Appalachian ADV Mix Tapes – Music for the Ride

​The Mix Tape.  A certain dedication was required along with an ear for melody.  Putting together a selection of songs that flowed together and fit on both sides of that cassette took much time and effort…

​No skipping tracks without a lot of rewind and fast forward, you had to sit and listen to every second of every song while the machine dubbed from one string of tape to the other.  The timing of pressing play along with record+play while taking into account that initial stretch of clear tape.  Make sure you hit stop at the right time at the end of your song!  Not to mention the other hazards of the cassette… the player eating the tape, attempting the old scotch tape repair, using a screw driver or pencil to spin those wheels to re-thread the tape, or running out of space in the middle of a song!  With the move to compact disks and eventually to other electronic means, the process has been streamlined but the selections of the most suitable songs for your mix is still just as labor intensive.
 
The Blues.  Mother of Rock & Roll.  There is something about The Blues guitar that penetrates the soul.  The stirring lyrics, the rhythm of the composition… you just can’t help but move to the groove.  The Blues is the definition of infectious.  That mojo, for me, can also be found when piloting my 2-wheeled ADV bike across the beautifully varied terrain of our world.  What better way to accomplish motorbike soul searching than with a soundtrack of The Blues as the catalyst.
 
The Dirty Back Road Blues is an original mix tape created by my friend Tony.  One of the only known surviving mixes from the old days, well at least towards the end of that era.  This was a mix given to me on a CD, that I burned to my old laptop years ago that has since been placed with all my other music on an external drive.  This collection of The Blues was always my favorite of Tony’s creations and I used it as a pitch to him for the Appalachian ADV Mix Tape series.  Tony was always great at putting together mix tapes and when we were brainstorming in a PA Wilds cabin over this past winter, I sparked his interest.  I was able to talk him into putting together a bunch of themed mix tapes that we will share here on my website.
 
The Dirty Back Road Blues remains as a relic of our past, during a time of musical exploration.  This interest in searching for an experience, a hidden truth, or just a damn good rhythm is still alive and kicking: an ADV edification, a personal truth that can only be uncovered while entranced piloting those two wheels, and flowing with the rhythm of the music synced with the rhythm of the ride…

Moving to the Groove...ADV Dance Party!

Tony’s Intro…
I made this playlist from my own personal music collection. Back in the day, music was a lot harder to come by. Buying it was expensive, and money was short back then. Finding new music was an adventure in itself. I discovered troves of it from people who lived in my dorm, Baker Hall y’all! It’s all good y'all! I’d spent hours hanging out with new friends, playing CDs in CD players, which was an actual activity kids. We’d listen, drink, smoke, talk about bands, songs, whatever. It was communion. We’d go to record stores like Used Kids or Magnolia Thunder Pussy. Scrounge up some loose change, thumb through old records, put on dirty headphones and sample songs, buy a few hidden gems and hope they weren’t scratched so
that one song wouldn’t skip the same word over and over again.
 
Then I discovered the Columbus Public Library. Jackpot! This place had everything. You could check out 20 CDs at a time and keep them for a month. I had a long commute, so my passenger seat was full of albums and I had hours to listen to all of this music I always hoped I could listen to one day. I loved everything about this hobby. Not just the music but also the album art and the text inside. Some of the greatest hits albums or box sets often had bios of the artists. And reading those bios I’d learn of the artist’s influencers and the music they had listened to growing up. I became interested in discovering the roots of the rock and roll music that I was into from the 60s and 70s.
 
I remember reading through a Jimi Hendrix album and he talked about Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. I never heard of these guys or knew anything about Blues Music. But thanks to the library, I learned quickly. And started to hear the influence of blues all through the music I already loved. I wanted to make a playlist for me and my friends, just like those old mixed tapes from the 80s, that had my favorite blues and blues inspired music. I listened to this stuff so much, the songs were on the top of my head and it all came to me very quickly. I made it through Windows Media Player, but lost it when my last computer died. Old people problems. Thankfully, my good friend Kane had the list and I recreated it through Google Play music, so now it can live on forever. Or until it all goes to shit. I hope you enjoy it!

The Dirty Back Road Blues Mix Tape

​Song 1:
Track: Born on the Bayou
Artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Album (release year – label): Bayou Country (1969 – RCA Studios)

​Song 2:
Rollin’ and Tumblin’
Muddy Waters
The Chess Box (1989 – MCA Records)

​Song 3:
Back Door Man
Howlin’ Wolf
The Chess Box (1991 – MCA Records)

​Song 4:
Yer Blues
The Beatles
The Beatles [White Album] (1968 – Apple Records)

​Song 5:
Catfish Blues
Jimi Hendrix
The Jimi Hendrix Experience (2000 – MCA Records)

​Song 6:
Rollin’ Stone
Muddy Waters
The Chess Box (1989 – MCA Records)

​Song 7:
Baby Please Don’t Go
Van Morrison (performed by Them)
The Best of Van Morrison (1990 – Polydor)

​Song 8:
Crawlin’ King Snake
John Lee Hooker
Hooker [Box Set] (2006 – Shout! Factory)

​Song 9:
Dimples
John Lee Hooker
Hooker [Box Set] (2006 – Shout! Factory)

​Song 10:
500% More Man
Bo Diddley
The Chess Box (1990 – Geffen Records)

​Song 11:
Who Do You Love
Bo Diddley
The Chess Box (1990 – Geffen Records)

​Song 12:
Gloria
Van Morrison (performed by Them)
The Best of Van Morrison (1990 – Polydor)

​Song 13:
Roadhouse Blues
The Doors
Morrison Hotel (1970 – Elektra)

​Song 14:
Happiness is a Warm Gun
The Beatles
The Beatles [White Album] (1968 – Apple Records)

​Song 15:
Evil
Howlin’ Wolf
The Chess Box (1991 – MCA Records)

​Song 16:
Black Dog
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin IV (1978 – Atlantic)

​Song 17:
Boogie Chillen’
John Lee Hooker
Hooker [Box Set] (2006 – Shout! Factory)

​Song 18:
I Can’t Quit You Baby
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin (1968 – Atlantic)

​Song 19:
Helter Skelter
The Beatles
The Beatles [White Album] (1968 – Apple Records)

​Song 20:
I Can’t Be Satisfied
Muddy Waters
The Chess Box (1989 – MCA Records)

​Song 21:
Red House
Jimi Hendrix
Blues (1994 (Polydor)

​Song 22:
You Shook Me
Muddy Waters
The Chess Box (1989 – MCA Records)

Appalachian ADV Mix Tapes - The Dirty Back Road Blues

Here is our YouTube Playlist of the DBRB Mix Tape.  A few of the songs are slightly different versions compared to the list above.  This playlist can also be found on our YouTube channel.

Have Fun, Take Chances!