ALBUM REVIEWS : V-Z

Note : Due to regular updating these reviews are not in strict alphabetical order

Such was the demand for hot-rod releases during 1964 that any opportunity for a new angle was seized upon with relative speed, and so was the case when the Ford Motor Company launched their new Mustang upon an eager auto-driven world during April 1964. Subsequently, the rush to release associated recordings was faster than a quarter mile in 3.89 … and this offering was one of the fastest off the line, and yet I cannot deny, the first time I listened to this James ‘Buzz’ Cason produced release, I wasn’t really that impressed with what I heard. The songs didn’t really appear to carry strong enough melodies, the falsetto vocals appeared far ‘too sharp’ to sound convincing, and the choice of production techniques – from the ‘horse-hoof’ sound-effects of the opening number to the excessive use of the kazoo – were that step too far … but the more I revisited the album the more I began to appreciate the quality within. The lead vocals are well-produced, despite respected session vocalist Ron Hicklin’s relatively thin top-range, and the instrumental backing is as good as they came back then, despite the lack of the established ‘wrecking crew’ team, so prominent on many of the hot-rod releases (although pianist and session leader, Leon Russell, was an occasional contributor to those sessions aswell). Nevertheless, James Burton was establishing himself as a player of repute by this stage, and Sonny Curtis was also a well-known studio sessioneer.

Essentially, despite Cason taking the production credits, this was more of a joint effort between himself and prolific songwriter / arranger / studio owner Gary Paxton, both of whom had recently delivered fairly successful (production-wise, if not sales-wise) automobile-influenced albums upon the L.A. industry.

Of the actual tracks themselves, the Chuck Berry-driven “Wild Wild Mustang”, Carol “Hey Little Cobra” Connors composition “Run Little Mustang!” and “Wild, Wild Woodie” are the most successful of the recordings, although the excellent "Classy Lotus Chassy" and a strong cover of "Three Window Coupe" (both previously featured on the Cason-produced LP by The Eliminators) are also highlights, whilst the amusing novelty-number “Dear Henry Ford” (essentially a letter to Ford, narrated in deep-south simplistic overtones …) is also worth a mention as it does successfully raise a smile during each listen. I also still rate the Gary Paxton number “Speed Shift” as a composition, although personally I’ll pitch for the version by the Captivations each time (see the 45 RPM reviews).

Now a pretty-desired rarity on auction sites, often fetching figures well in excess of $100.00, this album is well worth searching out, and is certainly one of the better releases from outside the established camps of Usher, Melcher, Berry and company …

This is the album that unleashed the monster … and ushered in numerous other hot-rod compilations onto the circuit, all eager to duplicate the success this initial release sparked. Having realised the potential they had with their catalogue, and having seen the Beach Boys literally race up the charts with both “409” and, more recently, “Shut Down”, Capitol Records decided to compile their own hot-rod collection, cashing-in on the craze for the auto-releases, and capitalising on the ever-increasing fan base that the Beach Boys were rapidly building. Naming the new collection after the Beach Boys then-current hit, they seemingly gathered together a number of old auto-anthems from the vaults, and slung them together with a bunch of new tunes, co-written by an up and coming young producer named Gary Usher, who had previously worked alongside Brian Wilson, co-writing the hit single “409”.

The four songs produced by Usher, and credited to his new ‘studio’ recording act, The Superstocks (making their vinyl debut), were typical of the ‘new’ hot-rod sound, inspired by the melodies and rhythms of the vocal surf-sound that had previously proved so successful. ”Wide Track” and “Street Machine”, featuring saxophonist Les Weiser on lead vocals, were both brand new compositions, co-written with local radio DJ and car enthusiast Roger Christian, whilst “Cheater Slicks” and “Four On The Floor” (also both Usher/Christian originals) had previously been recorded by the Usher-created band The Four Speeds, with both old AND new versions of the two tunes featured Dick Burns on lead vocals.

As for the remaining tracks with which Capitol Records chose to fill out the album, none of them really connected with the Superstocks recordings at all, save for the two Beach Boys numbers featured (the afore-mentioned “409” and “Shut Down”). The most bizarre of these ‘oldies’ was the country-styled monstrosity that was “The Ballad Of Thunder Road”, co-written and performed (you can’t really say sung) by chisel-jawed actor Robert Mitchum, and recorded back in 1958. But even that wasn’t as deep in the vaults as Capitol were prepared to dig in order to unearth some hot-rod classics, and they amazingly went back to 1950 to include a version of “Hot-Rod Race” by Ramblin’ Jimmy Dolan. The other ‘oldies-but-mouldies’ featured on the album included two rather dubious Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller compositions from the mid-50’s, “Chicken” and “Black Denim Trousers” (both recorded by The Cheers), along with a 1959 recording by The Eligibles entitled “Car Trouble”, and the Billboard Top 75 instrumental hit single “Brontosaurus Stomp” by The Piltdown Men – the most questionable link with the hot-rod concept on the entire package.

In summary, it was a very poorly compiled album, and it must have disappointed many a purchaser who paid out for, what they assumed was going to be, a collection of Beach Boys-styled recordings. Nevertheless, from Capitol’s point of view – it worked – garnering reasonable sales and a credible chart placing … although the Beach Boys did respond to their fans outcry by issuing one of their next albums under the name of “Shut Down Volume Two” … and including the track “Shut Down” on it …

What is perhaps most interesting about this release is not the fact that future Beach Boy Bruce Johnston takes the lead vocals on a number of the tracks … but the bizarre situation that only days after this album had been recorded writer, arranger and legendary session player Steve Douglas offered the seven tracks he had arranged for The Vettes album to his friend, producer Al Schmitt over at RCA Records, for inclusion on the new hot-rod album they were compiling for The Astronauts. Douglas even lent his saxophone support to the new recordings … and seeing that The Astronauts were tight, polished little band in their own right their versions understandably came out far superior than these originals. The Vettes album, co-produced by Ted Benson and Nick Venet, barely came off the starter line.

Bruce Johnston, as he went on to prove, was an extremely talented musical arranger, producer and songwriter … and yet he doesn’t really have the grit’n’guts in his vocals to lend the power these songs perhaps needed. Maybe on the slower “Devil Driver” he pulls it off, but “Little Ford Ragtop” “4.56 Stingray” and “55 Bird” all sound weak in the vocal department – and perhaps the albums only real success comes with the non-Johnston vocal “Happy Ho-Daddy”.

Needless to say, Steve Douglas’ saxophone plays a major role on the album, contributing heavily to the seven instrumental cuts, although only the drivin’ “Superstock Vette” really stands out … whilst the lacklustre effort that is “Chevey Scarfer” (which also somehow made its way onto the Astronauts album, albeit with a faster arrangement) sounds no more than a basic link-track from an episode of the 1970’s TV shows “Happy Days” or “Joannie Loves Chachi”. And yet, the simple fact that Bruce Johnston appears on it, and that it came out at the right time, right place, always ensures that this album, now fairly rare and hard to find, always brings in the big bucks on collectors sites and auctions … it's a funny ol’ world.

This various artists collection made its appearance during the early peak of the ‘hot-rod’ music period, and contains six of Gary Usher’s early Superstocks recordings, none of which were to appear on the bands three studio albums. In addition to those, four tracks were credited to legendary studio saxophone giant Steve Douglas’ alter-ego “Shutdown” Douglas, with the final two inclusions being an opportunity for acclaimed hot-rod ‘poet-of-the-strip’ Roger Christian, aka “Hot-Rod Rog” to wax lyrical on vinyl …

“Hot-Rod City” and “Little Nifty 50” are probably the pick of the Superstocks numbers, all neatly performed and presented by the standard Usher-team, although none of the chosen six recordings quite match up in quality to the product issued under the same banner the following year. “Twin Cut-Outs” is also a decent enough recording from the “Shutdown” Douglas sessions, although Roger Christian’s two contributions, “Little Street Machine” and “Repossession Blues”, sadly fail to warrant further audio endeavours after the initial airing. Interestingly, the Hot-Rod Rog number, “Little Street Machine”, had previously appeared with an alternate melody, but the same rhythm track and backing vocals, during the debut Superstocks outing on the influential Capitol collection “Shut Down”, four months earlier …

Although details seem to be hard to come by with regard to this release, it must be noted that despite any lack of information regarding performers, writers and producers, it’s actually a cracking little album – full of strong vocal arrangements, good production and excellent instrumentation – and even if it does venture dangerously near Swingle Singers-territory at times it still sits comfortably alongside many of the more formulated releases that some of the well established studio teams managed to produce.

The two cover versions, Jan & Dean’s “Drag City” and the Beach Boys “Little Deuce Coupe”, stay faithful to the originals, whilst the remaining offerings on show – all new to these ears – are well-polished numbers, with a number of strong hooks and melodies running throughout. In particular, both “Ridin’ The Rails” (with a “Pipeline-esque” staccato-style guitar well to the fore), and the enjoyable “Bench Racer” (complete with a wonderful “Hot-Rod is his middle name” hook) are strong contenders for any auto collections, whilst “Dragster On The Prowl”, with its impressive arrangements, could so easily be a Jan Berry outtake – high praise indeed !

Even the two instrumentals included are well thought out efforts, and the jazzy-feel of “Cool Bash” is a particular highlight, and with an album closer like “Down By The Draggin’ Strip”, clearly based on the gospel number “Down By The Riverside”, this is a nice, if somewhat unknown and underrated, offering …

Note: The story didn’t end there either – refer to The Scramblers for the next instalment ...