Road Trip Music and U2...

[sulawesigirl4]

I made an impromptu trip from St. Paul to Milwaukee this weekend and during my drive I formulated a theory on the subject of road trips and U2 discs. 80s U2 is great for daylight driving, 90s U2 is great for night driving. At least I found that to be the case.

Also, one of my favorite road trip music odyssey's is listening to all U2's albums in chronological order. It's really interesting to hear the progression of the instruments, the songs, Bono's voice, et al.

Anyone else do this?

-sula

[bono-vox]

i never go on trips that long that i can listen to each u2 album in chronological order, im only allowed to do that when i have my own car...i am stuck listening to the radio/ elvis while in the car yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[jezebel]

Originally posted by sulawesigirl4:
80s U2 is great for daylight driving, 90s U2 is great for night driving. At least I found that to be the case.

Hey sula! so true.

also, R & H and JT are terrific to listen to anytime driving thru the desert.

I remember listening to UF the first time time I went to Canyonlands in SE Utah. Wow.

[adam's_mistress]

I drove from Minnesota to California solo around the time the Best Of/B-Sides cd's hit store shelves. It was a very dark period in my life and I found a lot of peace just driving along with my music blasting. Anything to take my mind off of what was happening at the time, and what was going to happen upon my return to California.

I didn't have many cd's with me, just the ones I thought mattered. It was a long drive, through all the climates of the US, in the dead of winter. My 2 disc Best Of & B-Sides set became the soundtrack of that long drive, and a lot of times I'd put a certain song on repeat just so I could savor a certain moment in time - the stars twinkling in the night sky as I drove through deserts and valleys listening to Unchained Melody over and over. Driving through the Rockies listening to Where the Streets Have No Name and I Still Haven't Found, cruising through Las Vegas listening to Desire, crossing the State Line to California listening to Three Sunrises. Some songs were painful mainly because of what I was feeling, like With Or Without You and Sweetest Thing and Love Comes Tumbling and All I Want Is You - but all were necessary to listen to at the time. That 2 disc set, that mix of music from all eras, *became* the soundtrack that summed up not only that period in my life, but the journey I took that was filled with a lot of uncertainty of what my future would hold.

It all turned out for the best in the end, and I can put that dark period behind me. Unfortunately though, the Best Of cd is now associated with that period in my life and because that period was so painful for me, I must admit that listening to the songs on there in that particular order is... painful. And I haven't listened to it much since that long long drive. But I am grateful that during that time I was able to find peace in that cd, and it still means the world to me.

[spinninghead77]

You are so right about 90's and night. I had to make an hour long drive alone at night on a very hilly road the other day. I decided to listen to POP. It was one of the best hours of my life. I was alone on the road, and it was pitch black except for my headlights. When I arrived at my destination I didn't want to stop.


I soooo want to take a road trip long enough to listen to all the cd's.

[sulawesigirl4]

I first did the "all U2 CDs in order" thing during a trip I took with a friend from Alberta to Saskatoon and back. He was interested in U2 and wanted to hear more of their stuff so our drive was sort of a crash course for him. While we listened I could point out different themes and behind-the-music facts (like most of us here, I am a wealth of U2 trivia) and it was great fun.

This weekend, my drive was 2 parts. On the way there it was a gorgeous clear day and I listened to Boy, October, UF, JT, and RH (I lent my War CD to a friend and forgot to get it back ) And on the way home, I started driving just as the sun went down and so I put on AB, Zooropa and Pop. Then finished up with some Radiohead and PJ Harvey just for fun. hehe.

btw, listening to Heartland as the farmlands and fields of Wisconsin fly past the window and the sun slowly sets is really quite moving.

-sula

[mug222]

I think 90's U2 works on the road at any time of day--It has become a tradition that whenever I wake up extremely early to drive up on the weekends to ski, I start out with Zooropa. Please, everyone, at least once you have to mix the following ingredients, it's incredible:

-5 a.m.
-Pull out onto a completely deserted highway.
-Sun must be just below the horizon, ready to explode into view
-Put on Zooropa, the title track.

Oh god it's awesome, slowly passing the speed limit and hitting 80 just as Bono sings "Zooropa...Vorsprung Durch tecknik" (sp?). Ah such a good feeling.

[IvanClaytonJnr]

For a long trip , I usually make a huge compilation of mixed songs / live / others etc etc from CD"S into 3-4 cassetes , it's fast and easy and you can do it endless number of times

[Diemen]

that sounds like a great idea. Unfortunately I've never gone on a roadtrip by myself, so usually don't have control over the stereo and can't monopolize it w/ U2. I have listened to Joshua tree while driving, and it is definitely a great daylight/wide open spaces driving album.

I have gone on train trips though, and in the course of 9 hours I can fit in quite a few U2 albums, although I need better traveling headphones so I can isolate myself from the noise.

Anyway.

[sulawesigirl4]

Originally posted by kobayashi:
cool!
did you come from edmonton or calgary?
the calgary drive is so much better with drumheller in between.

kobe, we drove from a bit north of Calgary (tiny place called Three Hills to be exact) across to Saskatoon for a wedding there. And I was really surprised with how much I enjoyed the trip. I had been very prepared to be bored outta my mind with the "prairie provinces" but they had their own sort of beauty. Perfect for UF/JT/RH listening to be sure.

-sula

[annalivia]

Originally posted by mug222:
I think 90's U2 works on the road at any time of day--It has become a tradition that whenever I wake up extremely early to drive up on the weekends to ski, I start out with Zooropa. Please, everyone, at least once you have to mix the following ingredients, it's incredible:

-5 a.m.
-Pull out onto a completely deserted highway.
-Sun must be just below the horizon, ready to explode into view
-Put on Zooropa, the title track.

Oh god it's awesome, slowly passing the speed limit and hitting 80 just as Bono sings "Zooropa...Vorsprung Durch tecknik" (sp?). Ah such a good feeling.

How nice and poetic! For a moment I wanted to set the alarm clock on 5 a.m. But then I remembered that I would never find a deserted highway over here That's the disadvantage of living in crowded "Zooropa"... Btw the spelling was almost perfect (just a "ch" on "Technik").

annalivia

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"I'm a singer. You know what a singer is? Someone with a hole in his heart as big as his ego.
When you need 20,000 people screaming your name in order to feel good about your day,
you know you're a singer."

(Bono's Harvard address, June 2001)

[joyfulgirl]

In case I haven't mentioned it yet today , I recently got a new car with a 6 CD-changer in it and at first I was trying to be equitable with my CD collection and listen to other things besides U2. That lasted about a day, and now I have 6 U2 CDs loaded. I've got some road trips coming up, so thanks for the tips.

[numbededge]

I have to say, there is nothing quite like blasting In God's Country as you're driving through the Mojave Desert (past the Joshua trees, of course )
I've never listened to all of the albums back to back on road trips but I have done it at home while packing to move. Very interesting hearing the evolution of U2.

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And now for something completely different...
Fortune cookie lyrics!
"Live your life filled with joy and wonder"
"Faith lies in the ways of sin"
"The future is no place to place your better days"

[DebbieSG]

I have one thing to add here: listening to Passengers on a fast train at night and/or through a tunnel (here we have BART) puts you in another world

[Discoteque]

Hey Sula, where did you go visit when you were in my ol' stompin grounds of M'waukee???

Unfort. I haven't taken a trip long enough to listen to the boys in total chrono order, but there have been dark rainy nights where Zooropa and AB have surrounded me, long rainy days when some 'back to back boys' have been just what I needed...and a trip last week to Santa Fe where anything JT was absolutely movie soundtrack perfect!

Sula thanks for this lovely mental picture of my beloved cornfields....(((hugs)))

btw, listening to Heartland as the farmlands and fields of Wisconsin fly past the window and the sun slowly sets is really quite moving.

[This message has been edited by Discoteque (edited 01-28-2002).]

[~LadyLemon~]

Yep, I did the chronological U2 order on the way to the Halloween/Larry's b-day concert in Providence. It was a 1600 mile trip, total. And yes, 90s U2 is superb for night driving!!



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You will believe in me
And I can never be ignored

[kobayashi]

Originally posted by sulawesigirl4:
I first did the "all U2 CDs in order" thing during a trip I took with a friend from Alberta to Saskatoon and back.

cool!
did you come from edmonton or calgary?
the calgary drive is so much better with drumheller in between.
well it's not the desert but i always used to listen to joshua tree when i lived there. i'd sometimes drive out just a little beyond my house(i lived on the very edge of saskatoon, right beside a huge wheat field). we would go out about a half hour at night and watch the stars while listening to joshua tree.
a couple of weekends ago i got to drive my new car(sorry, i'm still really excited) into montreal @ night. of course i had achtung baby on. for me it's not just about night, it's also a dazzling cityscape and lively streets. it was so perfect...

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i thought i knew you.