Orange Crate Art (BW/VDP solo)

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

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

[the captain]

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.

[Jason]

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. Spaceman]

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

[dogbreath]

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.

[monkee knutz]

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!!

[the captain]

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.

[HighOnLife]

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.

[Jeff Mason]

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.

[Susan]

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.

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!

[Old Rake]

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.

[JRauch]

  Even the people who like it?!?!

[Chris D.]

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 heard they recorded it in the Sharon Tate murder house!

[I. Spaceman]

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

[Chris D.]

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

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

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.

[TV Forces]

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.

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

[drlandy]

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!!!

[Lonely Summer]

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.

[mikeyj]

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.

[Andrew G. Doe]

...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)

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

[mikeyj]

...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)

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

[Andrew G. Doe]

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.

[mikeyj]

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?

[MBE]

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.