The T-Bones were a studio group under the direction of Dave Pell and Perry 'Bunny' Botkin that had a hit in 1966 with 'No Matter What Shape Your Stomach's In'. Other members included Wrecking Crew regulars such as Hal Blaine (drums), Steve Douglas (sax), Tommy Tedesco, Dan Hamilton, Glen Campbell (guitars), Carol Kaye (bass), and Frank Capp (percussion). This collection has a few instrumental covers of Jan and Dean / Beach Boys / Rip Chords numbers but the highlights are the originals. 

 

The record starts off with 'Rail Vette', which sounds an awful lot like 'Stingray' by the Shadows. 'Little Deuce Coupe' is a passable effort cover followed by the quirky 'Big Daddy Stocker'. 'Torque Rod' is a percussive number with breaks reminiscent of the Surfaris' 'Wipe Out'. An uninspired version of 'Drag City' falters at the starting line while the castanet-heavy 'Scorchin'' closes out side 1. The laid-back 'Draggin'' features an ultra 60s guitar solo courtesy of Tedesco and is a fine track. Another familiar tune, 'Shut Down' gets a simple read-through while 'Boss Drag' is an obvious retread on 'Brontosaurus Stomp' territory from Capitol's Shut Down compilation released one-year previous 'Revvin Buggy' boasts some excellent guitar work though the lackluster cover of 'Hey Little Cobra' doesn't do much to recapture the energy of the hit version. The group pulls out all the stops on 'Six-Banger' - a fitting close to the album.
 

Recorded in one marathon session on December 26, 1963, Boss Drag is infused with all the top-notch production and playing you'd expect from LA's most desirable session musicians. Nevertheless, the whole shebang feels a little like the group was on autopilot for most of the session (perhaps due to being recorded the day after Christmas). If you've listened to any amount of wrecking crew surf and hot rod projects, you've definitely heard most of these licks and fills a hundred times by now. Without the likes of a mogul such as Brian Wilson or Jan Berry to challenge these players, it seems rather pedestrian compared with other session group albums of the time. While not considered 'essential,' it is an occasionally enjoyable listen every once in a while.