Moonlighting: Live at the Ash Grove

by Van Dyke Parks

Overview

Since Van Dyke Parks has never released a greatest hits album (okay, he's never had any hits) in the U.S., this long-overdue concert album, which draws on material from his studio recordings dating back to 1968's Song Cycle, is a welcome sampler of his stunning, if small, body of work from "The All Golden" (Song Cycle) to "Orange Crate Art" (the title track from his duet album with Brian Wilson). The melodic invention and masterful mixing of styles confirm Parks's hidden status as one of the great American composers, a status that has gone unremarked only because of his reclusiveness and tendency to operate only on the margins of the Los Angeles pop scene. He is a miniaturist, to be sure, and nothing if not quirky. His heavily -- and not always coherently -- edited stage remarks call to mind Truman Capote, and his reedy, earnest singing is only adequate. But the music is both steeped in tradition and wholly original, and it's a delight to listen to. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	02/10/1998
Label:	Warner Bros.
UPC:	0093624653325
Rank:	2450

Tracks

1. Jump!
2. Orange Crate Art
3. Wings of a Dove
4. Sail Away
5. Night in the Tropics
6. FDR in Trinidad
7. Danza
8. Cowboy
9. Delta Queen Waltz
10. C-H-I-C-K-E-N
11. The All Golden
12. Hominy Grove
13. Sailin' Shoes

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Van Dyke Parks   Primary Artist
John Scanlon   Viola,Violin
Amy Shulman   Harp
Elizabeth Wilson   Violin
Michele Richards   Violin
Eve Sprecher   Violin
Michelle Richards   Violin
David Stone   Double Bass
Darryl Charles   Percussion
Sid Page   Violin,Conductor
Bernie Dresel   Drums
Joel Derouin   Violin
Leland Sklar   Bass,Bass (Electric)
Jimbo Ross   Viola
John Wittenberg   Violin
Dave Stone   Bass (Upright)
Grant Geissman   Guitar
Suzie Katayama   Cello
Peter Kent   Violin
Larry Corbett   Cello

Technical Credits

Guy Charbonneau   Technician
Sandy Carter   Musician
Glen Brown   Photography
Eric Johnston   Technician
Dave Thompson   Engineer
Louis Moreau Gottschalk   Composer
Danielle Charles   Musician
Liza Gerberding   Editorial Director
Charlie Paakkari   Engineer,Second Engineer
Janice Hayen   Musician,Librarian,Music Preparation
Drew Daniels   Audio Supervisor
Rocky Schenck   Photography
David Thompson   Second Engineer
Van Dyke Parks   Composer,Arranger,Producer
Kevin Reeves   Mastering
Charlie Bouis   Engineer
John Hartford   Composer
Peter Doell   Engineer,Second Engineer
Martin Kibbee   Composer
Michael Frondelli   Mixing,Engineer,Recording
Tom Recchion   Design,Art Direction,Illustrations
Johnny Rutledge   Photography
Steve Deutsch   Editing
Suzie Katayama   Orchestra Contractor
Andrew Wickham   Executive Producer
Lowell George   Composer