''Discover America'' is the second album by American recording artist

Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, record producer, singer, and former Warner Bros. Records executive whose work encompasses orchestral pop, elaborate recording experiments, Ame ...

, released in May 1972 by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

Its sound is a major departure from his debut album, ''

Song Cycle A song cycle () is a group, or cycle (music), cycle, of individually complete Art song, songs designed to be performed in sequence, as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice or an ensemble, or rarely a combinat ...

'' (1967), featuring all

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s of previously written songs. The album mostly features songs popularized by early calypso musicians, as well as songs by

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descr ...

(" Occapella" and "Riverboat"),

Little Feat Little Feat is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George, bassist Roy Estrada (both formerly of the Mothers of Invention), keyboardist Bill Payne, and drummer Richie Hayward in ...

("Sailin' Shoes"),

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( , ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era known primarily for American military March (music), marches. He is known as "The March King" or th ...

Stars and Stripes Forever "The Stars and Stripes Forever" is a patriotic American march written and composed by John Philip Sousa in 1896. By a 1987 act of the U.S. Congress, it is the official National March of the United States of America. History In his 1928 autobi ...

") and one song of unknown origin ("Be Careful"). The title of the album is derived from the poem "I Am Waiting" by

Lawrence Ferlinghetti Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti (March 24, 1919 – February 22, 2021) was an American poet, painter, social activist, and co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers. An author of poetry, translations, fiction, theatre, art criticism, and ...

Background

Most of the album's songs were originally written by early calypso musicians between the 1920s and 1940s, but had fallen into the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

by the time ''Discover America'' was recorded in 1972. As such, nearly all of the songs are credited to "public domain; arranged & adapted by Van Dyke Parks." The album's lyrical themes center on American historical figures, including Revolutionary War naval officer

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...

, musicians

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

and

the Mills Brothers The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed The Four Mills Brothers and originally known as Four Boys and a Guitar, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies and g ...

, actor

Jack Palance Walter Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk, , ''Volodymyr Ivanovych Palahniuk''; February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American screen and stage actor, known to film audiences for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominat ...

, and political figures

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

and

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American attorney and law enforcement administrator who served as the fifth and final director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and the first director of the Federal Bureau o ...

. Parks would continue his study of Calypso and Caribbean music on his third album, '' Clang of the Yankee Reaper'', released in 1975. Throughout the 1970s, Parks produced calypso albums for other artists, including the Esso Trinidad Tripoli Steel Band's ''Esso'' in 1971 and

Mighty Sparrow Slinger Francisco Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, ORTT Chaconia Medal, CM Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 9 July 1935), better known as Mighty Sparrow, is a Trinidadian Calypso music, calypso vocalist, songwriter, and guitar ...

's 1974 album ''Hot and Sweet''.

Songs

''Discover America'' has been described as a work of calypso,

progressive pop Progressive pop is pop music that attempts to break with the genre's standard formula, or an offshoot of the progressive rock genre that was commonly heard on AM radio in the 1970s and 1980s. It was originally termed for the early progressive ...

art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an ar ...

, and

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana music, a genre or style of American music * Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1981 film), an American drama film * ''Americana'' (20 ...

. "Jack Palance", is a one-minute clip of Mighty Sparrow's version of the song. Parks did not cover any Mighty Sparrow songs on the album, but would later produce Sparrow's 1974 album ''Hot and Sweet.'' "Introduction" is credited to Samuel Alter, and features an unknown man (likely either Alter or Parks) speaking into a tape recorder about Parnassus, Pennsylvania,

Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (, , ) is an extensive massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, between the regional units of Larissa (regional unit), Larissa and Pieria (regional ...

, and

Daylight Saving Time Daylight saving time (DST), also referred to as daylight savings time, daylight time (Daylight saving time in the United States, United States and Daylight saving time in Canada, Canada), or summer time (British Summer Time, United Kingdom, ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

review:
Discover America
" The third track is Parks' cover of "Bing Crosby" by

Roaring Lion Roaring Lion (22 February 190811 July 1999) was a Trinidadian calypsonian (calypso singer/composer). His 65-year career began in the early 1930s and he is best known for his compositions "Ugly Woman" (1933), " Mary Ann" and "Netty, Netty", wh ...

. "Steelband Music" prominently features the Esso Trinidad Tripoli Steel Band on vocals and steel drums; the song's original writer is unknown, and it may be a traditional song from Trinidad.

review:
Steelband Music
" "The Four Mills Brothers" was written by The Lion (also known as Roaring Lion), and it speaks about the history and fame of jazz vocal group the Mills Brothers. The song's chorus is lifted from that of "

I Ain't Got Nobody "I Ain't Got Nobody" (sometimes referred to as "I'm So Sad and Lonely" or "I Ain't Got Nobody Much") is a popular song and copyrighted in 1915. It was first recorded by Marion Harris, and became a perennial standard, recorded many times over the ...

", a song covered by The Mills Brothers. "Be Careful" has been described by

as "a piece of advice from a father to a son when the offspring is approaching the age when love is being considered. A brilliant, almost chamber string arrangement carries the overall melody, yet this is combined with the Trinidad steel band music that Van Dyke Parks was fully and happily involved in at the time."

review:
Be Careful
" AllMusic credits the song to

Leo Robin Leo Robin (April 6, 1895 – December 29, 1984) was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song " Thanks for the Memory," sung by Bob Hope and Shi ...

, but this is an error. The author is currently unknown. "John Jones" was performed by

Trojan Records Trojan Records is a British record label founded by Jamaican Duke Reid, Lee Gopthal and Chris Blackwell in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. Th ...

artist Rudy Mills in the late 1960s. " FDR in Trinidad" was written by

Attila the Hun Attila ( or ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in early 453. He was also the leader of an empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Gepids, among others, in Central and East ...

about

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

's 1936 visit to Trinidad.

review:
FDR in Trinidad
" Parks' version features performances by members of

. A Rykodisc version of ''Discover America'' contains a bonus track, a cover of Joseph Spence's "Out on the Rolling Sea (Where Jesus Speaks to Me)".

Reception

Released in May 1972 by

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

, initially only in North America, ''Discover America'' received positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

. In their review, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' praised the "richly rewarding" album as a "marvellous synthesis of sounds and eras", drawing attention to the memorable songs, the presence of Parks' "strange charisma" and the appearances from the Esso Trinidad Steel Band throughout. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' writer John Mendelsohn noted the album saw Parks' continue his "celebration of the musical culture of the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

" after his prior production of the Steel Band. Describing the album as far more accessible than ''

'' (1967), he wrote that the record is danceable, interesting and sometimes enchanting, but found that the musician had yet to capture the steel band sound effectively.

Gene Sculatti Eugene Paul Sculatti (born January 30, 1947) is an American music journalist who compiled and edited the book ''The Catalog of Cool'' (1982). In 1966, he became the first journalist to write about the nascent San Francisco music scene in a nati ...

of ''

Creem ''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American rock music magazine and entertainment company, founded in Detroit, whose initial print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor ...

'' highlighted the calypso focus and deemed it an

project reminiscent of those released less than five years earlier. Commenting on the lack of straight "

rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

", he added the few rock elements "are purposeful, placed with regard to their function in that spot, just like the Forties movie music, the Tiny Tim throw-offs,

the Magic Band The Magic Band was the backing band of American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Captain Beefheart between 1967 and 1982. The band was formed by guitarist Alex St. Clair with Beefheart as the lead singer; eventually, they morphed into ...

loon frills, accordions,

Tex-Mex Tex-Mex cuisine (derived from the words ''Texas'' and ''Mexico'') is a regional American cuisine that originates from the culinary creations of Tejanos, Tejano people. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others in the Southwestern ...

rhythms, et. Al. They all play parts in ''Discover America'' and together, the aural relief they create is indescribably delicious if you're in the mood for it." ''Words & Music'' writer Mark Leviton described the album as a mix of "Caribbean rhythms, '30 lyrics, modern pop,

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

and

atonal Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on ...

classical techniques" which together form a "composite musical picture of the United States". He also drew attention to its unusual compositional elements, highlighting the "rampant counterpoint, counter-rhythms, odd harmonic progressions, non-resolving chords and obscure lyrics". Retrospectively, Jayson Greene ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' noted the album's "distanced weirdness", writing that "Parks treats calypso with the same forensic fascination and trickster spirit he applied to ''Song Cycle''", further considering ''Discover America'' to be more

vaudevillian Vaudeville (; ) is a theatre, theatrical genre of variety show, variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comic ...

than that album.

reviewer Lindsay Planer praised Parks' "purity of vision", writing that few could create a concept album about America "entirely in the style of the Caribbean, most specifically Trinidad circa the 1940s". They deemed it an "eclectic masterpiece of multicultural Americana" and a "pop music history lesson that is without question one of the lost classics of the early '70s. Likewise, it may as easily have been several decades ahead of its time." In '' Uncut'', Alaistar McKay considered the album a "joyous" celebration of Trinidadian culture balanced by sly commentary on

post-colonial Postcolonialism (also post-colonial theory) is the critical academic study of the cultural, political and economic consequences of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact of human control and exploitation of colonized people and thei ...

Trinidad and American

race relations Race relations is a sociological concept that emerged in Chicago in connection with the work of sociologist Robert E. Park and the Chicago race riot of 1919. Race relations designates a paradigm or field in sociology and a legal concept in th ...

. He added that the album foreshadowed

the Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

's work from "a decade later in their pan-global phase".

Legacy

In a 1997 interview, Parks' former collaborator

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

praised ''Discover America'' as one of his favorite albums: "I liked ''Discover America'' by Van Dyke – that's the greatest album ever made. Oh. Have you heard it? I've played it, like, 50 times, maybe, over the years. I've really learned a lot from it. It's really something how you play something and you hear something and you don't quite hear exactly the way you did before. It's really different."

Track listing

All songs "public domain; arranged & adapted by

" unless otherwise noted. Side one #"Jack Palance" (

) – 0:59 #"Introduction" (Samuel Alter) – 0:27 #"Bing Crosby" ( The Lion) – 2:21 #"Steelband Music" – 2:11 #"The Four Mills Brothers" (The Lion) – 1:28 #"Be Careful" – 2:48 #"John Jones" (Rudy Mills) – 3:08 #" FDR in Trinidad" (Fitz McLean) – 2:27 #"Sweet Trinidad" – 0:56 Side two #"Occapella" (

) – 2:41 #"Sailin' Shoes" (

Lowell George Lowell Thomas George (April 13, 1945 – June 29, 1979) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He was the primary guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the rock band Little Feat. Before forming Little ...

) – 2:09 #"Riverboat" (Toussaint) – 3:02 #"Ode to Tobago" ( Lord Kitchener; arr. Parks) – 5:13 #"Your Own Comes First" (Lord Kitchener; arr. Parks) – 3:24 #"G-Man Hoover" (Sir Lancelot) – 2:55 #"

" (

) – 1:00 A

Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record label ...

edition added "Out on the Rolling Sea (Where Jesus Speaks to Me)" to the end of the album.

Copyrights and legalities

Nearly all tracks on ''Discover America'' are listed on the album sleeve as being "Public domain, arranged & adapted by Van Dyke Parks". However, many of the songs' original artists were still alive in 1972, but were not given writing credits on the album. At the time,

The United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Copyright Act of 1909 The Copyright Act of 1909 () was a landmark statute in United States statutory copyright law. It went into effect on July 1, 1909. The 1909 Act was repealed and superseded by the Copyright Act of 1976, which went into effect on January 1, 1978; ...

allowed for a copyright term of 28 years, followed by an optional one-time renewal for a second 28-year term. As such, the longest copyright allowed was 56 years from the original creation date. The

Copyright Act of 1976 The Copyright Act of 1976 is a United States copyright law and remains the primary basis of copyright law in the United States, as amended by several later enacted copyright provisions. The Act spells out the basic rights of copyright holders, ...

, signed into law only four years after ''Discover America'' was recorded, greatly changed copyright laws in the US, extending the copyright of the artist to either 75 years or the life of the author plus an additional 50 years.

References

External links

''Discover America'' lyrics
{{Authority control 1972 albums Warner Records albums Van Dyke Parks albums Calypso albums Progressive pop albums Art rock albums by American artists Americana albums