This spirited version of Bobby Troup's "Route 66," by The Strypes, will get you going on a Sunday morning. It's like watching the very early Beatles, except with Liam Gallagher of Oasis doing the singing: https://youtu.be/QSEFsL1OqaU
Category: Music
A Southern detour
Buckwheat Zydeco, an acclaimed Cajun and Creole musician from Louisiana, provides his unique version of Bobby Troup's famous song, with David Hidalgo of Los Lobos on guitar: https://youtu.be/MxZTTSfnAN0
Jamming on Oatman Road
Don't know much about this video, except it's by a group called A3, and it's filmed on Oatman Road (aka Route 66) in western Arizona. It's also charming. https://youtu.be/2XQ_KBqbsLQ
“Panama”
I see Van Halen was back on tour, with David Lee Roth in tow. Here's the band's motorcycle hit, just before Roth left the band: https://youtu.be/w-NshzYK9y0 The recent story about guitarist Eddie Van Halen in Esquire magazine is excellent. Read it. The song comes from Van Halen's now-classic "1984" album (Amazon download here).
“Broke Down”
Slaid Cleaves took an old phrase and turned it into a country-music classic and an unexpected regional hit in 2000. At one point that summer, you couldn't drive around south Texas without hearing it on the radio. https://youtu.be/O8u7CVVmybU The "Broke Down" album can be downloaded from Amazon here.
Get your motor running
I really like this video about a couple of pals on motorcycles touring Arizona, California, and Nevada, including Route 66: https://vimeo.com/42322087 Music is by Mumford & Sons.
“Born to Be Wild”
This swell remake of the Steppenwolf motorcycle classic is by The Cult, circa 1987: https://youtu.be/ZswHjqKGqFo The song comes from The Cult's "Electric" album, where producer Rick Rubin wanted largely an AC/DC sound. (Amazon download of the album is here.)
“Ten Second News”
This song from Son Volt, circa 1995, was inspired by the now-abandoned Route 66 town of Times Beach, Mo., and the flood and resulting dioxin contamination that killed it. https://youtu.be/gqdMTkrFN7s The entire album, "Trace," was inspired by a lot of road trips in the St. Louis region, and remains the best the band's ever done. … Continue reading “Ten Second News”
“The Back of Your Hand”
Check out the very beginning of the background of this Dwight Yoakam video from about 10 years ago. Anyone know where this is? https://youtu.be/N41CTsj2iN0 This is a very underrated song by Dwight, by the way.
One from the BBC vault
This is a version of Bobby Troup's "Route 66" by an apparently long-gone band called Freak UK. The video was broadcast by the BBC in 1991. I suspect this was influenced by Depeche Mode's version from 1987. https://youtu.be/fLgS9_GTumg Freak UK's frontman was Mik Scarlet, who found later fame as a TV and radio broadcaster, journalist, and actor. … Continue reading One from the BBC vault