Van Dyke Parks – The Histories (Old Black Joe) on 7 inch vinyl. Rare 2021 single, arrangements for a Hammer Museum installation. Ships from Germany.
About The Histories (Old Black Joe)
A rare 7 inch single featuring two orchestral arrangements by legendary composer Van Dyke Parks, created for a museum art installation examining 19th century American history.
The Histories (Old Black Joe) is a 7 inch single by composer and arranger Van Dyke Parks, released via Corbett vs. Dempsey in 2021. The A-side features Parks’ original arrangement of the Stephen Foster song Old Black Joe, created for artist David Hartt’s 2020 installation piece of the same name; the B-side offers his arrangement of Louis Moreau Gottschalk’s Souvenir de la Havane. This listing is a 7 inch vinyl single, played once, from a Berlin based eBay seller.
- Who is Van Dyke Parks
- About this single and the installation it was made for
- What's on the record
- Pressing details and buying advice
In Brief
- Artist Van Dyke Parks is a celebrated American composer, arranger and producer, known for The Beach Boys’ Smile and his own cult classic albums Song Cycle and Discover America.
- Release Released via Corbett vs. Dempsey in 2021, tied to a 2020 gallery installation by artist David Hartt.
- A-side An original orchestral arrangement of Old Black Joe, an 1860 Stephen Foster composition, reworked with collage-like production and steel guitar.
- B-side An arrangement of Souvenir de la Havane by 19th century Creole composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk.
- This copy 7 inch single, played once, tiny near-seamsplit bump noted on sleeve top, shipped from Berlin, Germany.
Van Dyke Parks – The Histories (Old Black Joe) (7")
7 inch vinyl single, Corbett vs. Dempsey
7 inch vinyl single, played once with a tiny near-seamsplit bump noted on the top of the sleeve, sold by a Berlin based eBay seller with 100% positive feedback.
Pressing Specifications
Who Is Van Dyke Parks?
Van Dyke Parks is an American composer, arranger, songwriter and producer whose career stretches back to the 1960s, best known for his contributions to The Beach Boys' unfinished Smile and his own influential albums Song Cycle and Discover America. Across decades, Parks has built a reputation as one of American music's most inventive orchestral arrangers, working on landmark projects with Harry Nilsson and Joanna Newsom, and producing records for the Esso Steel Band and calypso legend the Mighty Sparrow.
About The Histories And This Single
Philadelphia based artist David Hartt invited Parks to create an original arrangement of Old Black Joe, an 1860 song by Stephen Foster, for a 2020 installation titled The Histories (Old Black Joe), later exhibited at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles from August 2021 through January 2022. The installation paired two woven tapestries depicting three historical 19th century figures: self-taught landscape painter Robert S. Duncanson, Trinidadian painter Michel-Jean Cazabon, and Stephen Foster himself, whose song has endured as a lament, originally written amid a catalogue largely composed for blackface minstrel shows. Parks' arrangement, first created as a stereo track and later expanded into a quadraphonic score for the installation itself, moves between moods with a collage-like, jump-cut quality, featuring an explosive steel guitar part and closing cameo from the Esso Steel Band. The B-side turns to Louis Moreau Gottschalk, a pioneering pre-jazz American Creole composer, with an arrangement of his piece Souvenir de la Havane.
- A rare, limited release single from a legendary arranger
- Tied to a significant museum installation examining American history
- Distinctive, collage-like orchestral arrangement style
- Features a lesser known Gottschalk arrangement on the B-side
- Very short format as a two-track single
- Niche appeal outside dedicated Van Dyke Parks collectors
- Minor sleeve wear noted in the listing
What is The Histories (Old Black Joe)?
It is a 2021 single by composer Van Dyke Parks, featuring an original arrangement made for artist David Hartt’s 2020 installation piece of the same name.
Is this vinyl copy new or used?
The listing notes the record has been played once, with a tiny near-seamsplit bump on the top of the sleeve.
What is the song Old Black Joe about?
It is an 1860 Stephen Foster composition, historically understood as a dying enslaved man’s lament, part of a songbook Foster largely wrote for blackface minstrel shows of the era.
What is on the B-side of this single?
An arrangement of Souvenir de la Havane by 19th century Creole composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk.
Does this listing ship outside Germany?
The seller is based in Berlin and lists a fixed shipping cost; check the current listing for up to date international shipping options and rates.
Where To Buy This Pressing
Final Spin
- A rare, historically significant single from a legendary American arranger
- Tied to a notable museum installation exploring 19th century history
- Best suited to Van Dyke Parks collectors and orchestral pop fans
The Histories (Old Black Joe) is a thoughtful, rarely heard release from one of American music’s great arrangers, and this listing offers a copy from a highly rated German seller.