Best Road Trip Albums of All Time
One option is to simply make a list of your songs and then plan out when or where in the trip you would listen to them and why. Another option is to curate songs you feel accurately represent the essence of the trip in question. But this is all too much effort, that’s why we put together this list of our favourite road trip albums to help you decide on a soundtrack for your future trips!
Well, fear not. We have compiled this list of fantastic albums that are sure to be perfect for accompanying your road trip adventures with everything from the Beatles’ “Rubber Soul” to Jay-Z’s “4:44”.
To qualify for this ultimate road trip list, an album must get you outside of your own head, it should strongly encourage either careful listening or singing along and be easy to enjoy alone, with friends, or with family. So without any further ado, here are some of our favourite road trip albums (in no particular order).
Rubber Soul, the Beatles (1965)
This is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Rubber Soul was released in 1965. The album helped popularise folk rock and marked the beginning of the Beatles’ abandonment of their exclusively amateurish style. It was noted for its lyrical sophistication and prominent use of four-part harmonies. It’s a great road trip album because there is no better way to start off a road trip than with the starting track “Drive My Car” and listening to the album makes you feel like you’re traveling through 1960s England. Groovy!
Harvest, Neil Young (1972)
This nine-track LP is Neil Young’s breakaway commercial breakthrough after making a name for himself as a folk-rocker with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills and Nash. The album’s title comes from Young’s earlier album “Harvest Moon”. “Harvest” reached number one on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart in the US. It’s a great road trip album because of its exceptionally vibrant sound and lyrics.
Ten, Pearl Jam (1991)
This is the debut album by American rock band Pearl Jam is jam-packed with hooky sing-alongs and epic ballads, and we can’t think of a better road trip album than this one. The record introduced the Seattle grunge scene to the world and earned a spot on many critics’ best-of lists for the year. It’s a great road trip album because of its upbeat vibe and fast-paced melodies.
A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay (2002)
A Rush of Blood to the Head is the fourth studio album by British rock band Coldplay, released on March 6, 2002 by Parlophone. It was the band’s first album with drummer Will Champion, after the departure of previous drummer Chris Martin. The title is derived from its opening track “A Rush of Blood to the Head”, which is about heartbreak. It’s a great road trip album because it kicks into full gear midway through with the upbeat “Clocks”, which will give you a boost right when you need one.
The Wall, Pink Floyd (1979)
The Wall is Pink Floyd’s eleventh studio album and an epic rock concept album by Pink Floyd. In 1982, the album won Pink Floyd a Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical. It’s a great road trip album because of its awesome psychedelic rock vibes and slow tempo.
Achtung Baby, U2 (1991)
This is the eleventh studio album by Irish rock band U2, released on October 19, 1991 on Island Records in Ireland and October 20 in the United Kingdom and internationally. Its recording sessions originally began as a follow-up to U2’s highly successful Rattle and Hum, but after reinventing their sound with the contributions of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois via producer Flood they went on to record more material than they originally intended.
Songs For The Deaf, Queens Of The Stone Age (2002)
This self-titled album is the fifth studio album by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age. It was released on August 25, 2002 through Interscope Records and features the singles “No One Knows” and “Go with the Flow”. The album has sold over 730,000 copies in the United States and 1.2 million copies worldwide. It’s a great road trip album because it’s the perfect driving music with its bright melodies and crunching guitars.
4:44 , Jay-Z (2016)
The first Jay-Z album without Kanye West’s contributions. The album’s title is a reference to Jay-Z’s and Kanye West’s shared anger and frustration over the treatment of African Americans in the wake of Barack Obama’s election as president. It’s a great road trip album because listening to this album makes it seem like you’re driving through rap history.
Led Zeppelin I, Led Zeppelin (1969)
Led Zeppelin I is the first album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in 1969. It is the only Led Zeppelin album to not contain any input from bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones. It’s a great road trip album because of its bluesy, guitar-laden sound and joyous sing-alongs.
So, next time you’re set to leave on a road trip, exiting your driveway in your car, the electronic gate closes behind you, stocked up on good tunes, you’ll have nothing else to worry about but the road ahead.
