Van Dyke Parks, Discover America (side A)

1972's Discover America ranks among the most perplexing records I own. While many of the songs are beautiful, they're often stylized to the point of absurdity, with Caribbean and show-tunes influences jumping out at random. The string arrangements are both beautiful and distracting, as they are carefully crafted to contribute majesty and at the same time to violate the song structures. And while the strings are conventionally recorded, some of the backing vocals can jump out illogically. The lyrics can be incomprehensible, most of all the memorable "G Man Hoover". Van Dyke Parks's fashion sense in the back cover photo might even be stranger than this album, with huge plastic glasses, a wide-brim hat, and a carefully-styled mustache.