Jan Berry and Dean Torrance were supposed to star in the Columbia Pictures movie "Wild the Wild Surf," before having to drop out for legal reasons regarding the arrest of Frank Sinatra Jr. As a result, the intended “original soundtrack recording” became "Jan and Dean Sing the Original Soundtrack Recording of the Title Song from Ride the Wild Surf. 

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The opening track, ‘Ride the Wild Surf,’ follows the precedent of the Drag City album by backing the usual rhythm section with an orchestra and has a whirlwind of modulations before finally landing at the fade out. The second track, the Sloan-Barri ‘Tell ‘Em I’m Surfin,’ suffers from a shaky lead vocal from Dean, while the overproduced ‘Waimea Bay’ (spelled incorrectly on the record jacket) flies through a bevy of key changes. ‘She’s My Summer Girl’ finds the duo more at home with the simplistic accompaniment and humorous lyrics, and Jan Berry tries to capture the picturesque anxiety of a vagabond beach-nut in ‘The Restless Surfer.’ A lush string arrangement, coupled with Dean’s amateur vocals, make for some disastrous results as Gary Zekely’s composition fails to achieve any sort of motion and goes nowhere. Another downside of the album is the instrumentals which act as filler; ‘Skateboarding Part 1’ is a curious rewrite of French tune ‘Frère Jacques ’ and ‘Walk on the Wet Side,’ while boasting a grand orchestral accompaniment, feels rather out of place between its under-produced neighbors. Based on the Beach Boys’ ‘Catch a Wave,’ ‘Sidewalk Surfin,’ improves on its predecessor by adding trumpets and even a French horn solo, while ‘Surfin Wild’ is a strong number with many key changes and a processed saxophone solo, courtesy of Hal Blaine. ‘Down at Malibu Beach’ is another fun, sun-drenched surf tune, though the lack of background vocals makes it seem a little sparse among the other tracks and ‘A Surfer’s Dream’ has a lovely string arrangement, sung as a duet by Jan and his then-girlfriend, Jill Gibson. The final cut, ‘The Submarine Races,’ is a comedy bit that features the duo’s off-the-wall sense of humor at its finest. Yet, the few laughs it supplies are not enough to save this eclectic collection of tunes.

 

After such strong albums as Drag City and The New Girl In School/ Dead Man’s Curve, the duo’s second offering of 1964 finds them treading water for the first time.