I Can Hear The Desert Whisper

a review of the books 'Cucamonga' and 'Joshua Tree' by Rudy VanderLans

I am still looking for you, methodically, my friend
under leaves
and ground litter, under
skies that remain songs tucked deep in the
blue of wild horses.

These are the words of a cactus wren in the first of the eight Elegies For A Cosmic American Ecosystem by Brian Schorn. This eight-part poetry cycle was published in the third volume of Rudy VanderLans' trilogy of books featuring Californian landscape photography related to Californian music milestones from the late 1960s. Part one, titled Palm Desert deals with the Van Dyke Parks song of the same name and the surroundings of the Palm Desert area captured through Rudy VanderLans' photographs (for more information on that book read the vandykeparks.com review). Now I received volume two and three of the trilogy - Cucamonga deals with Captain Beefheart's legendary album Trout Mask Replica and follows the traces of Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band during the time of these album sessions. The last volume, Joshua Tree pays homage to Gram Parsons and features photographs from the Joshua Tree National Park, the area where Gram Parsons spent the last period of his life.

Cucamonga is a journey to the places Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart, lived and worked in. The accompanying CD includes contributions by former Magic Band members Gary Lucas, John French and Zoot Horn Rollo. For large parts of the book, it is more a documentation about careless destruction of historical artifacts than of the artifacts itself. Many of the places visited by VanderLans are decaying or have been torn down completely and carelessly replaced by modern buildings. Places like the Studio Z in Cucamonga, in which both Zappa and Van Vliet recorded have been replaced by faceless buildings. It seems like a visual analogy to how innovative and creative contributions to popular music have often been neglected in favor of faceless mass-produced hits - Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band weren't granted a commercial breakthrough during their whole career from the late 1960s to 1982.

Joshua Tree captures the rough beauty of Joshua Tree National Park. The first photograph in the book is a shot through a car window stained with raindrops. As all the other images in the book show a very dried out environment, this seems like a last nod to the world the photographer and probably most of the readers of the book come from. The following visual journey takes us through a droughty area, with a surprisingly multifaceted vegetation. This book isn't about visiting places Gram Parsons spent time in, this book is about picturing the "skies that remain songs tucked deep in the blue of wild horses", as the cactus wren in Brian Schom's poem described it. We get an idea about the atmosphere of the place, captured in very beautiful images. Brian Schorn's eight-part poem cycle Elegies For A Cosmic American Ecosystem is spread in between the images. Brian Schorn lets inhabitants of the Joshua Tree area speak up, animals and plants. Using them as symbols, Brian Schorn draws a different image in each of the eight parts, from the political situation in the 1960s to the threat of ecological destruction. While some the artifacts in the book Cucamonga are already lost forever, there is still hope for Joshua Tree National Park.

The accompanying CD further enhances the mood of the otherworldly yet hauntingly beautiful atmosphere of the images. You won't find Gram Parsons cover versions on the CD; instead you find different instrumental pieces that can serve as a soundtrack while looking at the images in the book. The music ranges from electronica to acoustic guitar instrumentals to an orchestral suite in two parts - the suite was composed by no other than Van Dyke Parks. Each of the tracks musically enhances the atmosphere of the photos in its own distinctive way and I recommend listening to this CD while looking at the images.

I'm very happy that Rudy VanderLans took the time to answer some questions about this wonderful trilogy. I uploaded the interview on a seperate page:
Made In California - an interview with Rudy VanderLans

review of the first book of the trilogy, Palm Desert

CUCAMONGA: 96 pages, 5.5 x 8.5 inches, 36 full color photographs, cloth cover with blind emboss, sewn and case bound, with a CD attached in the back. The CD contains three musical tributes to Don Van Vliet created specifically for this publication by original Magic Band members Bill Harkleroad (Zoot Horn Rollo), John French (Drumbo) and Gary Lucas. Playing time 17 minutes.

JOSHUA TREE: 96 pages, 5.5 x 8.5 inches, 31 full color photographs, cloth cover with blind emboss, sewn and case bound, with CD attached in the back. The CD features a special contribution by Van Dyke Parks, a two-part orchestral suite titled "The Joshua Tree Suite", as well as music by Itchy Pet, Damon & Naomi, Scenic, The Grassy Knoll, and Honey Barbara.

To order call (800) 944 9021 or go to www.emigre.com/CBJOS.html for more images from Joshua Tree and to www.emigre.com/CBCUC.html for more images from Cucamonga.