Music / Orange Crate Art

Orange Crate Art is a collaborative album between American artists Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks. It marks a return for both artists as a duo since their work on the Beach Boys album SMiLE.

It was recorded during a short period where Brian gained freedom from his psychiatrist Eugene Landy and got much more productive, releasing two albums (including this one) in 1995 on top of producing an extensive amount of songs with Andy Paley from 1992 to 1994. Van Dyke, on the other hand, was steadily focused on his career as a soundtrack composer.

Much of the album's lyrics refer to California in the early 20th century. Van Dyke wrote and produced it while Brian provided vocals and vocal arrangement.

Tracklist:

1. "Orange Crate Art"
2. "Sail Away"
3. "My Hobo Heart"
4. "Wings Of A Dove"
5. "Palm Tree And Moon"
6. "Summer In Monterey"
7. "San Francisco"
8. "Hold Back Time"
9. "My Jeanine"
10. "Movies Is Magic"
11. "This Town Goes Down At Sunset"
12. "Lullaby"

The album was reissued in 2020 with three additional tracks which are covers: "Our Love Is Here To Stay" and "Rhapsody In Blue" by George Gershwin, and Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World".

Orange Trope Art:

• Album Title Drop: The very first three words sung by Brian on the album.
  Orange Crate Art was a place to start
  Orange Crate Art was a world apart
• Cover Version: "Lullaby", "Our Love Is Here To Stay" and "Rhapsody In Blue" (by Ira and George Gershwin), and "What A Wonderful World" (by Louis Armstrong).
• Escapism: "Movies Is Magic":
  Movies is magic
  Real life is tragic
• Instrumentals: "Lullaby".
• Location Song: "Summer In Monterey" and "San Francisco" (two cities located in California).
• One-Woman Song: "My Jeanine".
• One-Word Title: "Lullaby".
• Pimped-Out Dress: "Movies Is Magic"
  She slid on her dress under that melancholy moon
  Somethin' to impress him hopin' he would be there soon
• Product Placement: On "Movies Is Magic":
  She gonna run away
  He got a Chevrolet
• Regional Riff: "Palm Tree And Moon" showcases the oriental riff, akin to western depictions of Eastern Asia.
• Shout-Out: "Orange Crate Art" references John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.
• Steel Drums and Sunshine: "Sail Away"
• Title Track

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