Capitol Records Stereo I may not play this much, but it's a wicked cool record to have. Besides two early Beach Boys songs, not too complex but full of exuberance, it contains: - Two songs by the Cheers from the mid-50's. This group included TV actor Bert Convy. These are both "death on the highway" songs, although you might not know it from the upbeat tempos. "Black Denim Trousers..." is considered the first biker song. These are not rock & roll; they belong to the pre-rock era of pop. - Four songs by the Super Stocks, one of producer Gary Usher's studio "groups" created to cash in on the surf/car music craze. They're OK, but pretty pedestrian (if you can use that word about car songs). - The instrumental "Brontosaurus Stomp" from 1960 (I would consider this surf music rather than car music). - Robert Mitchum's "Ballad of Thunder Road", the theme song (co-written by him) to the 1958 movie "Thunder Road", on which he reveals a pretty good singing voice. This is another "death on the highway" song. - "Hot Rod Race", from 1951, the song that started it all. Very similar to the better-known "Hot Rod Lincoln", which was written in 1955 as an answer song... this is actually "the story of the hot rod race" referred to in the first verse of "Hot Rod Lincoln". - "Car Trouble" by the Eligibles from 1959. This has a swinging, pre-doo-wop sound somewhat like early vocal groups such as the Ink Spots. By fatpidgeon
