Tag Archives: Van Dyke Parks

Brian Wilson: That Lucky Old Sun

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On September 2, 2008, “Capitol” label released “That Lucky Old Sun”, the eighth Brian Wilson album. It was recorded January – April 2008, and was produced by Brian Wilson.

Personnel:

  • Brian Wilson – lead vocals, keyboards, piano
  • Jeffrey Foskett- guitar, ukulele, backing vocals
  • Nick Walusko – guitar, backing vocals
  • Tommy Morgan – harmonica
  • Scott Bennett – bass, keyboards, Spanish guitar, vibraphone, backing vocals
  • Bob Lizik – bass
  • Brett Simmons – bass
  • Todd Sucherman– drums
  • Darian Sahanaja- bells, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Nelson Bragg– percussion, backing vocals
  • Phil Feather – woodwinds
  • Bruce Otto – trombone
  • Probyn Gregory- French horn, guitar, trumpet, backing vocals
  • Peter Kent – violin
  • Jessica van Velzen – viola
  • Peggy Baldwin– cello
  • Cameron Stone– cello
  • Taylor Mills – backing vocals

Track listing:

  1. That Lucky Old Sun – Beasley Smith, Haven Gillespie
  2. Morning Beat – Brian Wilson, Scott Bennett
  3. A Room With a View (narrative) – Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks
  4. Good Kind of Love – Brian Wilson
  5. Forever She’ll Be My Surfer Girl – Brian Wilson, Scott Bennett
  6. Venice Beach (narrative) – Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks
  7. Live Let Live / That Lucky Old Sun (reprise) – Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks, Beasley Smith, Haven Gillespie
  8. Mexican Girl – Brian Wilson, Scott Bennett
  9. Cinco de Mayo (narrative) – Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks
  10. California Role / That Lucky Old Sun (reprise) – Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks, Beasley Smith, Haven Gillespie
  11. Between Pictures (narrative) – Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks
  12. Oxygen to the Brain – Brian Wilson, Scott Bennett
  13. Can’t Wait Too Long – Brian Wilson
  14. Midnight’s Another Day – Brian Wilson, Scott Bennett
  15. That Lucky Old Sun (Reprise) – Beasley Smith, Haven Gillespie
  16. Going Home – Brian Wilson, Scott Bennett
  17. Southern California – Brian Wilson, Scott Bennett

Little Feat: Feats Don’t Fail Me Now

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In August 1974, “Warner Bros” label released “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now”, the fourth Little Feat studio album. It was recorded in 1974, at “Blue Seas Recording Studio” in Hunt Valley, Maryland; “The Sound Factory” in Los Angeles”; “Warner Bros. Recording Studios” and Sunset Sound” in Hollywood, and was produced by Lowell George and Van Dyke Parks.

Personnel:

  • Lowell George – vocals, guitar
  • Paul Barrère vocals, – guitar
  • Sam Clayton- vocals, percussion
  • Kenny Gradney- bass
  • Richie Hayward- vocals, drums
  • Bill Payne-vocals, keyboards
  • Tower Of Power- horns
  • Gordon DeWitty – clavinet
  • Fred White- drums
  • Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Fran Tate – backing vocals

Track listing:

  1. Rock & Roll Doctor – Lowell George, Fred Martin
  2. Oh Atlanta – Bill Payne
  3. Skin it Back – Paul Barrère
  4. Down the Road – Lowell George
  5. Spanish Moon – Lowell George
  6. Feats Don’t Fail Me Now – Paul Barrère, Lowell George, Martin Kibbee
  7. The Fan – Lowell George, Bill Payne
  8. Medley: Cold Cold Cold/Tripe Face Boogie – Lowell George, Richie Hayward, Bill Payne

Phil Och: Tape From California

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In July 1968, “A&M” label released “Tape from California”, the fifth Phil Ochs album. It was recorded in 1968, and was produced by Larry Marks.

Personnel:

  • Phil Ochs – vocals, guitar, liner notes
  • Ramblin’ Jack Elliott- flat-picked guitar
  • Lincoln Mayorga- piano, keyboards
  • Van Dyke Parks- piano, keyboards
  • Joe Osborn- bass guitar
  • Ian Freebairn-Smith – arrangements
  • Ray Gerhardt – engineer
  • Corporate Head – design

Track listing:

All tracks by Phil Ochs.

  1. Tape From California
  2. White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land
  3. Half A Century High
  4. Joe Hill
  5. The War Is Over
  6. The Harder They Fall
  7. When In Rome
  8. Floods of Florence

Beau Brummels: Triangle

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In July 1967, “Warner Bros” label released “Triangle”, the fourth Beau Brummels studio album. It was recorded in 1967 and was produced by Lenny Waronker.

Personnel:

  • Ron Elliott – vocals, guitar, arranger
  • Ron Meagher – vocals, bass, guitar
  • Sal Valentino – vocals, vocal arranger
  • James Burton– guitar
  • Donnie Lanier – guitar
  • Van Dyke Parks– harpsichord, keyboards
  • Carol Kaye– bass
  • Jim Gordon- drums
  • Gene Garf – accordion
  • Dick Hyde– trombone
  • David Duke – French horn
  • George Hyde – French horn
  • Gale Robinson – French horn
  • Lou Klass – violin
  • Shari Zippert – violin
  • Jesse Ehrlich – cello
  • Raymond Kelley– cello
  • The Blossoms – backing vocals

Track listing:

  1. Are You Happy – Bob Durand, Ron Elliot
  2. Only Dreaming Now – Ron Elliot, Sal Valentino
  3. Painter of Women – Bob Durand, Ron Elliot
  4. The Keeper of Time – Bob Durand, Ron Elliot
  5. It Won’t Get Better – Ron Elliot, Sal Valentino
  6. Nine Pound Hammer – Merle Travis
  7. Magic Hollow – Ron Elliot, Sal Valentino
  8. And I’ve Seen Her – Bob Durand, Ron Elliot
  9. Triangle – Ron Elliot, Sal Valentino
  10. The Wolf of Velvet Fortune – Ron Elliot, Sal Valentino
  11. Old Kentucky Home – Randy Newman

Allen Toussaint: American Tunes

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On June 10, 2016, “Nonesuch” label released “American Tunes”, the twentieth and the final Allen Toussaint album. It was recorded May 2013 – October  2015, and was produced by Joe Henry.

Personnel:

  • Allen Toussaint– vocals, piano
  • Rhiannon Giddens– vocals
  • Bill Frisell– electric guitar
  • Adam Levy– gut-string guitar
  • Van Dyke Parks– second piano, orchestral arrangement
  • David Piltch – upright bass
  • Jay Bellerose– drums, percussion
  • Greg Leisz– weissenborn
  • Charles Lloyd– tenor saxophone
  • Cameron Stone – cello
  • Amy Shulman – harp

Track listing:

  1. Delores’ Boyfriend – Allen Toussaint
  2. Viper’s Drag – Thomas “Fats” Waller
  3. Confessin’ (That I Love You) – Doc Daugherty, Ellis Reynolds, Al Neiburg
  4. Mardis Gras in New Orleans – Henry Roeland “Roy” Byrd
  5. Lotus Blossom – Billy Strayhorn
  6. Waltz for Debby – Bill Evareleased ns
  7. Big Chief – Earl King
  8. Rocks in My Bed – Duke Ellington
  9. Danza, Op. 33 – Louis Moreau Gottschalk
  10. Hey Little Girl – Henry Roeland “Roy” Byrd
  11. Rosetta – Earl “Fatha” Hines
  12. Come Sunday – Duke Ellington
  13. Southern Nights – Allen Toussaint
  14. American Tune – Paul Simon

Randy Newman: Same

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In June 1968, “Reprise” label released the debut, self-titled Randy Newman album. It was recorded in 1968, and was produced by Lenny Waronker and Van Dyke Parks.

Personnel:

  • Randy Newman – vocals, piano
  • Herb Ellis- guitar
  • Larry Knechtel- guitar, bass, keyboards
  • Tommy Tedesco- guitar
  • Sal Valentino- guitar, vocals
  • Don Lanier – guitar
  • Louis Morell – guitar
  • Frank DeCaro – guitar
  • Joe Gibbons – guitar
  • Al Casey- guitar
  • Mike Deasy, Ron Elliott- guitar
  • James Burton- guitar
  • Nick DeCaro – piano, accordion
  • Gene Garf – piano, organ
  • James Rowles – piano
  • Michael Lang – piano
  • Gary LeVant – harmonica
  • Tommy Morgan – harmonica
  • Carl Fortina – accordion
  • Don Bagley – bass
  • Carol Kaye- bass
  • Lyle Ritz- bass
  • Jim Gordon- drums
  • Norman Jeffreis – drums
  • Gary Coleman – percussion
  • Hubert Anderson – percussion
  • Ted Nash – saxophone
  • Gene Cipriano – saxophone
  • Wilbur Schwartz – saxophone
  • Thomas Scott – saxophone
  • Gordon Pope – saxophone
  • William Green – saxophone
  • William R. Perkins – saxophone
  • Jim Horn- saxophone
  • Plas Johnson- saxophone
  • Jay Migliori – saxophone
  • Sid Miller – saxophone
  • Ollie Mitchell – trumpet
  • Anthony Terran- trumpet
  • Milt Bernhart- trombone
  • Robert Knight – trombone
  • Richard Hyde- trombone
  • Lew McCreary – trombone
  • Richard Perissi – French horn
  • William Hinshaw – French horn
  • James A. Decker – French horn
  • David Duke – French horn
  • James Getzoff – flute
  • Israel Baker- violin
  • Harry Bluestone – violin
  • William Kurash – violin
  • Arnold Belnick – violin
  • Jerome Reisler – violin
  • Ralph Schaeffer – violin
  • Sid Sharp – violin
  • Tibor Zelig – violin
  • William Weiss – violin
  • Leonard Malarsky – violin
  • Joseph DiFiore – viola
  • Louis Kievman – viola
  • Samuel Boghossian – viola
  • Leonard Selic – viola
  • Harold Ayties – viola
  • Jan Hlinka – viola
  • Harold Bemko – cello
  • Ray Kelley – cello
  • Victor Sazer – cello
  • Jesse Emrlich – cello
  • Armand Karpoff – cello
  • David Filerman – cello
  • Joseph Tullio – cello
  • Frederick Seykora – cello
  • Elizabeth Ershoff – harp
  • Tommy LiPuma- engineer

Track listing:

All tracks by Randy Newman.

  1. Love Story (You and Me)
  2. Bet No One Ever Hurt This Bad
  3. Living Without You
  4. So Long Dad
  5. I Think He’s Hiding
  6. Linda
  7. Laughing Boy
  8. Cowboy
  9. Beehive State
  10. I Think It’s Going to Rain Today
  11. Davy the Fat Boy

Gordon Lightfoot: Sit Down Young Stranger

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In April 1970, “Reprise” label released “Sit Down Young Stranger”, the sixth Gordon Lightfoot album.  It was recorded September-December 1968, at “Sunwest Studios” in Hollywood, and was produced by Lenny Waronker and Joseph Wissert.

Personnel:

  • Gordon Lightfoot – vocals, guitar, piano
  • Red Shea – guitar
  • Ry Cooder- guitar, mandolin
  • John Sebastian- guitar, harmonica
  • Rick Haynes – bass
  • Van Dyke Parks- harmonium
  • Nick DeCaro – string arrangements
  • Randy Newman- string arrangement

Track listing:

All tracks by Gordon Lightfoot, except where noted

  1. Minstrel of the Dawn
  2. Me and Bobby McGee – Kris Kristofferson, Fred Foster
  3. Approaching Lavender
  4. Saturday Clothes
  5. Cobwebs & Dust
  6. Poor Little Allison
  7. Sit Down Young Stranger
  8. If You Could Read My Mind
  9. Baby It’s Alright
  10. Your Love’s Return (Song for Stephen Foster)
  11. The Pony Man

Harry Nillson: Duit on Mon Dei

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In March 1975, “RCA Victor” label released “Duit on Mon Dei”, the eleventh Harry Nilsson album. It was recorded 1974-1975, at “RCA’s Music Center of the World” in Hollywood, and was produced by Harry Nilsson.

Personnel:

  • Harry Nilsson – lead vocals
  • Jesse Ed Davis– guitar
  • Danny Kortchmar– guitar
  • Dennis Budimir – guitar
  • Van Dyke Parks– piano
  • Jane Getz – piano
  • Klaus Voormann– bass
  • Ringo Starr– drums
  • Jim Keltner– drums
  • Robert Greenidge – drums
  • Bobby Keys– saxophone
  • Gene Cipriano – saxophone
  • Charles Dinwiddie – saxophone
  • Martin M. Drystall – saxophone
  • Jerry Jumonville – saxophone
  • Trevor Lawrence – saxophone
  • John Rotella – saxophone
  • Clifford Shank – saxophone
  • Tommy Shepard – trombone
  • Tony Terran– trumpet
  • Malcolm McNabb – trumpet
  • Joey Deaguero – marimba
  • John Bergamo – marimba
  • Doug Dillard – banjo
  • John– banjo
  • Gene Estes– percussion, tympani
  • Milt Holland– percussion
  • Emmett Kennedy – percussion
  • Pat Murphy – percussion, conga
  • Denzil Lauchton – harp
  • Gayle Levant – harp
  • Gordon Howard Marrow – violin
  • Fredric Myrow – organ
  • Gloria Jones– vocals
  • Zodiac Singers – vocals
  • Perry Botkin, Jr.– arrangements, orchestra
  • Fredric Nyrow – arrangements

Track listing:

All tracks by Harry Nilsson, except where noted

  1. Jesus Christ You’re Tall
  2. It’s a Jungle Out There
  3. Down by the Sea
  4. Kojak Columbo
  5. Easier for Me
  6. Turn Out the Light
  7. Salmon Falls – Harry Nilsson, Klaus Voormann
  8. What’s Your Sign
  9. Home
  10. Good for God

Ry Cooder: Into the Purple Valley

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into-the-purple-valley

In January 1972, “Reprise” label released “Into the Purple Valley”, the second Ry Cooder studio album. It was recorded in 1971, and was produced by Jim Dickinson, Van Dyke Parks and Lenny Waronker. “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked the album cover at number 12 on its list of the “100 Greatest Album Covers”.

Personnel:

  • Ry Cooder – guitar, bass, mandolin, vocals
  • Jim Dickinson– piano
  • Van Dyke Parks– keyboards
  • Gloria Jones– vocals
  • Claudia Lennear– vocals
  • Donna Washburn – vocals
  • Donna Weiss– vocals
  • Chris Ethridge– bass
  • Fritz Richmond– bass
  • John Craviotta – drums
  • Milt Holland– percussion
  • Jerry Jumonville – saxophone
  • George Bohanon– horns
  • Joe Lane Davis – horns
  • Ike Williams – horns

Track listing:

  1. How Can You Keep Moving (Unless You Migrate Too) – Agnes “Sis” Cunningham
  2. Billy the Kid – traditional; arranged by Ry Cooder
  3. Money Honey – Jesse Stone
  4. FDR in Trinidad – Fitz Maclean
  5. Teardrops Will Fall – Dickey Doo, Marion Smith
  6. Denomination Blues – George Washington Phillips
  7. On a Monday – Lead Belly
  8. Hey Porter – Johnny Cash
  9. Great Dream from Heaven – Joseph Spence
  10. Taxes on the Farmer Feeds Us Al – traditional; arranged by Ry Cooder
  11. Vigilante Man – Woody Guthrie

U2: Rattle And Hum

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rattle-and-hum

On October 10, 1988, “Island” label released “Rattle and Hum”, the sixth U2 studio album. It was recorded 1987 – 1988, at “Sun Studio” in Memphis; “Point Depot”; “Danesmoat”, and “STS Studio” in Dublin; “A&M Studios” and  “Ocean Way”  in Los Angeles, and live in various locations, and was produced by Jimmy Iovine. The album was accompanied by a rockumentary film directed by Phil Joanou. “Rattle and Hum” was certified 7 x Platinum in Canada by “Music Canada”; Platinum in Germany by “BVMI”; Platinum in Netherlands; 2 x Platinum in Switzerland by “IFPI Switzerland”; 4 x Platinum in UK by “BPI”, and 5 x Platinum in the US by “RIIA”.

Personnel:

  • Bono– lead vocals, additional guitar, harmonica
  • The Edge – lead and backing vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Adam Clayton– bass guitar
  • Larry Mullen Jr.– drums, percussion
  • B. B. King– vocals, lead guitar
  • Bob Dylan– Hammond organ, backing vocals
  • Jimi Hendrix– electric guitar (sourced from “Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack” and More as played through U2’s concert PA system)
  • Joey Miskulin – organ
  • Brian Eno– keyboards
  • Benmont Tench– Hammond organ
  • Satan and Adam (Sterling Magee and Adam Gussow) – vocals, guitar, percussion, harmonica
  • The Memphis Horns– horns
  • The New Voices of Freedom –gospel choir
  • George Pendergrass, Dorothy Terrell – vocal soloists
  • Rebecca Evans Russell, Phyllis Duncan, Helen Duncan – backing vocals
  • Van Dyke Parks– string arrangements

Track listing:

All lyrics by Bono, all music by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr, except where noted.

  1. Helter Skelter” (live at Denver, Colorado) – John Lennon, Paul McCartney
  2. Van Diemen’s land – lyrics by The Edge
  3. Desire
  4. Hawkmoon
  5. All Along the Watchtower” (live from “Save the Yuppie Free Concert in San Francisco) – Bob Dylan
  6. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (live at Madison Square Garden, New York)
  7. Freedom For My People
  8. Silver and Gold” (live from Denver, Colorado)
  9. Pride (In the Name of Love)” (live from Denver, Colorado)
  10. Angel of Harlem
  11. Love Rescue Me
  12. When Love Comes to Town
  13. Heartland
  14. God Part II
  15. The Star Spangled Banner” (Live) – music by John Stafford
  16. Bullet the Blue Sky” (live at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona)
  17. All I Want is You