"... and there was blood on the tracks. Recent blood, and it was still drying. The whole record seemed like a real effort toward figuring out what Manifest Destiny was all about. We’d come as far as we could, as far as Horace Greeley told us to go. And so we looked back and tried to make sense of that great odyssey."
For Van Dyke Parks it was an attempt to make music about America and American mythology. He was disgusted, as a patriot, with the Anglophilia that had swept the music industry since the arrival of the Beatles in America two and a half years earlier, particularly since that had happened so soon after the deaths both of President Kennedy and of Parks’ own brother who was working for the government at the time he died. So for him, the album was about America, about Plymouth Rock, the Old West, California, and Hawaii. It would be a generally positive version of the country’s myth, though it would of course also acknowledge the bloodshed on which the country had been built....
Brian [Wilson] had some other ideas — he had been studying the I Ching, and Subud, and he wanted to do something about the four classical elements, and something religious — his ideas were generally rather unfocused at the time, and he had far more ideas than he knew what to usefully do with. But he was also happy with the idea of a piece about America, which fit in with his own interest in “Rhapsody in Blue,” a piece that was about America in much the same way....
३३ टिप्पण्या:
"Going to California meant I escaped John Cage. I escaped the abstractions, the music you can't remember, the highbrow angst." - Van Dyke Parks
VDP has always been a musician's musician. He's a conservatory refugee, and a very interesting guy. To me, more interesting than Brian Wilson.
That said, my tastes are as mainstream as a blue lobster. About 1 in 2 million. Not a lot of profit opportunity there.
Racist, racist, racist. The British Invasion was American music played by foreigners whom admired the original American art form of rhythm and blues. To Van Dyke, Black American music isn't real American. The Manifest Destiny celebration of the Horace Greeley Beach Boys ethos is White Pride Music.
"Lightweight religion"
Apt. Very apt.
i did think it was interesting,
that by the late '60's; people were Already having to pretend to be 'woke'.. Which they had no word for
Very interesting. I love the "Smile" album, maybe even more than "Pet Sounds," which is also a lifelong favorite. I was so happy when Brian finished the work -- first with a concert tour and then with "The Smile Sessions" in 2011 (double LP, mono).
Columnated ruins domino.
God help me, my first thought was to wonder how many academics who got a Ph.D. in American history in the 21st century would even know who Horace Greeley was.
I can't fault them for their ambitions, but it's hard to discern these goals and influences in the actual music.
Blood on the tracks? That’s Dylan.
He was disgusted, as a patriot, with the Anglophilia that had swept the music industry
With few exceptions (The Beatles’ occasional English dance-hall song) the British Invasion was explicitly American music, either straight-up copies of songs by American Blacks (The Rolling Stones before 1967, etc) or a synthesis of music by American whites (The Beatles’ three-way marriage of the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, and Rockabilly). In 1964 the English came to America bearing a mirror.
"I love the "Smile" album" — the actual album that VDP was involved in was never finished and what was released many years later is only what they could patch together.
The podcast episode tells of how VDP departed in the middle of things when Mike Love confronted him with questions about the meaning of lyrics and VDP couldn't explain:
"Love insisted on having the line 'over and over the crow flies uncover the cornfield' explained to him, and Brian eventually decided to call Van Dyke Parks and have him come to the studio. Up to this point, Parks had no idea that there was anything controversial, so when Brian phoned him up and very casually said that Mike had a few questions about the lyrics, could he come down to the studio?... And Brian Wilson, who was supposed to be the collaborator for both of them, was not mediating between them, not even expressing an opinion — his own mental problems had reached the stage where he simply couldn’t deal with the conflict. Parks felt ambushed and hurt, Love felt angry, especially when Parks could not explain the literal meaning of his lyrics. Eventually Parks just said “I have no excuse, sir”, and left.
Parks later said “That’s when I lost interest. Because basically I was taught not to be where I wasn’t wanted, and I could feel I wasn’t wanted. It was like I had someone else’s job, which was abhorrent to me, because I don’t even want my own job. It was sad, so I decided to get away quick.”"
I can't figure out if "flies" is supposed to be a verb or a noun. If it's a verb, how does "uncover" work? "Uncover" has to be a verb, it's not in the right tense to go with "crow," but it would go with a plural noun, "flies." Yet it's hard to believe we'd be singing about "flies"... I mean I've heard songs about flies... Tim Buckley's "Buzzin' Fly" and Handel's "Israel in Egypt" ("He spake the word, and there came all manner of flies and lice in all quarters"). But if we're suddenly singing about flies what happens to the crow. The crow is stranded, a subject with no verb. Now, there's the phrase "as the crow flies," so it looks right to pair "crow" and "flies," but come on! This looks like a miswritten sentence. Just fix it! Parks is all "I have no excuse, sir"! Ridiculous!
If you’re a fan of the American patriotic ideal it’s hard to beat Dylan sneering to an unruly English audience, “It’s not British music, it’s American music, cmon!” and then appearing at his show in Paris with the world’s largest American flag as a stage set.
it looks right to pair "crow" and "flies”
"To hatch a crow, a black rainbow/Bent in emptiness/over emptiness/But flying"
Back to Heroes and Villains specifically I’d love to hear the literal meaning of the lines immediately following the chorus:
Doo doo doo DOO doo doo doo DOO doo doo da doo doo da waaaa.
Parks is an effete twit.
Ann Althouse said "the actual album that VDP was involved in was never finished and what was released many years later is only what they could patch together"
I know, but TBH that's just splitting hairs. To my ears the 2011 "patched together" version as presented on "The Smile Sessions" functions just fine as a cohesive, 48-minute piece of music.
"... that's just splitting hairs..."
Oh, please. Something great was promised after "Pet Sounds" and it didn't happen. That's not splitting hairs! It's a terrible artistic tragedy. It was supposed to happen at the time, and the group went from sublime greatness to horrible disarray. I don't see how decades later you can look at the wreckage and feel that it's all the same.
I've not listened to that many of these podcasts. Mainly because I have too many other podcasts to listen to and columns to read each day/week. More assignments than I can keep up with. But, I've made a point of listening to enough of them to know that "A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs" is an outstanding piece of work. And his handful of podcasts on the Beach Boys have been among the best.
Brian Wilson is a musical genius and does hear and envision things no others do. Bringing these sounds and visions to fruition has been his lifelong torment. That, and his crazy dad, drugs, bad psychologist and bad friends. Mike Love was apparently always a strong personality in the group, and often changed lyrics of songs. Probably to the better for the overall group, though it would chafe some of those around him. And Van Dyke Parks clearly was the opposite. Like Wilson, he did not like confrontation- even a simple one.
I loved the Beach Boys for years- even though they were very different from most of my musical favorites. But I had stopped listening to them years ago until I heard some of these podcasts. It made me appreciate them more than ever.
Brian Wilson took too many drugs, Carl Wilson tried to hold it all together and he had some success doing it.
“Surf’s Up” is one of my favorite BB albums. I’m a fan who has always thought that Pet Sounds - while wildly creative - was overly indulgent and overrated.
Ann Althouse said "feel that it's all the same"
I don't feel that it's all the same. But I'm confused - do you like it, parts of it, or none it? It's a tragedy of circumstances, but if it was an artistic wipeout, we wouldn't be talking about it today, eh?
The preachy-ness. of The Beach Boys post-Pet Sounds has been a huge turn-off.
There was a stretch of albums (most of which sold poorly) Pet Sounds, Sunflower, Holland, Surf's Up) that show what the Beach Boys could have been without cars and surfboards and it's all pretty impressive albeit spotty. It all ended when Brian's mental problems overwhelmed him and American Graffiti let them play stadiums as an oldies act.
“Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE” is my favorite album. I don’t know why, but it touches me.
“Wonderful” is like the reverse of “She’s Leaving Home”. In “Wonderful” the daughter returns home.
“Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow” is “An American in Paris” on acid.
“Surf’s Up” is the greatest song of the post WW2 era.
Drugs didn’t destroy Brian Wilson - mental illness did. The drugs were Wilson’s attempt to deal with the undiagnosed illness.
American artists were troubled by the way that the Beatles and the other British acts sidelined them. Racializing their reaction distorts the situation and doesn't add much. Relations between African-American and White British artists were also not without conflicts and tensions.
I had never heard of Van Dyke Parks. I notice now that he had been a child actor, and might be one of the last living performers to have shared the screen with Grace Kelly and Jackie Gleason. If he were one of those people who grew up during the mid-20th century celebration of America and found himself disoriented and lost by the passing of the old beliefs and enthusiasms I would understand and sympathize, but he seems to have had a successful career adapting to changes in music and film over the years.
Great music like ground breaking math is nearly impossible to produce and it is mostly done by people in their 20's and 30's.
BTW, Cabinessence, the song that Mike Love had a problem with a line, is one of the completed gems of the original project. An extraordinary song to my ears. The line in question makes more sense in the context of the entire lyric.
And I wouldn't take Love's word for anything- he didn't like Pet Sounds at the time of its release- called it Brian's "ego music". The guy had no idea what he was listening and he disliked it because it was so hard to sing and it was obviously unplayable on the radio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA_kZR1kPug
First Section - "Home on the Range"]
[Verse 1]
Light the lamp and fire mellow
Cabin essence timely hello
Welcomes the time for a change
[Verse 2]
Lost and found, you still remain there
You'll find a meadow filled with grain there
I'll give you a home on the range...
[Second Section - "Who ran the Iron Horse"]
[Refrain]
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
[First Section - "Home on the Range"]
[Verse 3]
I want to watch you windblown facing
Waves of wheat for your embracing
Folks sing a song of the grange
Nestle in a kiss below there
The constellations ebb and flow there
And witness our home on the range...
[Second Section - "Who ran the Iron Horse"]
[Refrain]
Who ran the iron horse? (Truck drivin' man, do what you can)
Who ran the iron horse? (High-tail your load off the road)
Who ran the iron horse? (Out of night-life, it's a gas man)
Who ran the iron horse? (I don't believe I gotta grieve)
Who ran the iron horse? (I'm outta luck)
Who ran the iron horse? (with a buck and a booth)
Who ran the iron horse? (Catchin' on to the truth)
Who ran the iron horse? (In the vast past, the last gasp)
Who ran the iron horse? (Land in the dust, trust that you must)
Who ran the iron horse? (Catch as catch can)
[Third Section - "The Grand Coolie Dam"]
[Refrain 1]
Have you seen the Grand Coolie working on the railroad?
Have you seen the Grand Coolie working on the railroad?
Have you seen the Grand Coolie working on the railroad?
[Refrain 2]
Over and over, the crow cries uncover the cornfield
Over and over, the thresher and hover the wheat field
Over and over, the crow cries uncover the cornfield
Over and over, the thresher and hover the wheat field
1
Embed
A
Parks played that inspiring organ coda on the Byrds' "5D".
BTW, Cabinessence, the song that Mike Love had a problem with a line, is one of the completed gems of the original project. An extraordinary song to my ears. The line in question makes more sense in the context of the entire lyric.
And I wouldn't take Love's word for anything- he didn't like Pet Sounds at the time of its release- called it Brian's "ego music". The guy had no idea what he was listening and he disliked it because it was so hard to sing and it was obviously unplayable on the radio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA_kZR1kPug
First Section - "Home on the Range"]
[Verse 1]
Light the lamp and fire mellow
Cabin essence timely hello
Welcomes the time for a change
[Verse 2]
Lost and found, you still remain there
You'll find a meadow filled with grain there
I'll give you a home on the range...
[Second Section - "Who ran the Iron Horse"]
[Refrain]
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
[First Section - "Home on the Range"]
[Verse 3]
I want to watch you windblown facing
Waves of wheat for your embracing
Folks sing a song of the grange
Nestle in a kiss below there
The constellations ebb and flow there
And witness our home on the range...
[Second Section - "Who ran the Iron Horse"]
[Refrain]
Who ran the iron horse? (Truck drivin' man, do what you can)
Who ran the iron horse? (High-tail your load off the road)
Who ran the iron horse? (Out of night-life, it's a gas man)
Who ran the iron horse? (I don't believe I gotta grieve)
Who ran the iron horse? (I'm outta luck)
Who ran the iron horse? (with a buck and a booth)
Who ran the iron horse? (Catchin' on to the truth)
Who ran the iron horse? (In the vast past, the last gasp)
Who ran the iron horse? (Land in the dust, trust that you must)
Who ran the iron horse? (Catch as catch can)
[Third Section - "The Grand Coolie Dam"]
[Refrain 1]
Have you seen the Grand Coolie working on the railroad?
Have you seen the Grand Coolie working on the railroad?
Have you seen the Grand Coolie working on the railroad?
[Refrain 2]
Over and over, the crow cries uncover the cornfield
Over and over, the thresher and hover the wheat field
Over and over, the crow cries uncover the cornfield
Over and over, the thresher and hover the wheat field
1
Embed
A
I have all of the versions, snippets, etc. of this album.
It is a fucking masterpiece.
'Surf's Up' is sublime...
I have wondered for several decades if Brian Wilson’s mental meltdown was a result of the friendly competition between The Beach Boys and the Beatles to “one up” each other. Wilson was the primary song writer for The Beach Boys while the Beatles had 3 song writers. Pet Sounds took a lot out of Brian Wilson. The Beatles then came out with Revolver and Sgt. Peppers after Pet Sounds. Wilson probably wondered how he was going to top those 2 albums after his already masterpiece sucked the life out of him.
Van Dyke Parks's lyrics often indulge a kind of word play that teases but doesn't add up to prose sense. He bends a line on an ambiguous word or phrase. It's a species of punning. Some people love it.
"I left academia amid '64
Was it '65?--scholar
Was cooled from the war
Doubtless more on sore wing than prayer
I up and just withdrew
To the wander round there"
As sung it could be "was cooled" or "was schooled" and it works either way. Then he calls his younger self a "doubtless moron"; but that turns into a twist given to "on a wing and a prayer" where in his case he had more wing than prayer, and a sore wing at that. You don't have to find these things terribly funny or profound to enjoy the wit of them. And since you don't control the timing as a reader of a text would do, but take them in the song's own time, you may either unravel them on the fly or just dig how they tangle accumulating.
It's the same kind of pleasure as the rat-a-tat overlapping dialogue in His Girl Friday or one of Denis Miller's speed rants from his stand-up. You can probably think of other examples.
Here's Parks's "Palm Desert" and "Public Domain" in which he sings the corrected lyrics instead of my fawlty transcryption above. Both from his Song Cycle LP.
'I’m a fan who has always thought that Pet Sounds - while wildly creative - was overly indulgent and overrated.'
It's worth paying for the entire album just for 'Caroline No.'
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