Editing Van Dyke Parks (section)

===Waronker collaborations and ''Song Cycle''===

[[File:Harpers Bizarre.png|thumb|upright|Parks rechristened the Tikis as [[Harpers Bizarre]] (pictured 1967)]]

Coinciding with a transformative period for the label, Parks joined [[Warner Bros. Records]] through producer [[Lenny Waronker]], a young A&R executive mentored by [[Reprise Records]] president [[Mo Ostin]].{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=55–60}} After [[Seven Arts Productions]] had acquired Warner Bros. in 1966, the record division rebranded as Warner Bros.-Seven Arts under president [[Joe Smith (music industry executive)|Joe Smith]], who prioritized broadening the label's artistic scope.{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=59–60}} Waronker, whose father co-founded [[Liberty Records]], was tasked with overseeing artists acquired during Warner Bros.' 1966 purchase of [[Autumn Records]], including [[the Mojo Men]], [[the Beau Brummels]], and the Tikis.{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=55–57}} He assembled a team featuring Parks, songwriter [[Randy Newman]], and keyboardist [[Leon Russell]]. Parks initially questioned Waronker's "filthy-rich" background but was convinced by his professional trust, including a loaned sports car, and a solo contract offer.{{sfn|Hoskyns|1996|p=202}}{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=55–57}} He later said that Waronker had sought him out because of his association to Brian Wilson: "He's never admitted that to me, but it's no offense to him to say that."{{sfn|Hoskyns|1996|p=202}}

Seeking to distance the group from associations with [[surf music]], then considered passé, Parks proposed renaming the Tikis to [[Harpers Bizarre]] to reflect his appreciation for [[Cole Porter]] and [[Depression-era]] songwriting. He arranged and performed on Harpers Bizarre's first two albums for Warner Bros., ''[[Feelin' Groovy]]'' and ''[[Anything Goes (Harpers Bizarre album)|Anything Goes]]'' (both 1967). The latter included their rendition of "High Coin" and Porter's "[[Anything Goes (Cole Porter song)|Anything Goes]]".{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=40–41}} During sessions for the Mojo Men, Parks experimented with eight-track recording technology, drafting arrangements on butcher paper in a style likened by Henderson to [[Jack Kerouac]]'s manuscripts. Waronker encouraged experimental approaches, summarized as "Go in with a good song and weird it out."{{sfn|Henderson|2010|p=57}} The resulting singles "[[The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)]]" (a national Top 10 hit for Harpers Bizarre) and "[[Sit Down, I Think I Love You]]" (written by Stills and arranged by Parks for the Mojo Men, reaching regional charts), convinced the label of the group's ability.{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=55–57}} Parks produced Harpers Bizarre's version of "Come to the Sunshine", their follow-up single.{{sfn|Hoskyns|1996|p=201}}
[[File:Van Dyke Parks 1967.png|thumb|left|Parks in a 1967 promotional shot]]
Warner Bros. financed a test single, "[[Colours (Donovan song)|Donovan's Colours]]", that was credited under the pseudonym "George Washington Brown" due to Parks' reluctance to risk his family's reputation.{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=62–63}}{{refn|group=nb|A myth emerged around the pseudonym after ''[[Cheetah (magazine)|Cheetah]]'' magazine reported musicians speculating that "Brown" was a wealthy South American financier directing Parks remotely.{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=63–64}}}} After journalist [[Richard Goldstein (writer, born 1944)|Richard Goldstein]] praised the single in the ''[[Village Voice]]'', the company greenlit a full solo album but required Parks to use his real name.{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=62–64}} On January 5, 1967, he signed a multi-album contract with Warner Bros.,{{sfn|Carlin|2021|p=6}} an agreement that included a substantial recording budget, full creative control, and no set deadlines. This was an extraordinary allowance for an artist like Parks, comparable to the largesses afforded to the Beatles.{{sfn|Carlin|2021|pp=2, 7}}

{{listen|type=music
|filename=Palm Desert VDP.ogg
|pos=
|title ="Palm Desert" from ''Song Cycle'' (1967)
|description=Parks drew from the folk-inspired [[chamber music|chamber]] works of [[Percy Grainger]] and the spatial recording techniques of [[Juan García Esquivel]] when creating tracks like "Palm Desert", a tribute to the [[Coachella Valley]] city where Parks wrote ''Song Cycle''.{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=70–72}} }}

By April, Parks had withdrawn from the ''Smile'' project to focus on his debut album, ''[[Song Cycle (album)|Song Cycle]]'', recorded over seven months with sessions produced by Waronker, engineered by Lee Herschberg and Doug Botnick, and mixed by Bruce Botnick.{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=23, 53, 62}} A [[concept album]] centered on Hollywood and Southern California,{{sfn|Hoskyns|1996|p=203}} it was one of the most expensive albums ever produced, costing approximately $80,000 (equivalent to ${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|80000|1967|r=-4}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}}).{{sfn|Carlin|2021|p=7}} Parks characterized his studio approach as "[[the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog]]", explaining that his techniques had been shaped by observing Wilson's practice of recording single tracks across multiple studios to maximize his sonic palette: "It wasn’t necessary to me to be where they were firing the biggest guns. But to me, to be at a place where there was a good gun with a great shot."{{sfn|Kubernik|2009|p=79}} At Parks' commission, Newman wrote the opening track "Vine Street".{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=68–69}}

Upon release, ''Song Cycle'' elicited positive reviews from critics associated with the [[New Journalism]] movement, but yielded confusion from retailers, radio programmers, and the label's marketing staff.{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=107–109}} To address poor sales, the company, without consulting Parks, launched an unconventional ad campaign—initiated by Creative Services director [[Stan Cornyn]]—declaring the album a commercial flop.{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=109–113}} According to Parks, "there was every expectation that the recording costs would be recovered, and they were, within three years."<ref name="splice">{{cite web |author1=n.a. |title=INTERVIEW: Van Dyke Parks |url=http://www.splicetoday.com/music/interview-van-dyke-parks |website=Splice Today |access-date=April 14, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090624145731/http://www.splicetoday.com/music/interview-van-dyke-parks |archive-date=June 24, 2009 |date=January 22, 2009}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Cornyn ensured that tracks from ''Song Cycle'' and Parks' commercial scoring work, such as compositions for [[Ice Capades]] and [[Datsun]] advertisements, later appeared on Warner Bros.' mail-order [[Warner/Reprise Loss Leaders|Loss Leader]] series through the 1970s.{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=116–117}} These commercial scores were among the earliest recordings that employed a [[Moog Synthesizer]].<ref name=RBMA2013>{{cite web|title=Van Dyke Parks|url=https://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/lectures/van-dyke-parks|website=[[Red Bull Music Academy]]|access-date=April 28, 2025|date=2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref>}}

{{quote box
| align = 
| width = 25%
| quote = We didn't know whom we were selling Ry [Cooder] or Randy [Newman] to, it was strictly on a wing and a prayer, but we did our darnedest to sell them anyway.
| source = —Van Dyke Parks{{sfn|Hoskyns|1996|p=205}}
}}

After completing ''Song Cycle'' Parks relocated to Laurel Canyon and co-produced Newman's [[Randy Newman (album)|1968 self-titled debut album]] with Waronker, which faced a similar reception.{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=76–77, 119–120}}{{sfn|Hoskyns|1996|p=202}}{{refn|group=nb|To Parks' disappointment, Newman's follow-up album, ''[[12 Songs (Randy Newman album)|12 Songs]]'' (1970), abandoned orchestration and excluded his involvement as co-producer.{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=119–120}} }} The Parks-Waronker production team reunited for folk singer [[Arlo Guthrie]]'s 1969 album ''[[Running Down the Road]]'', featuring contributions from Los Angeles session musicians such as Ry Cooder.{{sfn|Henderson|2010|p=122}} They then produced Cooder's [[Ry Cooder (album)|1970 self-titled debut album]], containing an ornate orchestral rendition of "[[One Meat Ball]]" arranged by Parks.{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=119–120}}{{refn|group=nb|Cooder later expressed dissatisfaction with the album's elaborate production, opting for a stripped-down approach on his 1972 follow-up, ''[[Into the Purple Valley]]'', produced solely by Waronker.{{sfn|Henderson|2010|pp=120–121}}}}