Blowin' My Mind - Carnival of Sound - Jan Berry / Jan & Dean Tribute (mp3)

[Mark A. Moore]

Here's another preview track for our Jan Berry / Jan & Dean Tribute Album:

Blowin' My Mind
(Berry - Freese - Gaines)
Carnival of Sound - 1968

Produced by
Cameron Michael Parkes and Mark A. Moore

Cameron on vocals . .

Based on Jan Berry's original music scores (transcribed and adapted).

This is still very much a rough draft . . . There are things to fix and add yet . . . but this is where we're headed.

Enjoy . . . some Jan & Dean sounds from the Psychedelic / Sunshine Pop era.

Posted for a limited time . . .

M.

[Daniel S.]

Great song, and you guys did a great job with it. My only problem with it is that it sounds so digital and the synthesizers don't help. That's the main reason I didn't like most of Cameron Parkes' tribute to Brian Wilson. Is it too late for you guys to use real instruments. Sorry, I hate to be a downer but if you're going to go through all the trouble to do this tribute, you might as well do it right. It just feels synthetic. Still a great song though. I like the vocal.

By the way, on the Carnival of Sound bootleg, who sang the lead on Blowing My Mind back from '68? I can't believe it wasn't released. So good, so fucking good.

[Mark A. Moore]

Great song, and you guys did a great job with it. My only problem with it is that it sounds so digital and the synthesizers don't help. That's the main reason I didn't like most of Cameron Parkes' tribute to Brian Wilson. Is it too late for you guys to use real instruments. Sorry, I hate to be a downer but if you're going to go through all the trouble to do this tribute, you might as well do it right. It just feels synthetic. Still a great song though. I like the vocal.

By the way, on the Carnival of Sound bootleg, who sang the lead on Blowing My Mind back from '68? I can't believe it wasn't released. So good, so fodaing good.

Find us a budget, and we'll hire a full orchestra. Ha! We have music charts for one and all . . .

Just understand that this project is about highlighting the original arrangements, as they are written, from the '60s, note-for-note. We're using high-quality samples for our brass, woodwinds, etc. . . . the same stuff often used for film and television.

I have the original sources for this stuff . . . so we're trying to give people a sense of what the parts sound like with modern production.

This is crucial for Jan's legacy . . . the parts are still authentic. With Carnival of Sound, the acetates and bootlegs are of poor quality.

But yeah . . . live brass and woodwind players would be sweet.

M.

[b.dfzo]

By the way, on the Carnival of Sound bootleg, who sang the lead on Blowing My Mind back from '68? I can't believe it wasn't released. So good, so fodaing good.

That would be the Rhinestone Cowboy himself, Glen Campbell.

[Daniel S.]

It's great you guys are doing this project, keeping the spirit of Jan & Dean alive.

[Mitchell]

Very nice. I need to listen to the original to compare it (I do have it) but it sounds very good. I do agree about the production being too synthy or whatever, but the song itself is well done.

[Mark A. Moore]

Very nice. I need to listen to the original to compare it (I do have it) but it sounds very good. I do agree about the production being too synthy or whatever, but the song itself is well done.

Well, there are a lot of different versions of "Blowin' MY Mind," as Jan and his team experimented a lot with this tune. For our version, we took the original music charts, and assembled the version that features the "ba-ba" vocal harmonies . . . together with the brass and woodwinds, straight from the charts.

With Jan Berry . . .  brass, woodwinds, and strings are a major part of the arrangements. And we have to use samples for those, because hiring such players is a budget problem. Asking music school students to participate is a good idea, but logistically, it's a nightmare.

We're highlighting the authentic arrangements, and individual parts . . . so for the purpose of this project, listeners can at least hear the brass parts, etc., in a clearer way . . . as opposed to the poor quality of the Carnival acetates and bootlegs.

M.

[JRauch]

God, I just can´t stop listening to this piece of music. Mark, thank you very much for all the hard work.

[Mitchell]

I got the original version from that thread on the old board....

It's too bad it's not Dead Man's Curve-quality. That's such a great recording.

[Mark A. Moore]

I got the original version from that thread on the old board....

It's too bad it's not Dead Man's Curve-quality. That's such a great recording.

Yeah, that's "a" version . . . but not necessarily the original. There were a bunch of takes and experiments.

Our version is from an alternate take of the Warner Bros. 45 version . . . which combines the brass and woodwinds with the "ba-ba" harmonies. (We'll also be adding a muted bass to double the bass line . . . which will give it more presence, "a la" 'Sloop John B').

If I remember correctly, the version posted online was the one with the heavier lead guitar. Some versions had crazy sound effects, etc.

M.

[b.dfzo]

The lead guitar on that version makes the song rock.  Without it, it's just...pop.  Not that there's anything wrong with that...

[Mark A. Moore]

The lead guitar on that version makes the song rock.  Without it, it's just...pop.  Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Yeah, the electric guitar version is a cool one . . .  They have different twists. But the 12-string riffs in the other takes . . . in the opening, and in the bridge . . . are really catchy. The feel of the song definitely changes from version to version.

M.