A Great American Car Company

Autobiography of a Jeep — Tehachapi Loop (Jeepin’)

October 22nd, 2009 | by admin |

Commissioned for the war effort, by 1943 the “General Purpose” (Jeep) had become so much of a military mainstay, it’s hard to believe it wasn’t around before that.

It hasn’t changed a whole lot visually, it’s as distinctively ugly-utility as ever.

The movie is an old rah-rah piece, and is really well done. Its done with the assumption that if the Jeep had a voice and personality, it’d be that of one of the homey dog faces that made up much of our armed forces.

And who can argue that? The military Jeep proved so popular, it went into the civilian trade, and of course, into legend as the “Forty Nine Dollar Jeep”.

Did anyone ever get one of those? Surplussed Jeeps for a mere fifty bucks, plus shipping and handling? I always figured if they did exist, they’d arrive as a box of greasy parts of mostly Jeep and possibly refrigerator components.

The music was composed for the clip, and didn’t actually have a name until I decided it sounded like driving down along the Tehachapi Loop in California, off road.

Using the Yamaha drum machine (I think he actually programmed it this time), the Roland GR-20 guitar synthesizer, and the Jazz bass, Tedd composed a swinging cool jazz piece that just keeps on going forward.

The piano is unruly, the saxophone runs merrily outside of what the actual instrument can do, the bass charges along solid as, well, a Fender Jazz bass. It’s as fun as a fairly smooth dirt road in the desert and finding out where it goes.

The entire movie is available at the Internet Archive, and you really need to see it if you’re a fan of Jeeps. It’s funny and fascinating, and about ten minutes uncut.

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Welcome To Route 66.

Duration : 0:7:21

Technorati Tags: GR-20, Jazz, jeep, Military, Roland, Smith, Swing, Tedd, Vehicle, WW2