Well . . . let's not forget that Tony, Vic, and Manny (The Matadors) are credited for vocals on the back of the
Surf City album in mid-'63 . . . which came out after the "Linda" single. Recording for "Linda" began in late '62, and it was released in January of '63.
So yes . . . Phil was a bit off on his timeline. It was a long time ago.
However . . . It's at least
possible that Phil and Steve Barri could have started contributing harmonies as early as the
Drag City LP . . . the album that came out between
Surf City and
Dead Man's Curve. What we know for sure is that the
Dead Man's Curve album represents a documentable transition from the Matadors to Sloan and Barri. They're all on that album. The Matadors are on "New Girl In School" . . . and Sloan sings the falsetto lead on "Hey Little Freshman." Sloan and Barri also sing harmonies on that album, and it was the FIRST album to credit Sloan and Barri by name on the rear cover.
But that doesn't mean there necessarily has to be a total concrete dividing line between those two albums.
Sloan can speak in detail about Jan, and I've quoted him most recently in my new liner notes for Capitol. I've interviewed Steve Barri, as well . . . and I can tell you that Steve also has a ton of respect for Jan Berry.
Artie Kornfeld can also speak in detail about Jan as a writer and producer . . . See my new
Drag City liners (Capitol Records) for evidence . . . It's a shame that the radio intwerview plan with Artie went awry. It happens sometimes, but we'll make that up at some point. When Artie gets going about Jan, it's very entertaining
