Search - Jan & Dean :: Command Performance-Live In Person / Jan & Dean Meet Batman

Batman parody is wonderful!

04/15/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As the editor of the Batman Toy and Collectibles Price Guide at http://www.btcpg.com I can say that this CD is a true treasure for fans of the 1966 Batman TV series!"

Jan & Dean Meet Batman finally available on CD

John J. Juliano (sjuliano@gte.net) | Erie, Pennsylvania, United States. | 02/14/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first part of the CD is a live performance from the TAMI show. Jan & Dean sing all their hits, with a few surprise renditions of such songs as "Louie Louie," "All I Have To Do Is Dream," "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," and "I Should Have Known Better." Very good quality. You can even hear the girls in the audience sing along. The second part of the CD features an album I've been searching for ever since CD's were being made: "Jan & Dean Meet Batman." When I was little, one of my cousins gave me the original record, and it's been one of my all-time favorites. As a comic book and super hero fan, it was a very rare treat to see a rock and roll parody of Batman & Robin. Jan & Dean perform songs based on the D.C. comics characters, and in between, they present a series of adventures starring the team of "Captain Jan & Dean, the Boy Blunder." In the stories, Jan & Dean display their sense of humor with some hilarious take-offs of the Batman TV series. Dean's voice of the Boy Blunder sounds just like Burt Ward! The singing duo transform into the "Titanic Twosome" when they sing the opening line of "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena." If you thought the TV show was campy, wait until you hear these little mini-dramas. The songs include: Jan & Dean singing the "Batman Theme"; "Batman," which features lyrics like "Criminals are a superstitious cowardly lot," taken right from the comics stories; "Robin the Boy Wonder," a very humorous ditty with lyrics like "Holy porcupine quills," and then Robin's voice saying "Holy rodent!"; "Mr. Freeze," a catchy instrumental with sounds of chattering teeth in the background; "The Joker is Wild," about everybody's favorite Bat-Villain, with Dean laughing and sputtering at the end of each verse... funny, funny stuff!; and "Flight of the Batmobile," a delightful performance of the "Gotham City Community Sing," with Robin saying "Holy" something after every lyric, and a trumpeter named Ollie playing a solo which sounds like "Flight of the Bumblebee." I really love this album because it's just plain fun. I think this was a good effort by Jan & Dean, and they sounded like they were having a great time. I was so happy to finally get a copy of the album on CD, because not only is it fun, but I was able to hear all the lyrics and voices so clearly, without the scratches, pops and hisses that wore onto the record all this time. And it was also great to receive the live performance from the TAMI show as a bonus on the CD. I highly recommend this to any Batman or Jan & Dean fan."

Live performance is great!

Ronald George Reagan | Steele, MO | 05/31/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With so many artists, their live performances are not nearly as good as their studio albums, but that's not the case with Jan and Dean. Some cuts such as "Little Old Lady" & "Sidewalk Surfin'" take on a new life in the live setting. Their versions of other hit songs are endlessly fascinating. They prove what great harmony means on "All I Have To Do Is Dream", the old Everly Brother's tune. The only tune that really doesn't work is the take on "Dead Man's Curve". The bonus cut of "Freeway Flyer" is funny & side-splitting. As for the other half of the CD-Jan & Dean meet Batman-well, it's an interesting artifact of two crazes meeting one another-superhero meets surfer dudes! You might listen to it a time or two, but it's not going to find a slot in the "frequently played" section on your CD player. At this price, you can certainly afford it for just the "Live" part of it."