On July 20, 1963, ‘Surf City’ became the first surf song to hit number 1 on Billboard and consequently gave Jan and Dean their first chart-topping record. Penned by Brian Wilson and Jan Berry, ‘Surf City’ was the first surf song to hit #1 on the Billboard charts in mid-1963. The song not only revamped the waning music careers of Jan Berry and Dean Torrence, who hadn’t had a substantial charting hit since 1961’s cover of ‘Heat and Soul’ but also thrust the duo into a new musical direction. On this album, we can begin to hear Jan Berry learning to arrange and incorporate new musical orchestral instruments and push some creative boundaries. Keeping with the city theme of their hit, Surf City (And Other Swingin' Cities) takes the listener on a trip through many popular towns and places.

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‘Memphis Tennessee’  is pretty standard Jan Berry filler material which incidentally would be heard again on their Little Old Lady album. ‘Detroit City’ harkens back to the duo’s earlier days. Memphis has Jan experimenting with strings and brass. ‘Philadelphia P.A.’ is a homage to the music scene of the early sixties and late 50s in that area and an album highlight. ‘Way Down Yonder in New Orleans’ is absolutely hilarious as Jan and Dean share a spirited lead over a complex tune with little regard for the original melody or chord progression. ‘Honolulu Lulu’ is a fantastic number that was released as a single. ‘Kansas City’ is a middling number, while ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco’ showcases perhaps Jan’s best string arrangement and a fuzzed-up guitar solo. Another highlight is the infectious ‘You Came A Long Way from St Louis’, which receives some new hot rod-themed lyrics. ‘Tallahassee Lassie’ is a great deal of fun though not essential. The one fictional municipality, ‘Soul City,’ is a reckless romp showcasing the talents of the Wrecking Crew, bringing a bombastic close to the high-energy album.

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Surf City (and Other Other Swingin’ Cities) clearly demonstrates that the duo had abandoned their clean-cut malt-shop sensibilities in favor of a new rock-centered image. The album is marked by eccentric arrangements, wailing guitars, and wild drum fills, characteristics which would continue in ensuing albums; definitely a must-have for any early sixties music fan.