Hal Blaine has often been heralded as the world's most recorded drummer. His percussion sounds can be heard on at least 39 #1 hits ranging from 1962 to 1976. Having played with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Steely Dan, Simon and Garfunkel, the Supremes, Dean Martin, and countless others, it's no wonder he would have put out at least one album of his own. This album features Hal Blaine and other members of the Wrecking Crew doing some heavily percussive, fuzzed-up numbers amid car sound effects. It has a few strong moments, but the majority of the tracks are rather repetitive. Below is a track-by-track breakdown for those interested.

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A mighty engine roar coupled with some rolling toms opens up the album in 'Challenger II' - an interesting mix of chugging acoustic guitars, glockenspiel, and fuzzed-up electric guitars. 'Green Monster' again features the same gritty electric 6-string sound with some hokey low brass and saxes thrown in for good measure. 'Nashville Coupe' features an early-century tack piano and some playful brass slides over the top of the now-familiar fuzz guitar. 'Mr. Eliminator' takes its inspiration from the Tornado's ubiquitous 'Telstar', complete with the distinctive Clavoline keyboard sound. 'Pop the Chute' doesn't stand out too much from the other tracks, and the title track, 'Deuces, "T's", Roadsters & Drums' is just Blaine jamming out alone on the skins. 'Gear Change' has some classic Blaine drumrolls and the extra percussion is a welcome addition. Once 'Phantom Driver' spins around, it begins to be obvious that the album has already reached its musical peak - again, there's not much distinction here between tracks. 'Gear Stripper' is a jovial play on the music of the strip club scene at the time. The Spanish-flavored 'Big T' adds some castanets to the instrument line-up, while 'The Traps' possesses some nice guitar work and might be the album's stand-out track. Blane returns solo for 'Drum Breaks'.

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Even as 1960's car albums go, Deuces "T's" Roadsters & Drums doesn't succeed for a number of reasons. Firstly, the material is bland, and even the ecstatic drumming of a legend isn't enough to help this release overcome its weak material. Secondly, there's way too much overlap between tracks, both musically and sonically. The fact that almost every song features a 30-second drum break three-quarters of the way through makes each tune much too predictable, and even before the record flips over, it's obvious what's coming up. Subsequently, I find it interesting that these 12 songs were the tracks selected for this release considering that there were many stronger tracks in the halter at the time of its release. The expanded CD version enlightens us to 10 outtakes and singles, most of which (in this reviewer's opinion) is twice as strong as those on the released Lp. If songs like 'Hawaii 1963', 'Dance to the Surfin' Band', 'Bulldog Drummin', or 'The Dip' had been included on Deuces "T's" Roadsters & Drums, it might have been a much stronger fare.