Classic Rock Road Trip

You've got a full tank of gas, a mission to burn some rubber, and mile upon priceless mile of glorious asphalt ahead of you — all you're lacking is the perfect, free-wheelin' classic rock soundtrack for your journey, which is why we're hitchin' a ride as your sonically stacked co-driver. So wind down those windows and let the good times roll, as the Boss sends you off in style with his 1975 eat-my-dust classic "Born to Run" — which fulfilled his desire for a song that sounded like "Roy Orbison, singing Bob Dylan, produced by Phil Spector" — closely followed by Steppenwolf's chord-crunchin' homage to the open highway, "Born to Be Wild," and Foghat's hard, blues-rockin' invitation to dial down the juice and take in the scenery: "Slow Ride" (1975).

Whether you're runnin' or chasin', we've got the Classic Rock Road Trip track for you, in Next Steps.

Some road trips are chosen; others are a matter of necessity — like the irresistible desire to watch unwanted baggage from your past recede in the rearview mirror. At times like these, you might want to crank up a break-free rock classic like Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" (written by Lindsay Buckingham at the end of his relationship with Stevie Nicks) or a timeless drifter's anthem, like Bad Company's "Movin' On." Sweet offers you the perfect opportunity for a glam-rockin' exit with "Fox on the Run," Kansas keeps it progressive with "Carry On Wayward Son" and bids you to "set a course for winds of fortune," and vocalist Steve Perry summons every ounce of yearnin' to convey a wanderer's dislocation on Journey's "Wheel In the Sky."

Dreamers and lovers alike, your road trip deserves some more classic rock fuel, in Deep Cuts.

One of the great things about hitting the road is the feeling that, with every mile clocked up, we're getting closer to our dreams, and the Electric Light Orchestra's "Hold On Tight" — with its souped-up drums and old-school rock 'n' roll momentum — captures the sense that we're moving fast towards something . . . fantastic. And because road trips so often get tangled up with affairs of the heart, we've added to your playlist a couple of tracks that suit those occasions when your vehicle is running on the fumes of love: T. Rex gets behind the wheel of a blues-fuelled, passion-packed hot-rod for "Jeepster," while Roxy Music supercharges its engine with nitrous lust and heads down midnight roads on 1975's "Love Is the Drug."

You just got the call — the road trip is on, baby! And when there are miles to burn, the best fuel known to man — besides the gas in your tank — is hi-octane classic rock. Sure, an injection of Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" or the Who's "Baba O'Riley" might not be good for the environment, but when it comes to chewing up the white lines, no other sounds come close. Nothing beats strolling into a roadside diner with a head full of Rolling Stones, or feeling a hot wind muss up your hair to the strains of Meatloaf's "Paradise By the Dashboard Light," or putting your foot to the floor as Creedence cranks up "Up Around the Bend." Like Bruce Springsteen says, "Baby, we were born to run" . . . man's an inherently restless creature, and there's nothing more satisfying to the soul than an empty highway and a set of wheels. Road trippers, start your engines.