Listening to music in shite

[jonathan_dyane]

Is it just me or does anyone else find that sometimes they find a particular artist or album which somehow compliments a car and enhances the drive?

 

As an example I used to when I felt the need to ‘press on’ in my first Saab 900 Turbo I used to love to reach for my cassette of First and Last and Always (The Sisters of Mercy) and blast past everyone feeling like everything in the universe was in alignment.

 

Just me?

[Lord Sterling]

I often listened to Jan Hammer's "Black Mercedes" when I had a Black Mercedes E280 (I really, really miss that car)

 

The Mk1 800s had some Eric Clapton or Dire straights to remind me of when Fatha_Sterling used to blast these out of the speakers in his Sterling. The Mk2 Sterlings had light classical music at low volume.

 

The BMW just gets whatever I feel like. Usually late 80s pop or Arabic music, occasionally some early 90s rap music.

 

The Vectra had a CD with late 60s / early 70s TV background type music. Helped get me through the 200 miles from Durham to Worcestershire when I first picked it up. A couple of tracks often get played; John Cameron - Half Forgotton dreams and the Dave Pell Singers - Oh Calcutta.

[mercrocker]

I pretty much only listen to one (albeit very broad) genre of music.   For driving, most of it is on MP3 as I find that the most reliable and least cluttering medium in a car.   I have one player that is loaded with mainly early Sixties rock and roll - Shadows, Billy Fury and all sorts of other Decca stuff - and this resides in the Minor which seems to suit it.   Last car I had with a cassette player was my old Pontiac and even then I only had two tapes in the car - one Duane Eddy and a Johnny Cash compilation.   They suited the drive perfectly!    The camper van still has a CD player which normally pumps out current rock and roll from modern Ted bands and the like.

 

Still haven't put any sounds in the Cowley though, still planning how best to do that without incongruous lumps of ICE everywhere.   Also dynamo.....

[Mrs6C]

Sky 4: Forthcoming in the 308, on tape...

[sutty2006]

I had a deacon blue greatest hits album in the carlton......does that count?

[RayMK]

There's no sound system in my Reliant, except for the engine which is deafening.  The Tipo has Bob Dylan's greatest hits (CD).  Dad used to play James Last cassettes in his GSA (ghastly music*).  After his passing in 1986 I borrowed it a few times.  George Harrison seemed more appropriate.

[Marm Toastsmith]

Autobahn in my E28. Actually any Kraftwerk in any oldish German car is excellent.

[Datsuncog]

Funny, even now when I listen to DJ Shadow's Endtroducing it still kinda feels like I'm listening to it in my Viva HC: the multiple layers of hiss and crackle on the album were boosted by my state-of-the-art high-fidelity ICE setup* (vinyl to TDK C90, played through Argos' finest Goodmans pod speakers via a battered Pye tape deck)... it seems that knackered old car somehow fitted with the fried 70s funk and warped beats.

A classic in every sense.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Funny, even now when I listen to DJ Shadow's Endtroducing it still kinda feels like I'm listening to it in my Viva HC: the multiple layers of hiss and crackle on the album were boosted by my state-of-the-art high-fidelity ICE setup* (vinyl to TDK C90, played through Argos' finest Goodmans pod speakers via a battered Pye tape deck)... it seems that knackered old car somehow fitted with the fried 70s funk and warped beats.

 

A classic in every sense.

 

That's an absolutely cracking album.

 

I listen to quite a lot of noise, drone and dark ambient and fairly often on cassette.  The stereo in my Golf does this very well.  Dolby is always, always off - but the sound system is nice.  Clinical.  Like a lot of the music...

[iainrcz]

I always listen to music in my car * (shite or not, others can decide) usually metal of some description. Metallica, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Killswitch Engage, Megadeth.

Not just metal though, I quite like a bit of Tom Petty, Bob Seger, ELO, Annie Lennox among others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* to cover the trim rattling....ahem*

[clayts450]

Pop Will Eat Itself's seminal first album, Now For A Feast, in proper vinyl fashion on a home made C90 with added trimmings from 12 inch singles and the like (B sides and remixes) made for a pleasant and right foot downward loud pedal-mode 'Pistonheads making progress' journey from Newmarket to Nott'm in the 620 recently all the more bearable.

 

Having a cassette player in a car opens you up to all those old tapes you made a gazillion years ago (random Peel sessions of bands you've never heard of recorded off R1 with crap editing of Peel breathing in deeply before he spoke before you hit record) suddenly seem worthwhile again.

 

Love it.

[Supernaut]

This was the theme tune to the Audi A4 1.8T quattro sport I used to have.

 

 

It also had a 10 speaker Bose sound system in it.

 

[Rave]

The more unsuited to the car the music is the better IMO. I had a cracking drive down to Kent in my XJ6 which was just long enough to enjoy the first Prodigy album in full, and one of my happiest drives in my sombre dark blue Mondeo Ghia X- a dad car if ever there was one- was pootling through the 50 limit roadworks on the M3 singing along with Steel Panther at full volume. "...Two in the pink and one in the stink!!!". I usually listened to Radio 4 in my MX5.

[Supernaut]

The more unsuited to the car the music is the better IMO. I had a cracking drive down to Kent in my XJ6 which was just long enough to enjoy the first Prodigy album in full, and one of my happiest drives in my sombre dark blue Mondeo Ghia X- a dad car if ever there was one- was pootling through the 50 limit roadworks on the M3 singing along with Steel Panther at full volume. "...Two in the pink and one in the stink!!!". I usually listened to Radio 4 in my MX5.

 

Inappropriate is also good.

 

I remember when me and 17-Coffees picked up the 316 (which I now have) back in 2016 I was listening to Classic FM on the drive back up, while carrying enough speed at some points to catch out his LS400 (very briefly) when he wasn't expecting it.

[Datsuncog]

Agree with the 'paradoxical' element... my Datsun Sunny B11 Coupé was bought primarily because it had a pair of Kenwood 6"x9"s already installed on the rear shelf, an Alpine amp in the boot, 5" Pioneers up front and a decent-for-the-late-90s Sony cassette head unit with 40w per channel jammed into a hole in the dash...

 

 

Despite being a total giffer special with a none-more-beige interior, the stereo ended up utterly caned from incessant at-volume playing of the first three Chemical Brothers albums, Death In Vegas, and sundry French electro acts - the Gordini Mix of Air's Brakes On, from one of their early EPs, is still one of the best tracks to hoon through central Belfast in the early hours of the morning, IMHO. Rear seat passengers tended to get the brunt...

 

The same car was also used as a mobile sound system for chums at a local skate park; I used to pitch up, open the boot and doors, and then hammer out Slipknot, Limp Bizkit and System Of A Down as requested...

 

Edit: not the inside of A798UHX, but the interior of an identical one up on the 'bay a few years back:

 

 

 

 

Combines well with P.Jack, Phoenix and Papa Roach, it transpires...

[Supernaut]

Your musical tastes are almost impeccable, DC.

 

Limp Bizkit though. Oh dear.

[Datsuncog]

Limp Bizkit though. Oh dear.

 

Heh, I know. It would have been a C90 dub of my red vinyl copy of Significant Other, bought specifically to impress a girl I fancied who was a fan.

 

She spilled vodka all over it at a party, and then got off with my mate instead.

 

I probably deserved it, in retrospect.

[Shep Shepherd]

Anything goes in both of my cars (every musical genre has something good to offer, in my opinion), but I've recently discovered that The Aero's in-car entertainment system (Saab AS3/Prestige) lends itself well to Supertramp

[Bren]

"Heaven knows I'm miserable now" when I drive a vectra.

[HillmanImp]

I drive around in the 944 with my aviator shades on listening to Miami Nights 1984, pretending that I'm in Miami Vice or something.

 

[Conan]

Upbeat period correct pop music hits fits the Corolla so well because that's what the car is anyway. I particularly like Cheri, Cheri Lady.

 

And Eurobeat, of course. Maybe why everybody says I drive way too fast.

[paulplom]

I have a home made blink 182 cd in the van. Had it about 5 years. A fun lovin' criminals greatest hits cd from Tynemouth market joined it last week.

[paulplom]

Apparently I can stream music to the van via my phone but I haven't got a clue/can't be arsed to do it.

[MorrisItalSLX]

When it comes to listening to music in shite, my needs are simple:

1 X cassette player (factory item where possible)

2(min)-4(max) X paper cone speakers, the fewer the better

1(min) X cassette tape containing deeply unpopular and outdated music.

 

 

Job’s a good‘un.

[DoctorRetro]

I used to listen to 'Invaders must Die' by the Prodigy when I had my Avenger. Good memories. Until the thrust bearing disintegrated near the Ace cafe and I never drove it again. Swapped it for a Talbot Horizon that I later swapped for a Lada Samara.

Never quite reached back to the glory of the Avenger.

Nowadays I have a cd player that doesn't work and a radio that reprograms itself to whatever station has the best signal, meaning a journey can go from Radio 1 to Classic to Heart SX to Radio 4 to BBC Essex to Radio 2 within the space of 20 miles. And I have no control over it!

Usually I just turn it off and enjoy the glorious* melody of the N/A XUD.

[PhilA]

I had Fat Of The Land on a CD-R that I listened to so much in my Cinquecento the disc stopped playing because it had gone almost transparent... That little car was remarkably engaging to drive all the way to its limits all the time and music like that rather encouraged it.

 

That had Pioneer 6x9's on the back shelf, a couple halfway decent Blaupunkt speakers up front, a reflex ported sub in the boot and a Pioneer CD head unit that wasn't half bad either.

 

I was a Yoof.

 

 

Now I'm happy building a 4.5 Watt AM radio for my car...

 

 

Phil

[sierraman]

Just had ‘Big Log’ by Robert Plant on tape in the car. Sounds so right for cruising along on a hot summers evening in a big old car.

[HillmanImp]

In the Jag I like to play late 90s drum and base, hip hop or electronic far too loudly with my windows down for maximum dickhead points.

[HMC]

I used to play “return of the mack”/ mark morrison (ok go easy on me) a lot in a w124 estate I had, which I put amg monoblock alloys on. It ruined the ride. I swapped it for a bmw e34 5 series touring and forgot to take the cd out. Hence whenever I hear return of the Mack I remember summer 2011 and a dark green merc estate, with AMG wheels, and a sore spine.

[HillmanImp]

I used to play “return of the mack”/ mark morrison (ok go easy on me) a lot in a w124 estate I had, which I put amg monoblock alloys on. It ruined the ride. I swapped it for a bmw e34 5 series touring and forgot to take the cd out. Hence whenever I hear return of the Mack I remember summer 2011 and a dark green merc estate, with AMG wheels, and a sore spine.

I remember Loaded magazine used to do a list of badboy celebrities or sportsmen which regularly featured Mark Morrison. No matter what he'd done (taking a gun on a plane or armed robbery etc) they always put it down to him trying to somehow get his lost coat back.