A little trav'lin music, please

I have among the songs in my iPod what I call “trav’lin music.” The idea began with a trip to Central New York in the early 1990’s with my son Matthew, then 11 years old, to see my Dad, who had recently been released from the hospital after a heart attack.

It was a great road trip, and I am forever happy that I made it. Dad died a few months later, and this turned out to be the last time I would see him alive.

En route in our 5.0L Mustang GT convertible, we listened to many songs, but one in particular stands out: “Telegraph Road,” by Dire Straits.

Accompanied by fluid guitar riffs, driving drums and poignant, wistful piano, it is an epic story about the birth, the decay and the death of a community. And it rocks. My goodness, it rocks.

Over the years, I’ve adopted a few more songs I call trav’lin music, music that puts me in a good if not great mood. It makes the traveling better, and entertains me. These change a bit over the years, but mainstays have been:

· “Cocaine,” by Eric Clapton – yeah, I know the subject matter is not the best, but I care far less about the lyrics than the musicianship. I’m not sure if there are two guitars in the riff I so admire, but the virtuosity is stunning, and I can’t help but be captivated by it each time I listen. And the drums, they just roll on, the drummer playing on the center of the cymbals, and the bass provides a funky, rolling bottom.

· “Let in Rain,” by Eric Clapton - opening with a familiar guitar anthem, the song is mostly just good, until toward the end, when the vocals end, and the guitar begins. Again, the bass provides a rolling bottom, but the guitar melodically screeches and screams, reaching excellence and better. On my voice command on Ford Sync, I have to ask for “Let it Drain,” or else it will give me another song. In similar, amusing fashion, if I want to listen to Michael Buble’, I have to ask for a name that sounds Michael Bebble. You learn to adapt.

· Last but not by any means the least is the Jefferson Airplane’s version of “The Other Side of This Life,” recorded live at the Fillmore West in the 1960’s. The Airplane probably performed this song dozens of times throughout its career, including the concert at Altamont that was said by some to be the end of the peace and love culture in the late 1960’s. I’ve heard it performed in several versions on YouTube, and it never sounds the same. But they peaked with the version on “Bless Its Pointed Little Head.” It begins quietly with ticking sounds that turn out to be Jorma Kaukonen’s twangy, testy lead guitar, competing with Jack Casady’s thundering bass guitar. The guitars are joined by drums, and as they progress, the effect is like that of an airplane rolling down the runway, followed by its takeoff. Marty Balin’s soaring tenor and Grace Slick’s sly counterpoint singing add something special to a song that often sounds as if the members of the band are at war with each other, yet come back together in a roaring cacophony that is at its best, beautiful noise.

Jerry LaVaute is a special writer for Heritage Newspapers. He can be reached at glavaute@gmail.com or call 1-734-740-0062.