Jan & Dean complete Liberty singles collection

[Dutchie]

now this is something i reather spend my $$ on than the BB singles collection. Check it out. http://www.ccmusic.com/item.cfm?itemid=CCM09492

Title: Complete Liberty Singles
Artist: Jan & Dean

A big part of our job here at 'Collectors’ Choice Music' is to survey the pop music landscape (or in this case, seascape) for artists whose collections don’t really do them justice, and we think there’s a strong case to be made that Jan & Dean are at the head of the line. Sure, their classic Liberty recordings have been anthologized, but never comprehensively, and almost always in re-mixed stereo, NOT in their original mono. Well, not this time. We’ve gone back to the original mono single tapes of EVERY one of Jan & Dean’s Liberty singles, both their A- and B-sides, then checked and checked again to make sure they were the RIGHT tapes, to bring you the ORIGINAL MONO SINGLE VERSIONS of these songs, exactly as they were released and exactly as they sounded when they climbed the charts and blared out of your Woody’s car radio. The package includes extensive liner notes by Ed Osborne and David Beard featuring interviews with those close to the action, like engineer/producer Bones Howe, Jan Berry friend/co-writer Don Altfeld and Dean Torrence himself, plus photos of Jan and Dean and shots of some of the single’s label and jacket art. We’re as proud of this 'Collectors’ Choice Music' exclusive as we are of any of ’em—it’s the most comprehensive and faithful look at Jan & Dean’s music ever compiled. Includes 'A Sunday Kind of Love; Poor Little Puppet; Tennessee; Your Heart Has Changed Its Mind; My Favorite Dream; Who Put the Bomp; Frosty the Snowman; She’s Still Talking Baby Talk; Linda; When I Learn How to Cry; Surf City; She’s My Summer Girl; Honolulu Lulu; Someday (You’ll Go Walking By); Drag City; Schlock Rod (Part 1); Dead Man’s Curve; The New Girl in School; The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena); My Mighty G.T.O.; Ride the Wild Surf; The Anaheim, Azusa and Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review and Timing Association; Sidewalk Surfin’; When It’s Over; (Here They Come) From All over the World; Freeway Flyer; You Really Know How to Hurt a Guy; It’s as Easy as 1, 2, 3; It’s a Shame to Say Goodbye; The Submarine Races; I Found a Girl; A Beginning from an End; Folk City; Norwegian Wood; Batman; Bucket “T”; Popsicle; Fiddle Around; Surfer’s Dream; School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell)', and, as a bonus, both sides of Jan Berry’s single 'The Universal Coward/I Can’t Wait to Love You'. Release date: June 17!

 tracklist
1 A Sunday Kind Of Love 
2 Poor Little Puppet 
3 Tennessee 
4 Your Heart Has Changed Its Mind 
5 My Favorite Dream 
6 Who Put The Bomp 
7 Frosty The Snowman 
8 She's Still Talking Baby Talk 
9 Linda 
10 When I Learn How To Cry 
11 Surf City 
12 She's My Summer Girl 
13 Honolulu Lulu 
14 Someday (You'll Go Walking By) 
15 Drag City 
16 Schlock Rod (Part 1) 
17 Dead Man's Curve 
18 The New Girl In School 
19 The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena) 
20 My Mighty G.T.O. 
21 Ride The Wild Surf 
22 The Anaheim, Azusa And Cucamonga Sewing 
23 Circle, Book Review And Timing 
24 Association 
25 Sidewalk Surfin' 
26 When It's Over 
27 (Here They Come) From All Over The World 
28 Freeway Flyer 
29 You Really Know How To Hurt A Guy 
30 It's As Easy As 1, 2, 3 
31 It's A Shame To Say Goodbye 
32 The Submarine Races 
33 I Found A Girl 
34 A Beginning From An End 
35 Folk City 
36 Norwegian Wood 
37 Batman 
38 Bucket "T" 
39 Popsicle 
40 Fiddle Around 
41 Surfer's Dream 
42 School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell) 
43 The Universal Coward (Jan Berry) 
44 I Can't Wait To Love You (Jan Berry) 
 
review
"MONO IS THE WAY TO GO ON THIS SET"
Dale - Togane City, Chiba Prefecture

Ed Osborne, who was apparently in charge of this reissue project, had this to say when he announced it over on stevehoffman.tv: "Grab your boards and fire up your mean machines! In June Collectors' Choice Music will release Jan & Dean - The Complete Liberty Singles. It's a two CD set featuring 42 tracks in their original MONO mixes: all the released A&B-sides, Jan's solo single, and a bonus B-side from one of the two unreleased singles (the other three sides showed up on official single releases). I worked closely with noted J&D expert and Endless Summer Quarterly editor/publisher David Beard, consultant Rob Christie, and EMI's Dave McEowen to ensure that the original single mono master tapes were used. And let me tell you, they sound great. No NR, no loud levels, no upper mid-range hype: just J&D the way they mixed 'em way back when. Jan and Bones and the rest of the J&D gang lavished great care on the single sides and it shows. The "Drag City" to "Ananheim" hot rod quartet is particularly exciting: they literally roar out of the speakers." I have been a Jan & Dean fan for more than 35 years, have most everything J&D released on vinyl in both mono and stereo, and I've got to tell you if these tracks are mastered right like Ed said, they will sound AWESOME IN MONO. The mono mixes on the singles and LPs are punchier, more powerful, and better balanced. The instruments are mixed louder and that's important--Jan & Dean used the great Wrecking Crew on their classic Liberty tracks including the incredible double-drumming combo of Hal Blaine and Earl Palmer. When you hear the power in the mono of Ride the Wild Surf, Sidewalk Surfin' or any of these great, classic J&D tracks you'll forget ever wondering why they picked mono for this release. Beside, this is the "Complete Liberty Singles" -- the singles were in mono, and moreover the mono single mixes differ from the mono LP mixes -- their usually hotter, have better bass -- in short, they were designed to be hits. Considering how Jan & Dean has been served by reissues over the past 25 years (extremely poorly), I'll be buying at least two of these for myself and maybe a couple for gifts. People--the mono single mixes have NEVER been reissued before. Jan & Dean mono in vinyl form went out of print in 1968. If you like J&D, you will kick yourself hard if you don't pick this up and for some reason it goes out of print down the line. Back to the mastering, if what Ed said about there being "no mid-range hype", this set may well be the best sounding J&D we've heard since the 60s. And getting those classic B-sides is icing on the cake. Remember, the mono is not just the stereo combined—the original, mono single mixes will be a substantially different listening experience. Here’s what’s going to surprise you if you haven’t heard these tracks in mono before. 1 A Sunday Kind Of Love A big, punch sound over the mono with the tonality, size and weight of the horn breaks far superior to the stereo. Enormous horn sound, better bass. 2 Poor Little Puppet Of course, better balance over the vocal/instrument hard stereo we’ve become used to. Also, the stereo mix was an underdub and eliminated the trumpets in the mono mix. 3 Tennessee Better balance, and bass power in mono single mix. Great late doo-wop. 4 Your Heart Has Changed Its Mind 5 My Favorite Dream 6 Who Put The Bomp 7 Frosty The Snowman 8 She's Still Talking Baby Talk Tracks 4-8 have never been big favorites, so I haven’t listened to them enough to comment, except that I’ll bet they’ll sound better in mono. 9 Linda Man oh man so much better in mono, especially that drumming and the horns. The trebly falsetto is easier on the ears in mono. 10 When I Learn How To Cry One of their last pure ‘duo’ tracks and I think it’s a great one—good singing, great drumming and a snappy Glen Campbell lead guitar break. Great, little known track. 11 Surf City What a powerhouse in mono. So easy to see why this became the smash it did in 1963. Nothing out there sounded anything like it. If this set turns out to be mastered right, this will sound astounding in its original mono. 12 She's My Summer Girl One of the great lost B-sides, though it did show up on the Ride The Wild Surf LP as an album track. Again, the mono mix will bring out the fantastic Earl Palmer drumming and restore the correct balance to the vocals. 13 Honolulu Lulu All that great percussion and harmonic balance gets subdued in the stereo mix of this one. Campbell’s ‘Hawaiian” lead break ends up sounding too trebly in the stereo as well. If this one of your favorites, the mono will become your preferred mix. 14 Someday (You'll Go Walking By) Not a fave… 15 Drag City Like Surf City, this one is a powerhouse in mono. Everything sounds right, and you get bass guitar in the mono that’s not really there in stereo. 16 Schlock Rod (Part 1) Amusing, but not really a big musical production… 17 Dead Man's Curve This is where the Jan Berry production genius really begins and this is one incredible production that you just cannot appreciate until you hear the mono. The mono is where all the action is. Huge sound, huge production. In fact, this marks the start of Jan & Dean’s incredible run of first rate mid-sixties hits. Jan & Dean are grievously underrated and underappreciated and when you listen to the following 1964 run of singles you hear why. These are top-flight pop creations—they’re catchy, they’re punchy, they’re well crafted and in mono you’ll hear things you hadn’t heard before. I know, that’s counter-intuitive, but it’s true. The stereo mixes are interesting, but so many compromises had to be made that a lot of what Jan Berry worked so hard to get right gets slighted in the stereo. For one thing, you’ll hear guitar work courtesy of The Wrecking Crew that that’s all but indistinguishable in the stereo, like the Dick Dale-like glissandos. That kickass Hal Blaine/Earl Palmer double drumming that is so much a part of powerhouse like Ride The Wild Surf or The Little Old Lady From Pasadena gets mixed down too far in stereo to retain much punch. And, always, in stereo the lead vocals get mixed in too high and the great, harmonic balance provided by The Honeys on The New Girl In School and the Fantastic Baggys on most of the remainder of the ‘64/’65 tracks get overly subdued. I can’t wait for these… Just so you know…I don’t have anything to do with any CD/record labels, music businesses, what have you. I’m a fan who’s been listening to these guys for a very long time. And I’ve been waiting for a long, long time to hear Jan & Dean be justly served in the digital format. Virtually all of Jan & Dean on CD has been stereo, and a lot of it has had the high end goosed so bad that for me they’ve been unlistenable. Really painful treble on many of those CDs. Ron Furnamek’s remix/remaster of Ride The Wild Surf/The Little Old Lady From Pasadena was a good one (stereo), but it was released more than 15 years ago and has been out of print for a long time. I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on this set! 

[Dutchie]

No Jan & Dean fans here  127 looked but nobody seems to care   

[roll plymouth rock]

I love Jan & Dean!!

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,5588.0.html

[JimC1702]

I care!  I'm grateful for the info.  I ordered this today after reading your post.

[Dutchie]

Alright you guys. They need our support. Thanks guys. 

[Mark A. Moore]

Okay, here’s my review . . .

This is a fantastic release, and fills a huge void in the Jan & Dean re-issue catalog. The mono single mixes have been absent (or in the background) for far too long.

To CCM: Lot’s of very familiar stuff in your liner notes . . . so thanks for including the official Jan Berry Website in your acknowledgments.

Question for audiophiles . . . How much compression do you hear?

And now, I’ll put on my AGD cap and nitpick the liner notes and track notes:


LINER NOTES:

Clarification:

In 1962, Lou Adler was still with Nevins-Kirshner (Brill Building stuff), not Screen Gems. Nevins-Kirshner wasn’t acquired by Screen Gems until 1963, at which point Lou Adler was made their chief operating officer on the West Coast. The first two Liberty albums (Golden Hits and Take Linda Surfin'), as well as the hit single “Linda,” were produced for Nevins-Kirshner. The “Linda” album and single were Jan’s first official production credits, thanks to his initial producer’s contract with Nevins-Kirshner. Surf City and Other Swingin’ Cities was the first Screen Gems album for Jan & Dean. When the merger happened, Jan signed new songwriting and producing contracts with Screen Gems.


Factual Error:

CCM: “On June 20, 1963, ‘Surf City’ slid into #1 on the national Hot 100.”
Nope — off by a month. There was no June 20 entry for Billboard. It would have been June 22.
“Surf City” was released on May 17, and peaked on Billboard at #1 on July 20 (and stayed there for two weeks).


Misleading:

CCM: “Bones used a core crew led by drummer Hal Blaine . . . “
No, Jan Berry used a core crew of musicians (and Hal was the contractor). Bones was only the engineer (responsible for getting the sound right, from a technical standpoint -- and there is plenty of documentation for Lanky's participation, as well.).  Bones did, however, do some verbal directing during vocal sessions that Jan sang on. Only later, after Jan & Dean, did Bones become a producer in his own right (and a great one, at that).


Factual Error (?):

Regarding “Dead Man’s Curve.” CCM: “Don Altfeld recalls how Art, Jan, and Roger wrote the song on a restaurant napkin, and then left it on the table, returning later to dig through the trash for it.” Timothy White tells this story in detail in his 1994 book, The Nearest Faraway Place — and the song in question is “Honolulu Lulu” . . . not “Dead Man’s Curve.” Problem is, White doesn’t cite his source . . . and Altfeld can't be used as a single source, either. (For the record, I've corresponded in-depth with Don Altfeld).


Misleading:

Regarding “Ride the Wild Surf” — CCM: “Jan & Dean returned to the ocean for the next three 45s.”
Not true — Only “Ride the Wild Surf” had an ocean theme. It was their only surf-themed single of 1964. “Sidewalk Surfin’” was about skateboarding, and “From All Over the World” (1965) was the TAMI theme song.


Context:

“Popsicle” (recorded in 1963), “Bucket T” (recorded in 1964), and “A Surfer’s Dream” (recorded in 1964) should have been placed in context, rather than having them come across like Jan & Dean’s latest new releases in 1966. Contextually, this is the worst part of the liner notes.


Serious Question:

Can anyone demonstrate for me [aurally] the difference between Jan Berry's original mix for "Popsicle" in 1963, and Dean Torrence's self-proclaimed re-mix for the 1966 single?



TRACK LIST:

Incorrect Dates:

CCM: "When I Learn How to Cry (1962)"
The correct date is 1963

CCM: "Schlock Rod Part 1 (1962)"
The correct date is 1963


Date Inconsistencies:

CCM: “A Sunday Kind of Love (1962)”
Release date November 1961 — Peak chart date: January 1962
Thus, this entry sets the date formula  for Billboard chart hits.

CCM: “Drag City (1963)”
Release date November 1963 — Peak chart date: January 1964
Thus, for consistency, this entry should have been dated 1964

CCM: “A Beginning from an End (1965)”
Release date November 1965 — Peak chart date: January 1966
Thus, for consistency, this entry should have been dated 1966


Songwriting Credits:

The song writing credits in this comp are wholly arbitrary, and since the focus here is on the singles,  it would have been nice to see the actual listings as they appeared on the Liberty single labels in the ‘60s (except for the instances where Jan Berry’s writing credits were officially restored in 2002). Jan’s name was never listed last in the credits, as it often appears in this CCM comp. Jan was a company-signed songwriter and producer for Screen Gems. His name usually (but not always) appeared first for his Jan & Dean writing collaborations.

A few Examples:

She’s My Summer Girl
Liberty single label credits: Berry-Altfeld-Wilson
CCM credits:  “Altfeld-Berry-Wilson”

Honolulu Lulu
Liberty single label credits: Berry-Christian-Spunky
CCM credits:  “Christian-Berry-Adler”

Someday (You’ll Go Walking By)
Liberty single label credits: Berry-Altfeld
CCM credits:  “Altfeld-Berry”

Drag City
Liberty single label credits: Berry-Christian-Wilson
CCM credits:  “Christian-Wilson-Berry”

Schlock Rod (Part 1)
Liberty single label credits: Berry-Christian-Torrence-Altfeld
CCM credits:  “Christian-Berry-Altfeld-Torrence”

Dead Man’s Curve
Liberty single label credits: Wilson-Berry-Christian-Kornfeld
CCM credits:  “Christian-Kornfeld-Wilson-Berry”

The New Girl In School
Liberty single label credits: Wilson-Berry-Christian-Norman
CCM credits:  “Norman-Wilson-Christian-Berry”

Anaheim, Azusa
Liberty single label credits: Berry-Christian-Altfeld
CCM credits:  “Altfeld-Christian-Berry”

Freeway Flyer
Liberty single label credits: Altfeld-Christian-Berry
CCM credits:  “Altfeld-Berry-Christian”

A Beginning from an End
Liberty single label credits: Berry-Christian-Hermann-Tipton
CCM credits:  “Tipton-Christian-Berry-Herman”

Batman
Liberty single label credits: Berry-Altfeld-Wieder
CCM credits:  “Altfeld-Wieder-Berry”

The Universal Coward
Liberty single label credits: Berry-Gibson-Tipton
CCM credits:  “Gibson-Tipton-Berry”

I Can’t Wait to Love You
Liberty single label credits: Berry-Christian-Tipton
CCM credits:  “Tipton-Christian-Berry”


Mark A. Moore
June 28, 2008

[JimC1702]

Got it in the mail today and listening to it now.  WOW!!  These songs never sounded this good.  I had just listened to "The Best of Jan & Dean" on Liberty on Sunday and this totally blows it away.  It's great to hear some of the songs that didn't make "Best of" too like "My Mighty GTO" and "Bucket T". 

These discs have so much more punch than the previous releases.  Reminds me of the first time I listened to a Telarc CD (California Project).  The drums and the horns really jump out now. 

Highly recommended.

[brianc]

"Sidewalk Surfin’” was about skateboarding,

It has the word "surfin'" in the title! Besides, skateboarding has always been an outgrowth of surfing. For those days when the waves are down.

[phirnis]

Just ordered this one today. Though I have always liked Jan & Dean, this is my first purchase of their music and I'm really looking forward to it.

[Wirestone]

Have the order in myself and am also looking forward.

[brother john]

Thanks for your post Mark. I LOVE Jan & Dean.

[phirnis]

Just received my copy of The Complete Liberty Singles the other day. The overall sound is indeed more than satisfactory. Love it! By the way, I had no idea Jan & Dean were doing stuff as bland and pointless as Folk City and The Universal Coward.    Never mind, it's still one hell of a compilation.

For everyone interested, there's a bunch of ocassionally hilarious clips from Dean Torrence's Surfing Beach Party video on youtube, some of the songs apparently being sung by one Mike Love (check out The New Girl in School, for instance).

[Aegir]

By the way, I had no idea Jan & Dean were doing stuff as bland and pointless as Folk City and The Universal Coward.

Haha, Folk 'n Roll is my favorite Jan & Dean album.

[Wirestone]

An outstanding collection.

Jan and Dean pose an even more daunting paradox than the BBs/BW -- the consistency varies so wildly it can be difficult to get a handle on them. Ostensible throwaways like Anaheim, Azuza, etc. have some of the most inventive arranging. And "Sidewalk Surfin" is an A side. Weird.

[Rich Panteluk]

Speaking of Jan and Dean...
Many moons ago there was a great thread on one of the BB/ BW board that listed all of the tracks that Brian participated in (whether it be just writing, or writing and singing etc.).  Is there anyone who might have tht info handy and can post it here.  I'd love to have a look again.

The only Jan and Dean I have is the two cd All The Hits (from surf city to drag city) comp.  It sounds pretty good.  Is the mono stuff really better than the stereo version.  Some of these stereo versions sound great to me.

[grillo]

Speaking of Jan and Dean...

The only Jan and Dean I have is the two cd All The Hits (from surf city to drag city) comp.  It sounds pretty good.  Is the mono stuff really better than the stereo version.  Some of these stereo versions sound great to me.

Go for the mono if only to hear the songs the way Jan intended them to be heard. Some, if not all of the stereo mixes on the set you have are new mixes, which may be better than the stereo mixes from the 60's, but still sound thin and, well, crappy.

[phirnis]

An outstanding collection.

Jan and Dean pose an even more daunting paradox than the BBs/BW -- the consistency varies so wildly it can be difficult to get a handle on them. Ostensible throwaways like Anaheim, Azuza, etc. have some of the most inventive arranging. And "Sidewalk Surfin" is an A side. Weird.

I have to say that at first I found the way they used to re-use their own ideas numerous times (like the first lines of Surf City) almost insufferable. I mean, even Batman has that line, "Gotham City, here they come." Whoever thought Mike Love's citations of past Beach Boys hits could get tedious...
That said, I'm perfectly fine with all that, it just took me a while to get into it.