

Music for the Masses by Depeche Mode. May not be your thing at all and it tends to make me drive too fast, but a great band for driving to, I think.

That's such a courageous and exciting idea, I wish you much good fortune and serendipity on your journey
:-)

ToffeeBoy said...

Hey snadfrod! Part of me is envious of you for the the six months of adventure and excitement you have in front of you - the other part is thinking, rather you than me matey!

No idea if this is the sort of thing you're looking for but three CDs that I instinctively reach for before a long car journey are:

George Best by The Wedding Present
Come On Feel The Illinoise by Sufjan Stevens
Jordan: The Comeback by Prefab Sprout

I can't really argue that any of them is what would you would call a classic driving album but they never fail to keep me amused...

snadfrod said...

@shoey - family friendly for sure (I think I may have explained before that Mini is rather keen on 'her' songs and Mrs has previously gone on record that she likes DJ Shadow but "why does he have to spoil it by putting his hand all over the records?"), but I'm going to leave it at that. I want to know what everyone's best ever driving album is. No matter what. Give me a name. I'll find it. And then we shall see....

(Disclaimer: If the name you give me is 'Wolf Eyes' or 'Merzbow' I may have to demur...)

@beth - Depeche Mode are on the list. Thankyou very much and thanks for the best wishes too. But as for speed, don't worry. If it gets above 60, it'll be a miracle...

snadfrod said...

@Toffee - thankyou! Finally the spur i needed to get George Best (silly partisanship having prevented me thus far...) AND a Prefab Sprout album. I've got Illinoise but if the other two are along the lines of that one then I fully trust your 'not-really-driving-music-but-perfect-for-driving' stance. Cheers.

Oh and I just mentioned to Mrs Frod about your rather you than me feeling, and we both agreed that we actually feel the same. Eep. Deep breath...

TatankaYotanka said...

So ... is Sooty on public transport until you get back?? A star of his calibre???

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gRuFfka4zOk

Shoegazer said...

OK then, from the 80's vault try Simple Minds - "Sons & Fascination/Sister Feelings Call. Lyrics are crap, but the music was still pretty good. Did you buy Low's - Great Destroyer, yet? Another long album. For sing-a-long time suggest The Teddybears' Soft Machine & something old but familiar like The Clash - London Calling. Recent stuff: new Mogwai, TV On The Radio & Deerhoof (but I might be alone on that last one). Happy trails.

snadfrod said...

@tatanka - oh yes, but at least we are taking sweep and soo with us. But his looks like a Dethleffs to me.

@shoey - brilliant stuff. All go on the list, but haven't got round to Low yet. Needs doing soon, though. As for Mogwai, much as it pains me, I was underwhelmed. Needs more time, I'm sure, but TVOTR and Ben Folds have been hogging all of that of late. Ta.

@DsD - almost forgot to say that I'm at Elbow thursday night, but friday could be good for a pint. I'll let you know.

Keep 'em coming folks.
Night.

GarethI said...

Beethoven's Third, Fifth and Ninth Symphonies for me.
If you want to speed up, Stephan Bodzin's Liebe Ist… (techno with a tune) will do the job.
If Mini Frod wants you to slow down, try a bit of:
Shack's – …At The Corner Of Miles and Gil (the brass section will bring you below the limit),
The Shortwave Set - The Debt Collection (thrift-shop samples sounding loosely stitched together and in permanent danger of falling apart.)
DeVotchKa – How It Ends (they use a double bass and sousaphone, which slows them down, but they can really crank it up - they're probably the band Gogol Bordello would like to be)
and either of The Aliens' albums are good for the road.

TatankaYotanka said...

Ok ... well if Sue needs a lift to the shops ... or to one of her board meetings, I'll cover you. In return, you must purchase and listen to this CD.

Curly's Airships - Judge Smith

http://www.curlysairships.com/

I know I keep banging on about this, ... but it is practically the best afternoon play you ever heard, ... combined with ghostly visitations, fantastic guitar solos, the wonderful larynx of Arthur Brown and a bit at the end where you'll have to pull into a lay-by and have a good cry. Give the CD booklet to Minifrod and it's practically homework; with the fascinating story of an improbable journey that ends in .... oh s**t, .... I'm sure you'll have a fabulous time!


No really, this works on so many levels .. true story, well told and lots of great music ... if you acquire the taste then get 'The Full English' as well, these songs appeal to all ages .. and the cover will give you proper perspective when all you can get for breakfast is yoghurt & honey.

TatankaYotanka said...

And ... although you may not have noticed, I quite like some of the stuff that Peter Hammill has done over the years. You know the Kevin Bacon game .. six degrees of separation? If you can get from Peter Hammill to Sooty in two moves, I'll send you a genuine copy of Curly's ... and I'm being cautious in differentiating Sooty from Mathew here ... :-))

Blimpy said...

donds for shortwave set and devotchka!

Anonymous said...

Donds to early Simple Minds.

As much as I adore Shack's Corner of Miles & Gil, the boredom of the road may have MiniFrod listening/singing along to more of the lyrics than you would like, right from the album's opening line "Tie me down said Louise" !!
You could definitely do an ace Shack compilation though.

You could put together an excellent singalonga-Alabama 3 disc too: don't get lazy and just pick an album as they all have stuff you don't want MiniFrod asking you about in polite company.

If you make it to Kirkcudbright & on further north, take The Silencers' So Be It album (includes my favourite version of Wild Mountain Thyme).

Individual tunes? If you don't have Lemon Jelly's Ramblin' Man, Nizlopi's JCB Song, or Soulsavers' No Expectations, you'll really miss a trick. I suppose I ought to nominate Anywhere I Lay My Head or Wherever I Lay My Hat too! ;o)

If you liked Black's Sweet Breath Of Your Rapture, go get Black's 1991 untitled/eponymous CD. (Cover photo is a B&W head shot of Colin Vearncombe looking very VERY wet.) Massively underrated, family-friendly lyrics, packed full of good vibes (CV was newly married at the time and was SO-O-O obviously madly in love it pervades the whole album). You could load The Sundays Static And Silence next to it in the multichanger too.

How much do I love this album? Enough to *not* want to burn it for you, because I think it's never too late to put some money in CV's pocket for an absolute masterpiece of a record. Yes, this is my "one you must take".

For late at night once MiniFrod is in bed but close by in your one room abode, I'd recommend Mark Hollis' album; some Sigur Ros (probably Hvarf/Heim); Kronos Quartet & Clint Mansell's soundtrack to The Fountain or Goldmund's Corduroy Road; and Manuel Gottsching's E2-E4 should hit the spot too.

Re Thurs/Fri - DAMN! If you're at Elbow on the Thursday, that means I'm stuck south of Birmingham when the Mogwai & Fuck Buttons are on in Manchester too. I can't do Friday, I'll be required to take Darcey's new taxi home PDQ after trading the Rover in against it in B'ham on Thursday.

And I'm going to have a chat with DarceysAuntie next week to ask her for a list of items indispensible to a motorhoming family ... the short-length spirit level immediately springs to mind!

If I can I'll do you a CD. Let's see - necessarily pedestrian of pace; must suit one guitar fan, one with a penchant for beats, and one junior; geographically diverse; uniformly upbeat but not raucous . . . this is Morcheeba's Who Can You Trust, surely?!?!

Bed time - g'night all.

Luke-sensei said...

Donds for Deerhoof.

I think the child-like vocals and simplicity of the lyrics would be a big hit with the wee one.

Carole said...

Things we like to play on long journeys include;

Pet Shop Boys Pop/Art
Little Feat Waiting For Columbus
The Pixies Doolittle
Allman Brothers Live At The Fillmore East
Kylie Ultimate Kylie
Dusty Springfield Dusty In Memphis
Led Zeppelin The Song Remains The Same
Metallica Black Album
Siouxsie and the Banshees Nocturne

Though not all of them in the autochanger at the same time.

Anonymous said...

Good luck with the adventure. I had a fantasy of buying one of those things and just heading off but I chickened out. The call of the suburbs?

Anyway, if you're blazing through some fantastic scenery, I'd heartily recommend Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.5. It's so uplifting and it's got a tune anyone can sing along too. Take the full set: there's plenty more good stuff in there: just keep the baton away from the driver!

My one Grateful Dead suggestion (I do hope someone noticed I didn't mention them at all on the suburbia blog) for a road trip is Truckin'. About their early touring days, it provides a geography lesson and has a great skipping rhythm. A long version (e.g. Europe 72) provides maximum groove time...

'Truckin, got my chips stashed in
Keep truckin', like the do-dah man
Together, more or less in line,
Just keep truckin' on.'

Anonymous said...

Hi Snad, best of luck and all that sort of thing. And to think, your journey started out in Bradford!

Can't think of a single album which suits but I offer you a few of the tracks from a compilation tape I made for myself when I went backpacking round the world back in '92. It's in the form of a leaving-getting tired-coming back circle:-

'Over The Green Hills/ Worry' - Free
'Freebird' - Lynyrd Skynyrd
'Travelling Man' - Free
'Ramble On' - Led Zep
'I'm A Mover' - Free
'Out On The Weekend' - Neil Young
'Pictures of Home' - Deep Purple
'People Are Strange' - The Doors
'Homeward Bound' - Simon & Garfunkel
'Coming Home' - Deep Purple
'The Long & Winding Road' - The Fabs
'A Sort of Homecoming' - U2
'Over The Green Hills' - Free (this segues into the first track and restarts the cycle).

There were a few more but they involved train travel, which I hope you won't have to resort to.

And yes, I do realise how narrow my musical knowledge was at the time....

Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

I really like Queens of the Stoneage and 'Songs for the Deaf'- good for putting your foot down to, and singing at the top of your voice with the windows open.

On a more mellow note try a compilation including 'Ventura Highway'(America), 'Boys of Summer' (Don Henley), 'Long Distance Love' (Little Feat), 'Radar Love'(Golden Earring), and 'Highways of the Sun' (Camel). And may good fortune follow you.

Anonymous said...

Gordon, if you can burn those to CD I can get them to Snadfrod ...

... I'll ring you (both) tomorrow.

Amy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
gremlinfc said...

what a fab idea but too risky and rad for most of us to try - would love to do you a CD of road-type tracks - will compile them and let you know- all strength to you . Cayton Bay is lovely at this time of year if you are up that way- stiff breezes on the beach - bracing stuff.

goneforeign said...

I had this fantasy once and built the vehicle to do it in, when push came to shove Ms GF chickened out mumbling something about her career. If I were you right now I'd be pointing that thing south towards Gib and when you get there decide whether to make a left of to go straight, I'd go straight. You're probably carrying quite a bit more weight than the engine's intended for, don't be afraid to downshift on the slightest hill and watch your oil and water temps. Keep your plumbing clean and ditto your drinking water. Music's so personal that I'll leave you in charge of that but I fitted a good Sony shortwave receiver, wonderful to be able to pick up radio that you know when a long way from home. We listened to Gorbachev being 'arrested' in Moscow whilst parked on a beach in southern Mexico, courtesy of a US news station. Carry some spares, carry the shop manual, carry some tools.
Have a wonderful trip and keep in mind what the Merry pranksters had in the destination window of their bus, 'Forward'.

steenbeck said...

Feeling a little bit jealous, Snadfrod. (If McPain gets elected we'll be hanging on to your bumper). What an adventure. Minifrod must be so excited.

Did you ever answer DsD's question about mp3s? We made a traveling mix for Mr. Steenbeck's nephew (who is traveling around Africa with the Clinton foundation) that turned out quite well, to my ears. I'd gladly podbean it to the 'spill and then you can choose what you like. I can't burn CDs at the moment because the disk drive on the computer is broken. Not sure about the sweary content. We listen to all sorts of cursey music with the boys in the car.

I like to drive to the arctic monkeys because it's energetic and carefree.

Blimpy said...

the snadwagon rocks, and good luck on your most excellent adventure!!

TracyK said...

Very jealous of your forthcoming adventures. Just think, scary now, but amazing stories you will have to tell! A word of advice, as someone who jacked in everything on a whim and just buggered off to see what was out there, remember to keep a sense of perspective. Yes, things will go wrong, but in the big scheme of things, it'll be stuff you can laugh about for many years to come. You are giving Mini a taste of the wider world and magical time spent with both parents, sharing what no-one else will. That thought got us through a few slightly homesick moments when we were rootless and now, looking back, I often miss that feeling of possibility.
I've set the husband to thinking over the cd, as he's the chauffeur and has provided many happy hours of driving music, especially our "Around NZ in 13 days" extravaganza. Personally, I'd just take Bat Out Of Hell and a Doors cd. Nothing like driving through the rain to Riders On the Storm and through the sun to LA Woman.

Anonymous said...

Good luck on the trip.

I've had some varied experiences with driving music. Once driving from London to Penzance to Handel's "Messiah" and we hit the "Hallelujah Chorus" as we went across Salisbury Plain.

Another time driving through Sweden's worst blizzard for a century, I was in the back seat of a Renault 5 (with summer tyres) in charge of the music and I settled for the Rolling Stones "Get Yer Ya-Yas Out". The more frightened I got, the louder the volume and by the time we went over the bridge to Oland, "Midnight Rambler" was going full blast.

One of my most successful presents to my brother (who always asks me to give him CDs but then can be very critical) was "69 Love Songs" from Magnetic Fields; he played nothing else on a three week trip through Spain.

Neu! has been my favourite uplifting music when you think you've been driving too long and need stimulus to keep going for that extra hour. Stuck in traffic jams, I'd go for Mum's first album, "Yesterday was Dramatic, Today is OK". Guaranteed to calm the most frazzled nerves.

If you'd like a CD, I'll burn one for you.

Anonymous said...

Just need to correct gf above. The Merry Prankster's bus had the destination 'Furthur' [sic]. Perhaps not the best language lesson for the little 'un but food for thought:

'The bus came by and I got on
That's when it all began.
There was driver Neal at the wheel
Of a bus to never-ever land.'

The Other One - The Grateful Dead. You can travel for hours in there.

Carole said...

I chickened out of recommending any Dead stuff first time around, but if I was on a really long (strange) trip I think I want these ones along;

Live Europe '72
Live/Dead
Skull and Roses
Without A Net
A Nightfall Of Diamonds
Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack
One From The Vault
Two From The Vault
Truckin' Up To Buffalo
Reckoning

Anonymous said...

Blimey, Carole!! If you loaded that lot in a 10CD multichanger, it would last the whole trek without repeating, wouldn't it? But *what* a trip!!

:o)

Anonymous said...

I now need to correct myself! The line should name cowboy Neal. He was the ultimate driver (his passengers all swear he could see round corners) but 'cowboy' is what the verse says. 'Neal' is, of course, Neal Cassady, who Jack Kerouac renamed Dean Moriarty for 'On The Road'.

Carole: I'd reduce the late stuff and throw in some more seventies. Need a good Terrapin and an Estimated.... But it's sooo difficult. The Desert Island Discs dilemma - just have to hope I don't get asked!

BTW DsD, most of Carole's choices are multi-CD albums, so that's 2 or 3 CD cartridges.

snadfrod said...

Wow, folks, this is absolutely brilliant. Thank you all so much! Had an insanely long day yesterday, driving the family 3 hours cross country, then getting a train and driving the van 5ish hours cross country too, but its all done now and we are set to pack!!!

Anyway, I'll try to respond to a few things now and a few in a bit:

@gareth - Beethoven is a great idea! I'll be raiding the folks' CDs forthwith. I'm going for the Shortwave Set, too, cheers.

@tatanka - Curly's Airships sounds great, I'll check the site later on. Can't help with the Hammill link, though...

@DsD - shame about tonight/tomorrow, but thanks for the Black tip, DEFINITELY on the list. Give us a call later and I'll report back on Elbow forthwith. Oh and Mrs Frod isn't exactly into beats, she just doesn't understand why someone would put their hands all over a record like that ;-)

As for camper essentials, I think you may be right about the spirit level...

@carole - out of those I'm going to plump for Little Feat, is that wise? Dusty and Zep will be duly loaded, though.

@ali - QOTSA is a great shout. In 2002 I lived in Whalley Range and worked at the student's Union in Manchester. I had a 20 minute drive to work each day and that album LIVED with me for what feels like the whole year. I could probably still drum out Dave Grohl's opening to A Song for the Dead right now if you asked...

Carole said...

@snadfrod - I hope you like the Little Feat.

It is a live set, and therefore a bit different to the studio versions but I think well worth a listen.

My copy is the remastered reissue and you get a second CD with a load of stuff left off the original.

It is Lowell George period Feat, so you get the real band.

snadfrod said...

@Carole - thanks for that, ,ooking forward to it. They're a band I know very little about, so should be fun.

Couple more things from above:

@goneforeign - thankyou so much for all of that comment. It should prove to be very helpful and we shall keep it near us at all times. I have started to learn about the downshifting on hills, anyway! Gibraltar is exactly our plan. Where we go from there depends on a few factors, but south may well be the winner...

Also, don't think I've said it yet, but I wish you a speedy recovery and hope that your new bionic joint enables you to do things you never thought possible!

@steen - I'm kind of with you on the sweary songs, don't mind it too much. She'll hear it from the cab, anyway... But no, it can't play MP3s, so it'll have to be good old analogue style.

@mnemonic - jealous of your Mogwai gig. Very jealous. So where should I start with Neu!?

@chris - go on, then. Give me ONE Dead album that should come with us. I haven't got room for Carole's list, but would love to cherry pick something really good. Should I go for The Other One?

@tracy - sense of perspective? Check. Bat Out Of Hell? Double check. Cheers for your kind words, thoughts and advice.

Anonymous said...

@snadfrod: I've tried this 'just one album' thing before and it's virtually impossible. For a combination of songs played well with a couple of jams and some Pigpen rap thrown in, I'd suggest Europe '72 (the Remastered and Expanded version). The Other One is a 'song' not an album and, unfortunately, it doesn't appear on Europe '72.

But if you prefer acoustic stuff, synthesised arrangements, drum duets, soulful singing.....

Anonymous said...

Snadfrod,
one word of warning, if I may: friends got their CD-bag nicked out of the car in Portugal and had to do the 3-day drive back to Germany with the one CD that had been left in the player - it was their 3-year old twins' Benjamin Blümchen CD. (Benjamin Blümchen is a rather smug elephant cartoon character German tots seems inordantly fond of). So I would suggest NOT adding Benjamin Blümchen to your stash!
If you're thinking of extending your tentative toes a wee bit further than Maastricht, the German Christmas markets are usually worth a visit, especially for the kids; the nicest one I ever went to was in a town called Esslingen (I do believe), which is more nilpferd/FP's neck of the woods (so how come you're not visiting all of us anyway, huh?!)
I'm sure you'll have a great trip, wherever you get to. Enjoy!

Mnemonic said...

I'd recommend "Neu! 75". Black cover with white lettering, six tracks. The one that cheered us all up was "E-Musik".

If, having tried them, you like Little Feat, there's a couple of live concert recordings on archive.org. Both date from Lowell George's time, too. Personally, i wouldn't bother with anything after his death. They're just a good tribute band now.

Mogwai are OK but I'm really going to see Fuck Buttons!

nilpferd said...

Esslingen is definitely a cool christmas market, they have a medieval style performers, jugglers, clowns etc, plus lots of kid's activities, and the market itself is beautifully set next to the church and the Burg. There are also quite a lot of nice handmade articles available, from toys to clothing.
It's a must each year for us with Mara.

nilpferd said...

Sorry, forgot to recommend something. We don't drive at all, so I'm guessing here. I'd second Chris' comment about trying at least some of the time to match the music to the surroundings. So if you do happen to make it to any of the really magical German forest areas like the fairy tale road (http://www.deutsche-maerchenstrasse.com/seiten/index_en.html) I'd definitely put on the Bach solo cello suites. There are six, all brilliant.
Otherwise I'd have "In a silent way" on regularly. Have a fantastic trip and don't forget to come calling if you're in the vicinity. Except the second half of December, when we'll be doing something similar down under.

gremlinfc said...

Foolish me - didn't realise the label i gave the pic would be exposed and so my cunning plan comes unstuck. Here are the tracks on said CD - you can have some of them changed if you want! (in no particular order...)
* Colonel Hathi's March
* Dance of the Knights(Prokofiev from Romeo and Juliet)
* Superfreak - Rick James
* Heavy Transit - Sound 5
* Pounding System - Dub Syndicate
* Stop The Violence - BDP
* Merry Ploughboy - Wolfe Tones
* Yashar - Cabs
* Freak Like Me - Sugababes
* Crystal - New Order
* When I see an elephant fly
* Drive My Car - Beatles
* Bones - Killers
* King of the Kerb - Echobelly
* Juxtaposed with You - SFA
They aren't all driving related but some are great singalongamaxjobs and i've included a couple of little dude songs...

May1366 said...

I'd go along with the suggestions of monumental classical music for some of the central European part of the drive, but the playlist I've had whirling around is very much an RR take on escape, leaving and travelling, but with a heavy soul slant. Here's what I've got so far:

- Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson Hello Sunday Hello Road
- Terry Callier - Sail Away
- First Choice - Let Me Down Easy
- John Klemmer - Free Soul
- Steve Parks - Movin' In The Right Direction
- Johnny Johnson & the Bandwagon - Mr Tambourine Man
- The Three Degrees - Year Of Decision (not really fitting in with the letter of the theme but capturing the spirit)
- David Byrne - A Million Miles Away (and this deviates from the soul template, but barely)
- The Jackson 5 - Corner Of The Sky
- Curtis Mayfield - No Thing On Me (The Cocaine Song)
- Cee-Lo Green - Die Trying
- Junior Walker & The All-Stars - Way Back Home
- Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - 95 (All Of The Places We've Been)

Anonymous said...

Snadfrod - glad you like QOTSA and wish I could burn CDs, I'd do one - one tip, if you're feeling blue just imagine Mr Munday headbanging to QOTSA (i.e. a large hirsute gentleman, wearing a fringed leather jacket and squeezed behind the wheel of a knackered little Fiat Seicento) ...
Good luck with everything!

saneshane said...

Hey Mr.Frod,
are you anywhere near someones computer? (having flogged yours for fuel I'm guessing)

at the PO this afternoon and have burnt you a few driving CDs and one for mini frod.. so where do I send them?
my e-mail is in the profile...
Death Cab for Cuties 'Passenger seat' has to mellow you out driving.

sending DsD something too.. so could just send there if you are passing him again.

Good luck mate and will put an address and number in.. just in case you get over Norwich way.

Only tip.. don't take original Cds, they get ruined in cd changers or stolen as mentioned above.. and get an mp3 player full of tunes the other half and the little one Dislike... then once in a while stand on a cliff top/ middle of forest and blast them into your headphones on your own.... it makes going back into the shared/ joint music space so much easier.... one for each of you is best.

Have a great adventure.

snadfrod said...

@shane & anyone else interested - just back from Elbow (amazing amazing amazing), absolutely exhausted, but here's an address to send things to if you want:

8 Lockside Drive, Kinver, Nr. Stourbridge, DY7 6NQ.

But keep it to yourself, alright?

Back later after a sleep and a look at RR...

Luke-sensei said...

One more recommendation for when the weather gets rough, this is one of my favourite albums ever and can't be beaten for when you are driving full speed ahead with the sky becoming apopolyptically dark the wind whipping around the car and the world feeling like it's about to end with only you and your loved ones left alive cocooned safely behing the glass...

Lift To Experience - "The Texas Jerusalem Crossroads"

...final track "Into the Storm" is especially appropriate.

goneforeign said...

Chris: Re. the Prankster's bus, of course you're right, no idea how that one slipped in, Furthur' it is/was. Long time since I read that book.