Customer Reviews

Three Window Coupe

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was the second, and last, album released under the Rip Chords name. The Rip Chords were originally Phil Stewart and Ernie Bringas, but by the time this album was recorded, producers Bruce Johnston and Terry Melcher had pushed them aside and sang most of the Rip Chords songs themselves. (Phil Stewart was allowed to sing lead on two songs on this album.) Regardless of all that, this is a fun album that features the early-'60s California sound. Bruce & Terry didn't write too many original songs for the album, relying mostly on covers of Fantastic Baggys and Jan & Dean songs. (The hit single "Three Window Coupe" was, in fact, originally a Jan & Dean song.) The CD adds three bonus tracks, including the Rip Chords last chart single, "One Piece Topless Bathing Suit". (Which was another cover of a Jan & Dean song!) This is a fun album, which fans of the California sound will enjoy.

Just to clarify, an earlier point made by Bobbie Mcfarland, he says "THE GROUP HAD DONE THIS WITHOUT THEIR HELP ON HEY,LITTLE COBRA. AND THEY HAD A GREAT GREAT ALBUM." Actually Bruce and Terry had been involved prior to this, and in fact are singing on Hey Little Cobra. The Rip Chords were really just a convienient vehicle for Terry and Bruce to get their product out. Bringas and Co. did participate, but it was Bruce Johnston and Terry Melcher all the way, when it comes to the Rip Chords.

Three Window Coupe is a must have for anyone wanting a great "window' to the emergence of the Southern California rock scene. SOngs like Beach Girl show the growing sophistication with which Melcher and Johnston were developing their studio prowess.

This CD is full of harmony-filled word-paintings, fab falsettos and finger-snapping choruses, which bring about visions of endless summers, sexy beach babes and that big wave!

On the Rip Chords' car crusin' classic single "Three Window Coupe," the lead vocals were shared between soon-to-be-Byrds' producer, Terry Melcher and soon-to-be-Beach-Boy, Bruce Johnston. Original members (from "Hey, Little Cobra") Ernie Bringas and Phil Stewart were present but didn't participate on this work, nor on most of the recordings after that. Touring group members, Arnie Marcus and Ritchie Rotkin were not at the session. (From the CD's liner notes from Stephen J. McParland editor of California Music Magazine.)

The lovely ballad "Beach Girl" on this CD easily competes with the Beach Boys' "Surfer Girl," and "My Big Gun Board" is a definition song about a surfer dude's favorite mode of transportation -- his surfboard!

And who's the young, attractive girl with the big-gun board that surfs in her yellow bikini, who "walks with a wiggle that turns me on?!" It's "Wah-Wahini." (P.Sloan - S. Barri)

"Hot Rod U.S.A." is somewhat harmony-reminiscent of "Drag City" by Jan and Dean. "Old Car Made in '52" has a countrified lead vocal. And "Surfin' Craze" happily reminds me of the Beach Boy classic, "Surfin' USA."

Check out the charming "This Little Woody" with its cool guitar lick, along with hot-rod rockers "Bonneville Bonnie" "Red Hot Roadster" and "Gas Money," the latter highlighted by a groovy sax solo!

"Summer USA" has more fine falsettos and super sax work:
"Find yourself a girl now with long-blonde hair,
'cause summer means fun most anywhere.
Yeah, it's summer......... USA!" (Terry Melcher-Bruce Johnston-Judy Lovejoy)

If you fancy the Chantays' Pipeline, you'll like "Big Wednesday" which features both a superb bongo intro and guitar interlude.

An added bonus is "One-piece Topless Bathing Suit." (It's not what you think, guys!)

Contributing musicians on this album included Hal Blaine, Glen Campbell, Daryl Dragon, Larry Knechtel, Bruce Johnston, Ed Hall, Steve Douglas, Phil Sloan, James Burton and Leon Russell, to name just a few.

Catch the new Rip Chords on tour sometime with Bob "Dr. Robert" Rush, Mitchell Schecter, Fred Brog, Larry "Lorenzo" Branca and original member Ritchie Rotkin!

This album features Bruce Johnston in his pre Beach Boys days. The Title Song "Three Window Coupe" was covered by Jan & Dean on their "Dead Man's Curve / New Girl In School" album. This is a good album for seeing what successful artists were like in their early days. I like it.

THE RIP CHORDS ARE A GREAT GROUP. BUT THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT ONE OF THE LEAD SINGERS IS MY COUSIN ERNIE BRINGAS. HEY,LITTLE COBRA HAS GOT TO BE ONE OF THE BEST HOT ROD ALBUMS AROUND. WHEN THREE WINDOW COUPE CAME OUT, THE WAS ALOT OF TENSION WITH THE FACT THAT TERRY MELCHER HAD BROUGHT IN BRUCE JOHNSTON,AND TOGETHER, THEY STARTED WRITING AND COMPOSING THE SONGS FOR LITTLE COBRA. THE GROUP HAD DONE THIS WITHOUT THEIR HELP ON HEY,LITTLE COBRA. AND THEY HAD A GREAT GREAT ALBUM. ITS UNFORTUNATE THAT SOMEONE HAD TO COME IN AND START TELLING THEM HOW TO WRITE, HOW TO COMPOSE AND HOW TO SING. LIKE SO MANY GROUPS AT THAT TIME, THEY FELL LIKE A BUCKET OF BRICKS. HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW. BUT THE RIP CHORDS LIVE ON...THEIR MUSIC IS STILL GREAT... HEY,ERNIE!! YOU STILL DID A GOOD JOB ON HERE I STAND!!!

This is classic early 60's surfing music, although I can't remember if I was listening to The Rip Chords before or after the Beach Boys. And I was actually very surprised I could find this on Amazon. My favorites are This Little Woodie, Bonneville Bonnie, Surfin Craze, Beach Girl, My Big Gun Board-absolutely excellent music and brings back great memories of childhood. Don't remember the songs One Piece Topless Bathing Suit or Wah-Wahini--I'm thinking these were NOT on the original album my brother had.

"Three Window Coupe," the Rip Chords' follow up to "Hey Little Cobra," (see my review of it, too) is even less remembered than the first album, and it's a shame, because "Three Window Coupe" was just as great, and in some ways better. The title track isn't quite as good a rocker as "Hey Little Cobra" but it's still a great song. While it's a cover of a Jan & Dean song, the Rip Chords improved considerably on the original, adding the "Three window coupe, you're the toughest in town" and "Three window coupe, make a trophy run" lines in the chorus and making it much more upbeat. "This Little Woodie" is a great song, reminding us that just because a car can't do the quarter mile in 10 seconds doesn't mean it's bad. "Hot Rod U.S.A." is another good one, and makes an interesting companion to the Beach Boys' "Surfin' U.S.A." when you compare them. "My Big Gun Board," in my book, ranks right up there with any of the surf tunes by The Beach Boys and Jan & Dean, and "Red Hot Roadster" is another great rockin' hot rod song. As little remembered as they are, the Rip Chords are worthy of sharing the title of "Kings of Surf and Hot Rod Music" with the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean.