{"product_id":"reading-smile-history-myth-and-american-identity-in-brian-wilson-and-van-dyke-parks-long-lost-album-paperback","title":"Reading Smile: History, Myth and American Identity in Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks' Long-Lost Album - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDale Carter\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst conceived in 1966 but only completed in 2004, \u003ci\u003eBrian Wilson Presents Smile\u003c\/i\u003e has been called \"the best-known unreleased album in pop music history\" and \"an American \u003ci\u003eSergeant Pepper.\u003c\/i\u003e\" \u003ci\u003eReading Smile\u003c\/i\u003e offers a close analysis of the recording in its social, cultural and historical contexts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt focuses in particular on the finished work's subject matter as embodied in Van Dyke Parks' contentious yet little understood lyrics, with their low-resolution, highly allusive portrayals of western expansion's archetypes, from Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts to Diamond Head, Hawaii. Documenting their multiple references and connotations, it argues that their invocations of national self-definition are part of a carefully crafted vision of American identity, society and culture both in tune and at odds with the times. Critical of the republic's past practices but convinced that its ideals, values and myths still provided resources to redeem it, the recording is interpreted as a creative musical milestone, an enduring product of its volatile, radical, countercultural times, and an American pop art classic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOf particular relevance to American Studies and popular culture scholars, \u003ci\u003eReading Smile\u003c\/i\u003e will also appeal to those interested in 1960s popular music, not least to fans of Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks and the Beach Boys.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDale Carter is Associate Professor of American Studies at Aarhus University, Denmark, and Director of the university's American Studies Center. Carter is the author or editor of a number of books and scholarly articles on aspects of 20th century American history, society and culture.These include \u003ci\u003eThe Final Frontier: The Rise and Fall of the American Rocket State\u003c\/i\u003e (1987) and (as editor) \u003ci\u003eWar and Cold War in American Foreign Policy, 1942-62\u003c\/i\u003e (2002). Academic journals that have published his work include \u003ci\u003ePopular Music and Society\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePopular Music History\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eRock History\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePopular Music\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Studies in Scandinavia\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eCanadian Review of American Studies\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003eEuropean Journal of American Culture\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 166\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.39 x 9.21 x 6.14 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e January 09, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47473693622450,"sku":"9780367622879","price":93.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/3891\/1666\/files\/17fb0995e06e133c353f4751c242106d.webp?v=1779133569","url":"https:\/\/box.dadyminds.org\/products\/reading-smile-history-myth-and-american-identity-in-brian-wilson-and-van-dyke-parks-long-lost-album-paperback","provider":"DADYMINDS BOX","version":"1.0","type":"link"}