Music for a long road trip

[crazycanuck]

We're heading to NZ for Christmas & are driving to Sydney for fun then flying to Auckland. It's 4000km one way & are looking forward to driving the vast emptiness we call Australia. (We've driven to Melbourne & know what to expect.) The drive there will take us 3 days as we're not stopping for very long.

Anywho, i'm tired of our MP3 selection & am looking for more music suggestions. We don't want anything too soft nor any boy/girl band crud. Be boppin choices are good. :o :rolleyes:

So, any ideas?

[badgercat]

I always get nervous suggesting music/books/movies to people because then I feel really bad if they don't enjoy my suggestions, but I'll take a shot. :o Are you familiar with Tegan and Sara? I've been really into them (identical twin-sister singer/songwriter duo) the last couple years. Their most recent album isn't my favorite, but I've enjoyed their other albums, especially "So Jealous." They have kind of an indie-pop-something-sort-of-like-that feel... if you look them up on Amazon.com, I think they have previews of most of their tracks.

Good luck and happy driving! :)

[GLC1968]

My favorite for long car trips are audio books. With my Ipod, I was able to upload a bunch of them for our trip across the US last march (6 days). Even with upbeat music, I can get too drowsy for safety. With books (and a good story) I'm good for HOURS. In fact, more than once I almost over shot the distance I could travel on a tank of gas because I was too engrossed in the story to notice the gas gauge!

[crazycanuck]

Badger-i'll look them up & then see if anyone at work has thier stuff

GLC-What did you listen to??

[GLC1968]

I can't remember them right now. I know that I listened to these two, but there were others as well. I'll check my Ipod when I get home because I think they are all still on there.

Two Dean Koontz books:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41PRXZ0X2HL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51d6r9%2BDD1L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg

[SadieKate]

Musicals. Singalong stuff. Mame. The Music Man. Camelot.

Folk music - The Time Life Series of Folk Music was a great value for singalong purposes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDL02th72u4

[bmccasland]

Considering I've come close to falling asleep while blasting Pink Floyd - I vote for books on tape/CD. Listening to the story kept my mind engaged for cross country drives, and I was able to check them out of my local library. FREE! :D
Got to admit, I've listened to books that I might not have read. And others have compelled me to go find the book so I could enjoy it again.

[crazycanuck]

SK-Singalong songs would be interesting but it would drive ian up the wall!!! He'd probably want to throw me off the cliffs at Eucla :eek:

I'll have to see if they have any Arthur C Clarke audio books...

Audio books might keep us sane on this drive!!

[uk elephant]

Roadtrip with a couple of friends many years ago, we actually brought a real book and took turns reading out loud. Sounds strange perhaps, but was really nice! We read Alice in Wonderland, which all of us hadn't read in many many years.

Another roadtrip with BF just last year, we had an mp3 cd with the complete Beatles collection. The cd player in the car for some reason organized the songs alphabetically. Was great for the first couple of hours, but after 6 hours of non-stop beatles I was about ready to jump out of the car and we had only reached N in the alphabet! I haven't played that cd since...

[crazycanuck]

Alice in Wonderland..there's an idea!

UKE-I know what you mean, I have every single Queen song on MP3 & it drives ian up the wall when I play it! I know, how many times can one listen to "Radio Ga Ga" :o & do the high arm movements without hitting the driver :rolleyes:

Keep the ideas coming! I'm sure ian will love the suggestions :o

[salsabike]

I KNOW they have Arthur C Clarke's "Childhood's End" as an audio book because I gave it to someone a few years ago. Best book!

Otherwise, I'd suggest salsa---try Spanish Harlem Orchestra. You CAN'T fall asleep while bopping to salsa--it's just too much fun.

[jobob]

The soundtrack to Priscilla Queen of the Desert would be appropriate for your trip. :cool:

[SadieKate]

SK-Singalong songs would be interesting but it would drive ian up the wall!!! He'd probably want to throw me off the cliffs at Eucla :eek: Eh, it would be good for him to sing, too!

Just a note on audiobooks: the Bike Mobile has just enough wind noise around the pillars that I can't hear audiobooks without blasting them. aka_kim and I tried to listen to Bill Bryson once and I suspect we were both sitting there unwilling to say we could only hear every other word. :p

So, you might get one book and test it before buying a whole bunch.

[badgercat]

Roadtrip with a couple of friends many years ago, we actually brought a real book and took turns reading out loud. Sounds strange perhaps, but was really nice! We read Alice in Wonderland, which all of us hadn't read in many many years.

Not strange at all... I did that with my boyfriend when we had to drive cross-country to move a car for his parents. We read the first Harry Potter book. It was really fun. :D

[yellow]

The soundtrack to Priscilla Queen of the Desert would be appropriate for your trip. :cool:

ABBA! ABBA! ABBA! :D

[SadieKate]

I have very fond memories of my mother reading aloud on all of my childhood roadtrips. We went through practically everything of Loren Eiseley. One of these days, I'll re-read his writings . . .

[crazycanuck]

Wé've decided that audio books are the way to go because I fall asleep when i read in the car & ian gets a bit ill. I believe he's found some Arthur C Clarke audio book. I'll go & find something next weekend.

Priscilla..there's a good soundtrack!!! If I play ABBA for too long, Ian might leave me on this longgg road or throw me off this cliff...(these are from our last trip. If you'd like to see more, i'll post some...)

[jesvetmed]

CC: What a beautiful and LONG landscape!

I second (third?) books reading out loud, but if that doesn't work for you guys, then audio books are excellent. I actually downloaded short stories to listen to while I as walking / training for the BC 3-Day... David Sedaris. Funny and dark at the same time.

There are so many out there! I just download them from i-tunes usually. Humorous short stories are great, but I also LOVE novels this way. It really makes the hours fly by quickly.

Happy Trails!

[crazycanuck]

K..we have four cd's of mp's each & a heap of talking books. Workmates gave me Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Twelfth Man & the list goes on..

I think we're pretty much set :)

[jesvetmed]

HAPPY TRAILS!
Have a safe and wonderful trip.

[ASammy1]

I just got Mirror Mirror, The Street Lawyer, The Secret Life of Bees, and In Her Shoes. All were borrowed from my local public library!

Have a safe trip CC!

[indigoiis]

If no one has mentioned it yet... get Car Talk cd's from your library. They're hilarious.

[channlluv]

My 10-year-old daughter and I drove across the United States and back and we listened to books on tape the entire way. The first I chose because it is one of my favorite all-time books, Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver. It's considered a midgrade novel for 8- - 12-year-olds, but the writing is extraordinary and the story is gripping. We listened to books one, two, and three.

We also listened to books six and seven of the Harry Potter series, and book one of The Darks is Rising series by Susan Cooper.

Before that trip, my daughter didn't consider herself as much of a reader, but during and after listening to those books and reading along on the hard copies of a couple, man, she was seeing imagery from the novels all along the road. It was amazing how engaged she was.

Now we read aloud on the commute back and forth to school every day. She's a great reader now and was thrilled with the books she got for Christmas.

Rock on with the books on tape. :)

Safe journey,

Roxy

I've never listened