Jan & Dean: Surf City And Other Swingin' Cities CD Track Listing

A list by checkmate

Jan & Dean Surf City And Other Swingin' Cities (1963)
Surf City And Other Swingin' Cities\n1992 C-Five Records\nOne Way Records 2fer CD Edition Released March 11, 1996 \n\nOriginally Released 1963\nC-Five Records CD Edition Released 1992\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Jan & Dean's second original Liberty LP is a musical travelogue of the United States that didn't seem too inspired as a concept even in 1963 -- although one has to wonder if the travelogue idea stuck in Brian Wilson's memory as part of the inspiration for "California Girls," for which he simply devised a shorter, more attractive "map." The album is worth hearing just for the lead guitar (is it Glen Campbell, Bill Pitman, Billy Strange, or Tommy Tedesco?) on the cover of Chuck Berry's "Memphis." Little of the rest, apart from the title track and the subsequent hit "Honolulu Lulu," matches that high standard, but there is something to recommend almost all of it -- solid rocking renditions of "Kansas City" and "Tallahassee Lassie," a passable "You Came a Long Way From St. Louis" and "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans," all stand out as standards worth the listening. There's also some surreal material here, such as the rock & roll version of Richard Rodgers' and Lorenz Hart's "Manhattan," with Hal Blaine kicking the hell out of his drum kit while the horns honk along behind the harmonizing -- it doesn't become another "Blue Moon," try as they might; and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," which is nearly as bizarre. Among the more appealing oddities is the beautifully sung "Philadelphia, PA," a tribute to that city's musical virtues, including Dick Clark, Danny & the Juniors, Chubby Checker, et al. (they also work the Everly Bros. in there somehow). -- Bruce Eder\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review (One Way Records 2fer CD Edition)\nThis pairing of original albums links 1963's Surf City, an album whose schtick is songs about cities, with 1965's Folk & Roll, where the boys pivoted toward folk-rock. Some of Surf City's songs fit the pair's style snugly ("Memphis") and some don't ("I Left My Heart in San Francisco"), but you can't knock the two aces in the pack--"Honolulu Lulu" and the irresistible "Surf City." Folk & Roll has its moments--"Turn, Turn, Turn" and "It Ain't Me Babe" both shimmer. But how the pair could justify P.F. Sloan's anti-war gem, "Eve of Destruction," rubbing up against an embarrassing anti-anti-Vietnam parody of "The Universal Soldier" called "The Universal Coward" must remain a mystery. --Jud Cost \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW (One Way Records 2fer Edition)\nWhat are all these flies doing in here?, March 18, 2006 \nBy Johnny Heering "trivia buff" (Bethel, CT United States)\nSurf City features the title smash, plus songs about other swingin' cities. Almost all of the songs are covers of other performer's songs, other than the hits "Surf City" and "Honolulu Lulu". "Philadelphia, PA" (a song about American Bandstand)may be a Jan & Dean original, but I'm not sure, because the CD has no songwriting credits. Most of the cover songs are decent, but nothing special. \n\nFolk 'n Roll features about half original material and half covers of recent hits. "I Found a Girl" is the only hit song on the album. "Folk City" was also released as a single, but it bombed. Believe it or not, it is a parody of Jan & Dean's own "Surf City". "Universal Coward" was released as a Jan solo single, which also flopped. It is a parody of anti-Vietnam War protest songs, and it seems to be pro-Vietnam War, oddly enough (unless they are joking). As for the covers, "Hang On Sloopy" is goofy fun, but their covers of folk songs don't quite work. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW (One Way Records 2fer Edition)\nInteresting? Interesting ain't the word, dude!, July 12, 2001 \nBy Ronald George Reagan (Steele, MO)\n\nThis is a must have. Underline "MUST HAVE"!!!!! While containing only one big hit "Surf City", the album is fitfully entertaining.\nOn "Surf City", the dudes try their hand at a thematic, city song album. "Surf City", of course, is in their usual no-crossover aspirations surfing style. The rest of the album, though, (with the exception of Honolulu Lulu) finds them expirementing. "Memphis" doesn't work that well for the boys. They sound as if they're in Memphis on Beale Street after partying too much. "Detroit City", though, is a shock even for these ears. It's common for rock artists to cover country, but not rockers from the surf music genre. It actually works pretty well. It sounds as if Chet Atkins himself might've produced as he did on Bobby Bare's version (though we know he didn't). It doesn't stray from it's countrypolitan/Nashville Sound roots a bit and makes good listening.\n\nIf "Surf City" was the appetizer, "Folk 'n' Roll" is the T-Bone steak meal. They turn in a hilarious version of "Hang On Sloopy" which will leave you laughing at the end. The thrill is their version of "Eve of Destruction". It's done with every bit of grit that Barry McGuire initially put into it in his hit version. Also, the Byrd's "Turn, Turn, Turn" takes on a new life, but one could hope for the 12-string to be on there, though. All in all, a must have. \n\n\nHalf.com Details (One Way Records 2fer Edition)\nContributing artists: Glen Campbell, Hal Blaine, Leon Russell, Tommy Tedesco \nProducer: Jan Berry \n\nAlbum Notes\n2 LPs on 1 CD: SURF CITY (1963)/FOLK 'N ROLL (1966).\n\nJan & Dean: Jan Berry, Dean Torrence (vocals).\nAdditional personnel includes: Glen Campbell, Bill Pitman, Tommy Tedesco, Billy Strange (guitar); Steve Douglas, Ray Katon, Jay Migliori, Tom Scott (horns); Leon Russell (piano); Jimmy Bond, Ray Pohlman (bass); Hal Blaine, Earl Palmer (drums).\n\nThe mythical place called "Surf City," about which Jan & Dean rhapsodized in 1963, is a southern California nirvana of girls, hot rods, and rock & roll that was the American dream of millions of kids in the early '60s. No one this side of the Beach Boys rode that wave nearly as well. The album is balanced out with mostly cover versions of great place-specific rock & roll tunes like "Memphis" and "Tallahassee Lassie," but no city found on the map could ever match the sun-and-surf wonderland so indelibly imprinted in the collective consciousness by this seminal surf duo.
This rock cd contains 12 tracks and runs 30min 58sec.
Freedb: 9a07400c
Buy: from Amazon.com

Categories

Latest lists

Jan & Dean: Surf City And Other Swingin' Cities CD Track Listing

Category

Tags

cyList

Legal