Song Cycle

Wilson's ambitious Smile project ultimately fell apart, a story that's been told many times.

But the collaboration opened the door at Warner Brothers Records, where Parks made his own debut album, Song Cycle.

The record was a psychedelic blend of folk music, ragtime, and elaborate orchestrations that became a cult classic.

By then, Parks was already recognized for arranging music, an aspect of his career that had begun when songwriter Terry Gilkyson put him to work on The Bare Necessities in Disney's 1967 film, The Jungle Book.

I don't mind telling you that.

[laughs] So Warners did something unheard of at the time.

They gave an arranger and a session musician who'd never made an album a huge budget and creative freedom to make Song Cycle.

What was Lenny telling the people who had the yay or nay power at the time?