Driving, riding, roads and of course cars themselves have all been immortalized by writers, composers and musicians around the world. Auto Tune is our way to spotlight a unique transportation song to celebrate these “ridden” gems along with the artists or composers who crafted them. Some you may know, many we’re sure you don’t.

I’ve never actually loved New York City though I do worship Lou Reed’s contributions to our musical lexicon. So I guess, by extension, I must love New York because that’s exactly who Lou Reed was. The city was infused in both him and his in early six decades of work. Whether it was the hustle on the streets, the banging cabs, the screech of the subway and those unique, interesting people he always sang about, it was always there.

In fact Lou loved NYC so much he even devoted an entire album to the city called, simply enough, New York. From that album we could’ve chosen a half-a-dozen songs that would’ve fit our Auto Tunes criteria, however, “Busload of Faith” stands above the rest.

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Driving, riding, roads and of course cars themselves have all been immortalized by writers, composers and musicians around the world. Auto Tune is our way to spotlight a unique transportation song to celebrate these “ridden” gems along with the artists or composers who crafted them. Some you may know, many we’re sure you don’t.

The late ‘60s wasn’t exactly a blast for the Beach Boys. Their biggest rival, The Beatles, had released undoubtedly their best work and surpassed the group in both sales and critical approval. And if that weren’t enough there was the whole brother Brian issue. You all know the story, Brian Wilson, the leader of the band and resident musical genius, dabbled with LSD which ended up with a very bad trip that began in 1967 and has lasted pretty much to this day.

With Brian lightly contributing to the post-SMILE output, the rest of the band had to step up if they were going to continue as The Beach Boys. And they did. Mike Love revisited familiar ground with the hit “Do It Again”; Dennis Wilson – the original Beach Boy – created the achingly-beautiful “Forever”; And new band member Bruce Johnston wrote the sweet paean to his Orange Country youth in “Disney Girls.” But the youngest Wilson brother Carl also wrote several songs over this period. Teamed with band manager Jack Rieley, their first effort is the week’s Auto Tune.

I’ve always considered “Long Promised Road” a catchy, very hopeful song. Some have even described it as life affirming thanks to, especially, its chorus. Please take a listen to Carl Wilson’s beautiful contribution to the underrated album “Surf’s Up.”

- Chip Drake, Executive Producer, Autoline

Feedback on Auto Tunes? Send us your comments.

Driving, riding, roads and of course cars themselves have all been immortalized by writers, composers and musicians around the world. Auto Tune is our way to spotlight a unique transportation song to celebrate these “ridden” gems along with the artists or composers who crafted them. Some you may know, many we’re sure you don’t.

If you don’t know the musician Stan Ridgway, just think Humphrey Bogart with a Fender Stratocaster. He was the frontman for the MTV-friendly ‘80s band Wall of Voodoo, but he went on his own to put out some of the most intriguing albums of the late 20th Century. His first, “The Big Heat” from 1986, could’ve been a soundtrack from one of those 1940s black and white Billy Wilder films if you didn’t know better. Moody and cinematic, he didn’t so much give us songs as he did visual stories mixed with music: not spoken word but legitimate songs that happened to act like small films.

On his second album a few years later, Mosquitos, he again took us into a world of characters and crime performed in a dark cohesive structure.

This week’s Auto Tune entitled “Goin’ Southbound” comes from Ridgway’s sophomore effort. Take a listen and see the kind of stories he creates.

- Chip Drake, Executive Producer, Autoline

Feedback on Auto Tunes? Send us your comments.



Driving, riding, roads and of course cars themselves have all been immortalized by writers, composers and musicians around the world. Auto Tune is our way to spotlight a unique transportation song to celebrate these “ridden” gems along with the artists or composers who crafted them. Some you may know, many we’re sure you don’t.

In the 1960s, San Diego, California went from being a sleepy vacation destination in Los Angeles’ shadow to a burgeoning big time city. That decade saw the opening of both SeaWorld and the University of California’s local outlet as well as the beginning of its major league baseball team to name a few local highlights.

During that time we’ll assume the Andersons made a trek there; that’s the Country Music Andersons I’m talking about. Liz was a prolific songwriter, and at times teamed up with her husband Casey. Of course they were the parents to one of the first country music superstars, Lynn Anderson, whose hit “I Never Promised You A Rose Garden” remains one of the most successful country crossover records of all time.

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Driving, riding, roads and of course cars themselves have all been immortalized by writers, composers and musicians around the world. Auto Tune is our way to spotlight a unique transportation song to celebrate these “ridden” gems along with the artists or composers who crafted them. Some you may know, many we’re sure you don’t.

Taken from his second album that was as political as it was introspective, Matt Johnson, the sole member of The The, tackled diverse issues with Infected. His previous effort, though you probably don’t know it by name (Soul Mining), you’ve no doubt heard much of it thanks to its soundtrack-ready song list for mainstream American advertising the last decade or so. Infected would not be as lucky, but despite that, there were great benefits to anyone who took a spin with this disc. From start to finish, this quasi-concept album was filled with interesting and, in a way, inspiring songs.

This week’s Auto Tune is a duet from Infected called “Slow Train to Dawn” with Matt Johnson and Neneh Cherry, a terrific British singer. And obviously you don’t need a Ph.D. in Psychology to know they’re not singing about the No. 6 train from Pelham Bay Park. Hope you enjoy the song, which, despite its age, sounds if it were just produced last week.

- Chip Drake, Executive Producer, Autoline

Feedback on Auto Tunes? Send us your comments.

Driving, riding, roads and of course cars themselves have all been immortalized by writers, composers and musicians around the world. Auto Tune is our way to spotlight a unique transportation song to celebrate these “ridden” gems along with the artists or composers who crafted them. Some you may know, many we’re sure you don’t.

From the moment I first heard the line in that deep Mississippi drawl, “her Daddy bought a baby blue Duster when she turned 17,” I was a Webb Wilder fan for life.

The Wilder persona was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi as part of a film project but then grew into a band and a rather successful one at that. No one is ever going to confuse Webb and U2, but with a portfolio of over ten albums, many of them devoted to original songs about cars or travel, how can you argue with a guy who bills himself as “The Last of the Full Grown Men.”

“How Long Can She Last” comes from Webb’s very first album in the late ‘80s called “It Came From Nashville,” but don’t let that title confuse you. This music is full-throttle rock n’ roll with maybe a little southern seasoning. You just might want to “pick up on it” as Webb says. Then again after a few listens you just may want to memorize the Webb Wilder Credo yourself.

“Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard, grow big, wear glasses if you need ‘em.”

- Chip Drake, Executive Producer, Autoline

Feedback on Auto Tunes? Send us your comments.

Driving, riding, roads and of course cars themselves have all been immortalized by writers, composers and musicians around the world. Auto Tune is our way to spotlight a unique transportation song to celebrate these “ridden” gems along with the artists or composers who crafted them. Some you may know, many we’re sure you don’t.

“One of the most important albums ever made. Ranks right up there with What’s Going On, Dark Side Of The Moon, and Pet Sounds as a flawlessly executed vision brought to life in perfect harmony. Enriches the soul and expands the mind.”
- Jim James, My Morning Jacket

“The most euphoric celebratory music that makes you want to jump around the house and explode with joy.”
- Colin Greenwood, Radiohead

“Like A Ship evokes the Beach Boys’ ’ ‘Til I Die’ and Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.’ ”
- Spin

I figured I would let the music professionals give their opinions on the importance of this work. Some have compared this album as Gospel Music’s version of “Pet Sounds.” I don’t think Brian Wilson would mind at all.

I won’t waste your time giving you a lot of background about Pastor Barrett, a complicated figure for sure — coming from the South Side of Chicago who isn’t? But in 1971, he took his love of gospel music and worked with a friend at Chicago’s classic blues label Chess Records to bring “Like A Ship” to life. I would challenge everyone to listen to this song about rebirth and not be moved.

- Chip Drake, Executive Producer, Autoline

Feedback on Auto Tunes? Send us your comments.

Driving, riding, roads and of course cars themselves have all been immortalized by writers, composers and musicians around the world. Auto Tune is our way to spotlight a unique transportation song to celebrate these “ridden” gems along with the artists or composers who crafted them. Some you may know, many we’re sure you don’t.

The double album was de rigueur back in the 1970s. Whether artists had more to say then or labels were more open to longer forms after a decade of singles, either way many of them became hits. Even today Todd Rundgren’s opus “Something/Anything” still stands as a unique and incredible work.

At the close of 1971 when he recorded it, the fourth side of his double album consisted of original material recorded live in New York studios with session players with on the first three sides recorded in Los Angeles where Todd played and sang everything himself. And it’s from that part of the project, specifically Side #3, where we find this week’s Auto Tune.

“Little Red Lights” is pretty much a straight-forward fun little rock n’ roll tune. It’s not going to change the world but what does make it interesting is the way Rundgren designed and produced the song, giving it almost the chaotic qualities that you see in all those Fast & Furious movies. You feel, as the listener, that you’re capable of losing control of the car that you’re fictitiously driving.

- Chip Drake, Executive Producer, Autoline

Feedback on Auto Tunes? Send us your comments.

Driving, riding, roads and of course cars themselves have all been immortalized by writers, composers and musicians around the world. Auto Tune is our way to spotlight a unique transportation song to celebrate these “ridden” gems along with the artists or composers who crafted them. Some you may know, many we’re sure you don’t.

It was 1966 arguably the greatest music year in the 20th Century. Not only did Dylan release “Blonde on Blonde” but the Beatles came out with “Revolver” and the Beach Boys gave us “Pet Sounds.” And that doesn’t even count the multitude of singles from that year including like likes of “The Last Train to Clarksville,” “California Dreamin’” and “These Boots are made for Walkin’.”

So in the middle of all this rock n’ roll history comes the man who had owned the charts until a few years earlier and was still making relevant music. That man was the Chairman of the Board: Frank Sinatra.

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Driving, riding, roads and of course cars themselves have all been immortalized by writers, composers and musicians around the world. Auto Tune is our way to spotlight a unique transportation song to celebrate these “ridden” gems along with the artists or composers who crafted them. Some you may know, many we’re sure you don’t.

This is a tune written by the hottest songwriter in the world at the time, then, 19-year old Jimmy Webb. It was first recorded by his boss at the production studio he worked at in Hollywood, Johnny Rivers; you know Mr. “Secret Agent Man.” A couple years later Glenn Campbell made that same tune a big hit as well as his signature song until he recorded Rhinestone Cowboy. And in fact, according to BMI “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” became the 3rd most performed song over a 50 year period (1940 to 1990).

But as good as the Rivers & Campbell versions were, neither could measure up to our choice for this week’s Auto Tune. No, our spotlight shines on the cover recorded in 1969 by the incredible Isaac Hayes for his landmark album “Hot Buttered Soul.”

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