Topic: Autos.ca Summer Tune-Up ' Songs for the road, Volume two

[Autos_Editor]

For Volume Two of Autos.ca's Summer Tune-up, we present a playlist of acoustic-based songs perfect for the open road.

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[Golly]

my favourite is "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson, and I'm not a country and western fan...
"On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Seein' things that I may never see again"

[kirm]

How about:

Convoy - CW McCall
I love a rainy night - Eddie Rabbit
Black cars - Gino Vannelli
Driving my life away - Eddie Rabbit.
Cars - Gary Numan
Mercury blues - David Lindley

I could go on and on but I'll spare you. 

ETA: There not acoustical but they're still real catchy.

[chrischasescars]

Kirm, this column runs till the end of summer, so lots of time. You might see one or two of your suggestions in a future article. 

[johngenx]

Acoustic? 

That's easy, load the drive with Johnny Cash.  My high school students listen to hip/hop, pop, whatever, and they still say "Johnny Cash is the coolest, evah!"  Of course, they're right.

Get "liberal" and add some Tracy Chapman.  Damn can she sing.

Landslide by Fleetwood Mac.  Stevie Nicks and some acoustic guitars?  Oh, yeah.

Like it folky?  Arlo Guthrie's City of New Orleans is a good sing-along, doubly good if you're driving in the US.

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole does an amazing job on "Somewhere over the rainbow."  My daughter also sings this song beautifully and it comes out if we're driving and see a rainbow.

Switching to things more contemporary, and keeping it acoustic, the lyric...

And driving cars we can't afford,
Just making sure we're never bored,
Living off our own accord
Between coffee grinds and corner stores
Limousines and cigarettes,
Chasing dreams with fishing nets
And long weekends without regrets
Well no one here is taking bets

Is from Rain Delays by Crash Parallel.  It's got some haunting piano and cool lyrics.

Jesse Malin sings...

Your baby loves you more than you know
Raised on rivalry and rock'n roll
Moving to the motor City soul
She lets go
On the radio


... in Broken Radio.  The Boss puts in an appearance too.

I'm not a big country fan, but Johnny Reid's song Today I'm Gonna Try and Change the World is soothing, and maybe a little inspiring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9BaIMc8XaI

Okay, one not really acoustic pick.  It's got an electric guitar, but it's "acoustic" for him...  (cool car in the vid, gonna bling up the Scoob like that!  check the door handles)

Kid Rock's Born Free.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu3rsha1ZtI

[initial_D]

American Pie - Don McLean
Cadillac Ranch - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

[chrischasescars]

That's easy, load the drive with Johnny Cash.  My high school students listen to hip/hop, pop, whatever, and they still say "Johnny Cash is the coolest, evah!"  Of course, they're right.


Switching to things more contemporary, and keeping it acoustic, the lyric...

And driving cars we can't afford,
Just making sure we're never bored,
Living off our own accord
Between coffee grinds and corner stores
Limousines and cigarettes,
Chasing dreams with fishing nets
And long weekends without regrets
Well no one here is taking bets

Is from Rain Delays by Crash Parallel.  It's got some haunting piano and cool lyrics.

You will never hear me argue against Johnny Cash as a must-listen. Amazing.

I like that Crash Parallel song. Good lyrics, esp. that verse. Singer sounds like Adam Duritz from Counting Crows, only less whiny.

[johngenx]

Okay, these have some plugged in parts, but lots of harmonica and acoustic guitars...

Bruce Springsteen's Racing in the Street is a must, but only a live recording.  In fact, Springsteen is 100X better on stage than in the studio.  I always come away from his concerts blown away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NltljcANCFs

I got a sixty-nine Chevy with a 396
Fuelie heads and a Hurst on the floor
She's waiting tonight down in the parking lot
Outside the Seven-Eleven store
Me and my partner Sonny built her straight out of scratch
And he rides with me from town to town
We only run for the money, got no strings attached
We shut 'em up and then we shut 'em down

Keeping with The Boss, The River is also a great song.  This version is amazing, and the intro kills me.  I had a very similar relationship with my Father at that age.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg3DleXrT-o

But I remember us riding in my brothers car
Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
At night on them banks I'd lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take

Staying in the 1970s, The Who went mostly acoustic with Behind Blue Eyes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfuWXRZe9yA

When my fist clenches, crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool

If I swallow anything evil
Put your finger down my throat
If I shiver, please give me a blanket
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat

Oh, stuck in the 70's!!

Kansas went acoustic for the monster hit Dust in the Wind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH2w6Oxx0kQ

Time machine is finally fixed!

Shinedown's acoustic version of 45 is awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LlSs-IM-TM

Slipknot came as close to acoustic as I think they'll ever be on their outstanding song Snuff.  The video is cool too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXEKuttVRIo

[mrthompson]

Not entirely acoustic...

Mark Knopfler - Speedway At Nazareth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=praUaqWWLyk

"New England, Ontario we died in the dirt
Those walls from mid-Ohio to Toronto they hurt
So we came to Road America where we burned up at the lake
But at the speedway at Nazareth I made no mistake"

[quadzilla]

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole does an amazing job on "Somewhere over the rainbow." 

On a note of trivia, my MIL's husband (who was Hawaiian) got to play with this guy.


For anybody that has Sat Radio, check out the Coffeehouse (#31 on Sirius). All acoustic and lots of great songs.

[Schmengie]

 I can't gaurantee these are 100% acoustic, but none of them have an obvious plugged-in sound. That could be because these songs are pretty old, some of them going back to the early 60s.

El Condor Pasa, by Simon and Garfunkel. Wow, what can you say about this song? S&G harmonized like no one else, the soaring vocals still send shivers down my spine after 40+ years, and the instrumentation is gorgeous.

There Is A Time, by The Dillards. Bluegrass at it's finest, and a top-notch production. Fantastic banjo work.

Desolation Row, by the king of acoustic folk music Bob Dylan.

Castles In The Air, by Don McLean. This one's not well known, but it's worth a listen.

Long Train Running, by one the iconic bands of the 70s, the Doobie Brothers.

Is That All There Is?, by Peggy Lee. The sexiest voice of all time, bar none.

[huota]

Not sure whether it's

Bon Iver - Skinny Love or

José Gonzáléz - Heartbeats.