Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA
The T-Bones - Boss Drag / Boss Drag At The Beachdotdotdot
artworkFans of the Hollywood instros of the early-mid sixties will go gaga over this. Fans of "real" bands will gag. Highly competant formula stuff from a very successful creator and arranger. This Dave Pell / Joe Saraceno studio band cut many a track, most like fluffed up Mar-Kets stuff. Except for their rendering of the title track, this is the bottom of their heap. Cheesy mall organ mung over poorly recorded chemistry free repetitive backtracks. There are a couple of bright moments, but only by contrast. The studio musicians here are Dave Pell - oboe, clarinet, Steve Douglas -sax, Ervan Coleman - guitar, Tommy Tedesco - guitar, Glen Campbell - guitar, Leon Russell - piano, Lyle Ritz - upright bass, Ray Pohlman - bass, Plas Johnson - sax, Hal Blaine - drums, Perry Botkin - trombone, arrangements, and Frank Capp - percussion. This same band backed Martin Denny when he cut "Paradise Cove." All that may sound negative, yet there's something endearing about the way these kinds of recordings were made, and though I don't want to like them, I must confess that I often do.
Picks: Rail Vette, Little Deuce Coupe, Big Daddy Stocker, Torque Rod, Drag City, Scorchin', Draggin', Shut Down, Boss Drag, Revvin' Buggy, Hey, Little Cobra, Six Banger, Haulin' Henry, Pearlin', White Water Wipe-Out, Hot Rod U.S.A., Chopped Deuce, Competition Coupe, Takin' Gas, Five Over, High Boy Hauler, Boss Woody, Bucket Seat Beauty, Thunder Road, Underwater, No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In), Shapin' Things Up, Rumblin' Walk, Pick A T-Bone, Sound Of Beauty

Track by Track Review


Rail Vette dotdotdot
Hot Rod (Instrumental)

The T-Bones launch right into the pits with revving engines and a repetitive twang-fuzz riff with sax growls. Not melodic at all, and rather simple... an archetype for the studio instro.

Little Deuce Coupe dotdot
Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Instrumentally rendering the Beach Boys' "Little Deuce Coupe" may not be such a good idea. Kinda cheesy.

Big Daddy Stocker dotdotdot
Hot Rod (Instrumental)

In deference to Ed Roth, this has cool percussion and herky-jerky sax leads, and cool glissandoes too. It's the kind of concoction that I wanna hate, but that is quite inventive and endearing. The growly sax break is pretty dirty.

Torque Rod dotdotdotdot
Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Rev that 289 boy, cuz' here come the 327's. Glissandoes, Hal Blaine's drums, a decent melody riff, lots of show band changes, and considerable edge cohabitate in this track. I can't help like it.

Drag City dotdot
Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Jan and Dean's "Drag City" is slushed up, even adding cheap organ riffs. Can't get behind this one, despite Hal Blaine.

Scorchin'
Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Nope, this fifties stilted track just doesn't grab center stage. Perhaps it defines "filler."

Draggin' dot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Aside from the cutesy TV ad theme based "No Matter What Shape (your stomache is in)" antacid commercial and the trendy "Percolator" coffee pot commercial, this studio amalgam never did anything worth a hoot, and this proves it.

Shut Down dotdotdot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Except for Hal Blaine's fine drums, Beach Boys' "Shut Down" rips a new path across the lawn, leaving only crab grass in its wake. Actually, it's much better than that, but doesn't really rise to the great track level. Steve Douglas' honkin' squirtin' sax is way cool.

Boss Drag dotdotdot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Kinda cool, maybe even a little saucy, "Boss Drag" rocks and laughs, and make the cut. Mot at all fluid, yet fine for a top down drive, especially Steve Douglas' sax and Hal Blaine's drums.

Revvin' Buggy dotdotdot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Arranged a little like the Piltdown Men, "Revvin' Buggy" is a kinda R&B based sax instro with just enough edge to keep your attention. Some nice guitar work, and great sax too.

Hey, Little Cobra dotdotdot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

The organ cheeses Rip Chords' "Hey, Little Cobra" out too much. Not very interesting.

Six Banger dotdotdot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Another track featuring the organ prominently, which detracts from what seems like a potentially cool Mexican flavored sax and guitar line.

Haulin' Henry dotdotdot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

The piano intro is right outta the Zombies' "She's Not There." the riffy fuzz guitar is at odds with the soulfulness of the piano. Overall, a decent track, just not memorable aside from the piano.

Pearlin' dotdotdot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Slow vibrato guitar oozing out a very nicely written melody line. The MOR organ is a downer, but otherwise, this is a nice romantic walk on the beach tune.

White Water Wipe-Out dotdotdot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Hot rod sounds and pretty cool riff, but just not a lot of development or chemistry. Coulda been a great track.

Hot Rod U.S.A. dotdotdot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Structured like many a Beach Boys song strained through Petula Clark's "Down Town," this seems much too derivative and poppy.

Chopped Deuce dotdotdot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Another very derivative track with no individuality. The arrangement is kinda faceless.

Competition Coupe dotdotdot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

The Astronauts' "Competition Coupe" works surprising well in this format, despite the general lack of chemistry and weak guitar. Not bad.

Takin' Gas dotdotdot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Rhythm dominated mall organ fluff destined for a classic sixties discotheque as the lads play a variation on "Three Blind Mice."

Five Over dot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Squishy organ, corner bar imagery, and mall sounds. Not exactly a barn-burner.

High Boy Hauler dotdot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Engines fire up, and then the band rips into a cool rhythm, which sadly becomes a kinda Henry Mancini inspired thing.

Boss Woody dotdot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Kinda tweaky, with string ending to create a hayseed image over a jerky backtrack. Not particularly cool.

Bucket Seat Beauty dot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

Inspired by "Green Onions," this is pretty jammy.

Thunder Road dot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

This is not Robert Mitchum's "Thunder Road," but rather is derived from "Surfin' U.S.A." Kinda boring.

Underwater dotdot
Studio Hot Rod (Instrumental)

This is a remake of the Frogmen's "Underwater," gourd and all. Free of reverb, and augmented with cheesy organ.

No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In) dotdotdot
Disco Surf (Instrumental)

Except for the seventies funk dry chop guitar, this is studio dribble as infectious as any commercial backtrack can be. It's the sort of track you love to hate, but find yourself whistling anyway.

Shapin' Things Up dot
Disco Surf MOR (Instrumental)

MOR mung with vibrato guitar and mall organ. Groovin' is easy when you're all alone.

Rumblin' Walk dot
Disco Surf MOR (Instrumental)

Jeepers, another variation on "Three Blind Mice," and this is even cheesier!

Pick A T-Bone dotdot
Disco Surf MOR (Instrumental)

Choppy R&B groove. No soul, just a riff and a female chorus a la "Star Trek."

Sound Of Beauty dotdot
Disco Surf MOR (Instrumental)

Another take of "Bucket Seat Beauty," no more interesting than the last.