When surf music producer Gary Usher learned that the Beach Boys had no plans to release ‘Little Honda’ as a single, he quickly assembled a group of highly talented musicians, rerecorded the song, and released it under the name, Hondells. It became a hit reaching #9 on the Billboard charts, and thus, the Hondells were born. The ensuing album was a pretty standard Usher fare, as many of the songs had previously appeared on other Usher projects under different pseudonyms. Dave Allen and the Arrows helped out on the instrumental tracks, which are interspersed haphazardly throughout the album.

 

‘Little Honda’ is the up-tempo hit version, followed by the pretty standard bike tune ‘Mean Streak.’ ‘A Guy Without Wheels’ is a lament about the troubles of not having a car, and ‘Wild One’ features Chuck Girard’s great falsetto. Previously heard on the Surfaris’ Fun City album, ‘Hot Rod High’ is another highlight.  The main downside of the record is of the 12 twelve tracks, 4 are instrumentals; ‘Haulin’ Honda,’ ‘Black Boots and Bikes,’ ‘Hon-da Beach Party,’ and ‘Rip’s Bike.’ These can be heard on many subsequent Usher/Curb collaborations repackaged under different titles and do little to add anything to the album. Just under two minutes, ‘Death Valley Run’ is an enjoyable excursion, while ‘Two Wheel Show Stopper’ fails to get anywhere. The last vocal number, ‘Ridin’ Trails,’ is a fairly strong track with lyrics by the ever-present Roger Christian.

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In true Usher fashion, many songs would be recurring on subsequent releases, but unfortunately, there are just too many lackluster instrumentals for this reviewer’s liking. Even so, Go Little Honda is one of the most successful Gary Usher releases. If you’re going to pick up a copy, I would recommend the mono version. The stereo pressing is panned oddly on the instrumental tracks, bouncing back and forth from left to right. It all sounds like it was mixed in a hurry.