Even Batman loves the Beach Boys....

[Bhw]

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Surprised the Beach Boys never wrote a song about the Bat mobile and rockin Robin

[Rocky Raccoon]

Surprised the Beach Boys never wrote a song about the Bat mobile and rockin Robin

Their musical peers Jan and Dean did a whole album called "Jan and Dean meet Batman" and it is exactly what it sounds like, I kid you not.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I love it!

[Gertie J.]

i wonder what will be next, 'Superman was presented a complete collection of BB songs for his heroic deeds' or 'Attention! Spiderman retired cuz he fell for the Beach Boys!'? no, seriously, do we need these kinds of threads again? How 'bout Sandbox?

[Jason]

Does this really merit a thread?

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I got a kick out of it :/

[I. Spaceman]

Does this really merit a thread?

Aww, I was just going to do a new thread with that Willy Wonka meme, making a cool Beach Boys reference. Damnit.

[rn57]

Surprised the Beach Boys never wrote a song about the Bat mobile and rockin Robin

Their musical peers Jan and Dean did a whole album called "Jan and Dean meet Batman" and it is exactly what it sounds like, I kid you not.

J&D Meet Batman is one hell of a strange and simultaneously goofy and complex album. Some tracks of it are on Youtube, and probably the rest of it is here and there in wfmu.org's archives. When Brian used to talk about making a humor album in the Smile era, I wonder if he had it in mind as some kind of template. 

[Rocky Raccoon]

Surprised the Beach Boys never wrote a song about the Bat mobile and rockin Robin

Their musical peers Jan and Dean did a whole album called "Jan and Dean meet Batman" and it is exactly what it sounds like, I kid you not.

J&D Meet Batman is one hell of a strange and simultaneously goofy and complex album. Some tracks of it are on Youtube, and probably the rest of it is here and there in wfmu.org's archives. When Brian used to talk about making a humor album in the Smile era, I wonder if he had it in mind as some kind of template. 

The whole thing is on Spotify.

[Cabinessenceking]

Holy sh*t the Jan and Dean album for Batman is true!

"Gotham city, here we come" to the chorus of Surf City! HOW ULTIMATE LAME!

[BergenWhitesMoustache]

Jan and Dean meet Batman is, pardon the expression, batshit crazy.

Their records have a real manic-ness to them which the BB didn't really- I suspect from continuing with Surf type stuff right through 65/66/67. Fan Tan anyone? No wonder they were Keith Moon's favourite band

[Mike Lovechild]

I agree. Listen once to that album and you can guarantee you'll never listen to it again.

[Rocker]

Surprised the Beach Boys never wrote a song about the Bat mobile and rockin Robin

Their musical peers Jan and Dean did a whole album called "Jan and Dean meet Batman" and it is exactly what it sounds like, I kid you not.

J&D Meet Batman is one hell of a strange and simultaneously goofy and complex album. Some tracks of it are on Youtube, and probably the rest of it is here and there in wfmu.org's archives. When Brian used to talk about making a humor album in the Smile era, I wonder if he had it in mind as some kind of template. 

It's a f*cking awesome album. Everyone should listen to it. It's still available on CD I believe. The mono mix of the title track is on "The Liberty Singles" and blows the strange stereo mix away easily

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Does this really merit a thread?

It would seem that any thought that passes into one's mind merits a thread, these days.  At least this one got converted into an appraisal of the J&D record.  And yeah, it's not like some ultra-rare Smile thing that is undiscovered.  It's not hard to find on CD and it's certainly available to legally download.

[rn57]

Does this really merit a thread?

It would seem that any thought that passes into one's mind merits a thread, these days.  At least this one got converted into an appraisal of the J&D record.  And yeah, it's not like some ultra-rare Smile thing that is undiscovered.  It's not hard to find on CD and it's certainly available to legally download.

The truth is that the only CD release (on One-Way, doubled with J&D's live album Command Performance) is pretty scarce now. (Amazon lists secondhand copies starting at $56.) But it is a download.

http://theseconddisc.com/2011/07/23/comic-con-special-reissue-theory-jan-and-dean-meet-batman/

discusses the record at some length. A 1987 UK release on LP had the original cover art, but One Way could not get permission from DC Comics to put the Dynamic Duo on the cover so it's just the title against a black background. Kind of like the Velvet Underground's White Light White Heat or Faust's So Far, to mention two other notable avant-garde albums.

In interviews, Dean Torrence has mentioned that the album as originally recorded tied in more closely to the TV series but after Fox, which owned the show, raised objections, it was changed. He also has said that had Jan not hit the truck the duo's future direction might have built on the Batman record. Which makes you wonder what they might have been recording in fall '66 to compete with Smile.  I mean, answering Pet Sounds with something like this was the kind of thing only Captain Jan and his Boy Blunder would do.

[I. Spaceman]

J&D Meet Batman is incredible, the West Coast Who Sell Out. I was happy to be quoted in the booklet for the digital re-release.

[Mike's Beard]

It's a brilliant album. Might I suggest listening to it on a triple bill with "The Many Moods of Murry Wilson" and William Shatner's "The Transformed Man".

[halblaineisgood]

Does Murry sing on the many moods album? I thought that was all instrumental for some reason.

[Rocky Raccoon]

Does Murry sing on the many moods album? I thought that was all instrumental for some reason.

I don't think he sings on it though then again, I've never heard it (and I don't plan on hearing it any time soon).

It would be worth hearing though if he ever recorded a full scat version of "Help  Me, Rhonda" like he demonstrated on the session tapes. 

[Rocker]

Does Murry sing on the many moods album? I thought that was all instrumental for some reason.

I don't think he sings on it though then again, I've never heard it (and I don't plan on hearing it any time soon).

It would be worth hearing though if he ever recorded a full scat version of "Help  Me, Rhonda" like he demonstrated on the session tapes. 

No, he didn't sing on "Many moods..." and didn't do any "Rhonda" but covered a Jardine-instrumental

[Mike's Beard]

Does Murry sing on the many moods album? I thought that was all instrumental for some reason.

He doesn't (thank God!!) sing on it, but as a piece of swinging sixties kitsch it can't be beat.

[Mike's Beard]

Does Murry sing on the many moods album? I thought that was all instrumental for some reason.

I don't think he sings on it though then again, I've never heard it (and I don't plan on hearing it any time soon).

It would be worth hearing though if he ever recorded a full scat version of "Help  Me, Rhonda" like he demonstrated on the session tapes.  

No, he didn't sing on "Many moods..." and didn't do any "Rhonda" but covered a Jardine-instrumental

Which was produced by Brian Wilson.

[rn57]

Right now on eBay somebody is selling what seems to be a clipped-out magazine ad for J&DMB. The copy above the cover reads:

What? Another Batman LP?

YES! The fun one!

It's got BAT-TACULARS (holy mirth and merriment)!

It's got BAT-TUNES (zowie)!

It's got Jan and Dean....


Ah, those were the days when record companies employed folk with a gift for the written word.  (BTW I can remember the start of Adam West-style Batmania, and yep, there were a number of not-so-fun Batman records out there at the time, so people needed to know J&D had done it different.)

The record's also got Jill Gibson. She broke up with Jan immediately after it was recorded. But don't know if there's a connection.

[Smilin Ed H]

"the West Coast Who Sell Out. I was happy to be quoted in the booklet for the digital re-release."

Nice one!