Product Description

PARIS 1919 is considered by many critics (and Cale fans) tobe his best. Released in 1973, 1919 was recorded in Los Angeles with members of Little Feat, Wilton Felder and the UCLAOrchestra, and stands as one of the best "rock/classical" fusions, mainly because Cale (who is a classically-trained musician) avoids the heavy-handed pomp and pretensions that besiege so much "art-rock". He also manages to maintain the qualities of tunefulness and whimsy.
His lyrics are absurdist/Dadaist-style poetry and word play, sung in a plaintive, unaffected, almost choirboy style. The songs have a longing,haunted feel to them-"Half Past France" is a perfect distillation of the musings that often accompany late-night travel. Throughout, the usual rock instrumentation is coloured andcaressed by exquisite pedal steel guitar, French horn, harmonium and strings. Cale remembers to rock out, too: "Macbeth" is a dense, driving, Move-styled take on the Shakespeare play, complete with raving, keening slide guitar and thundering drums. PARIS 1919 stands as one of the "lost" classic rock albums of the 1970s.

Track Listing

1. Child's Christmas In Wales
2. Hanky Panky Nohow
3. Endless Plain Of Fortune
4. Andalucia
5. Macbeth
6. Paris 1919
7. Graham Greene
8. Half Past France
9. Antarctica Starts Here

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #101440 in Music
• Released on: 1993-10-25
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
John Cale has one of the richest CVs in pop, with experience in avant-garde music even before he met Lou Reed and they formed the Velvet Underground. His record productions include such landmarks as the debut by the Stooges and Patti Smith's Horses. But as a solo artist, Cale has often seemed caught between his sophisticated leanings and his fondness for punky attitudes. Two early albums, Vintage Violence and Paris 1919, were the work of a highly developed pop musician; later albums found Cale the pop provocateur dominating the show. Cale's a fairly deadpan singer, but the sweet mix of rock band instrumentation and fuller orchestration make Paris 1919 one of his strongest efforts, and the lovely "Andalucia" one of his very best songs. If the righteous boogie of "Macbeth" sounds familiar, that's because Lowell George and Richie Hayward, guitarist and drummer of Little Feat, formed the core of Cale's studio band. --John Milward

Customer Reviews

Cale's definitive songwriter album
John Cale had a already become a man of indefinable talents long before the release of Paris 1919, yet for me his best work inside or outside the Velvet Underground can be found in this album, part of his peak songwriting period (which includes the darker textures of Fear). The beauty of his lyricism is haunting. Cale's literacy is very much an undervalued weapon and becomes striking in the albums fulcrum and title track, a sly critique of the high authority of the church. The tracks have a historical quality which resonate with wit and cunningly smooth balladeering. The arrangements are exceptional and easy on the ear, making this an essential touchstone for newcomers.
One obvious point after repeated listens is the curious lack of widespread praise in comparison to the notably patchy nature of Lou Reed's catalogue. Reed, of course, made several worthy albums in Transformer and the underrated Berlin, but nothing comparable in coherence or lasting quality to Cale.
Cale's best songs are here, anyone having sampled his collections or other albums would be pushed to disagree (though his work with Eno and his production roles are key for further investigation). 'Hanky Panky' and 'Andalucia' have a majestic warmth, while 'Half past France' is a reflective masterstroke. The understated touch of the later tracks cannot be mirrored in my understatement for this album. It is a definitive british recording.

Poetic masterpiece
This classic early solo album is like a collection of short stories and contains some of Cale’s most poetic lyrics. There is a subdued, almost melancholic air about most of these, like Child’s Christmas and Hanky Panky Nohow. The impressive orchestral backing make it less of a rock album than most of his best later work (like during the Island period). An exception is Macbeth – a robust slice of rolling rock. The arrangements may be orchestral, but the melodies are simple and tuneful for the most part, as on the lovely Andalucia. The delightful title track with its edgy arrangement, birdsong and “you’re a ghost, la la la” refrain is especially evocative, while the swaying reggae beat and trenchant lyrics of Graham Greene make this another classic track, and quite catchy too. Half Past France is a sad slow ballad and Antarctica is a moody piece with subdued, whispered vocals. Paris 1919 is a very “literary” album and Cale at his most accessible.

Baroque and roll classic
Paris 1919 is John Cale's finest album, a one-stop shop embracing orchestral rock (the title track, Child's Christmas in Wales), out and out rock 'n' roll (Macbeth), cod reggae (Graham Greene) and some of the most evocative ballads ever commited to tape (Half Past France, Andalucia). Rejecting this orchestral route, and later dismissing the album as a 'Procol Harum soundalike', Cale went on to make the more biting, but equally brilliant rock albums, Fear and Slow Dazzle, but Paris 1919 is still probably the best introduction to John Cale for the uninitiated, and his regular live shows are testament to the fact that these songs don't require any embellishements to stand the test of time.