Jan & Dean: Official Message Board for Jan Berry

https://youtu.be/ITmDdX2QHkw

Just found this. He sings the vocal parts of a number of Jan and Dean songs. Looks as though he "heard" the music rather than reading from a score. Interesting to see the breakdown.

I don't know if Mark is able to comment on the accuracy etc.

Congratulations Mark on the recognition given to your biography of Jan
So well deserved. I’ve been an advocate for Jan from the late sixties when I first heard Jan and Dean on the radio. They were not played much in the uk and many of their albums weren’t released here. I had to import them myself. No internet / no Amazon then. I contributed a bit to Ripped Baggies although my name was always misspelled.
It took you though and your two brilliantly researched and written books to ensure Jan’s legacy.
Many, many thanks
SurferBee

Thanks for the update. Tried the link to the CD version - not working (at least in the UK). (I want to add the CD to my collection as well as having a digital version.)
Good news (if you have Apple Music) - it is there and I've downloaded it. Not listened to all but some new stuff.

More evidence that we need a Jan Berry anthology / collection. Dean Has David Beard punting for him I would guess.

Not sure if there are contractual complications in collecting Jan's solo stuff but it would be a great collection.

A great video of Jan and Dean singing Surf City on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/nFeUEfpN_yc

It is new to me. No idea what show it was on as the licensing arrangements are unclear to the untutored.

Quality good - the guys look good and, of course, don't take things too seriously.

I wonder if there are other clips yet to be shared? I haver never seen them singing Dead Man's Curve at the time of its release. That would be great.

I really enjoyed the Park for Surf interviews. More than just an overview of the biography, an additional take o things.

I was especially intrigued by the "jan and anybody' sections.

Dean is a great guy, a talented artist, and his humour was integral to the Jan and Dean personna. That said, his 'audible' contribution to many of the best tracks is minimal or non existent. He has a distinctive voice - good and bad - and I can see why Jan sometimes wanted a purer falsetto. Listening to the Little Old Lady outtakes confirms this for me.

Jan's brilliance was in creating a rich studio sound instrumentally and vocally and my reading is that Dean wasn't always the right sound. I accept that Jan's voice too had some limits but multi tracking and writing songs for that range made him a stand out singer for me. His lead vocals were important in turning me on to their sound at the start. To find that he wrote, arranged and produced etc etc makes hime undoubtedly the one defining presence in the band. I was always disappointed that live and on TV, Jan did not bother (Is that too strong?) to replicate the studio sound.

For me, Jan and Dean on record are Jan and others (not anybody but a carefully chosen group of musicians). Reading Mark's books has strengthened this belief.

Thanks Mark

Happy Christmas to all Jan and Dean fans across the world and a big thanks to Mark for his two great books.

Happy new year everyone.

Just came across this 1964 French band Les Kelton's recording of The New Girl in School.

Misses Jan's production but shows the basic quality of the song.

I can find little about the group (seems to have been short lived) or chart success in France.

On You Tube

https://youtu.be/o_oKQgfDjpY

Death of Phil Spector - troubled genius. I know that Brian Wilson much admired him and he shared many of Jan's session musicians. I just wondered if Jan and Spector ever met or worked together.