THE LIST ON AP: Reel Big Fish's Favorite Road Trip Albums

Right about now, California ska collective REEL BIG FISH are traipsing around Europe in support of Fame, Fortune And Fornication, their full-length covers album (featuring their versions of songs by the likes of John Mellencamp and Poison) that dropped last week. Since RBF are in the midst of the ultimate road trip, we asked the guys which albums they consider essentials for the road.








RADIOHEAD Kid A (Capitol, 2000)

‘I remember listening to this album for the first time and thinking, ‘Huh?’ I kept listening and tried to let it sink in. I was ready to give up on the record when I decided to give it one more listen. I was driving from Orange County, California, to Lincoln, Nebraska, for the holidays. For anyone who doesn’t know, it’s about 22 hours door-to- door. This was back before the wonderful days of MP3, players and I had exhausted all my other CD options. I was on hour No. 16 of driving somewhere in Utah. It was 3 a.m. and I was wired on caffeine. I threw Kid A in the stereo. There was a gigantic full moon and no one else on the roads. There was a cool eeriness and depth to the music that I hadn’t experienced until then. Maybe it was the caffeine, maybe the sleep deprivation, but I was reminded of just how good Radiohead were and are. To this day, it’s still a great driving record–especially in the rain.’ –Ryland Steen, drums

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WARRANT Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich (Columbia, 1989)

‘This is my favorite album to drive around and sing along to really, really loud (in my highest, screeching hair-metal voice, of course). I still get excited hearing Warrant’s first album 20 years later. I know it was never really cool to listen to Warrant. I hope it’s still not.’ –Aaron Barrett, vocals/guitar

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BECK Sea Change (Geffen, 2002)

‘When I’m on a road trip, I like to listen to music that sounds like exotic travel. Sea Change is a ramblin’ record and fits the bill.’ –Dan Regan, trombone

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DAVE MATTHEWS BAND Under The Table And Dreaming (RCA, 1994)

‘Every year for spring break, we’d load up all the motorcycles in my truck with my then-girlfriend, now-wife (I married her because she wasn’t afraid to learn how to ride a motorcycle or clean a dirty air filter) and head south of the border to San Felipe, Mexico. I have fond memories of going through the border crossing at Calexico and descending into Mexicali listening to this with the anticipation of spending a week riding motorcycles across endless deserts and consuming large quantities of tacos and beer.’ –Johnny Christianson, trumpet

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NIRVANA Nevermind (DGC, 1991)

‘When I was 13, I was on a trip with my mom to visit my grandmother in Iowa. It was my birthday the day before and I had been given a new Walkman cassette player and a copy of Nevermind. I hadn’t heard the record yet, but knew I had to get it since all my friends couldn’t shut up about it. Ten minutes into the drive, I put the headphones on and pressed play. I didn’t watch MTV or listen to the radio, so I had no idea what was about to hit me: A scratchy guitar riff starts off and then the epic drum fill from Dave Grohl that started it all for me. This massive wall of sound made me feel like no other music had before. Song after song, I was overcome with excitement. The last note of the album was played, and I sat in silence for ten minutes trying to figure out what I had just experienced. At that point I turned to my Mom and started what would be six months of begging and pleading for a drum set. I eventually won. I got the drums and haven’t stopped playing them since.’ –Ryland Steen, drums

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MEN AT WORK Contraband: The Best Of Men At Work (Sony, 1996)

‘For me, music for road trips needs to help pass the time–songs that can take my mind off of what I’m doing. This Men At Work album is fun to sing along to and takes me back to the ’80s.’ –Derek Gibbs, bass

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TOM WAITS Swordfishtrombones (Island, 1983)

‘It seems like all of the songs on this album are stories from the road and that the Waits’ eyes have miles behind them.’ –Dan Regan, trombone

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ALKALINE TRIO Remains (Vagrant, 2007)

‘This B-sides album has a lot of songs that let me revisit good and bad memories, as well as being fun to sing along to. These are the qualities in an album that make that run to Vegas fly right by.’ –Derek Gibbs, bass

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JOHNNY CASH The Essential Johnny Cash (Sony, 2002)
‘We were on a drive from Cleveland to Pittsburgh. It was Thanksgiving and cold. While most people were at home enjoying a hearty dinner with their families, we were stuck on a bus eating nachos and watching reruns of The Love Boat. This bummed us out somewhat, so we thought we’d celebrate Thanksgiving our own way. We managed to get the bus driver to pull over at a liquor store. Milo and I went in and came out with a turkey–well, a bottle of Wild Turkey. As we made our way toward Pittsburgh, the bottle was becoming lighter and the sky was getting darker. Milo and I knew it was time for some Johnny Cash. For the next couple of hours, we drank our Wild Turkey and enjoyed the soothing voice of the man in black. Some songs we sang along to at the top of our lungs, and for others we sat in silence and listened, feeling what Johnny Cash might have been feeling when he wrote them. Cash was a man who made music that can affect you much in the way alcohol can–that’s the mark of a great writer. At the time, that Thanksgiving was very miserable. But looking back, it was a Thanksgiving I wouldn’t want to change at all.’ –Ryland Steen, drums

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