Best debut album

Song Cycle by Van Dyke Parks. Van started work on this album immediately after his collaboration with Brian Wilson on the ill-fated Smile album was prematurely ended before that album was completed.

Song Cycle is not Rock, not Pop, and is in fact impossible to define in terms of genre. Semi-Classical, or Art Rock, maybe. Not a talented singer, but that is not what the album is about. Clever, cryptic lyrics (lots of word play, Van’s specialty ;-), and sophisticated, heavily-orchestrated compositions. It may be that most listeners will find it too intellectual for their liking, not a trace of sentiment or emotion to be found. For the musically adventurous only, therefore.

But be forewarned: Van is somewhat of a genius, and has a perverse sense of humour. The music on Song Cycle is VERY odd, and causes discomfort, anxiety, or even fear in some listeners. Beware, all who here enter. Like the music of J.S. Bach, listening to Song Cycle can get you high. Seriously.

Richard Manuel (The Band’s pianist/singer) whiny? Wow, you DO need a set of better loudspeakers. ;-) Have you heard his duet with Van Morrison on "4% Pantomime"? How about "The Shape I’m In"? He’s like a white version of Ray Charles. Eric Clapton has said Richard is his favorite white singer, his vocal on "Whispering Pines" bringing him to tears. How about Levon’s vocal on "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"? If that is whiny to you, let me recommend Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Big Joe Turner.

You know who disagrees with your assessment of The Band? The aforementioned Clapton (after George Harrison played him Music From Big Pink, Eric told Jack and Ginger he just couldn’t do Cream anymore, and went up to West Saugerties for a few weeks, waiting for The Band to ask him to join), Neil Young (in The Last Waltz, Neil said it was the biggest honor of his life to be asked to join them onstage), Bob Dylan (he called guitarist Robbie Robertson a mathematical genius), Nick Lowe (he said Brinsley Schwartz---the band he was in at the time---was his poor attempt at being England’s The Band), Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson, the guys in Los Lobos, the guys in Little Feat, Ry Cooder, Jack DeJohnette (Miles Davis’ drummer), Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, the list goes on and on.

I didn’t "get" The Band at first. Some people never get them, and that’s all right. Not everybody has to like the same things. But if you like any of the above artists/bands, don’t you wonder why he/she/them likes them as much as they do, and you don’t? When I didn’t get Music From Big Pink when it came out, but all the smartest guys I knew did, I was troubled. It took me a year, but get them I finally did. It changed everything for me, as it had for Clapton.

Moby Grape, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, The Band, Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks, Jellyfish, Iris Dement, Gram Parsons, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Dwight Twilley Band, The Beat (U.S., not U.K.), Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, Rockpile, Marshall Crenshaw, The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Buddy Miller, Moon Martin, Mink DeVille, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly & The Crickets, Carl Perkins, The Everly Brothers, The Ventures, Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Yardbirds, The Animals, The Beau Brummels, Manfred Mann, The Who, Cheap Trick, The Grateful Dead, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Ry Cooder, Leo Kottke, Pentangle, Fairport Convention, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, Simon & Garfunkle, Blood, Sweat, & Tears, The Flamin’ Groovies, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Television, Jonathan Richman, Loudon Wainwright III, this list goes on and on.

Damn @bkeske, where ya been all my life? ;-)