Super chief - Van Dyke Parks

"'An orchestral fantasy', fashioned in part from bits of music Parks wrote for various films. Parks doesn't tell which selections came from which scores, saying some of the films were never released or the excerpts here were from scenes that didn't make the final cut; for hardcore film buffs, that could make this album an interesting guessing game. For "Super Chief", Parks has given the music a new context, as they're meant to provide a backdrop for his story of traveling from the East Coast to Hollywood for the first time aboard a luxurious rail car, in 1955, with romance and glamour on his mind as he made his way through the heartland to the city where dreams came to life. Not surprisingly, "Super Chief" sounds like film music; smart, well-crafted, full of allusions to America's musical past, and capable of conjuring images all by itself. As a listening experience, "Super Chief" is full of grace and charm, a scrapbook of musical snapshots that cohere into a satisfying whole." (Mark Deming, 4 uit 5 sterren)