It's possible that it's because they are seen as jumping on a bandwagon and maybe because of the help from Brian Wilson. but that ignores that fact that Jan and Dean and Jan & Arnie actually help start the entire California sound, long before the Beach Boys and Byrds. Also, it ignores the fact that Jan co-wrote those songs and arranged and produced them. Jan also co-wrote many hits without Brian Wilson's input. From the summer of 63 to the fall of 64, Jan co-wrote 12 hit songs, 5 of those were in collaboration with Brian Wilson. Perception does not favor Jan and Dean. However, the Byrds are perceived as geniuses. They simply took Bob Dylan songs and arranged and produced them very well. Jan wrote songs with Brian, Roger, etc. and then arranged and produced the hell out of them. So why the difference in perception? Jan actually did more than the Byrds. But that's the perception. That Brian just gave hits to Jan and Dean. Nothing can be further from the truth.
