Album Review:

 Jan and Dean’s third venture into the surf/hot rod genre, Dead Man’s Curve/ The New Girl In School, immediately picks up where Drag City left off. Released just 6 months following, it seemed that Jan Berry was once again exercising his musical prowess, as the album is brimming with new sounds and fresh orchestrations.

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A newly recorded version of ‘Dead Man’s Curve,’ opens up the “Car side,” this time around with added harp glisses and new English horn lines, followed by a strong version of “3-Window Coupe.” ‘Bucket “T”’ is a also fun number that’s almost impossible to sing along with, and ‘Rockin’ Little Roadster’ again finds Jan and Dean at home with their brassy licks and ecstatic drum fills. ‘“B” Gas Rickshaw,’ the first instrumental on the album, shows off Jan Berry’s proficiency as an arranger, as it displays an inventive string arrangement that features soaring violins while violas and cellos chug along underneath. ‘Mighty G.T.O.’ is one the group’s best tracks, with a dozen modulations and ascending French horn lines, complete with P.F. Sloan’s high falsetto.  Side two (the “School Side”) begins with a Brian Wilson composition,  ‘The New Girl School,’ which is followed by yet another appearance of ‘Linda’ in its unaltered form (previously heard on the Jan and Dean Take Linda Surfing album). ‘Baron’s West L.A.’ is the collection’s second instrumental, this time with a full brass joining the strings. ‘School Days’ is a competent version of the Chuck Berry classic with some excellent guitar work. Again, Jan Berry the Composer, steps up his game with ‘It’s As Easy As 1, 2, 3,’ a duet with Jill Gibson that alternates between 4/4 and ¾ time. ‘Hey, Little Freshman’ is the final cut and acts as a fitting close to a truly fantastic album.