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| From | "KEVIN MANGOLD" <disclvr@msn.com> |
| Subject | Jan & Dean |
| Date | Thu, 13 Feb 2003 05:53:15 -0800 |
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While Jan & Dean do not belong in rock and roll's elite, they certainly
deserve a place in the pantheon. Were they both talented performers? Not
really - and that was part of their charm.
Jan did, however, possess skill as a producer; Brian Wilson has been quoted
repeatedly as saying that Berry's vision and studio abilities were extremely
influential.
Where might they had been if Jan hadn't been involved in that 1966 accident?
Most likely, Berry would have done whatever he could to avoid military
servece. Coming from a wealthy, Republican family, becoming a C.O. or an
instant-Canuck would have been out of the question. It's possible that
strings could have been pulled to have his assignment stateside, or in a
non-combat area. but that's just speculation.
Would the hits have kept coming? Who knows? As another list member has
pointed out, the well was already beginning to run dry. But remember that
their career was about to get an infusion of badly needed exposure via the
boob tube. The duo's television pilot, filmed for ABC, was not nearly as
bad as has been suggested. Produced by William Asher, (Mr. Elizabeth
Montgomery), it has some clever moments to it. even a cameo by Samantha
herself! (A dub of the entire program has been circulating on VHS and DVD
for some time now).
No - Jan and Dean probably didn't have a 'Pet Sounds' in them. The closest
they probably came was Dean's solo 'Save For A Rainy Day' which, despite
being a noble effort, clearly demonstrated his limitations as a performer
and producer. But that's okay. I mean, how many artists have ever had a
'Pet Sounds' in them? Damn few. My guess is that the post 1966 stuff would
have continued in the same vein as Jan's '64-'65 work. The few completed
tracks that survive, 'Only A Boy', 'Girl You're Blowin' My Mind', 'Fan Tan',
and so forth are all splendid and well worth seeking out.
Kevin Mangold
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