Motorway City - The Golden Age Of Car Travel 1966-82

Description

« Motorway City » is a superb compilation of catalog music, designed for road trips. The tracks on this album were all composed between the mid-60s and the early 80s to celebrate the road trip, at a time when the gasoline car was seen as the transport of the future, when highways were an exciting novelty. It was the golden age of road travel. These tracks are highly sought-after rarities from the catalogs of De Wolfe, Chappell, and Hudson. The compilation was put together by Bob Stanley of Saint Etienne, who also wrote the informative sleeve notes. It ranges from mod tracks to proto-ambient, perfect for accompanying every car journey. Catalog music served as the soundtrack to many short films extolling the virtues of the TopTray restaurant at Watford Gap or the comfort of leather seats in an Alpine Sunbeam. These melodies illustrated the joys of road travel and had titles such as « Fast Lane », « Super City », and « Clearway ». Many of these tracks seem linked to a specific time. The sun rises on the horizon for « Through New Territory » by Basil Kirchin; « Hold The Road » by Reg Tilsley is so bright at noon that you'll need sunglasses to protect your eyes; « City Skyline » by John Fiddy is a must-see (and hear) at dusk. Former Soft Machine member Karl Jenkins signs the tense track « Wheeling », while Peter Reno's thunderous « Convoy » gives a boost to the atmosphere. Perhaps dare to speed up a bit, over 80 km/h, to the sound of « Fuel Injection » by Alan Hawkshaw or « Big Road », both sweet and dynamic, by Simon Park. Magnificently presented in a fold-out sleeve, « Motorway City » could very well be the soundtrack to your summer holidays.