The Smiley Smile Message Board

Discuss, review and rate Orange Crate Art, released November 1995.

(http://www.smileysmile.net/images/albums/orangecrate.gif)

Neither as good as Van Dyke's or Brian's typical work. Bad singing, and the quadruple-tracking of everything to try and cover it up doesn't help much. I prefer the songs from this that are on VDP's Moonlighting disc. I do really like the title song--just not really this version.

This album has never moved me and never will, probably. It's just too boring, overwrought, and underperformed. It's just THERE. Hardly the best work of two geniuses.

I want to like it. I really do. 2 and a half.

I said about the "Brian Wilson" solo album that it shouldn't work, but it does. Orange Crate Art should work, but it doesn't. I gave it a generous three. Stiff, stale, and past its shelf-life even as it hit the racks. Tasty packaging, though.

Tough crowd! This is the album that all Brian's other albums (sans BWPS) collectively want to be. Top knotch arranging from Van. Singing isn't Brian's best, but his first real showing since his '88 LP. I love this album. VDP & BW do it again. This release has a lot of heart. If I feel down this picks me right up. Synths used to effect not as a crutch. Well, well done. I'll take another of this over IJWMFTT or GIOMH... ANYDAY!!

Wrong. Synths used to save cash, I'd guess, and that's it. And it sounds that way. Cheap, easy, and atrocious synths.

Brian sounds like he sucked in some helium before singing about half of these tunes.

If he had sounded like 'Sail Away' on every track, I'd probably enjoy it more.

2 Stars.

Call me a loner on this one -- I love it and its gentle nostalgic feel, and Brian was the perfect choice to sing here.  I loved this one from first play and I still do.

I remember reading somewhere that Van said that he had planned to do the orchestral thing, but he had to get Brian when he could, and the end result was that he had to go with the synths rather than live musicians because of it.  Not sure why...maybe i'll try to dig up that article.

I LOVE this album!!!  There are one or two moments that aren't pure perfection - My Janine somes immediately to mind - so it's not a 5, but it's a rock-solid 4, and let me just add that if Brian were to tour THIS album, i would be at every single show.  It is sheer beauty...and the perfect Sunday morning album, too!

My favorite album from both of them. Gorgeous, sentimental, utterly effecting. I love it deeply, deeply, deeply. Definitely my favorite batch of Van Dyke songs, and Brian' s voice on this is my favorite solo-era singing performance from him.

Solid five stars. Y'all are wrong.

 ??? Even the people who like it?!?!

I heard they recorded it in the Sharon Tate murder house!

Hmm, even if that's true, I still like The Downward Spiral better.

I know you skeet skeet skeet to "Summer in Monterey."  From Sonoma 2 Tacoma, VDP givin u bonahz.

Someone should make a website that Parks-ifies any song lyric.  Run The Downward Spiral through that.

I want to f*** you like an animal
Lickity-split you from the inside
I want fo f*** you like an animal
My whole existence is flawed, by God

ROFLMAO!

I'm going to say something controversial right now, and you guys will likely hate me for it. I...don't care for Van Dyke Parks's music or lyrics at all. I think he did great with the SMiLE lyrics, but that's about it.

That said, this is about half a great album...up until "Hold Back Time" comes on. Now, a lot of people bitch and moan about GIOMH's "half-assed" vocals. HBT, for me, is more half-assed than anything else on it. From there, on, the album crashes and burns. First half,though, is great. And I happen to like the production.

This sums it up for me too!
I second that.

I LOVE this album!!!  There are one or two moments that aren't pure perfection - My Janine somes immediately to mind - so it's not a 5, but it's a rock-solid 4, and let me just add that if Brian were to tour THIS album, i would be at every single show.  It is sheer beauty...and the perfect Sunday morning album, too!

I'll be there too!!!

Somewhere I read a quote from Brian asking Van Dyke "why am I singing on this album?" and VD said "because I can't stand the sound of my own voice!" and that sums it up for me. I see a lot of people don't like Brian's mature voice, but I think his performance on this album is awesome. I find myself singing along with him. The nostalgic tone of the songs hit home with me when the album first came out. I was at a place in my life where "I thought I would far sooner die than settle down again", but I did settle down, so Van Dyke's lyrics struck a chord in me. "My Jeanine" is the weakest song, "Hold Back Time" has inferior vocals, but everything else is top notch. Gorgeous melodies (especially "My Hobo Heart", "Palm Tree and Moon", and the title track), beautiful vocals (esp. the intro of "Summer in Monterey" - it's so Brian - hard to believe he didn't have a hand in the vocal arrangements here), and tasty instrumentation. Not synth heavy, although synths are there. Definately not the expected "Smile Part 2" or "Heroes and Villains Jr.", just a nice album by two old friends.

I too really love this album. Heck, I would much rather listen to Brian singing this than me and probably a lot of other people. Brian at his worst can be pretty bad admittedly but still Brian at his worst sounds better than most people could do. I give this album a 4.5 = 5.

He did - although uncredited, all the vocal arrangements are Brian's.

That doesnt surprise me, as we all know its one of Brians great strengths, and the vocal arrangements on this album are pretty fantastic on the whole

Been listening to the "Words & Music" CD that came with some copies of OCA - according to Van Dyke, all the vocal arrangements were done as the song was being recorded. Impressive.

If thats true thats incredible, just shows Brians still got it. What that Words & Music CD like Andrew?

Too clever for it's own good. I don't like the 1920's vibe on many of the songs. Boring to me, Brian sounds very bored. The title track is ok, but even that is wordy overlong. The vocals are not so hot. Whatever AGD thinks of GIOMH I think of this. Well I don't hate anything THAT much.

Is it really THAT bad of an album though, I just cant understand why some people really dont like this AT ALL. Okay its not the best and most inspired thing Brian has ever done (in terms of his vocals) but I still think this album is very listenable. I dunno I spose it all comes down to taste but to me this is probably my second favourite Brian solo album after self-titled and level with Imagination (if you include it with the rest of his solo albums) Smile doesnt count of course.

Well I guess it doesn't make me want to shoot someone, but it's just kind of like Kokomo to me, irritating because they could do so much better. Would I rather hear it then a lot of crap that's out? Yes, but I like Brian's other albums better.

The one aspect of Brian Wilson solo-related albums that I struggle with the most is listening to 35-40 minutes of continuous Brian Wilson lead vocals. It grates on me, the "shouting", the over-layered harmonies. And, unfortunately, this album is the "shouty-ous".

Van Dyke Parks did an outstanding job in writing, producing, and arranging this album. I really like the songs. But the project gives off a vibe - to me anyway - that Van Dyke Parks was more interested in associating with Brian Wilson, than having these songs reach their full potential by using another singer. I know some people think that VDP was actually trying to help Brian by getting him back into the recording studio, but I'm not from that school of thought.

I think I'd have liked this album more if it were VDP playing piano and Brian singing. Period. Maybe a few people singing harmonies (not wall-of-Brian). As it is, I think the production is a bit on the cheesy side and Brian's vocals aren't particularly good. The falsettos, in particular, are really bad. They're all quadrupled, I believe, and still they're thin. I know there are perfectly good reasons for it ranging from aging to disuse to ravages of his lifestyle...I just don't know that therapy (if that's what it was) has to be released.

My favorite versions of the title song--which I think is REALLY good, one of VDP's best--are the live version from VDP's Moonlighting album and the rehearsal version from the IJWMFTT doc.

The production on this album is verging on cheesy. It almost sounds like a less slick version of Imagination, but I like the material and Brian's vocals immensely. My Hobo Heart is an amazing song. If the production was not so early 90's sounding, it would be even better. Brian really sounds enthusiastic about the music  as well. I wish sometimes he would do more random vocal projects, I love every era of his voice.

Call me Ishmael - I agree with you, Jeff. Its only drawback: it starts off with its best song. What most people don't appreciate is its classical approach. Straight singing, very formal. I like that.

This album requires a bit of patience and effort at first, then there may be a slow realisation that a lot of the songs here are great. MIDI-file production a big drawback. I'd like to see Brian and Van tour this, with Brian's band plus extras, then re-release it as a live album. Breath, holding, my, not.

One more thing, to be a spotter: isn't "This Town Goes Down At Sunset" very much like "This Song Want To Sleep With You Tonight" from the Paley sessions... just in general feel, and the way that the lyrics are structured similarly...? Even the harmonies are a little bit reminiscent of each other. I guess working on OCA gave Brian a much needed kick up the arse even if events have so far conspired against the Wilson/Paley tracks.

Rhino reissue available now at mid-price.

I'm sure-ish that "This Song..." was written, if not recorded, before "This Town..."

Wasn't there an acapella cover of 'Rhapsody' done at these sessions? And if so, has anyone heard it?

Been really digging on this album as the Spring weather had begun showing it's face around these parts.
Really a great album for taking a drive to get lost.

The music is very old time movie-esque, which is no surprise coming from Van Dyke Parks. Some of those synths make it sound like The Lion King (TRIVIA: Carmen Twillie who sang 'The Circle of Life' in the movie also contributes back up vocals to OCA), but there's no denying the charm of the music itself.

The stand out tracks for me are:
Orange Crate Art
Sail Away
Hold Back Time
Movies Is Magic
Wings of A Dove

The beautiful orchestration of "Lullaby" takes you somewhere else. Van Dyke clearly hadn't lost his touch.
Brian's vocal arrangements provide the perfect compliment to the music even if his vocal performance tended to be on the rough side. It was a good break at a tough time for him.

All in all, I give it 4 stars. Definitely something that grows on you.

The songs are great. The production a bit too cluttered and fell into a lot of 1990s traps. Brian's vocals are way too shouty.

Like others have said, the version of OCA on IJWMFTT shows what could have been done with this material.

I would love to hear VDP's demos of this material, or a modern re-recording using the BW Reimagines Gershwin set-up.

Yes, there was.

I'm going to agree with you on thestandout tracks...I would like to add Summer in Monterey....It reminds me of something him and Al would do together

He performs a lot of it live - Sail Away, the title track, Wings Of A Dove....

Indeed. His live takes from Moonlighting are really well done. His live version of 'Orange Crate Art' really outshines the album version.

He also did OCA on Daytrotter recently (along with Jump!, He Needs Me, the All Golden, and ... I forget. Something else. Cowboy, I think.). I agree that the live versions are better, too. I have always liked the entire OCA album more in theory than reality.

Yeah, and he performed a couple more when I saw him. The songs are good for the most part, and I don't even mind Brian's singing, but the arrangements are just cheese.

I tried it again but I still don't like it. Sail On Sailor, Smile, and Come To The Sunshine are really good, but I don't care for Van Dyke's other stuff. It's too artsy for me.

Oh cwap, I forgot San Fransico....great vocals, I can tell Brian had a lot of fun singing this number.



Speaking of VDP and Sail On Sailor, what lyrics is he responsible for writing?

Better yet, if someone knows who wrote what or guide me to a place that reveals....I would think best way is to copy/paste lyrics then put the names next to the lyrics they wrote...that'd be great...heck, that'd be a great thread...the definative writer's credit thread.

I agree.  I may be in the minority but I believe this is BW/VDP underrated yet imperfect gem.

Far from perfect but from first spin-- I was and still am hooked.

Adrian

OCA demands to be preformed live. I would love to hear OCA sans synths--this time with real strings. They could record a live album it at The Hollywood Bowl with orchestra. It would be legendary!

Imagine the possibilities,

Adrian

I mentioned it above, but have you heard the Moonlighting version of 'Orange Crate Art' (the song)? Crazy good; real strings + VDPs singing/piano = One helluva song.

Agreed. Actually, this album gets more play than TLOS or GIOMH in my house. You're right - there is a real nostalgic feel to the album - and yeah, if they re-recorded it with real strings (and Brian's current voice) it would be a real great album.

I'm glad to see there are others that love this album. For me VDP has done two great albums this one and Jump!

OCA is artfully nostalgic it Creates an America that should have been and which can live gorgeously sunset in our imagination. Brian's voice grounds it in California and to me he suits the material perfectly, the vocal arrangements are gorgeous.

I loved it when it came out and I still do it takes me to a great place, it is a welcome addition to the work of both of these guys.

I haven't heard Jump but I have heard OCA, Discover America, and Song Cycle....from those 3 albums, I see them as VDP creating a place...he can make something normal (much like Brian does with Busy Doin' Nothing or I'd Love Just Once To See You) and make it interesting or hip, in my opinion.

Get Jump ASAP.

I actually bought it because of this thread - and it's become one of my favorite VDPs albums.

Four stars. One of my favorite VDP albums. Brian's vocal arrangements really make the songs shine. Minus one point for Movies is Magic and the fact that some songs have cringe worthy moments. The synths don't drown out the tunes like they do in Imagination or BW88.

High points - Title track, Wings of a Dove

Low points - Movies is Magic

Four stars from me.  Perfect companion piece to "That Lucky Old Sun."  "Wings Of a Dove" and "Sail Away" are particularly great songs.  I do think that the album didn't really need Brian's vocals.  Van Dyke Parks has a live album called "Moonlighting" that has some great versions of these songs done by himself.  However, I do like Brian's vocals anyways and the album itself fits in well with the rest of his solo catalog (I would argue it fits better than "Imagination" does).

Had a listen and didn't mind it at all. Nice and nostalgic.

I watched VDP do a couple of these songs on youtube, but they sound so much better with Brian singing them. I like the idea of a concert featuring OCA and TLOS.

Has anyone heard Love is Here to Stay and Rhapsody in Blue from these sessions? Wonder if they're anything like Brian's versions over 10 years later...I wonder how they went about recording Rhapsody, like if they did wordless vocals for it.

Hadn't listened to this one in a few years, put it on last night....still works its magic on me. In fact, i may have to move this one up on my BW solo list. BW88, TLOS and OCA are my favorites - although IJWMFTT is up there, too, really the only knock against it being there were no new songs, and they included that demo of Still I Dream of It. But OCA may be my favorite of the bunch - really beautiful melodies that keep surprising me, and i do like the wall of Brian's on the vocals. I kept listening for "shouty" last night, didn't hear it, except maybe "Hold Back Time". No, i find Brian's vocal performances on this album very impressive.