Classic album review by Duglas Stewart from BMX Bandits

Song Cycle - the album that almost changed the face of pop!

In 1968 Warner Brothers were preparing to make pop music history by releasing an album by a young musician and songwriter called Van Dyke Parks. Song Cycle's budget of $48,302 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.

When Song Cycle was released it just didn't sell. It had received unprecedented pre-release reviews saying it things like:

"The most important, creative and advanced pop recording since Sgt Pepper";

"a work of creative genius";

"the most vital piece of musical Americana since Gershwin".

Parks also had an impressive pedigree as a musician on The Byrds '5D' and the first Tim Buckley album; songwriter for Harpers Bizarre and others; musical arranger on 'the Jungle Book' and most famously as a collaborator with Beached Boy Brian Wilson. Despite the advance press and the pedigree it's hard to see how on earth Warners thought this was going to be a real big seller. It is undoubtedly a work of unique vision and ambition. Truly a masterpiece but with no radio friendly three minute sound bites with catchy hooks. Even today Song Cycle is not an easy listening experience but a challenging and ultimately rewarding one.

I can think of no other record like it to compare it to, well at least no other completed record. For we are given something of what 'Smile', that earlier aborted Brian Wilson/Van Dyke Parks song cycle, had promised but in a colder and more analytical way.

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 'the all golden' and 'Donavan'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.

Warner Brothers reaction to the lack of sales was a strange but entertaining one. They started to run a series of adverts in the press stating they didn't care they, 'lost $35,509 on the album of the year', because it was a great album and people shouldn't worry about them, as they could afford it as they were making lots of money from lesser artists. Then they offered people the chance to send their worn copies of the album with one penny to Warners and they would send back two new copies, 'one to educate a friend with'. After all they had so many copies pressed up.

Whether or not this reaction by Warners was a bluff or not they have stuck by Van Dyke Parks, continuing to finance his often self indulgent and uncommercial fare. The latest of these releases being a collaboration with Brian Wilson 'Orange Crate Art'. I recently spoke to Kim Fowley, about him, and Kim growled "Van Dyke Parks is an asshole", paused then continued "but a very talented asshole". Quite.

If you would like to send your comments, ratings on any the above albums please email me readysteady.go@virgin.net.

Page last up dated: 15^th March 1999

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