On the Kerb Again

When watching many films, it is often easy to strip away the special effects and technology, to see through the extra-thick layering of 'romance' and attempted social commentary, and reach some very simple elements. Such is certainly the case with Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown, which I watched last night. Once you move past Orlando Bloom's dubious American accent and the overall unlikeliness of the entire story, you are left with two staples of Crowe's movies: a Journey and a fantastic Soundtrack.

The idea of the Great Roadtrip is straight out of the American tradition - of westward expansion and Manifest Destiny. On its shoulders ride the ghosts of Lewis & Clark, the Gold Rush prospectors, a dusty Kerouac and the tripped-out insanity of Hunter S. Thompson. Throw in some great tunes and you've got the ultimate combination: the Open Road and Rock & Roll.

The two certainly go hand-in-hand, just look at Easy Rider for proof. For an Englishman limited to fist-pumping down the M6 toll road with Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell blaring out of the stereo, the appeal of an American Rock & Roll Roadtrip is endless. Wide highways, bright sunshine, beer in truck stops and the world's cheapest petrol prices. The current plan therefore is for a journey of musical discovery later in the year, from Cleveland (the home of Rock & Roll) to Memphis (the home of Sun Records) to New Orleans (the home of jazz). With additional stops also at any nearby college towns (the home of hot college chicks!), and Louisville, Kentucky (the home of Colonel Sanders) to stock up on chicken snacks.

I suppose the only question is: what songs to put on the playlist, to fit in with the grand tradition of those that have gone before?
"Oh, mama, can this really be the end...."

Suggestions please.