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Other amenities on the new car include a boot that opens automatically by pushing a button on the remote-control ignition key; cruise control, whose mysteries I have yet to fathom; and exceptionally dinky drinks holders for that all-important mug of tea or coffee.
The jewel in the crown, though, is the CD player, the first car I have ever had to be blessed with such an amenity. I’ve long listened to CDs in the car, of course, but they were played on a Sony Walkman, jammed under my thighs, and listened to through headphones. People were always telling me this was dangerous, though I can’t see why it was any more dangerous than playing an in-car entertainment system at high volume. Attempting to change the discs while bombing down the fast lane could be a bit tricky, I suppose, for it meant steering with your knees, but those risky days are behind me.
I love this CD player, and I love the dinky little compartment under the driver’s armrest that conveniently stores ten CDs. What a delicious, agonising pleasure it has been assembling exactly the right selection to cater for any mood on any journey.
The basic need is to have some great driving rock music, of course, and here the greatest hits of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers and The Rolling Stones’s Forty Licks prove invaluable. The Petty album in particular is one of those rare greatest hits collections without a duff track, and his reedy voice and edgy, chiming guitar make you feel as if you are cruising along a sunny Californian freeway even if you are actually crawling round the M25 in the rain.
The Essential Byrds Collection is another infallible cheerer-upper, with ‘Eight Miles High’ very possibly my favourite single of all time, while Showbiz Kids, a superb double-CD Steely Dan anthology, makes for cool late-night listening. I’ve also recently been sent a new Van Morrison CD, out later this month, featuring tracks from the great man that have featured in movies. It actually makes for a better selection than the two existing ‘best of’ albums with the live version of ‘Caravan’ backed by the Band an absolute blast. Then there’s Platinum Soul Legends, a triple set, taking up the space of two CDs, with an immaculately chosen selection of classic tracks, and, inevitably, the indispensable if naffly titled Best Blue Note Album in the World … Ever.
My final choice, Jazz Legends, is another triple under the auspices of the London oldies station Capital Gold, which as far as I know never plays any jazz at all. But what a superb and catholic collection it proves, ranging from Duke Ellington to Amy Winehouse, from Dixieland to hard bop and from Cab Calloway to Miles Davis. Almost every style and mood of jazz is represented by superbly chosen tracks and this cornucopia of treasures is currently on sale at Virgin for just £9.99. I can’t think of a more accessible introduction to a musical genre that can often seem intimidating to the outsider, and as I drive along to its richly varied strains with my bottom nicely warmed I feel as happy as Mr Toad. Poop-poop!
Charles Spencer is theatre critic of the Daily Telegraph.
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