Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA
Collection: Encomium In Memorium Vol. 1: Jan Berrydotdotdot
artwork30 tracks on this CD are in tribute to Jan Berry, half the Jan and Dean hit making team. Reverb Central is all about instrumentals, and there are two here, one from David Marks (David Marks and the Marksmen, Beach Boys), and one from Paul Johnson (Belairs, PJ and the Galaxies, Packards, Duo-Tones, Surfaris, Good Guys, Everpresent Fullness, etc.). Jan and Dean recorded a large number of tracks, some of which rank among the best of the beach genre.

Musicians on the disc include many a familiar name, like P. F. Sloan and Mike Deasy.
Picks: Paul Johnson - B-Gas Rickshaw, David Marks - Bat No. 1

Track by Track Review


Paul Johnson - B-Gas Rickshaw dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Darn close to the original backtrack and instro, but with Paul Johnson's silky guitar. This solo project is a very reverent and unexpectedly cool tribute to the Original. Also called "Quasimoto," the song is poppy and infectious and fun. This is a really nice track. "B-Gas Rickshaw" has been covered by a number of bands in the last 25 years since the birth of the surf revival, yet this is the only one that is really close to the original arrangement. Writing credit for the song is Jan Berry.

David Marks - Bat No. 1 dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

This lovely guitar number is a brief 37 seconds, and is almost classical in nature. David Marks' playing is really good, and the sound soothing and pristine.