Song Cycle – VAN DYKE PARKS***

Vine Street/Palm Desert/Widow’s Walk/Laurel Canyon Boulevard/All Golden/Van Dyke Parks/Public Domain/ Donovan’s Colours/The Attic/Laurel Canyon Boulevard/By The People/Pot Pourri

Song Cycle was the high budget debut album from American singer songwriter Van Dyke Parks. Despite critical acclaim it sold poorly. He is best remembered for his involvement in Beach Boy Brian Wilson’s abortive Smile project.

“In 1968 Warner Brothers released an album by a young musician and songwriter called Van Dyke Parks. The budget for Song Cycle made it the most expensive album ever recorded. The Warner bosses weren't worried, they knew it was going to be the biggest thing since Sgt Pepper and probably bigger. They were wrong, they were very wrong. Although it received unprecedented pre-release rave reviews, when Song Cycle was released it just didn't sell.”

“Song Cycle is a musical travelogue, a sonic trip across the America of Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Busby Berkeley musicals and John Ford westerns. It has moments of real beauty such as All Golden and Donovan's Colours but just as you're beginning to feel like you know which direction you're moving in, it whisks you up like a hayseed in the wind and then lands you somewhere completely different.”

“I'd say it didn't sell well because there is not one catchy song on the album. Many of the songs are beautiful, but they have to be heard as part of the album. I hope that more people take an interest in this as it is too good to be forgotten.”

“Experimental art-song, eccentric orchestrations, candy-floss vocals, unintelligible lyrics. Not as eclectic as it pretends, as many of the tracks sound very similar in style and attitude. Barely intelligible lyrics undermine whatever power it might have had.”

“I'll credit VDP with being a skilled composer and arranger, a clever lyricist, and an all-around interesting character, but it all doesn't really add up to a compelling whole on this album. It sounds more like him playing around in the studio and maybe trying to show off a bit than any kind of great artistic achievement. It's whimsy taken to extremes; it does work on some level but never feels very substantial, though.”

“Although this album grew on me it's still a bit of a mess. I think that its pretensions outweigh its merits quite a bit, but there are still some moments of true greatness.”