Best Road Trip Albums
Big, sing-along records made for open windows and long stretches of motorway.
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1Born to RunBruce Springsteen
Born to Run
The make-or-break record where Springsteen poured everything into a widescreen, Spector-sized vision of escape and longing. Every track strains for transcendence and mostly reaches it, from the title song to the closing 'Jungleland'. Romantic, exhausting and thrilling.
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2Full Moon FeverTom Petty
Full Moon Fever
A breezy, hook-laden solo record of perfect radio rock, from 'Free Fallin'' on. Warm and effortless. His most beloved album.
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3RumoursFleetwood Mac
Rumours
Recorded as the band members' relationships disintegrated, the tension fuels every track, turning heartbreak into impossibly hooky soft-rock. The harmonies, the songwriting balance across three writers and the crystalline production made it one of the best-selling albums ever. Comfort listening with real emotional undertow.
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4AMArctic Monkeys
AM
A sleek, hip-hop-influenced reinvention of heavy riffs and falsetto hooks. Cool and huge. Their biggest crossover record.
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5A Night at the OperaQueen
A Night at the Opera
Queen's lavish, everything-at-once masterpiece, home to 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and a riot of music-hall, hard rock and balladry. Expensive, ambitious and irresistible. Their defining statement.
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6Back in BlackAC/DC
Back in Black
A thunderous tribute to the late Bon Scott and one of the best-selling albums ever, riff after immortal riff. Lean and monstrous. A hard-rock cornerstone.
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7CalifornicationRed Hot Chili Peppers
Californication
A melodic, reflective comeback after years of turmoil, their most song-focused record. Warm and massive. A late-90s staple.
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8(What's the Story) Morning Glory?Oasis
(What's the Story) Morning Glory?
The Britpop blockbuster that made Oasis a generational band, packed with singalong anthems from 'Wonderwall' to 'Champagne Supernova'. Huge and confident. A defining 90s UK record.
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9Hotel CaliforniaEagles
Hotel California
The band's slick, ambitious peak, its title track a perfectly crafted six-minute allegory of California excess. Polished and enormous. A 70s soft-rock landmark.