We're down to one week. A week before vacation. One week from tomorrow, me and TheWife™ and TheWorldsBestDog™ will stuff that poor Jeep full of two weeks worth of the "accoutrements de slack" and head off to the coast of Maine.
This year, one part of the vacation inventory will travel in a different form. That would be the music. Technology, in the form of my little iPod, is going to let me skinny down the load. I must admit that I'd really prefer to have the CD's with me. You know, liner notes and all. On the other hand, I tend to seriously overdo it when making the list of "CD's I Really Need" for one week.
Two weeks is an even bigger problem. The "rule" (which of course I made up...so I can ignore it) is to only bring what will fit in that oversized LL Bean canvas bag. The problem is that I pack that thing full and then start remembering all of the "orphaned" recordings that can't be lived without. You may think I'm kidding here but this orphaned "problem" is why I own Tom Waits and Leo Kottke compilations. After driving five hours and discovering that there's no Waits in the bag, well...gotta fix that problem!
The chore of readying the iPod for vacation isn't an easy one. I'm not one of those "entire collection on the iPod" people, so almost all of my iPod content consists of stuff that I intend to review. Sure, the mechanics of ripping and updating are easy enough; it's the making of the list that's the challenge. After thinking about it for a few minutes last night, the list so far:
Tom Waits
Bruce Springsteen
Greg Brown
Ellis Paul
Bob Dylan
Southside Johnny
Dar Williams
Lucy Kaplansky
Leo Kottke
The Grateful Dead
Bjork
Emmylou Harris
We're About Nine
Ani DiFranco
Lori McKenna
Willie Nelson
Johnny Cash
Patsy Cline
Billie Holiday
Pat Metheny
Ornette Coleman
Philip Glass
I hit the Glass entry—had to think for another minute and came up blank—and decided that it was time for bed. This task is funny, like coming up with a real desert island list. I'm sure that time will be spent standing in front of the racks just staring at things, hoping for the inspiration that'll help us avoid the "Oh crap! I forgot...." experience.
Oops, a couple more entries just popped in:
Miles David
John Coltrane
Steely Dan
Thom Yorke
Norah Jones
Hmmm...maybe I will get one of those gigundo iPods someday.
Anthony Braxton
Peeping Tom
Cheap Trick
Bill Frisell
Jim Hall
The Rolling Stones
.
.
.
A few more from TheWife™:
Tori Amos
Loreena McKennit
.
.
Phew! One more week to go....
Article comments
1 - Connie Phillips
Now see, long car trips is the thing I love most about my iPod. I worry about my CDs getting scratched up or worse, stolen, if I leave them in the car.
With the iPod, I park the car, unplug it from the stereo, and drop it into my purse.
Oh yeah! The music! Your list would keep me pretty happy for the week.
2 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
Great article Mark, and can't argue with that list. Compilations are a good way to go, but I don't know if I could travel without "Highway 61 Revisited" and Wait's "Raindogs" (subject of next week's Vinyl Tap--um, you know, as a totally non-shameful un-crass promotional-plug manner).
3 - Aaron Fleming
That's gonna be a hell of a music-filled vacation, and certainly old raspy voice Waits will make for some great driving tunery.
4 - Mark Saleski
this is all for after arrival. have no way to listen to the ipod in the jeep. plus, the jeep is so danged loud on its own that we rarely listen to music in it.
gordon: you're right. i will be taking both Raindogs and Swordfishtrombones. for something weirder, i'll have to decide between Mule Variations and The Black Rider.
5 - J. P. Spencer
To paraphrase Paul Westerberg, never travel far without a little Big Star.
And if you're driving to your destination, be sure you have a copy of "The Good Earth" by The Feelies to take along. It's one of the best albums ever made for a long car ride.
6 - Chuck S.
Hey Mark,
Have fun in Maine... sounds like you've got a good list of music to bring along. It's a funny coincidence, but I'm going to Maine for a week this Saturday. I'm very much looking forward to it, having put in a lot of extra hours at the office this week in prep.
I'll be bringing my MP3 player loaded with Indie music, and probably a stack of CD's too! I don't use iPods and my MP3 player weighs in at a mere 1 giggle byte, so I can only fit 100 to 120 or so songs on it.
Besides the Indie stuff I'll probably be listening to Madonna, Moby, Nora Jones, Dido, Vanessa Daou, and all sorts of dance music. Still can't get that Afroganic piece Ma Angro So out of my head... what a blast!
Anyway sounds like when I get back, you'll have just left. See you in a few weeks!
-- Chuck
7 - DJRadiohead
DUDE! Guster!
12,515 songs on my iPod. Pretty much the whole damn collection. Can't do it any other way. I am eagerly waiting for the 80GB to come out because I'll fill that one, too! Yesterday, I had the urge to listen to Kid A and Amnesiac while also listening to several Ryan Adams songs and some Tom Petty just for grins. I would have never had all those CDs with me. The iPod will bring peace in my lifetime. Well, it's sure helped me.
Keep rippin'...
8 - Mark Saleski
yea, Guster's not on the list because they're already on the ipod.
9 - DJRadiohead
Well that makes sense, then. Make sure the Hammersmith is one of the Springsteen's you take with you. One of the truly great live albums, ever.
10 - Mark Saleski
yep, that's already there too!
11 - DJRadiohead
You're going to survive this trip afterall.
One more suggestion... Tom Petty's new album is called Highway Companion (which you already knew). You need to buy it on Tues. when it streets and have that for the trip. I have a feeling it's a perfect driving for vacation record. "Saving Grace" sure makes it sound like it will be.
12 - Tom Johnson
I've got a, ahem, preview of the Petty and can concur that it definitely is a great driving album in the vein of Into the Great Wide Open, which I think is another great driving album (and the album follows in the sound of that and Full Moon Fever, too, which makes for a nice trio of great driving albums, actually.) (And, yes, I'll be buying the real deal next week, so concerns about sales lost to this "preview.")
And ditto on the 80gb Ipod - Apple lost out on a sale this past Christmas because I was all set to make the move when the rumors were hinting at just that. I'm maxed out almost constantly with my 40, but I'm not going to buy a 60 when I know that an 80 is surely around the corner (Apple reportedly bought a bunch of Ipod-compatible 80gb harddrives from Toshiba late last year, so the 80gb model is coming . . . it's just a matter of when.)
13 - DJRadiohead
I've been hoping like hell to get an advance of that album. I will give TP my $10 on Tuesday (I have even considered driving the two hours to Nashville to buy it at midnight at TowerRecords because I am retarded and a fanboy). Glad to hear you're liking it, Tom. This is the one I am most looking forward to in '06.
14 - pico
I had the same quandry a couple of months ago, but I managed fit what I needed into a 4gig nano. It was a pretty good opportunity to finally get through Miles' 6 CD Cellar Door Sessions during the long flight. Now I am more than ready for Jarrett to get back on that piano.
Which Frisell are you packing? I went with Further East/Futher West.
Have a great trip. And don't dare leave home without some Little Feat ;-)
15 - Mark Saleski
good Frisell recommendation. i just might go with that one because it contains a bunch of different stuff....tho i might have to also take one of his very early ECM releases.
ah yea....Waiting For Columbus.
16 - Saxxxton
My favorite Tom Waits at the moment would have to
be the "Wicked Grin" CD by John Hammond where he
& many Waits alumni(percussionist Stephen Hodges,
bassist Larry Taylor,Tom Waits hizownself playing
some raunched out! guitar + other guests) tackle
some of the bluesier elements of the Waits ouevre
with great success.
It's so good I can't believe it sometimes. John's
bluesy tenor is perfect for many Waits tunes and
his slide work is superlative as well.Toms and JH
guitars meld so well that is hard to tell who's
playing what at times. Although many of the tunes
are re-arranged to a small degree("Jockey Full Of
Bourbon" for ex. has an accordion solo instead
of the spastic,angular,funky guitar solo by Marc
Ribot)they all work, some even in MHO,surpassing
the original takes.
It's as much collaboration between Tom Waits and
John Hammond as it is a Hammond solo outing. John
is in fine voice here and it's obvious that it's
a labour of love for J.H to tackle these tunes.
I could't recommend this disc more.
17 - Mark Saleski
that's interesting. i remember a lot of Waits fans really hated that recording when it came out...comments like Hammond just didn't "get" Waits.
i really liked it. but of course i'm a big fan of Hammond as well.
18 - HW Saxton
I like Hammond as well. I don't see where fans can
say JH doesn't "get it"!? I mean Waits is all over
this thing and Hammond's playing just couldn't be
better on here.The vox are soulful,a bluesy tenor
as opposed to Tom's too much liquor too many cigs
rasp which is cool too,especially on ballads such
as "Fannin St."
The FANS didn't get it,is a more apt and likely
scenario. Waits broke the mold a bit and scared
them. Obviously he(Waits)dug this disc and from
the interviews with Tom,he really thought Hammond
had a great feel for what he (Waits) was doing on
these tunes prior to these re-interpretations.Plus
Tom had a blast being able to just cut loose and
get funky on guitar without having to worry about
calling all the shots,singing,arranging etc.,etc.
Like any good jazz artist worth his weight,Waits
couldn't re-do these tunes the same way over again
even if he'd tried,depending as it does upon mood
as well as the venue or studio, backing musicians
used etc. He was smart enough to not even try to
and it's hard to fault him on that.