tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6531553.post2571655822086610017..comments2023-06-27T01:34:35.359-07:00Comments on Ted Burke LIKE IT OR NOT: Song Cycle by Van Dyke Parks: Americana SublimeTED BURKEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16610296721891201100noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6531553.post-31678532833426824482014-01-03T18:41:46.507-08:002014-01-03T18:41:46.507-08:00Ted, since this is Van Dyke's birthday today (...Ted, since this is Van Dyke's birthday today (he's 71), I thought I would add my praises not only for his music but for your insightful commentary, which nails Mr. Parks' sprawling and sometimes slippery genius as well as anything I've read, particularly your comment about how Song Cycle "molds the orchestrated and grandiose Americanism into something large, a little insane but not evil by any means." That's a key to understanding his peculiar vision: his grounding in American folk idioms, as well as his inherent sweetness and humanity as an artist. I might point out that Van Dyke told me years ago that he felt Song Cycle was something of a production strategy in search of a solid core of songs. I think he was way too harsh in his judgment; in any case, his production ideas were more substantial than many of the "serious" works of his singer/songwriter peers. From what I've heard of it, his latest album Songs Cycled is a worthy successor to his 1967 opus. I like your comparison to Doctorow also -- Parks is a visionary of parallel histories, both musical and cultural, ancient and yet so modern we still haven't caught up with him.Barry Alfonsohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14624298347392911828noreply@blogger.com