Personal Favorites 2-Van Dyke Parks-Discover America by Peter Reum

Discover America was a welcome addition to my list of loved albums almost immediately. It is hard to overstate the newness of the album to uninformed ears regarding Calypso and West Indies music. That Van Dyke decided to record a number of songs written by Trinidadian composers and songwriters that were nearly lost in the USA is a tribute to him as a musicologist. It is also important to note that Van Dyke ensured that all Trinidadian composers received their earnings from his recording of their songs on this album. Van Dyke's second album has always been a major favorite of mine, and of most of the folks I know who like his music. The album was a departure from Song Cycle, and the number of artists who play and sing on this album who became well known later is remarkable.

Discover America by Van Dyke Parks

Having been familiarized with Van Dyke Parks through the various articles about The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, and Smile, I quickly bought Song Cycle. That album took me a long time to absorb. The Discover America album, in contrast, had a quirky jauntiness that was immediately accessible. The tunes had a humorous tone to them that reflected what might have been a golden era of Calypso, in the Thirties and Forties.  There was no period of absorption required. Rather, the tunes brought forth a smile on my face over and over again. Calypso as a music form is something that due to the beat and tempo is musically catchy and infectious. The irony about it is that within the jaunty tempos there is a biting type of socially humorous commentary that is unflinching and can be quite sardonic. This is true of the tunes that Van Dyke chose to record for this album, although their subject matter generally dates from the Thirties and Forties.  The reader is referred to any of the Mighty Sparrow's albums, including the one immediately below, for examples of this biting yet humorous social humor and commentary.

The Mighty Sparrow-Hot and Sweet 1974 

Produced by Van Dyke Parks

The Esso Trinidad Steelband 1971 

Produced by Van Dyke Parks

When I first heard Discover America in 1974, I was quite physically ill for a few weeks, and this album became my constant musical companion for the duration, a few weeks. The opening sequence of the album is as quirky as Song Cycle, but far more humorous. The opening piece, a song called Jack Palance, is sung by Van Dyke in the manner of a 78 rpm record, complete with the pops and crackles those venerable records often have. Samuel Alter introduces the album with a charming narrative that almost sounds like an Edison cylinder. The natives of  the community of Parnassus, Pennsylvania are deemed unaware of how the hill above it came to called Mount Olympus. Alter confides that "if there were ever any gods there I knew them not."

The transition into Bing Crosby, a Calypso tune from the late Thirties is immediate and quite humorous. Crosby is lauded by Van Dyke Parks, acting as the singer/chanter of the tune, who intimates that the "crooning prodigy is Bing Crosby." The background music is crowned with accordian, steelband, marimba, and strumming guitars. Horns parallel the melody line.  Steelband Music, the next track, is sung by Van Dyke with the Esso Trinidad Steel Band. The music is melodically percussive, and swings along, "keeping the pace with the bass."   The third tune, The Four Mills Brothers, is a tribute to the mellow American singing group of the Thirties and Forties. The music is a wild mix of Thirties movie music and Calypso. The strings are simply brilliant.

Be Careful is a tune that dates from the Forties, with the mix of strings and steelband so sweetly infectious that one almost forgets that the song is quite misogynistic lyrically. The tune presents the author's views of women through the pretext of a father lecturing his son, who has come of age, to "be careful." John Jones is another example of a tune that has a bubbling beat with a biting message. The tune's narrator is convinced that John Jones has it out for him, and is trying to "kill my hand." The horn lines here are unusual, and if you play cornet, I urge you to listen carefully. Again, there is steelband in the background. Lowell George, of Little Feat, produced and arranged FDR In Trinidad, and plays slide guitar in a cool manner that is unlike anything he does on Little Feat albums. Drums are by Ritchie Hayward of Little Feat. Kathy Dalton, and probably Clydie King do female backing vocals. This is a masterpiece.

Sweet Trinidad has the closest thing to a Song Cycle string chart on this record. It comes and is gone very quickly. It is a lovely tune. Occapella, the single from the album, is an unusually arranged tune, probably heard by Van Dyke in his ongoing interests in various forms of Southern US music. The bass guitar here is marvelous and functions as a lead guitar. There is a honking sax which imitates a bird. The whole tune is charming, if not single material. Lowell George's Sailin' Shoes follows. The tune is done in a sympathetic manner, with Van Dyke singing as if he is confiding in the listener. The marimba here is prominent, as are the female backing vocals. The slide is done by Lowell George, and it very tasteful.

Riverboat is an Allen Toussaint tune, with the  tone set immediately by what sounds like a crap game going on as the song begins. The horn lines here again are fascinating, along with what sounds like phased vocals. The percussion track is not really Calypso, but has that jaunty New Orleans flavor to it. The next tune, a paean to the small island of Tobago, offers beautiful woodwinds and quirky but charming guitar and marimba. Steelband is also present. The tune then transitions into a busy trombone and woodwind section. Van Dyke's vocal here is quite charming, if buried a bit in the mix. The tune's wheels come off about 30 seconds before the end, probably on purpose, and it fades to black with a floor tom keeping a beat.

Lowell George's facetious voice begins the next tune, Your Own Comes First, saying "these songs are really nifty..." Van Dyke then picks up the vocal, which is a Thirties Calypso tune advising Trinidadians to put "their own first," and to "buck up and follow suit." The narrative then tells the listener to not let Trinidadians "be the laughing stock of the world." G Man Hoover, the next tune, celebrates the legendary first FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover, who "always gets his man." The chorus is a tommy gun firing. There is a nice use of strings in almost a percussive flavor. Van Dyke closes the album with the Esso Trinidad Steel Band playing Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever. Never doubt Van Dyke's love of things American.

The album is a small venture, probably needed after the financial debacle that was Song Cycle. Given a choice, I will most often listen to this album, a wonderfully rich pastry of Calypso. Thirties Film, and  Baroque Pop Music, all baked together with a rich infusion of humor added. Whereas Song Cycle emerged from a place of anger and frustration, as Van Dyke himself has indicated, this album sounds and shows a lightness and sense of humor that puts a smile on the listener's face, and it's very apparent that this album was a pleasure to record. That makes it unique among Van Dyke's albums, which range from serious to topical. If you haven't heard it, give it a spin, and see what you've missed.

Text Copyright 2013 by Peter Reum-All Rights Reserved