August 2014

Amon Duul II: Soap Shop Rock (A-D) (1970) and Wide Angle (1975)

2014/08/11

Amon Duul II – 1970 There’s a certain drive that can only be reached by upping the tempo. The best driving songs will always have this forward momentum propulsing any listener forward. The following songs by krautrock band, Amon Duul II, maintain the velocity of Hawkind’s first blast, I mean the only way to keep…
Hawkwind: Born to Go and Down Through the Night (1973)

2014/08/10

Hawkwind – 1973 Do not check your portable devices, do not adjust your seats, do not attempt to leave your destination…we’re heading to even heavier space today. I’ll attempt to direct this month’s driving theme into a heavier direction before we descend back to Earth. Hawkwind’s brand of rock is not for the weak…its rock…
Aphrodite’s Child: The Battle of the Locust/Do it and Aegian Sea (1972)

2014/08/08

Aphrodite’s Child – 1971 Sometimes when we’re traveling you know there are destinations most people aren’t quite ready to go with you. So what can you do? You prepare them ahead of time to a new experience that might pique their interest. Yesterday’s Spark’s track was just a teaser. Today’s two tracks by Aphrodite’s Child…
Sparks: At Home At Work At Play and Equator (1974)

2014/08/08

Sparks (Russel and Ron Mael) circa 1974. This is where I slowly attempt to route the driving playlist somewhere new in my August musical trip. First, though, I have to get through a few checkpoints. All of the previous songs were instantly recognizable as driving songs and serve to warm you up to the path…
Iggy Pop: I’m Bored (1979) and The Passenger (1978)

2014/08/07

Iggy Pop in 1978 Truckin’ along, choosin’ some driving songs, can be a hard task do, especially if you’re trying to please your passengers and yourself. The following two songs explain a lot of what goes on in ones mind when we chose to travel, mentally or physically. Metaphysically, Iggy Pop’s two songs “I’m Bored”…
Jonathan Richman/Modern Lovers: Roadrunner (1972) and That Summer Feeling (1983)

2014/08/06

Jonathan Richman, doing himself. This is where we get to the more esoteric part of my driving playlist. God bless one of our national musical treasures, Jonathan Richman. Perpetually, the standard bearer for Velvet Underground-worship and sometimes overly-earnest naive wisdom, no one could quite touch the noggin, the heart, and sometimes the funny bone, quite…
Marc Bolan/T-Rex: Jeepster (1971) and Cadillac (1972)

2014/08/05

Marc riding a tiger. As I start touring further down the driving playlist road, I have to encounter, and review some songs based on the Bo Diddley Beat. Something about this beat, as heard here, makes it so it can be molded to make just about any song sound intrinsically propulsive. Without a doubt one…
Nils Lofgren: White Lies and Sometimes (1972)

2014/08/04

Nils in the early ’70s Now that we’ve got some forward momentum let’s sustain it. Eh, fuck it, I was going to hold off on highlighting a Nils Lofgren song until later but I might as well do it now when Neil’s sound is still fresh in your memory. Chicago’s own, though mostly raised in…
Neil Young: Cowgirl in the Sand (1969) and Tell Me Why (1970)

2014/08/03

Neil Young – 1970 Now here’s a tough decision! There a few artists out there that embody a musical style based on creating awesome hard, driving songs and magnificent soft, contemplative songs. I may have chosen the following two to review but they’re not exactly my favorites, they’re just a snapshot in thought. Well, if…
Creedence Clearwater Revival: Ramble Tamble (1970) and Cotton Fields (1969)

2014/08/02

Creedence Clearwater Revival – 1970 Continuing on a theme for a bit, if you don’t mind indulging me for that while. Whenever you’re driving somewhere its cool to have a very propulsive, energetic song going forward but heading home I kinda like a bit of a softie song…something a bit more contemplative (heck the trip…