At 11:16 PM 02/09/2003 -0700, Chuck Limmer wrote:
><snip> 4.  Jan and Dean--Had to find out who these guys were, once I 
>realized that it wasn't the Beach Boys singing "Surf City."  (Years later, 
>I felt vindicated to learn that Brian had written the song and sang 
>back-up vocals.)  A minor act in the rock pantheon, but they mattered to 
>me at the beginning. >snip>

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.  Popsicle - brilliant pop 
single.  Their cover of Vegetables - beats the "original" on Smiley 
Smile.  Jenny Lee - a great bridge between doo-wop and the California 
sound.   Anaheim, Azusa, and Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review & Timing 
Association is a fantastic polished product of the pre-psychedelic CA 
era.  Production values? - they did wall of sound at a Phil Spector level 
with no compromises, the difference being the production was being done by 
the composer and singer.  Chops?  Look at the musicians on these sessions - 
Leon Russell, Hal Blaine - the whole Wrecking Crew.

I suspect if Jan Berry had not walked so close to death and taken so long 
to recover even basic functionality, they would have been one of the 
greatest acts of all time.