By Alan Smith

“I’ve got to think that we were pretty irreverent when it came to the music industry. They kind of always held that against us. That’s okay with me.” So said one Dean Torrence when interviewed for Jan & Dean, The Complete Liberty Singles about the aesthetic of that Legendary Duo.

The Teammates, Dean’s new musical retrospective covering 1965 to 1985, retains Dean’s ongoing irreverence but focuses on his high regard for working collaboratively – or as a willing teammate – and the development of his own unique musical aesthetic and legacy.

Humorously bookended by the lyrically tweaked Harry Nilsson-penned, “Buy our Album” and “Order Our Album” – two previously unissued recordings by a 1985 instance of The Legendary Masked Surfers – and closed with a gob-smackingly cheeky lift of “Fun, Fun, Fun” by Mike & Dean, there’s something for everyone and anyone looking for an entertaining deep dive into Dean’s musical legacy.

Early surf and Jan & Dean buffs will no doubt be thrilled to hear the Dean co-produced outputs of Our Gang (“Summertime, Summertime,” “Theme From Leon’s Garage”), followed by a rollicking “Louisiana Man,” a previously unissued Jan & Dean track that hails from their Filet of Soul era.

The Laugh Gravy tracks, again showing Dean’s love of working with teammates/buddies, includes “Snowflakes On Laughing Gravy’s Whiskers” and a previously unreleased mix of “Vegetables.” Both have the old-timey feel several artists were digging in the late ’60s (Nilsson, The Beatles), and the musicians that Dean works and records with – Joe Osborn, Leon Russell, Mickey Jones, Larry Knechtel, and James Burton – on these recordings are the quill.

Less irreverent and more focused on teamwork is 1969’s “Moving Day” by Locksley Hall, previously unreleased and a solid track that seems a missing cousin to the ’71 psyche-surf sounds predominant in Australian rock music (Google Morning Of The Earth original soundtrack).

After the joyously brief Hippie interlude of “It’s A Beautiful Day” (an unreleased ’72 take), we get a run of pretty slick country-tinged numbers from Dean’s collaborations with Bruce Johnston and Terry Melcher (“Just Keep It Up” and “Love Lace”) before sliding into a reverent brace of classic doo wop covers featured as background music in the Deadman’s Curve biopic film original soundtrack. Dean notes in the package liners, “getting those songs into the movie would save us a bunch of money because they didn’t have to buy the licenses for the original recordings.”

Dean may have possibly re-recorded “Dead Man’s Curve” as many times as Al Jardine has re-recorded “Waves Of Love,” but the Gary Griffin-produced version here (‘Dr. Landy version’) really rips along at a rapid clip, while Dean once again provides a ton of macho swagger to his conversational narration of, “I said you’re on BUD-EE,” while amongst the arrangement a synth that may well have escaped from The Beach Boys Love You gurgles away, and there’s a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ Mike Love-instigated reference to the infamous Dr. Landy.

In a 1982 move that for some may be considered sacrilegious as opposed to irreverent, Mike Love and Dean formed Mike & Dean, with friend and producer Gary Griffin. The story behind the enterprise of Dean’s relationship with Anheuser Busch/Budweiser, and Mike’s relationship with Realistic/Radio Shack, appears in the liner notes. The notes provide a fresh perspective with the understanding of Mike and Dean’s intentions. “Lightnin’ Strikes” and “Her Boyfriends Back” both rock, and although “Alley Oop” drags a little, “Be True To Your Bud” more than makes up for it by starting out the set; it’s a truly breathtaking spectacle to behold! “Jingle Bell Rock” (from 1983) crackles with energy and leads us into a surprisingly straight rendition of “Ride The Wild Surf” by comedy act Flo & Eddie with Dean providing bonafide backing vocals.

While your mileage may vary on whether this music is stupendous or nonsensical, David Beard’s desire to see this material released fueled Dean and Omnivore to provide a rare treat as they explore Dean’s aesthetic – a presentation that is balanced, entertaining, and brief – rather than an overly dense multi-album buy it again package; an approach currently employed by many classic artists.

I also applaud the production approach – ragged ends found on the original recordings’ tracks are left in (no new fades where there were hard stops, etc.), adding an archival feel – and Dean’s explanation of The Teammates title matched with recollections via an interview with David, make for a beguiling audio journey into the musical life and times of Dean Torrence. Recommended.

Order the collection here: Dean Torrence – The Teammates

Preorder for streaming services here: https://orcd.co/djdyayb