Encomium In Memoriam Vol. 1: Jan Berry of Jan & Dean
This is NOT another Jan & Dean's greatest hits package.
With 30 cuts, only 4 out of the 20 different songs could be considered hit singles.
What you get is an authentic and, it seems to me, a love-prompted, tribute to Jan Berry.
Encomium (formal expression of praise) In Memoriam is just that; affirmation and appreciation for the unheralded and mostly unheard work of Jan Berry the songwriter. "EIM" is the product of Cameron Michael Parkes' and Mark A. Moore's meticulous efforts to recreate the Jan Berry signature sound; his oboes and strings and orchestral approach to rock are all there as are some glorious background vocals. A more than fitting tribute; a more than satisfying listening experience.
This tribute shatters the myth that Jan Berry merely recorded Brian Wilson songs to score a few hits after Jan & Dean's early ballad or doo-wop period had run out of gas. The scope and depth of the unreleased (and some not even bootlegged) tunes have never been heard by most listeners. Utilizing the original charts Jan used in the studio, the producers have done so much more than merely cover hits we've heard hundreds of times. They have produced a listening experience that chronicles Jan Berry's progress as a writer and producer. They take us from scenes of the surf and streets of summer to themes of love and hate, depression and drugs, psychedelic and spiritual enlightenment. They reveal a Jan Berry who both before (I was surprised at how much I enjoyed a new (to me) tune from Jan's early days, 1962's Ace of Hearts) and after his debilitating car accident, was thinking and creating good music. Too bad it has taken forty years for these songs to bless our ears.
Some have said Save for a Rainy Day was Dean Torrence's SMiLE - If so, EIM certainly gives cause to believe the other partner in that duo, Jan Berry, was close to his masterpiece as well. Listening to this CD gets me wondering what might have happened had Jan completed and Warner Brothers released the Carnival of Sound album as originally scheduled for 1968. These full length, full sound, versions of Carnival of Sound and Fan Tan and Blowin' My Mind will bring joy to those who have only heard studio snippets. And hearing Jan struggle to speak a full sentence in a post-1966-accident interview on one of the bonus tracks reminded me of his courage to overcome (or at least never give into) his disabilities and helped me realize how much music we missed. This CD gives us some of his genius that he was unable to bring to satisfactory completion.
Encomium in Memoriam (I love new words - encomium; who ever heard of that before?) has also been called an all-star tribute and that is more than promotional hype. Where do I begin? Jill Gibson, THE Jill Gibson, Jan's former girlfriend and co-song-writer * and background voice on the original, takes lead on the beautiful ballad When It's Over ... Paul Johnson (Belairs, Mr. Moto ), puts a lead guitar on the instrumental "'B' Gas Rickshaw (Quasimoto) that surpasses the original ... Beach Boy David Marks steps in on lead guitar on Bat No. 1 ** ... P. F. Sloan, co-writer on the great Jan and Dan single I Found a Girl *** -- Vic Diaz, background singer on Surf City and Drag City albums -- Don Grady ("Yellow Balloon" are just a few of the special guests that help this project sound authentic Jan Berry. Complimenting those original team members, we also get contemporary fans like Probyn "Wondermint" Gregory, Tripsitter, and Alan Boyd ("Channel Surfin'"). [Track list]
Bonus tracks are usually more miss than hit but EIM gives us several gems. The a capella excerpt from The Anaheim, Azusa ... is a unique example of what a Jan & Dean with a Beach Boys' vocal would have sounded like. Hard to improve any J&D hit but this comes close. And who among us wouldn't give their right arm to have been in the studio for a J&D or BB recording session! The Audio Montage cuts do just that. Hearing Jan talk with Arnie as they get set to record, listening to him interact with Brian Wilson, and role play as a radio DJ broadcasting from KJAN - great musical history.
New products like this give me hope that the music of Jan Berry and Brian Wilson (and others in the surf, sand, and street genre) will be made more and more accessible, even when the original writers/singers have passed from the scene. New versions, like these, faithful to the original intent and executed with love will keep this music alive and fresh for generations to come. And seeing Vol. 1 on this tribute CD gives me hope for a second volume that I hope includes Spring Break from Jan's 1997 Second Wave release. And, while I'm at it, how about Ocean Park Angel and ...
EIM on Amazon
"Footnotes"
* Jill also co-wrote It's As Easy as 1,2,3 which is included on this CD. Lisa Mychols' lead vocal gives this a fresh, even Sheryl Crow like, sunshine sound. Hitsville if released today. You wait and see...
Some have said Save for a Rainy Day was Dean Torrence's SMiLE - If so, EIM certainly gives cause to believe the other partner in that duo, Jan Berry, was close to his masterpiece as well. Listening to this CD gets me wondering what might have happened had Jan completed and Warner Brothers released the Carnival of Sound album as originally scheduled for 1968. These full length, full sound, versions of Carnival of Sound and Fan Tan and Blowin' My Mind will bring joy to those who have only heard studio snippets. And hearing Jan struggle to speak a full sentence in a post-1966-accident interview on one of the bonus tracks reminded me of his courage to overcome (or at least never give into) his disabilities and helped me realize how much music we missed. This CD gives us some of his genius that he was unable to bring to satisfactory completion.
Encomium in Memoriam (I love new words - encomium; who ever heard of that before?) has also been called an all-star tribute and that is more than promotional hype. Where do I begin? Jill Gibson, THE Jill Gibson, Jan's former girlfriend and co-song-writer * and background voice on the original, takes lead on the beautiful ballad When It's Over ... Paul Johnson (Belairs, Mr. Moto ), puts a lead guitar on the instrumental "'B' Gas Rickshaw (Quasimoto) that surpasses the original ... Beach Boy David Marks steps in on lead guitar on Bat No. 1 ** ... P. F. Sloan, co-writer on the great Jan and Dan single I Found a Girl *** -- Vic Diaz, background singer on Surf City and Drag City albums -- Don Grady ("Yellow Balloon" are just a few of the special guests that help this project sound authentic Jan Berry. Complimenting those original team members, we also get contemporary fans like Probyn "Wondermint" Gregory, Tripsitter, and Alan Boyd ("Channel Surfin'"). [Track list]
Bonus tracks are usually more miss than hit but EIM gives us several gems. The a capella excerpt from The Anaheim, Azusa ... is a unique example of what a Jan & Dean with a Beach Boys' vocal would have sounded like. Hard to improve any J&D hit but this comes close. And who among us wouldn't give their right arm to have been in the studio for a J&D or BB recording session! The Audio Montage cuts do just that. Hearing Jan talk with Arnie as they get set to record, listening to him interact with Brian Wilson, and role play as a radio DJ broadcasting from KJAN - great musical history.
New products like this give me hope that the music of Jan Berry and Brian Wilson (and others in the surf, sand, and street genre) will be made more and more accessible, even when the original writers/singers have passed from the scene. New versions, like these, faithful to the original intent and executed with love will keep this music alive and fresh for generations to come. And seeing Vol. 1 on this tribute CD gives me hope for a second volume that I hope includes Spring Break from Jan's 1997 Second Wave release. And, while I'm at it, how about Ocean Park Angel and ...
EIM on Amazon
"Footnotes"
* Jill also co-wrote It's As Easy as 1,2,3 which is included on this CD. Lisa Mychols' lead vocal gives this a fresh, even Sheryl Crow like, sunshine sound. Hitsville if released today. You wait and see...
** Bachian harpsichords from a section that never made it onto the totally ignored and, sadly, misunderstood, "Batman" album. Bat Np. 4 reveals the amazing music underneath the shtick comedy (which in itself was Monkees before their were Monkees).
***The volume always gets cranked up for I Found A Girl. This underrated single, much like The Little Girl I Once Knew for the Beach Boys, gave promise of a new direction and a strong new Jan Berry sound. Now that we are past Top 40 myopia, tunes like this can take their rightful place in the J&D canon of great music.
Phil Miglioratti
With thanks to David Beard @ Endless Summer Quarterly
• Our Prayers for The Beach Boys @ Facebook.com/groups/BeachBoysOurPrayer/
• Surf's Up: A Beach Boys Podcast Safari Facebook.com/PodcastSafari
• Pray For Surf Updates: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/PP0vWk6
No comments:
Post a Comment