There’s definitely an art to a great mixtape. There are rules to perfecting it. I don’t profess to have ever created the perfect mix tape, believe me, I tried as much as the next person when I was younger. Sitting for hours in my room pouring over all my tapes and CD’s, sleeves and cases everywhere, searching for just the right songs that will fill at least one side of a TDK SA90 cassette. It’s an extremely personal experience.
However, the making of The Ultimate Road Trip Mix Tape is a fresh bowl of soup.
You’re heading off for the weekend with some mates in your Datsun 180B that only has a radio cassette in it, and you’re out to impress with some solid tunes for the trip. So, where do you start?
Obviously, everyone’s taste is different, so here’s what I’d use for the Ultimate Road Trip Mix Tape.
You have to start with an absolute crowd favourite, a solid familiar jam that heightens the adrenaline and excitement for the weekend ahead. This is the most important song on the whole tape.
Track 1: AC/DC – Let There Be Rock
BOOM! Fast-paced, head bangin' goodness from Australia’s finest that ensures steering wheel drumming, air guitars and a full noise sing-a-long. THIS is how you kick it off. ACCA DACCA BABY!
Track 2: Metallica – Fuel
You have to knock up the intensity a notch, and this one has you screwing up your metal face, fist pumping, and head-banging, hard, and of course screaming GIMMEFEWWGIMMEFAAGIMMEZABBUDABBUDAHH! Plus there’s a great James Hetfield OOOOHH YEA-HEH. Which you will share with whoever is next to you on the freeway out of town.
Track 3: Guns N’ Roses – Welcome To The Jungle
A super slick song that all your mates who are the same age know. You all grew up slamming this tape hard and to this day you still love it. Not quite as full on as Metallica, but as far as uniting a car full of mates, this is a must.
Track 4: Cold Chisel – Rising Sun (studio or live)
It’s time to throw in an old-school pumped up boogie rock song. Don Walker smashes the ivories on this one as it tells the tale of our hero losing his love as she returns to her home country of Japan. Loads of ‘dashboard piano’ ensues. This live version rocks!
Track 5: Creedence Clearwater Revival – Out My Back Door
It’s time for some southern swamp rock performed by a band from San Francisco. Seriously, who doesn’t love Creedence? This song, with lyrics inspired by a child, screams road trip, long straight roads, warm weather, sunnies on, cruising.
Track 6: The Doors – Roadhouse Blues
I know we’re getting into cliché territory here but you can’t mess with the absolute classic driving songs. The Doors, despite their short career, made a huge impact, and like CCR, this tune settles you into a groove whilst driving.
Track 7: George Thorogood – One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer (live)
Never underestimate the power of a live track on The Ultimate Road Trip mixtape. They’re often longer than the studio version, and with that, you get a story from the writer with audience reaction that adds so much to the vibe. This live version of this Thorogood classic is essential.
Track 8: Canned Heat – Goin Up The Country
EVERYONE loves to sing like Kermit to this one, in which the lyrics are literally about escaping the city to get away. In just 8 tracks we’ve transitioned from flat to the boards, to cruising, and the feeling is still right in the pocket. Song choices on The Ultimate Road Trip mixtape should follow mood, always.
Track 9: Deep Purple – Speed King
At this point of the tape, we need to start increasing intensity again, but you can’t just jump straight in, oh no. You have to slowly immerse yourself again like easing into a hot bath. That’s why Deep Purple is a MUST HAVE. Jon Lord keyboards on this are almost trance-inducing, and the groove is adrenalin building.
Track 10: Led Zeppelin – Immigrant Song
Because every mixtape must have Led Zeppelin. Period. This should be played at full volume with the entire car screaming the ‘AAAAH-AAHHHHHHHHHH-AHH’ part with the windows down obnoxiously so everyone around you can hear you.
Track 11: Motorhead – Ace Of Spades
You need to inject a bit of fire into your mixtape now, one that comes out of the blocks hard and makes the hairs on your arms stand up as you try to emulate Lemmy’s vocals.
This head banging classic is spot on for this part of your trip, reinvigorating your desire to just keep on driving.
Track 12: Van Halen – Hot For Teacher
After that intense couple of minutes from Motorhead, you take a breath momentarily before you wrap your head around the kick arse drum intro to this Halen beast. "Hot For Teacher" builds beautifully into a raucous sing-a-long with loads of air drums and guitar. This could result in you being pulled over. I take no responsibility for that.
Track 13: Iron Maiden – Run To The Hills
What a way to close outside 1 of the Ultimate Road Trip mixtape. Bruce’s vocals soar, the galloping guitars and drums urge to press the loud pedal closer and closer to the firewall as you escape the clutches of the city. EVERY mixtape must have Iron Maiden. THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT!
As I said at the top of the article, everyone’s taste is different, but the example I hope to have set here is the ebb and flow of a great mixtape. Take your listeners on a journey where they can have some respite, before knocking them out with a killer punch. Use the music that speaks to you in that way and you can’t go wrong.
Stand by for side 2!
- Higgo
