| Little Deuce Coupe | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 7, 1963[1] | |||
| Recorded |
| |||
| Studio | Western, Hollywood | |||
| Genre | Hot rod rock[2] | |||
| Length | 25:25 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Brian Wilson | |||
| The Beach Boys chronology | ||||
| ||||
| The Beach Boys UK chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "Little Deuce Coupe" (Remastered 2001) onYouTube | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Record Mirror |   [3] |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [2] |
| Blender | [4] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
Little Deuce Coupe is the fourth album by the Americanrock bandthe Beach Boys, released October 7, 1963, byCapitol Records. It reached No. 4 in the U.S. during a chart stay of 46 weeks, and was eventually certified platinum by theRIAA. It is considered to be one of the earliest examples of a rockconcept album.[7] It was the band’s final album with guitaristDavid Marks until 2012'sThat's Why God Made the Radio. Marks departed from the Beach Boys following disagreements with managerMurry Wilson. It is also the band's first album with a name not related tosurfing.
The album was released three weeks afterSurfer Girl. Four of the tracks fromLittle Deuce Coupe ("409", "Shut Down", "Little Deuce Coupe", and "Our Car Club") had already appeared on previous albums and, discounting an alternate recording of "Be True to Your School", no tracks from the album were issued as an A-sided single.
As with the precedingSurfer Girl album, the date assigned for recording all eight of the new tracks (September 2, 1963) is highly doubtful. However, as no AFM contracts from these sessions are known to exist, the actual dates are currently unknown.[8]
AlthoughNick Venet was listed as producer for "Shut Down" andMurry Wilson for "409", the official producer's credit for the entireLittle Deuce Coupe album cites only Brian Wilson. Despite the rushed nature of the album's sessions, Wilson's song arrangements were notably becoming more complex, specifically songs like "No-Go Showboat" and "Custom Machine".[citation needed] This was the last Beach Boys album to officially include rhythm guitaristDavid Marks until 2012'sThat's Why God Made the Radio.[9]
After the album's recording, Wilson re-recorded "Be True to Your School" for single release on October 28, resulting in another top 10 hit. An original Christmas-themed composition, "Little Saint Nick" was also recorded that month and issued as a Christmas single.[10]
ADeuce Coupe is a 1932FordCoupe (deuce referring to the "2" in "1932"). This was considered by many to be the definitive "hot rod". The Model B had four cylinders and the Model 18 featured theFord flathead V8 engine when the car was introduced. Thepink slip mentioned in the lyrics referred to the pink papervehicle title held by the car's owner.
The picture featured on the front cover of the album was supplied byHot Rod magazine, and features the body (with his head cropped out of the photo) of hot-rod owner Clarence 'Chili' Catallo and his own customized three-window 1932 Ford Coupe – known to hot rod enthusiasts as "the lil' deuce coupe".[11][12]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocal(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Little Deuce Coupe" | Mike Love | 1:38 | |
| 2. | "Ballad of Ole' Betsy" |
| Brian Wilson | 2:15 |
| 3. | "Be True to Your School" |
| Love | 2:06 |
| 4. | "Car Crazy Cutie" |
| B. Wilson | 2:47 |
| 5. | "Cherry, Cherry Coupe" |
| Love | 1:47 |
| 6. | "409" |
| Love | 1:58 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocal(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shut Down" |
| Love | 1:48 |
| 2. | "Spirit of America" |
| B. Wilson | 2:23 |
| 3. | "Our Car Club" |
|
| 2:21 |
| 4. | "No-Go Showboat" |
|
| 1:54 |
| 5. | "A Young Man Is Gone" | Bobby Troup | The Beach Boys | 2:15 |
| 6. | "Custom Machine" |
| Love | 1:38 |
| Total length: | 25:25 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocal(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Be True to Your School" (single version) |
| Love | 2:10 |
| 14. | "All Dressed Up for School" | B. Wilson | Carl Wilson | 2:24 |
| 15. | "Little Honda" (alternate take) |
| Love | 2:13 |
| 16. | "Don't Back Down" (alternate take) |
| Love | 1:39 |
| Total length: | 33:51 | |||
Notes
The Beach Boys
| Chart (1963) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard Top LPs[14] | 4 |
