Van Dyke Parks
Song Cycle
Play Song Cycle
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MOG Editorial Review
When the Beach Boys’ SMiLE sessions were abandoned in 1967, hired lyricist Van Dyke Parks struck out on his own for a solo debut that tows the line between baroque, experimental and psychedelic pop, all while functioning in a wistful, classical manner. Song Cycle finds Van Dyke Parks examining his Southern upbringing and his ambivalent attitude toward Hollywood through a collage of phrases and deft wordplay with his vocals bringing about an intimacy that complements his seamless compositional arrangements. At the time it was progressive in its recording techniques and electronically processed vocals, and a reexamining of Song Cycle today remains a singular experience, as Van Dyke Parks masterfully crafted a brilliantly orchestrated and inspired work of art.
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AMG Review of Song Cycle
Jason Ankeny
All Music GuideVan Dyke Parks moved on from the Beach Boys' abortive SMiLE sessions to record his own solo debut, Song Cycle, an audacious and occasionally brilliant attempt to mount a fully orchestrated, classically minded work within the context of contemporary pop. As indicated by its title, Song Cycle is a thematically coherent work, one which attempts to embrace the breadth of American popular music; bluegrass, ragtime, show tunes -- nothing escapes Parks' radar, and the sheer eclecticism and individualism of his work is remarkable. Opening with "Vine Street," authored by Randy Newman (another pop composer with serious classical aspirations), the album is both forward-thinking and backward-minded, a collision of bygone musical styles with the progressive sensibilities of the late '60s; while occasionally overambitious and at times insufferably coy, it's nevertheless a one-of-a-kind record, the product of true inspiration.
 "Song Cycle")
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