Madonna
Immaculate Collection (1990)
Recess had originally banned greatest-hit CDs from our little list list, but we make an exception here for the Material Girl. Madonna defined pop music in the 80s, and almost all of her best songs are on this one gleeful album. Headed to the beach? Try "La Isla Bonita." Or somewhere else fun? Sing at the top of your lungs to "Holiday." Even if you're off to church, she includes "Like a Prayer." This album is a must, especially if you've got girls in the car.
DMX
It's Dark and Hell is Hot (1998)
Dogs do, indeed, fight, but nobody can bark like DMX. His rhymes are rough and his beats are dirty, but unlike a lot of hip-hop albums, this one is consistent, front to back. All the references to his "dogs" create an atmosphere of brotherhood and unity within any group. And he even inspires charity with his uplifting "Stop Being Greedy."
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Willy and the Poor Boys (1969)
Perfect for a slow jaunt through the South, the bayou rockers pound out a classic set of slow-rolling rock, punctuated by the unforgettable fire of "Fortunate Son." And all that from some guys from suburban San Francisco.
The Beatles
Abbey Road (1969)
Of course, any Beatles album would sound great on the road, but Abbey Road beats them all because of its smooth, slinky feel--and the fact that it's their longest single-disc CD. Packed with Lennon/McCartney classics as "Come Together" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," it also features the gorgeous Harrison composition, "Here Comes the Sun." Pop it in and let it play the whole way because it's not often you hear such music bliss.
Liz Phair
whitechocolatespaceegg (1998)
It's not her strongest album-that nod would clearly go to the show-stopping Exile In Guyville-but this grown-up meditation on maturity and motherhood has the perfect road feel. Uptempo singalongs like "Polyester Bride," and "Johnny Feelgood" pass the time effortlessly. And though she blunders into some sappy nods to Sheryl Crow like "Uncle Alvarez," Liz's lyrical savvy stays largely undiminshed.
Belle and Sebastian
If You're Feeling Sinister (1996)
If you've been on the road through the night, Sinister is the perfect accompaniment for the first rays of sunlight. Soft enough to calm your irritated, caffeine-frayed nerves, but witty enough to keep you awake, Belle and Sebastian bring warm and fuzzy peace to a road-weary car.
Sublime
Sublime (1996)
Sublime takes you on a trip through the blue-smoke haze of the white-trash ghetto. With its reggae-punk rumble and lite-hop bass, this jumble of hedonism and crackerfied rastafarianism reminds you that a good time can be had wherever you look for it.
James Taylor
Live (1993)
There's nothing like the sugarcane soul of Sweet Baby James doing songs like "Carolina On My Mind" while you're cruising down a two-lane road through a hundred nameless towns, hoping to make the Outer Banks by dark. And when you do, you know exactly what he's talking about.
Phish
Hoist (1994)
Sure, they're a live band, but listening to one of their shows in its entirety could take the whole trip. Hoist is concise and maybe a bit too crisp, but its mix of urgent funk and loping asides keeps your feet tapping the full 45 minutes.
Guns N' Roses
Appetite For Destruction (1988)
From the melancholic jangle of "Sweet Child O' Mine" to the exuberant caterwauling of "Paradise City," G'N'R bring the Sunset Strip right to your steering wheel in a manner that'll either make you sweat for the big city or reach for Wild Turkey-or both.
Pavement
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
Not only does this album have the ultimate singalong in "Cut Your Hair," Pavement's second-best record rocks at a more consistent pace than its predecessor. From the headbanging fuzz of "Hit the Plane Down" to the measured breeze of "Range Life," Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is perfect road company.
Run Lola Run
Soundtrack (1999)
This throbbing 76-minute techno opus is most memorable for the way it winds back on itself. Filled out by remixes of its middle tracks, this album's claustrophobia is enough to drive you out of town, while its unrelenting beat makes sure you never slow down.
U2
Joshua Tree (1987)
Bono's search for rock perfection never came so close as this unforgettable classic. Forged from a storm of discontent and yearning, Joshua Tree's unquenchable thirst for truth-and its recurring desire to run-make it a memorable way to flee.
Pearl Jam
Vs. (1993)
Eddie Vedder's American landscape is wrecked with drugs and discrimination, conformity and firearms, but from the volatile "Go" to the battered cynicism of "Indifference," Vs. never stops being an illuminating journey.
Bob Dylan
Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
Dylan tells the story of American streets brimming with discontent, of a disaffected generation strumming folk music on street corners while the factories decay and the search for answers comes up empty. It's Dylan's first attempt at rock n' roll, and like a rolling stone, he goes without ever looking back.
Silver Jews
American Water (1998)
The cover of American Water depicts a long, straight road stretching into the distance, and it's an apt metaphor for this record. From the record's opener, "Random Rules," where songwriter David Berman says, "I asked the painter why the roads are colored black / He said, 'Steve, it's because people leave / and no highway will bring them back,'" American Water is a detatchedly splendid narrative of perfect lyrical couplets and dusty, midtempo arrangements.
REM
New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1995)
Brimming with travel metaphors, REM's longest opus is the sound of a band on the road. With 14 completely distinct songs, there's something for everybody and a song for every road mood. Just remember that the siren on "Leave" is not the sound of the po-po following you on the interstate.
Counting Crows
August and Everything After (1993)
Forget the mediocre stuff they've put out lately-August was pure poetry. Sad songs like "Anna Begins" and"Sullivan Street" sound strangely refreshing when blaring from a speeding automobile. And when they rock out with their jangly guitars on numbers like "Rain King" and the euphoric "Murder of One," they effortlessly recall a time when life was simpler and more innocent.
Blur
Parklife (1994)
Britpop at its lushest, loudest, and cockneyest. See how many people can correctly sing "Girls & Boys" or imitate Phil Daniels on the title track. Blur take rainy British life and make it sunny and joyous--okay, so it's all sarcastic, but forget that and enjoy this thorougly fun album.
Fatboy Slim
You've Come a Long Way, Baby (1998)
You know all the songs, and you feel like dancing in the car. But the can't-miss moment of this record comes right after the first song, "Right Here, Right Now," when the obnoxious radio caller sings "Check it out now! The funk soul brother." Everyone will be laughing so hard they'll forget how annoying "Rockafeller Skank" really is.
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