Query for Mark A. Moore

[Wirestone]

Mark: I picked this up used at an out of the way record store today.

http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:knfexqysldse

Do you have any idea what the heck it is? The second disc seems to have eight or so Jan and Jan and Dean singles from the 70s, and there are some obvious remakes included too. The whole thing seems semi-boot in nature, and the notes are manifestly unhelpful.

[Mark A. Moore]

Answers . . .

1  I Get Around  — Remake with Dean and Papa Doo Run Run, recorded in 1977

2  Little Old Lady from Pasadena [No1]  — Remake with Dean and Papa Doo Run Run, recorded in 1977

3  Little Deuce Coup  — Remake with Dean and Papa Doo Run Run, recorded in 1977

4  Surf City  — Remake with Dean and Papa Doo Run Run, recorded in 1977

5  Ride the Wild Surf — Remake with Dean and Papa Doo Run Run, recorded in 1977

6  Sidewalk Surfin' [No1]  — Remake with Dean and Papa Doo Run Run, recorded in 1977

7  Fun, Fun, Fun — Remake with Dean and Papa Doo Run Run, recorded in 1977

8  Help Me Rhonda  — Remake with Dean and Papa Doo Run Run, recorded in 1977

9  Dead Man's Curve  — Remake with Dean and Papa Doo Run Run, recorded in 1977

10  Drag City  — Remake with Dean and Papa Doo Run Run, recorded in 1977


The tracks above were released as "Jan & Dean" . . . and they fooled a hell of a lot of youngsters who saw the J&D movie in 1978. People thought at first that these recordings were original J&D tracks . . . NOT. So there was a learning curve.

 
11  Do You Wanna Dance [live]  — The beginnings of Dean's cover band.

12  Roll Over Beethoven [live]  — The beginnings of Dean's cover band.

13  California Girls [live]  — The beginnings of Dean's cover band.


14  Little Old Lady from Pasadena [No2]  — Outtake of orignal Jan & Dean version, missing some backing vocals and doubling.

15  Sidewalk Surfin' [No3]  — Alternate of original version, missing lead vocals.

16  The New Girl in School — Alternate of original version, missing lead vocals.
 
17  Tell 'Em I'm Surfin'  — J&D cover version from the original RIDE THE WILD SURF LP (1964) . . . a bad lead vocal from Jan, and the Baggys original is much better, vocally. On the other hand, J&D's cover of Sloan & Barri's "Summer Means Fun" is superior.

18  She's Still Talkin Baby Talk  — Original J&D side from 1962.

19  Tinsel Town  — Alternate version of Jan Berry solo track (Ode, released 1974).
 
20  Don't You Just Know It  — Jan & Brian (Ode, released 1973)

21  Little Queenie  — Jan Berry solo track (A&M, released 1977) — (a Chuck Berry composition)

22  That's the Way It Is  — Jan Berry solo track (A&M, released 1977) — B-side was "Little Queenie"

23  Totally Wild  — Sounds like an alternate take of the B-side of Jan & Dean's "Fun City" (Ode, 1975).  Dean only participated on "Fun City" . . . so "Totally Wild" was a Jan Berry solo track.

24  Fun City  — Jan & Dean side from 1975. See Track #23 above.

25  Sidewalk Surfin [No2]  — Jan Berry solo single (with Dean!) . . . A&M, 1978 . . . "Skateboard Surfin' U.S.A."

26  Little Old Lady from Pasadena  — Another outtake from the original J&D sessions (1964) . . . featuring Dean Torrence falsetto parts that were axed from the final hit single version.

27  Sing   — This is a version of Jan Berry's solo single called "Sing Sang A Song" . . . (Ode, released in 1976).

28  Mother Earth  — Jan Berry solo single . . . his first meaningful lead vocal released after his accident . . . (Ode, released in 1972).
 

M.

[Wirestone]

Thanks so much, Mark. I appreciate it. I've been slowly wading into the Jan and Dean waters this year (picked up the "From Surf City to Drag City" comp, and have orders in for your CD and the Liberty singles collection) and was just surprised to see such an odd compilation. (Plus it was 7-8 bucks.) Any idea if it's legit or not?

[Mark A. Moore]

Thanks so much, Mark. I appreciate it. I've been slowly wading into the Jan and Dean waters this year (picked up the "From Surf City to Drag City" comp, and have orders in for your CD and the Liberty singles collection) and was just surprised to see such an odd compilation. (Plus it was 7-8 bucks.) Any idea if it's legit or not?

I don't even buy the endless re-treads . . .

Anytime you see "Fun, Fun, Fun," . . . "Help Me Rhonda" . . . or "I Get Around" on a J&D comp . . . they're more than likely  re-recordings, from the cache of Dean's re-recordings listed in tracks 1-10 above..

Also . . . I'd like to know the business details of any labels that are licensing outtakes of original J&D material . . . or Jan Berry solo material, etc.

M.

M.

[Wirestone]

Mark: Well, I didn't buy it for the 77 re-recordings -- they seem like the equivalent of the Hite Morgan Beach Boys sessions -- cheaply licensed to lots of different folks. I just recognized the Jan Berry stuff from the 70s, and I wasn't aware of any other in-print album that had it. Frankly, I can't imagine it's legit, given that the Jan stuff sounds like it's been mastered from a cassette. But I kind of like those later recordings, and think it's a shame that Jan's work wasn't treated with more respect.