The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 517

Number 517

Beach Boys

"Little Deuce Coupe"

(1963)

Genre:Surf Rock

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Anyway ~!..... The Beach Boys make their 5th entry (the most by any artist so far) with one of my personal favourites "Little Deuce Coupe" from 1963.

Photoshop? no way

Capitol pushed the Beach Boys for too much material in too short a time for the group to maintain as much quality control as would have been desirable. Consequently, most of their pre-1965 albums contain a high degree of filler, and thus stack up poorly next to those of such contemporaries as the Beatles, who were able to maintain high standards on almost all of their tracks. Surfer Girl does have some great tunes, including the title song, the hot rod ditty "Little Deuce Coupe," and "Catch a Wave" (which could have been a substantial hit single on its own merits).

5 dudes and 1 board? Nuh uh

Most significant of all is the gorgeous ballad "In My Room," which anticipated future Beach Boys releases both in its sophisticated production (strings, organ, dense harmonies) and its personal, solipsistic lyrics. The rest is surprisingly mediocre filler, especially as at this point they were restricting their lyrical themes to beach culture almost exclusively; "Your Summer Dream," with its unusual harmonies, is about the most interesting of the obscure tracks. If you're not a dedicated Beach Boys fan, though, you should pass, as you can find the first-rate tracks on best-of anthologies. [Surfer Girl/Shut Down, Vol. 2, a Capitol two-fer CD, combines this and Shut Down, Vol. 2 onto one disc, adding the 45 version of "Fun, Fun, Fun," a German version of "In My Room," and the previously unreleased Brian Wilson composition "I Do."] ~ [Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide]

About Little Deuce Coupe...

"Little Deuce Coupe" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian. The song first appeared on the Surfer Girl album. It was later featured as the title track of the album Little Deuce Coupe, by American band The Beach Boys. The music was written by Brian Wilson with the lyrics by local radio station DJ Roger Christian, it typified the Beach Boys' "car songs" which along with "surfing", glamourised the teenage 1960s Californian lifestyle. Lead vocals were performed by Mike Love. The car referred to is the Ford Model B; the 1932 model was referred to as a "deuce coupe". Model Bs were readily available and easily modified, as auto enthusiasts (or "hot rodders") removed spare weight and improved the engine. ~ [Source:Wikipedia]

For more Beach Boys see Number 714, #641, #576 & #560

For the Beatles see Number 947, #894 & #587

What does Rolling Stone think about (again) Beach Boys?

In their early '60s hits the Beach Boys virtually invented California rock. Brian Wilson's songs celebrated an idealized California teenhood - surfing, driving, dating - and his productions were a glossy, perfectionistic, ultra-smooth blend of guitars and vocal harmonies, with their experiments concealed. While the Beach Boys attempted more grown-up topics and more obvious progressivism in the late ’60s, they survived into the late ’90s as America’s premier nostalgia act. Through the years, the Beach Boys have not only been “America’s band” but arguably one of the greatest American rock bands ever. The Beach Boys have sold well over 65 million records worldwide.

Just like the front cover

Murray Wilson, who was later revealed to have been psychologically and physically abusive to his sons, managed their band and got them a contract with Capitol. The hits began: “Surfin’ Safari” (#14, 1962); “Surfin’ U.S.A.” (#3, 1963), a note-for-note copy of Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen” with new lyrics; and “Surfer Girl” (#7, 1963), all of which launched and capitalized on the “surf music” fad, although only Dennis surfed regularly. “Surfer Girl” marked Brian’s emergence as a producer, with its complex vocal harmonies and sophisticated pop chords. An admirer of producer Phil Spector, Brian would continue to refine his skills and become perhaps one of the greatest record producers in rock.

Hey! the back cover

The years 1963–1965 established the Beach Boys’ legacy: “Little Deuce Coupe” (#15, 1963), “Be True to Your School” (#6, 1963), and “Fun, Fun, Fun” (#5,1964), written by Brian and Love in a taxi to the Salt Lake City airport; “I Get Around” (#1, 1964); “Dance, Dance, Dance” (#8, 1964); “Help Me, Rhonda” (#1, 1965); “California Girls” (#3, 1965); and such ballads as “In My Room” (#23, 1963) and “Don’t Worry, Baby” (#24, 1964). Early in 1965 Brian Wilson suffered a nervous breakdown and decided to quit touring, though he continued writing, recording, and producing. ~ [Source (edited):from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)]

Artist Fact File

Name:Beach Boys...................Related to³:No-one

Yrs Active:1961 to 2001...........Site:www.thebeachboys.com

Best Song¹:Good Vibrations........#1fan:www.beachboysfanclub.com

Best Album²:Pet Sounds............Grammy Awards:0

Albums Sold:100 Million +.........Next best thing:Jan & Dean

¹Number of downloads WINMX ²Artistdirect choice ³Associated acts or collaborations