Producer Gary Usher was mainly responsible for the updated sound of the Astronaut’s third album, Competition Coupe. Yes, Wrecking Crew member Steve Douglas is credited as a session leader for all the recording dates and wrote many of the tunes, but the effortless combination of his and frequent collaborator Usher's talented is a testament to just how streamlined surf and hot rod production had become by this point. Musically, this album demonstrates the Astronauts had continued developing their vocal chops, and compared to the meager four on Surfing with the Astronauts, the eight vocal tracks here are executed far better under the know-how of Usher. (Incidentally, most of these selections can also be found on the Vettes’ Rev-Up album.)

 

‘Little Ford Ragtop’ is a strong opener, followed by another Usher tune, ‘Competition Coupe.’ Both of these are good compositions performed with much finesse by a group vocal. ‘The Hearse’ is the album’s first instrumental and is reminiscent of the band’s previous album. '’55 Bird’ belongs among the best hot rod songs of the decade, while ‘Happy Ho-Daddy’ is a surf-tinged rocker with a catchy chorus and a healthy mix of starts and stops. ‘Devil Driver’s Theme’ is the instrumental version of the ‘Devil Driver’, which reappears on side two as a vocal number. Both are worthwhile slices of ghoulish surf tunes, even if a tad inconsequential. The Astronauts ‘Our Car Club’ (not the Beach Boy’s composition) recalls caricatures such as ‘Long Tall Sally’ and ‘Short Fat Fanny’ from the earlier decade of rock and roll. ‘Chevy Scarfer’ is a middle-of-the-road saxophone-driven instrumental that goes nowhere, while a cover of Dick Dale’s ‘El Aguila (The Eagle)’ fits nicely into their unique sound. ‘4:56 Gears’ sparks a bit of life back into the side, and ‘650 Scrambler’ is a passable vocal number with a guitar solo almost note-for-note identical to that in ’55 Bird.’
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The Astronauts’ Competition Coupe manages to infuse the group's unique sound into every track, expanding their rep to incorporate some fine vocal material as well. The result is more than enough push to get itself over the finish line.