Painkiller

[Ryan Murdock]

Painkiller

[Scott Sonnon]

"Every journey needs a soundtrack." - This is such a profound statement that bears such weight with me. I can instantly access entire episodes of my past, especially my trips, based upon a few bars from a song of that era... like being introduced to Steve Kilby's group The Church when we were on the train to Dusseldorf through the Alps out of Leichtenstein, or like hearing the Macarena for the 1st time in front of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg while dining on a restaurant boat with a few military generals (very surreal, as they wanted me to show them the "steps" to the dance.)

[Coach Jones]

I love it, guess it's time to update my Ipod.

[Coach Wilson]

Every time I read Coach Murdock's stuff, I hear his voice telling a story. I love listening to Murdock tell stories. Coach Sonnon is right, "every Journey needs a Soundtrack" is HEAVY. Tat is the title of your book brother, or at least one of your books...Smile

[David Nicol]

One of my favourite soundtracks to a journey was my training trip to Memphis with Coach Wilson 2 years a go (is it really that long???). By the time I reached the final leg of the journey from Detroit to Memphis I'd been travelling for 22 hours and was completely shattered. I rested my head against the window of the plane and watched the sun go down before my very eyes while it illuminated the river below. I'll always remember the song that was playing - Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap. There was something distinctly magical about that entire trip and that song encapsulates it all.

Dave

[Coach Hurst]

Brother, everyday your blog is rocking out. Looks like I've got some new music to check out.

[Ares]

Music recommendations is a subject that I do not take lightly...

This is a great find,

Thanks!

[shadow]

I remember distinctly one song that has stuck in my head forever has being one of these type of soundtrack songs.

I was 19 and travelling for the first time ever on my own. I had just spent 5 weeks in Japan staying with my friend and then flown onto Barcelona where I was truly on my own wits for the first time ever.

I arrived in Barcelona late at night and feeling uncertain about trying to find a hotel in the city I spent the night on a bench (wooden at Barcelona airport) in the airport (interestingly there were plenty of other sleepers there).

In the early morning I got a bus into town and started the trudge, heavy with my overpacked bag (the naivety of youthful travel). Unfortunately I managed to pick the time when there was both a tennis championship and Formula 1 in Barcelona and I could not find a single place to sleep except for a couple way over my budget.
Feeling lonely, isolated and scared I jumped on a train for Nice, France on a path to go to the next stable point I knew... my auntie.

It was on that train I had my (new) minidisc player on random with songs I had put on at my Japanese friends house. The instrumental track from Beastie Boys new, at the time, album "Hello Nasty" came on... the one with the flute and a sort of Mediterranean feel to it.....

It was at that time I truly felt I was in Europe as I watched the Spanish countryside roll past the window.

For some reason it was extremely memorable.

Thanks for reading my random babbling, if you did so.

[lorenzodamarith]

For some reason it was extremely memorable.

hello,

shadow... that is a good memory. appreciate your sharing it.

thanks

[Ryan Murdock]

Thanks guys. Just getting caught up - i was offline all weekend.

or like hearing the Macarena for the 1st time in front of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg while dining on a restaurant boat with a few military generals (very surreal, as they wanted me to show them the "steps" to the dance.)

Wow. An incredible way to make a bad song infinitely worse. I'm amazed you made it out unscathed from that one!

Great stories, guys! I really enjoyed reading your comments.

It's amazing how a few notes from a song can take you right back there. And how, even after a decade has passed, you still remember all the words.

So many 80's songs bring back memories of my early teens and high school years. Each song seems tied to a specific place, feeling or memory, and they all come rushing back in, linked to that trigger.

My Central America soundtrack was the albums Starfish and Gold Afternoon Fix by The Church. They were the only ones I had on tape, and I only had a cassette walkman to take with me. I listened to them each at least once every day for several months, and I never got tired of them. In fact, new layers of the lyrics and music continued to be revealed. I also picked up a few local tapes along the way, and each one brings back vivid memories of specific places and specific people.

The landscape of Mongolia will forever be After Everything Now This, and the b-side collection A Quick Smoke at Spots. So many incredible memories, layer upon layer, note by note...

I'd love to hear more stories of your pivotal songs. These are really great.