AMG Review of Jan & Dean [K-Tel]

Cub Koda
All Music Guide

While their surf and hot-rod sides have been anthologized and reissued ad infinitum, someone found a hole in the Jan & Dean discography and decided to reissue their debut album as originally released on the Dore label plus all the 45s that didn't make the album to bring it up to a solid 18 tracks. True, eight of them already show up on Varese Sarabande's excellent Teen Suite compilation (including "Baggy Pants," "Clementine," and "Jeanette Get Your Hair Done"), but the other ten are more than worthy additions to that Jan & Dean collection you've been so diligently assembling. Jan & Dean were a doo wop duo during this period, there's really no other explanation for the sound they give out with on these sides, check out their stab at the Crescendos' "Oh Julie" and you'll see what I mean. Actually, this fills in a nice section of the guys' career, after the early Jan and Arnie sides and before the surf, the hot rods and "Dead Man's Curve."