Songs Cycled
Though Van Dyke Parks\' name is often seen on other musicians’ records (especially those of The Beach Boys), the man’s own solo career has largely been a critical success, with 1968’s *Song Cycle* receiving glowing reviews but little in sales. Just as that album fused unexpected and out-of-sync genres such as ragtime and showtunes, 2013’s *Songs Cycled* wanders around the stylistic map, highlighted mostly by gorgeous orchestration, with the songs he released as a series of six vinyl singles starting in 2011. The recordings feature newly recorded songs, re-recorded versions of old songs, and even covers. “The All Golden” from the original *Song Cycle* is done with superior fidelity and greater confidence. The warped calypso of “Money Is King” deals in human greed, while the ominously orchestrated “Wall Street” wanders back to the dark days of 9/11. “Hold Back Time” revisits a mid-\'90s collaboration with Brian Wilson. “Dreaming of Paris” breaks out an accordion for a shot at European romance. There’s never a shortage of ideas when you\'re exploring alongside one of the rock era’s most eccentric geniuses.
Van Dyke Parks' Songs Cycled collects six 7" singles he's released over the past few years. A lot of what's here has appeared before, elsewhere and in different forms, and then there's the traditional music that belongs to nobody. Like all his albums, it's cheerful and maddeningly detailed.
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With a nod to his wonderfully eclectic 1968 debut Song Cycle, legendary arranger/songwriter/producer Van Dyke Parks returns…
Legendary for his skill with arrangement as well as the rich sonic choreography of his productions, producer/songwriter Van Dyke Parks' unique voicings are never more densely detailed than on records issued under his own name.
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