driving

Gene Clark: Here Tonight and She’s the Kind of Girl (1972)

2014/08/23

Gene Clark – 1972 Further north from Texas, in Tipton, Missouri, lies the hometown of ex-Byrds singer and songwriter, Gene Clark. Together with Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman, they were largely responsible for creating the first strains of country-rock as we know it. Gene Clark was always the most mysterious, and when switched on, the…
Jerry Jeff Walker: Hill Country Rain (1972) and Long Afternoons (1976)

2014/08/22

Jerry Jeff Walker – 1976 Texas is like a vortex, we tend to suck in some of the creatures other places would reject. As long as they’re not Florida crazy, we’ll tend to pay them a mind or two. One artist who needed more than a mind or two is New York born, yet Austinite…
Kinky Friedman: Catfish and Dear Abbie (1976)

2014/08/21

Kinky Friedman – 1976 We’re in Texas now, via a Chicago to Texas transplant, and I’m not talking about my bizarro self but about one of Texas’ treasures the great Kinky Friedman. His contributions to my August driving theme, now stationed in the South, are these pair of awesome country rock songs. Both of these…
Starbuck: Moonlight Feels Right (1976) and Allen Toussaint: Southern Nights (1975)

2014/08/20

The Outlaws…Good Ol’ Southern Rock Band What will follow for the remaining month of August (heck, even the remainder of the summer if I feel like it) is me taking a musical vacation through our great Southern states. I’ll bring up some brilliant country or southern rock artists and try to give y’all the skinny…
Dire Straits: Lions and Wild West End (1979)

2014/08/19

Dire Straits 1979 Before I attempt to present a quasi-Southern journey through the good ole USA, I’d like to stick just a tiny bit more in England, London specifically. From London, hails one of the greatest purveyors of down home open road rock music, Mr. Mark Knopfler. Seemingly, the mutant musical offspring of JJ Cale,…
Fleetwood Mac: Albatross (1968) and Dragonfly (1971)

2014/08/18

Danny Kirwan and Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac If, you’re still following my theme for this month, a selection of driving songs (one for the trip somewhere and one for the trip home), you’d notice I’ve downshifted somewhat. After a while of just red-lining songs its better to engage some cruise control and maintain efficient momentum…
Wishbone Ash: Alone and Lullaby (1971)

2014/08/17

Wishbone Ash – 1972 Let’s continue to blur the lines between driving and homecoming songs a bit more. Continuing on this August driving playlist of mine I want to include more songs that converge on that open road feeling. Its a feeling that at the end of the day must remain lighter, yet have a…
Popol Vuh: Kleiner Krueger and Morgengruß (1974)

2014/08/16

Daniel Fichelscher and Florian Fricke of Popol Vuh There are many roads to lead to the same destination. As I continue finding new ways to take this theme I have running in my head for August, a grand driving playlist (just a snapshot in time for this year), I have to resolve that not all…
Kevin Ayers: Decadence (1973) and Margaret (1971)

2014/08/15

Kevin Ayers – 1973 As August saunders on, with way too much energy (good and bad) this year, I think its about time to aim the direction of my theme to a place that requires less propulsion. At the end of the day you want to pump people up who are hearing the driving playlist,…
NEU!: Hero (1975) and Harmonia: Deluxe (Immer Wieder) (1974)

2014/08/14

Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother from NEU! This is a split decision. These driving songs show two different ways to get to the same destination. I had such a hard time picking which songs to feature from the great duo of Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger because they in essence created the best driving groove…