The Rykodisc Re-IssuesReissue specialist Rykodisc (visit their website at www.rykodisc.com, they also have a site dedicated to Parks' releases) reissued Van Dyke Parks first three albums in a remastered edition, including at least one bonus track on each CD. In each CD-booklet the original album artwork and an essay on Van Dyke Parks, written by Parks himself, are included. The sound quality of the recordings is better than ever before. For audio excerpts of some of the albums' tracks, visit the official Rykodisc website (see the link above).
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The remastered edition of the landmark 1968 release Song Cycle includes one bonus track, the A-Side of the very hard to find 1971 single The Eagle And Me/ Out On The Rolling Sea (Where Jesus Speaks To Me). An absolutely unique record, the Song Cycle remains a true masterpiece which touched new grounds both lyrically and musically. It really crosses the borders between pop, Broadway musical, classical music, jazz, musique concrete - something many other records of its time tried to achieve with only small success. A record like the Song Cycle has never been made before and never since. It has been greeted with rave reviews by the music press at its time, but sold poorly. In a promotional campaign Warner Bros. even offered two new copies for customers who sent in their worn-out pressings of the record for one cent. Unfortunately that unusual campaign did not help increase sales either, but nevertheless the record has been immensely influential and has been rated as an unreached triumphal masterpiece by many ever since. |
| The B-Side to the above mentioned 1971 single can be found on the remastered edition of the 1971 album Discover America. In my opinion that cover version is one of the most unusual and experimental sounding songs Parks ever released. The album Discover America has been very much influenced by the calypso Steelband music of Trinidad and Tobago. It has been recorded with the Esso Trinidad Steelband, an ensemble for which Parks also worked as a producer. Furthermore the record is also influenced by 1920s music |  |
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This edition of the 1975 album Clang Of The Yankee Reaper includes two previously unreleased versions of the classic Amazing Grace. The album itself - apart from the great title track - consists entirely of cover versions, treated with unique and haunting arrangements.The most unusual track on the album is surely an instrumental disco-calypso cover of the Lutheran choral Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott, falsly billed as Cannon In D (by Pachelbel) on all editions of the record. A rousing, unforgettable version - songs like that can only be found on records by Parks. Like this track, the whole album is again largely influenced by Caribbean sounds. |