One of the greatest song writers of all time, Victoria Williams, has a kind of visionary swamp lyrical poetry thing that reminds me a little of Neal Young, a little of William Blake, and a little of Lou Reed:
OK. That’s all for now. She doesn’t publish her lyrics, and that’s all I’m gonna transcribe for now.
One of the most disgraceful audience displays I’ve ever seen in my life was when Victoria Williams opened for Richard Thompson at the Fillmore sometime in the late '80s. She was booed off the stage. (Can you imagine a Richard Thompson audience being so boorish?) I thought she was amazing–her performance was so raw and off-kilter that it reminded me of Captain Beefheart. I was kinda disappointed when I picked up her album (Happy Come Home) and it was all produced ‘n’ stuff.
I couldn’t agree more! I’m ashamed to admit that I first became aware of Victoria Williams because she’s married to former Jayhawk Mark Olsen, and I discovered her back catalogue that way. But at least I discovered her work! I think she ranks up there with Lucinda Williams, Julie Miller, Gillian Welch, and Patty Griffin in the singer/songwriter pantheon.
I felt the same way for a while, but then I came to really appreciate the production. It’s by Van Dyke Parks, who’s heavily influenced by his sometime collaborator, Brian Wilson. He writes Disney soundtracks and stuff. His over-the-top swirling orchestrations are actually the only way to present her music: it sets the stage for the massive sweep and drama that she manages to pack into such tiny little packages. Most of her songs are stories; the music makes each one a little opera. The contrast between the style of her singing and the style of music creates a totally unique space that I think really, really carries each song to a whole new place.