Top 10 Songs for an Afternoon Drive July 31, 2009
This list if for all the other fans of “leisure miles” out there; for y’all who love spontaneously firing up the cruiser and aimlessly wandering over the landscape. 
Leisure miles are very important to me and despite rising gas prices and environmental concerns I still make sure to put a good playlist together and hit the road every month or so. I mostly started this tradition on the smaller highways around UCSB and made it a weekly event when I moved to Eugene, Oregon. Now in LA there’s PCH, the Santa Monica Mountains or the Angeles National Forest that provide the best routes.
For the rest of you that need a destination I highly recommend cranking up a rock ballad or epic instrumental for a 10 minute stretch of random highway. With the afternoon sunlight flashing between trees, street markers jumping back in rapid fire, fresh air blasting through the open windows and tires whirring around each curve don’t worry about where your headed but just take it all in with a good jam.
Here are my Top 10 Songs for an Afternoon Drive presented in no particular order. Hardly all-inclusive, this list could have been 50 strong but I grabbed a few samples of my favorites over a few genres, mostly rock. If you own any of these make sure they are available in your car for your next leisure cruise. And be sure to add your own favorites to the comments…
“gone are the days we stopped to decided…where we should go, we just ride.” – Grateful Dead
Led Zeppelin – In the Light
Johnny Cash – Wanted Man
Phish – Free
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince – Summertime
Janis Joplin w/ Big Brother & the Holding Company - Summertime
Stevie Ray Vaughan – Little Wing
Frank Zappa – Watermelon in Easter Hay
Linton Kwesi Johnson – More Time
Tokyo Police Club – Tessellate
Bob Dylan – Lily Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts
Calexico – Quattro
BONUS – Favorite Album for the Afternoon Drive
If you like that last one here’s a GREAT recording of an entire concert that despite being a huge Dead and Phish fan, this concert has gotten more play in my car than any other one show by any other one band…and especially in the afternoon. Click the link for legally FREE downloads…
These all seem quite wandery, musically speaking, E. Don’t know even half of them though. Great for a meandering Sunday drive. Plus less likely to crash if you’re not pumped up on metal or.dance beats.
Ya I suppose “wandery” is the closest theme to tie them together. I save my metal for cruising Sunset or Main St. SM. I must admit I don’t intentionally cruise to dance beats though NPR catches me off guard every once in a while.
Hope you heard a couple you didn’t know – and definitely check out the Calexico show at the bottom if you aren’t familiar with them.