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ENCOMIUM IN MEMORIAM VOL. 1
Jan Berry of Jan & Dean
Cinecam Music Productions presents . . .
An eclectic taste of California, from Surf to the Psychedelic era and beyond, based on the original arrangements.
An album featuring 30 tracks and more than 20 artists . . .
In the summer of 1958, America's first satellites were in orbit, the country was in its worst recession since World War II, Hula-Hoops were a household item, Elvis Presley was in the army, and Buddy Holly was still alive.
This is the era that spawned Jan Berry and Jan & Dean, as the West Coast music scene began to come to life.
As a singer-songwriter, Jan Berry had his first national Top 10 hit with "Jennie Lee" (as Jan & Arnie) in June 1958 — six months before Phil Spector hit 1 (as a writer-producer) with the Teddy Bears. Spector's Teddy Bears hit ("To Know Him Is To Love Him") was released on Doré Records — the same label that launched Jan & Dean into the Top 10 with "Baby Talk" in 1959.
Taking the reins from Lou Adler, Jan Berry signed songwriting and producing contracts with Nevins-Kirshner (1961) and Screen Gems (1963). It was this foundation — along with Jan's connection with Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys — that propelled Jan & Dean into the forefront of the California explosion of the early 1960s.
Jan & Dean — as part-time musicians attending college — scored 26 national chart records over the brief eight-year period between 1958 and 1966, including sixteen Top 40 hits on the Billboard and Cash Box charts (seven of which were Top 10).
The ride was cut short in April 1966, when Jan suffered brain damage in an automobile accident. But Jan got back on the horse, and returned to the studio in April 1967. The new ride was slow and painful. But it led to new music, a hit national television film about Jan & Dean (1978), and a touring reunion with Dean Torrence that lasted until Jan's untimely death in March 2004.
This album pays homage to Jan's original arrangements — for Jan & Dean, and for artists for which Jan arranged and produced outside the realm of his own act.
The music presented here is based on Jan's personal archive of music charts and scores. The parts were always prepared ahead of time by Jan and his team, and these original documents — used by the Wrecking Crew to record the original tracks in the '60s — provide the foundation for this album.
PRODUCED BY:
Cameron Michael Parkes
and
Mark A. Moore
. . . with 20 pages of liner notes, photos, and illustrations
MASTERED BY:
Earle Mankey
TRACK LIST:
1. The Anaheim, Azusa & Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review and Timing Association
2. It’s As Easy As 1, 2, 3
3. Dead Man’s Curve
4. Ace of Hearts
5. She’s My Summer Girl
6. “B” Gas Rickshaw (Quasimoto)
7. When It’s Over
8. I Found A Girl
9. Filet of Droll (Part 1)
10. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
11. Bat No. 4
12. Filet of Droll (Part 2)
13. Bat No. 1
14. Carnival of Sound
15. Blowin’ My Mind
16. Fan Tan
17. Love & Hate
18. I Know My Mind
19. Mulholland
20. Laurel & Hardy
21. Flight No. 9 (Cheyenne)
22. California Sunshine (On My Mind)
23. Continuous Eternal (A Prose Poem)
BONUS TRACKS:
24. Anaheim, Azusa — “A Cappella” Excerpt
25. Fan Tan — “A Cappella” Excerpt
26. Audio Montage 1 — KJAN
27. Audio Montage 2 — Jan & Arnie
28. Audio Montage 3 — Jan & Dean — (Warning: Strong Language)
29. Audio Montage 4 — Jan Berry
30. Surf City
"He'll only listen to the mono version of 'Surf City'" — Candypants
ABOUT THE PRODUCERS:
Cameron Michael Parkes is a graduate of the film scoring program at UCLA. He has done work for film, theatre, and television. Cameron's critically acclaimed album A TRIBUTE TO BRIAN WILSON was released on Varese Sarabande Records. Cameron's theatre work includes the musical Happy Birthday, Mr. President (about Marilyn Monroe). His TV credits include original music for the Jan & Dean episode of A&E's Biography. Cameron also served as a singer and vocal arranger on Jan & Dean's Port To Paradise album (1986). Visit Cameron and his band on the Web at BOX O' CLOX.
Mark A. Moore is a writer and historian. He is currently researching a major biography of Jan Berry and Jan & Dean. Mark transcribed and adapted Jan Berry's authentic original music scores from the '60s, which are serving as the blueprint for the Jan Berry / Jan & Dean Tribute Album. Mark has written articles on Jan Berry and Jan & Dean for ESQ and Dumb Angel. Mark served as a consultant for the Jan & Dean episode of Biography on the A&E Network (2002), and for MOJO magazine's 2005 article on Jan & Dean (by Bill Holdship). Mark also wrote the liner notes for the Jan Berry Memorial Edition of Second Wave (April 2004).
ABOUT THE ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:
Alan Boyd is a musician, filmmaker, and archivist. His recent albums include Channel Surfing, and a live tribute to the music of Dennis and Carl Wilson (with Adam Marsland's Chaos Band and Evie Sands). Alan has worked extensively with the official Beach Boys catalog (both at Capitol and Brother Records). Alan was a co-producer (with Mark Linett) on the Beach Boys' Hawthorne compilation (Capitol 2001), and received a Grammy nomination for his documentary film Endless Harmony. Alan's other films include Brian Wilson 1999 (which opened Brian's first-ever solo tour), The Pet Sounds Sessions, and Good Timin' - The Beach Boys Live at Knebworth (among others).
David Beard is a Beach Boy and Jan & Dean scholar as well as the editor and publisher of Endless Summer Quarterly, a magazine devoted to Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean and California pop music culture. David has served as a consultant for Jan & Dean documentaries on the A&E and VH1 networks. He has written liner notes for Collector's Choice Music's Jan & Dean The Complete Liberty Singles, Sony Legacy's Dennis Wilson: Pacific Ocean Blue - Legacy Edition, Dean Torrence, and the Ventures. David’s album productions include tributes to Dennis Wilson and Carl Wilson (the latter featuring three songs co-written by Beard). As a member of ASCAP he continues his song writing today. David’s design work includes album packaging for David Marks, Al Jardine, and Billy Hinsche. David has also issued two collectible SMiLE related CDs through ESQ: "On A Holiday" / "Roll Plymouth Rock" (instrumental) and Brian Wilson’s Grammy Award-winning instrumental, "Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow." In addition to having just produced the new "Endless Sky" DVD featuring Dean, he is currently in pre-production on a second Dennis Wilson tribute CD featuring Dean, Brian Wilson, Matt Jardine, Philip Bardowell and Carnie Wilson and is slated for release this summer.
