If you’ve talked to Brian lately he’s probably mentioned at least one idea for a road trip, this coupled with the fact that I just drove 5 hours back to school got me thinking: what are the best road trip albums? Usually here at RTW Vinyl we choose the top 5 songs on a topic but road trips require a bulk of music. Also, I’d like to think that even with the Ipod explosion, the album is not a lost art. Since I can only neglect my analytical mind for so long I’ve included a score for each album, including all the things that make a great road trip album: energy (slow music = sleep = death), hooks (open the windows and sing along), quality, and of course songs about driving! Without further adieu…

 
5. Local Music
Remember when you and your friends had crappy bands and accompanying crappy recordings? Well throw it in and sing along. As a child of my generation I often choose Lightweight Holiday, Half the Battle, Random Heroes, and East Arcadia and lose myself in basement shows and being unreasonably bitter at my parents. And besides, what’s more punk rock than giving an f-you to the establishment and hitting the open road?

Energy: 8
Hooks:  6
Quality: 3
Car songs: I dunno, how much did your friends like cars?

4. Taking Back Sunday- Tell All Your Friends
Now I’m not here to debate the musical validity of Taking Back Sunday. I will tell you though, as far as sing-a-longs go, this album is a must. Many songs feature 2 vocal parts that bounce back and forth making it fun for the whole car load. I suggest dividing it right down the middle and seeing who can sing louder. This album wins out over their following efforts because it includes their original song writer who was far superior to whatever type-writer smashing chimpanzee they have now hoping to recreate the style and hooks of this album. This is a favorite in my family where we giggle at how ridiculous we are to scream along to Taking Back Sunday but secretly enjoy every moment.

Energy: 6
Hooks: 9
Quality: 7
Car Songs: 0 (it’s just fun)

3. Strike Anywhere- Change is a Sound

On Change is a Sound, Strike Anywhere make even the most exploitive capitalist want to sing along to songs that would make Karl Marx proud. What better way to bring a car load of people together than songs about communism? Raise your voices loud singing about police brutality, the follies of the media, and the perversion of the American dream. If that doesn’t sound like a fun car ride to you than forget calling me up next time you hit the road.

Energy: 8
Hooks: 7
Quality: 8
Car songs: Your car, my car, it should really be our car. (That’s a 0)

 
2. Less Than Jake- Hello Rockview
Less than Jake have long sang about crappy small towns and the desire to get out. They first got out of Gainesville on ska classic Losing Streak but promptly decided they’d never go back to New Jersey. Luckily, the follow up album, Hello Rockview, is all about actually leaving town. Whether it’s a five state drive or saying goodbye to Mom and Dad, you’ll find it here. Their next album is an unsuccessful effort to recreate this one and we won’t even talk about the lackluster efforts that followed that. Luckily they left Hello Rockview as a time capsule of better times.

Energy: 9
Hooks: 8
Quality: 9
Car songs: 3 (but pretty much every song is about needing to get out of town)

 
1. Saves the Day- Through Being Cool
This album is classic. It should also be a road trip classic when you get out on the open road. Not only does this album feature songs about driving but also about riding on a train and various other references to tropical places, oceans, stealing cars and parking lots. Hopefully your friends know the album as well as my friends do and you get a solid 33 minutes of sing-a-longs when you bust it out. This album has some of Saves the Day’s patented songs about dismemberment but in a far more subtle manner than much of the later stuff which is just ridiculous. If you’re like me this is an album you cut your musical teeth on, but I implore you to go back to your days as a baby scene kid, forget your pretentiousness, roll down the windows, and sing out “Please, please, please Mr. Hox, won’t you tell your daughter I’m all alone. And I’m not handling this well!”

Energy: 9
Hooks: 9
Quality: 10
Car songs: 3 (plus a train song)
 

Songs that should make your road trip mix tape: Queen- Bohemian Rhapsody, Set Your Goals- Flight of the Navigator, Bon Jovi- Livin’ on a Prayer, Jan and Dean- Dead Man’s Curve, Golden Earring- Radar Love, Del Amitri- Roll to Me, Commander Cody- Hot Rod Lincoln, Johnny Cash- One Piece at a Time, Mr. Big- To Be With You

- Brian B.