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| From | "Chuck Limmer" <climmer@cox.net> |
| Subject | Re: Jan & Dean |
| Date | Wed, 12 Feb 2003 01:13:11 -0700 |
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On Sun, 09 Feb 2003, synchro1 objected:
>>A minor act? A minor act? I take umbrage with this most strenuously.
Jan & Dean were a major act with an impressive string of hits, a worthy
catalog of albums, and a fascinating (if sad) back story... I suspect
if Jan Berry had not walked so close to death... they would have been
one of the greatest acts of all time.<<
Synch:
Hey, I liked "Dead Man's Curve" as much as the next guy, but Jan & Dean
were hardly one of the greatest acts of the '60s, let alone "all time."
Even if Jan hadn't almost died in his infamous car crash, it's pretty
hard to make a case for potential greatness on the recorded evidence.
Before hooking up with Brian Wilson, Jan & Dean had recorded three top
40 singles in five years, two of 'em remakes of old hits from the '30s
("Heart and Soul") and '40s ("Linda"). Then Brian offered them "Two
Girls For Every Boy," helped them out on vocals, and J&D had their
first--and only--#1 record with the retitled "Surf City." They
subsequently rode the surf/hotrod genre for all it was worth, scoring 10
more hits in three years.
They were in the perfect place, at the perfect time. Brian Wilson and
Roger Christian were writing them hit songs, the best studio musicians
in L.A. played on their records, and the duo themselves looked like a
recruiting ad for California. As for the vocals, Dean admitted in a
1990 interview that "Brian's all over the place on those songs, and
Brian and I doubled almost all the vocal parts." Later guest/ ghost
vocalists included Fantastic Baggys Steve Barri and Phil Sloan. Then
Jan got hurt and it was Game Over.
There had already been signs that the ride might be ending. Their last
four singles had failed to crack the Top 20, their albums had never sold
particularly well, and there seemed to be no clear direction for Jan &
Dean beyond having been a kind of minor-league Beach Boys. Hard to
imagine the guys onstage at Monterey Pop or Woodstock, singing "Drag
City" or "Ride the Wild Surf."
Where might they have ended up, if Jan's accident hadn't happened? My
guess is, if Jan had avoided/ survived Vietnam--he'd lost his deferment
and was drafted, after dropping out of UCLA medical school--he could've
have wound up as a producer, given his apparent talent in the studio.
Dean might still have gone on to found Kittyhawk Graphics, contribute
his distinctive vocals to numerous recordings, and play the occasional
show on the nostalgia circuit. In any event, I don't think they had a
PET SOUNDS in them.
Do I still love those classic J&D singles from '63-'65? You bet. But I
think that Jan & Dean ultimately register as little more than a blip on
the pop music radar of the last 50 years.
Chuck Limmer
n.p. "Gonna Hustle You" (B. Wilson/J. Berry), Jan & Dean, GOTTA TAKE
THAT ONE LAST RIDE
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