This year marks the 25th anniversary of Orange Crate Art, the collaborative album from Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks In celebration, the album is being on vinyl for the very first time as well as on CD.
Due out June 19th through Omnivore Recordings, the reissue includes all 12 original songs, in addition to a handful of bonus tracks. Specifically, the the CD and vinyl reissues boast three previously unheard cover songs: “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong and a pair of George Gershwin originals in “Rhapsody Blue” and “Love is Here to Stay”. The CD also comes with an entire second disc of Orange Crate Art instrumentals.
The original Orange Crate Art was released in 1995 following a series of other collaborations between Wilson and Parks. The two first linked up in 1966 for The Beach Boys’ initial sessions for SMiLE, which then led them to cross paths again on the Beach Boys’ “Sail on Sailor” from 1972.
Decades passed without further meet-ups, but when Parks began work on Orange Crate Art, a tribute to the state of California, he immediately thought to enlist Wilson’s talents. He explained in a statement to Rolling Stone,
“I’d started with the title tune,” he remembered. “I didn’t have to call Central Casting. Coincidentally, I knew the man who could pronounce ‘Orange,’ the way it was meant to sound. And not how they pronounce it on Miami Beach. That is precisely why I asked Brian to be the voice of America. And in this, he is. As for me? I arranged this album and wrote songs. Brian opted to coast and just unpack as a vocalist. He honored me that way.”
For his part, Wilson described their album as “one of the highlights of my life.”
In anticipation of the reissue’s arrival, Wilson and Parks have shared their version of “What a Wonderful World”. Hear it below, and then head here for pre-order details.
Orange Crate Art Reissue Tracklist:
01. Orange Crate Art
02. Sail Away
03. My Hobo Heart
04. Wings Of A Dove
05. Palm Tree And Moon
06. Summer In Monterey
07. San Francisco
08. Hold Back Time
09. My Jeanine
10. Movies Is Magic
11. This Town Goes Down At Sunset
12. Lullaby
Previously Unreleased Extra Oranges:
13. Rhapsody In Blue
14. Love Is Here To Stay
15. What A Wonderful World
CD-Only Previously Unreleased Instrumentals:
01. Orange Crate Art
02. Sail Away
03. My Hobo Heart
04. Wings Of A Dove
05. Palm Tree And Moon
06. Summer In Monterey
07. San Francisco
08. Hold Back Time
09. My Jeanine
10. Movies Is Magic
11. This Town Goes Down At Sunset