On The Road

Introduction

There are thousands of songs that mention the word "Road" in the title, and I will try and stay away from the obvious such as Canned Heat's iconic "On The Road Again" but when I did my "Runaway Train" playlist I found ten songs with that title. These wont't all have the same same title.

I often see people attach three hour Sp*t*fy playlists that no one will listen to, and the problem with playlists is that you can set one up in minutes, whereas a physical mixtape on cassette has to be done in real time. Remember, music is meant to be listened to, not just become a number in a playlist. Songs have titles, not track numbers (although CDs started that).

My playlists do give the opportunity to listen to a few of my selections. I know you may not agree with them all, but hopefully you will find one or two that you enjoy, and maybe were unaware of.

So here we go on the road with a few road songs.

Nick Drake - "Road" from "Pink Moon"

If you have never heard this, or never heard Nick Drake, this is a sublime two minutes to start this playlist. I recently wrote a poem about what a great loss Nick Drake was. A sadly missed genial talent.

Black Sabbath - "Hard Road" from "Never Say Die"

This is one of my favourite Black Sabbath songs, and John Peel pointed out that it bears a heavy resemblance to "She Said" by The Beatles, but that is no bad thing.

Steve Earle - "Copperhead Road" album title track

Steve Earle is a favourite of mine, and I saw him live in The Glass House (on the same stage where I backed Solomon Burke). This is a brilliant post-Viet-Nam song, and I just love this description of it:

I've always thought this would make an awesome movie. Vietnam vet whose family has a history of moonshining and rumrunning starts a pot farm, gets the DEA on his trail, then uses Viet Cong tactics to outsmart them and fight back. Tell me you wouldn't watch that movie.

Jackson Browne - "The Road" from "Running On Empty"

The title track from the album is one of my favourite Jackson Browne songs, but this is another great song from the album.

Portishead - "Roads" from "Dummy"

I always find Portishead disconcerting, but essential listening, although this one is quite accessible, but you still feel something is lurking in the shadows.

Broken Bells, Danger Mouse, James Mercer - "The High Road" from The Broken Bells album

This is drenched in dark sophistication, although anything with Danger Mouse is always worth investigation.

Catatonia - "Road Rage" from "International Velvet"

It is amazing how a single word can bring back so many musical memories. I love Cerys Matthews with the band and loved her as a DJ on 6Music. I learned a lot from her.

The first Welsh band on this playlist, and a great single. My daughters are great fans, possibly because of the "Mulder and Scully" release.

David Ackles - "The Road to Cairo" from his eponymous album

I listen to a lot of David Ackles and would describe his music as American Gothic, and this fits in with this playlist well.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Eddie Vedder - "The Long Road" from "Dead Man Walking"

I was listening to this album the other day, and I remember in the nineties so guy told me that he had been given some cassettes by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who was their link to God. I loved the music and have other collaborations between him and Peter Gabriel, but this is a good way to close this playlist.

Thank you for reading and listening, and I hope you found something you enjoyed.