Music for the Road
About two years I succumbed to the lure of taking along a portable music player in the form of an MP3 device when I went on trips outside the country. No, not an iPod, or any other sort of multi-tasking iThing, but simply a small device that played only music. Seeing as how I’m constantly listening to music when I’m at home or at work, I felt like I needed some tunes with me when I was on the road too.
I still bring paperback books along to read (no tablets or other “handy” reading devices, just real paper products, thank you) when I travel, but the music makes for a pleasing accompaniment, particularly when waiting around in airports, taking long walks or bike rides, or just relaxing in my hotel room (I can only stomach so much cable TV news, and have zero interest in watching vapid movies).
Music has become an inspirational soundtrack to my trips. When I think about cycling down a lonely dirt road in Shan State, hoping that I wouldn’t round a bend and run into a herd of cattle, I recall that I was listening to some vintage Springsteen tunes. When I was navigating the chaotic streets of Mandalay, Steely Dan kept a smile on my face. For my latest trip to Myanmar I stuck with some travel-tested favorites rather than put anything brand new on my MP3 player. I’ve found that trips aren’t a good time for “test driving” new music, but for enjoying the old familiar. I also included some music from Myanmar favorites such as Lay Phyu, Linn Linn, and Iron Cross, local tunes to make the atmosphere all the more authentic. Here are some of the albums that kept me moving and grooving on the road.
Rosanne Cash – Rules of Travel
Steely Dan – Countdown to Ecstasy
Bruce Springsteen – Tracks (4 CD set)
Nada Surf – If I Had a Hi-Fi
Gil Scott-Heron – Evolution (and Flashback): The Very Best of
Curtis Mayfield – There’s No Place Like America Today
Joan Armatrading – This Charming Life
Gordon Lightfoot – Gord’s Gold
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Second Helping
Patti Griffin – Flaming Red
James Taylor – Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon
Al Green – Deep Shade of Green (3 CD set)
Atlanta Rhythm Section – Dog Days/Red Tape
Glen Campbell – Meet Glen Campbell
Love Tractor – Sky at Night
Poco – Head Over Heels
Carole King – Her Greatest Hits
Grant Green – Live at the Lighthouse
Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
Bruce Hornsby – Greatest Radio Hits
Marvin Gaye – Trouble Man
Gabor Szabo – The Sorcerer
Doobie Brothers – What Were Once Vices are Now Habits
Stevie Wonder – Hotter Than July
Tabu Ley Rochereau – African Classics
Drive-By Truckers – The Fine Print
Betty Wright & The Roots – Betty Wright: The Movie
UB 40 – Signing Off
Booker T. Jones – The Road from Memphis
Neil Young – Rust Never Sleeps