Jan & Dean's "Carnival of Sound"

[ESQ Editor]

Rhino Handmade has done it again with this great new post Jan Berry Accident album from 1968, "Carnival Of Sound" is being readied for release sometime in February. The cover was designed by Dean O. Torrence, with the interior packaging being put together by Andrew Sandoval and Steve Stanley, with two essays by Domenic Priore and Mark A. Moore. This link form Facebook shows Sandoval holding the album art: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1465632427&ref=ts

[Bean Bag]

I didn't want to start a new topic, so I dug this one up...

This is such a great, happy little masterpiece.  I was just listening to the 10-song, LP tracklist.  Fantastic.

[Mikie]

Masterpiece?   I dunno......

[Rocker]

Masterpiece? I agree... Great pop music!

[smilethebeachboysloveyou]

I'm a Jan & Dean fan, but I can't agree about it being a masterpiece.  "Girl, You're Blowing My Mind" and "Fan Tan" are nice little songs, but the production doesn't compare well with Jan's pre-accident work.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Some nice pop songs, but the arrangements sometimes sound like a late 60s sitcom trying to be hip by adding totally pointless sitar.

[Phoenix]

The dreaded Cousin Oliver sitar! 

[Jim V.]

Some nice pop songs, but the arrangements sometimes sound like a late 60s sitcom trying to be hip by adding totally pointless sitar.

I think that explains it pretty well.

I think there are a few great songs. "Girl, You're Blowing My Mind" is an absolutely wonderful slice of '60s pop. Shoulda been a hit single, though even it had been released back then, I doubt it woulda seen much chart action. I also really like "Hawaii" and "Fan Tan" too, but it's obvious why this stuff went nowhere, chart-wise. And it's pretty much because by 1968, there was probably no way Jan & Dean were gonna make any commercial impact unfortunately. It's also still odd that there was Jan & Dean singles in the late '60s (and finally the release of Carnival of Sound in 2010) that featured nearly no vocal participation from the two members of the group. To me, it's still "Jan & Dean" because Jan wrote most of it, and also produced it, but still...

And yeah, the sitar, just a totally lame attempt to keep up with the times, while ironically, actually being behind the times, since, by 1968, The Beach Boys had moved onto Wild Honey, The Beatles were moving onto the white album, The Band was starting to get attention, The Stones were going back to basics, and so on. So if anything, it just showed how out of touch Jan (& Dean, even though he had zip to do with it) were.

Overall, I don't think the release of the album woulda really changed music history any.

[Kurosawa]

The Jan and Dean Meet Batman album is more my speed. Would have been cool if Jan hadn't have had his wreck to see him taking the piss out of the counter culture, to be honest.

[Bean Bag]

I don't think you guys are prepared to accept it for what it is.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

The Jan and Dean Meet Batman album is more my speed. Would have been cool if Jan hadn't have had his wreck to see him taking the piss out of the counter culture, to be honest.

I still have three copies of this LP in vinyl, one stiil sealed. Fun stuff!

[leggo of my ego]

I find the other Not a really JanANDDean album "Save For a Rainy Day" to be more catchy & listenable

There is some really great Mellotron work in there, the kind that well justified the fears of musicians Union.

[phirnis]

I love some of the songs, especially "Fan Tan" but then there's also some completely pointless stuff like "Tijuana", which has to be one of the most desperate-sounding remakes I've ever heard. "Only a Boy" should've been sung by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler I think...

[Jim V.]

I hate to go there, but I also gotta point out how pathetic that song "Only A Boy" is. The song wouldn't be as lame if Jan wasn't trying to weasel his way out of the draft at the time around his big accident. If he was such a big supporter of the war, and of the perfect age to go, why was he so against himself going? Seems like it was juuuuust fine for other people to lose their lives in Vietnam, but him? No way, Jose. Jan was what is called a chickenhawk.*

Anyways, seems like after the accident he was much more into the hippie thing. Although I wonder if he still stood by his feelings from before. Would be interesting ot know.

Also interesting Mark Moore and David Beard haven't been on this thread lately like white on rice. Since usually the words "Jan Berry" will usually perk up either of their ears.


*I'm actually quite a fan of Jan & Dean. I like a lot of their stuff. I even like Jan's '70s stuff like "Fun City" and whatever else.

[bgas]

I hate to go there, but I also gotta point out how pathetic that song "Only A Boy" is. The song wouldn't be as lame if Jan wasn't trying to weasel his way out of the draft at the time around his big accident. If he was such a big supporter of the war, and of the perfect age to go, why was he so against himself going? Seems like it was juuuuust fine for other people to lose their lives in Vietnam, but him? No way, Jose. Jan was what is called a chickenhawk.*

Anyways, seems like after the accident he was much more into the hippie thing. Although I wonder if he still stood by his feelings from before. Would be interesting ot know.

Also interesting Mark Moore and haven't been on this thread lately like white on rice. Since usually the words "Jan Berry" will usually perk up either of their ears.


*I'm actually quite a fan of Jan & Dean. I like a lot of their stuff. I even like Jan's '70s stuff like "Fun City" and whatever else.

Mark and who ?? 

[phirnis]

I hate to go there, but I also gotta point out how pathetic that song "Only A Boy" is. The song wouldn't be as lame if Jan wasn't trying to weasel his way out of the draft at the time around his big accident. If he was such a big supporter of the war, and of the perfect age to go, why was he so against himself going? Seems like it was juuuuust fine for other people to lose their lives in Vietnam, but him? No way, Jose. Jan was what is called a chickenhawk.*

I've been wondering about this, could it be that "Only a Boy" and "Universal Coward" were actually tongue in cheek? To me they don't sound like that AT ALL to be honest but it's still a possibility...

[Jim V.]

I hate to go there, but I also gotta point out how pathetic that song "Only A Boy" is. The song wouldn't be as lame if Jan wasn't trying to weasel his way out of the draft at the time around his big accident. If he was such a big supporter of the war, and of the perfect age to go, why was he so against himself going? Seems like it was juuuuust fine for other people to lose their lives in Vietnam, but him? No way, Jose. Jan was what is called a chickenhawk.*

Anyways, seems like after the accident he was much more into the hippie thing. Although I wonder if he still stood by his feelings from before. Would be interesting ot know.

Also interesting Mark Moore and haven't been on this thread lately like white on rice. Since usually the words "Jan Berry" will usually perk up either of their ears.


*I'm actually quite a fan of Jan & Dean. I like a lot of their stuff. I even like Jan's '70s stuff like "Fun City" and whatever else.

Mark and who ?? 

David Beard. I edited it. Don't know how that skipped my mind in the middle of typing that sentence.

[Bean Bag]

Let me try a different tact.


Sidewalk Surfin'.   There was once a land -- a culture, that sang about that.  How far do you think you could take that?

[Alex]

I didn't want to start a new topic, so I dug this one up...

This is such a great, happy little masterpiece.  I was just listening to the 10-song, LP tracklist.  Fantastic.

I love the totally random Davy Jones voice-over on In The Still Of The Night, but could do without Only a Boy.

[RangeRoverA1]

Jan's strangest beast. Usually, I wouldn't mind sitar & similar instruments on records, but here it sounds too ear-attacking & therefore, I didn't enjoy the intros on some tracks. Furthermore, I didn't like the female backing vocals, thought it was an unnecessary addition. The choice of cover material (except for my fave "Yakety Yak") is also questionable; now I have even more dislike towards "Stay" which I already wasn't a fan of. With that being said, the album does feature one of the best songs in Jan&Dean's catalog - "I Know My Mind", "Tijuana" (aka modified "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena", with the cooler dense arrangement), "Mulholland" (vocally, the strongest cut), "Hawaii" (yet no way can it beat the BBs song!), "Fan Tan" (minus the "Fan tan, fan tan..." repetitive lines, though it's a minor complaint). Other originals are mediocre, "Girl You're..." is specifically overrated.
Summation = 2,5/5, not eagerly rounded to 3.

[astroray]

When I'm in a Jan & Dean mood, it all sounds good, from the 50's and 60's and 70's!
Long live Dean Torrence!

[Bean Bag]

When I'm in a Jan & Dean mood, it all sounds good, from the 50's and 60's and 70's!
Long live Dean Torrence!

I've been listening to the 10 track sequence  found on the LP.

Girl, You is Blowing my mind
In The Still Of The Night
Stay!
Louisiana Man
Mulholland
Fan Tan
Carnival of Sound
Hawaii
Laural And Hardy
I Know My Mind


good order