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| From | "Chuck Limmer" <climmer@cox.net> |
| Subject | Re: Jan and Dean (One Last Ride) |
| Date | Fri, 14 Feb 2003 01:00:41 -0700 |
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On Wed, 12 Feb 2003, Billy G. Spradlin wrote that:
>>I think they were a little more than a one-hit wonder "Blip" - they were one of the most consistent hit making duos of the early 1960's.<<
O.K., maybe the "blip" comment was overly dismissive. But Jan & Dean's "hit making" days on Liberty lasted from April 1963 to June 1966, with every Top 20 single they had for that label coming between June '63 and October '64. They had a *great* sixteen months.
>>Where did J&D made their mark on popular culture and rock history? - They were the first CALIFORNIA act to make it big nationwide in the late 50's with "Jennie Lee" and "Baby Talk"<<
"Jennie Lee" was credited to Jan & Arnie Ginsburg (though Dean almost certainly sang on the track). Neither Jan & Arnie nor Jan & Dean were close to being the first California act to break nationally. In 1958 alone--the year "Jennie Lee" hit #8 in May--Hollywood's Four Preps had already had Top 5 hits with "26 Miles" and "Big Man."
>>Surf Music had a huge influence on California punk rock and on skateboard culture (J&D cut the first skateboarding anthem in 1963!)<<
You can't equate surf music's influence on other genres with Jan & Dean. They clearly modeled themselves after the Beach Boys, from 1963 on, with Brian Wilson writing many of their hits and singing on their records. That skateboarding anthem, 1964's "Sidewalk Surfin'," was just Brian's "Catch A Wave" with new lyrics. Steve Barri, who contributed songs and vocals to J&D's albums with partner Phil Sloan, has said that "Phil and I were writing for whoever needed songs and, like everyone else, copying what the Beach Boys were doing."
When I included Jan & Dean in the five bands that first opened my eyes to rock 'n' roll, I didn't expect to wind up being this critical of their recorded legacy. In my calling them "a minor act," consider Jan & Dean in context of the other four bands I listed: the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Four Seasons and the Monkees. Whether your yardstick is critical recognition or commercial success, J&D didn't play in the same league. (Not with the first three, anyway.)
Chuck Limmer
n.p. "Summer Means Fun," Phil Sloan & Steve Barri aka The Fantastic Baggys, TELL 'EM I'M SURFIN' (No wonder Jan finally kicked Dean out of the studio and had Phil sing his parts. Steve said it was no big deal, "Phil always doubled everything Dean sang anyway.")
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