Henry Hudson's Transatlantic Travel Tattle & Tips - May 2009

There's nothing like a good song on the iPod to make the travel time less tedious. Here are Henry Hudson's top ten tunes for the transatlantic executive on the road.

Selecting these tunes was tough. The selection had to be eclectic - and had to relate somehow to North America or Europe. No ballads about riding the Aussie outback or stumbling around temples in Thailand. We decided that only those with a YouTube link could qualify. Otherwise it would be so frustrating to locate that out-of-discography catalogue tune to load up onto your player.  
 
Here we go - in random order (except for number one!).
 
1. Dave Dudley - Six Days on the Road:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPPNNIe4xUY  The best part of travel is almost always coming home. And no song renders that enthusiasm more than this trucker song of Dave Dudley from 1963.
 
2. Kraftwerk - Trans Europe Express: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWlgbAc3bbM - This 1970s Krautrock band was a leading sound in the German experimental music scene of that time. This clip has the best images - all be they a bit melancholy. Don't let it put you off train travel.
 
3. Canned Heat - On the Road Again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51WRjFflz44&feature=related This was the band's breakout song. It's actually an updated 1950s composition by Floyd Jones, a Chicago electric blues artist - who adapted it from a song recorded in 1928 (Big Road Blues) by Delta bluesman Tommy Johnson.
 
4. Richard Wagner's opera Die Walkűre (start of Act 3) - Ride of the Valkyries: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aKAH_t0aXA&feature=related Had to put at least one classical number in here. A list like this ain't complete 'til the fat lady's sung.
 
5. The Doors - Roadhouse Blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU9JWukf07c Born in the USA and buried in Paris (Père Lachaise Cemetery) - Jim Morrison is a transatlantic icon for Henry.
 
6. Meat Loaf - Like a Bat out of Hell I'll be gone when the morning comes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBZDTK9Yhko&feature=PlayList&p=F0E3D63952649DD7&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=7  The first Bat out of Hell album has sold over 43 million copies and still sells some 200,000 a year.
 
7. Hank Williams Sr. - Ramblin' Man : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi9GuQofDLc For the pure C&W lover.
 
8. Lemon Jelly - Ramblin' Man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP-N9057wiQ - Doesn't sound at all like Hank's rendition. In fact, it's got nothing to do with Hank in the least bit. It's a completely different set of notes and a world away from Hank. Give it time to sink in.
 
9. Johnny Cash (Live in San Quentin Prison) - Orange Blossom Special: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAmrKeyeHKA  The man in black at his best.
 
10. Paul Kelly - Every F#@%ing City - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwl7tthqzkA Hmmm. Obviously the best backpacker travel tune. Wasn't sure if this would lead to your editor being reprimanded by his superiors. After consultation with a female colleague half his age, it went on the list. 
 
Bonus number (last but not least!):
 
11. Iggy Pop and The Stooges: The Passenger: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4hPnZUMBwA  From the Lust for Life album released in 1977. The lyrics were written by Iggy allegedly aboard Berlin's S-Bahn.