King Records, as noted in last year’s piece about The Impacs, was not known for its twangin’ surf sounds. “Seat Belts Please” by The Exports, intriguingly, would straddle the same line between garage and surf as The Impacs and include a secondary riff [beginning at the 0:34 mark] that would sound right at home on a Los Straitjackets album:
“Seat Belts Please“
The Exports (1964)
This instrumental B-side would serve in a supporting role for the first of two 45s released on King by The Exports. Note the hilariously slower playback speed of this other version of “Seat Belts Please” uploaded onto YouTube. Or, try a third version that’s closer in pitch to the first one but still noticeably slower.
“Seat Belts Please” was co-written by prolific King artist/A&R executive, Sonny Thompson (“Sonlo” on the label means that Thompson gets a cut of the publishing), along with Chuck Bernard, who also released quite a few singles from the late 1950 to the mid-70s under his own name.
Paired with “Car Hop“
Ruppli’s King Labels discography informs me that Syd Nathan leased the two sides of this first Exports 45, which doesn’t surprise me, since this twangin’ surf sound is out of character for King. But wait – how can these songs be “leased” if at least one of them was co-written in-house by Thompson?
Ruppli also tells me that The Exports recorded four sides for King, who would only issue two of them for their second and final single “Always It’s You” b/w “Mustang ’65.”
According to Discogs, The Exports – who hail from Chicago’s Glenwood area – formed in late 1963 or early ’64, and consisted of Ron Jongsma (guitar), his second cousin, Tom Barnhart (guitar), school classmates George Felaney (guitar) and Howard Friedman (drums).
The internet tells me that the first seat belt law — Title 49 of the United States Code, Chapter 301, Motor Safety Standard — went into effect on January 1, 1968.
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Hang Twelve!
12th surf history piece
LINK to Surf on Zero to 180
