John Cale’s Orch-Pop Masterwork Paris 1919 Reissued

In 1971, John Cale, the classically trained Welshman who brought avant-garde spice to the Velvet Underground, found himself adrift in sunny Los Angeles. Immediately after his dismissal from the Velvets in the fall of 1968, he… It seemed To land on his feet. Kyle will produce Funny people“The self-titled debut album and NicoIt was highly acclaimed Marble index and Desert beach.

After that, he would get a recording contract and a gig as a staff producer with Warner-Reprise Records. But his three-year marriage to fashion designer Betsey Johnson collapsed, and he went on to marry Hollywood’s true wild child, the one who would catalyze his love of cocaine and mayhem, Miss Cinderella. Frank Zappa– She founded an all-girl band, GTOs.

Work side by side Lou Reed Inspired John Cale To write live songs, which led to his country rock-flavored debut CD and Brill Building on CBS, Violence is vintage (1970). Cale was not happy with the album or its first release from Warner; The academy is in danger. Although the latter was intended to be a “symphony” and would be promoted as the label’s “debut classical album,” Kyle felt he had not finished it properly. He called it “a trivial excuse… lowly Vaughan Williams stuff”.

Cale is musically quiet but lyrically sharp Paris 1919 Dissatisfaction will be born from this. In La La Land, in the midst of another turbulent, short-lived marriage, he reflects on his childhood in a small mining town in Wales, the working-class parents who raised him, and the ever-present shadow of the two world wars. They held out. As he puts it: “These were all songs about this Welsh guy lost in the Los Angeles desert, nostalgic for all the things he loved about Europe and its history.”

With Domino’s new reissue of this expanded and remastered edition of the classic, Cale’s more accessible and peaceful work will undoubtedly gain new fans, especially among young people who love orchestral pop like love‘s Changes are forever and Zombies‘ Odyssey and Oracle. Although it was highly praised upon its release in February 1973 by Melody maker and Rolling StoneIt sold poorly and was usurped by the hype generated by its old partner Lou Reed’s Berlinreleased later that year.

When John Cale began working on the album in December 1971, he hoped to have Joe Boyd as the album’s producer. Nick Drake, Fairport Conventionand Amazing string bandbehind the painting. Since Boyd was unavailable, Cal reached out to someone who might have been a better partner, a talent well-versed in the lush arrangements and glossy production that would serve as the watermarks for Paris 1919. Chris Thomas, the producer known for his training with the Beatles, was the man who recently shepherded Procol Harum’s hugely successful live album with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

Fellow Warner producer, Ted Templeman, might suggest what could be the secret sauce to this recording. Ted played cal pieces of Dixie chickenthe new album by the funky band Little Feat, and suggested that he use their leader, guitarist Lowell George, and drummer Richie Hayward as his backing band, along with pianist Bill Payne on several numbers. This seemingly incongruous musical pairing will be enhanced by another vital addition. It was Wilton Felder, bass guitarist for the Jazz Crusaders, a session star who would add low keys to songs by Marvin Gaye, the Jackson Five, Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, and many others.

Initial release for Paris 1919 It featured nine songs, each a winner in its own right. The new package from Domino includes seven bonus tracks as well as in-depth liner notes penned by Grayson Haver Currin. Six bonus tracks are demos or rehearsals that highlight Cale’s creative process. One, titled “I Shouldn’t Smell Cocaine,” finds the producer lightheartedly warning Cale not to use the drug after he misses a take on a tune. The final payoff, “Fever Dream: You a Ghost,” is a nine-minute cinematic extravaganza of loops and audio recorded in the year 2024. Its mood is the bastard child of Paris 1919 And Cal and Red Songs for Drellatheir breakthrough 1990 album toasting their first benefactor, Andy Warhol.

Paris 1919 It begins with a wonderful piece of fast tempo and high holiday spirit, “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” Like the Dylan Thomas prose from which it takes its title, this song is a nostalgic look at John Cale’s youth, beginning with the lyrics “With the mistletoe and the green candle to Halloween we go.” The track is enhanced by the addition of Will George’s soaring slide guitar figure, something that did not appear in the slower first rehearsal that appeared on the bonus tracks. Also crucial is Wilton Felder’s bass, which seeps in a James Jamerson jam that becomes the song’s main rhythmic driver.

The next tune, “Hanky ​​Panky Nohow,” may be one of John Cale’s most beautiful tunes. The master of the latest album is a dose of pure serenity – picked acoustic guitar, church organ, and orchestral strings, keeping the beat with high-frequency tambourine hits. The calm contrasts with the harsh edge of the lyrics and their message: “Nothing scares me more than debt at my door.” The new Domino remaster includes two working versions of this song: a pre-acoustic guitar with strings replacing the selected arpeggios and a fantastic “Drone Mix”. The latter is pure Velvets, just Cale’s voice accompanied by a violin duo, reflecting his early apprenticeship with the minimalist composer La Monte Young.

“The Endless Plain of Fortunes” is the first of many tunes that evoke Europe and World War I. Cale’s powerful, brassy arrangement enhances his beautiful, melancholy melodies. Like “A Child’s Christmas in Wales”, “Andalusia” is a love song to a place and feelings you want to return to. Once again, Lowell George’s beautiful answering guitar figures, combined with a heavy taste of country funk, help push this song forward.

And now, the great Macbeth! For many years, while “Andalusia” was lulling me to sleep, I was getting a jolt of awareness and heart palpitations from the raging slab of rock ‘n’ roll called “Macbeth.” Here, the foot percussion and legendary drumming of Little Feat’s Richie Hayward provide the solid rock foundation. George soars above it all with his slide guitar breaks and solos, especially in the outro/fade. Here, we find Cale in the kind of screaming voice that he would bring to the fore on later singles like his covers of “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Fear Is a Man’s Best Friend.”

Side two begins with the Royal title track. Bowed strings and brass carry the music, adding more instrumentation, harmonies and heaviness to each passing verse. “‘Paris 1919’ was an example of the best way to say something really ugly,” Kyle said. Beaujolais and the Champs-Élysées feature in the lyrics of this continental-themed piece, along with the lyric “You’re a ghost, la la la la la la la.” These lyrics would return on the 2024 bonus track, “Fever Dream”.

Graham Greene is the name of one of the most famous British novelists of the twentieth century. It’s one of the lighter moments on the album, both musically and lyrically. Cale and company flirt with reggae, with lyrics about having tea with the famous author “in a colorful outfit of your choice.”

“Half Past France” is another war song, said to be about the last train journey of a now dead soldier, back from the fields of Dunkirk to Paris. It’s orchestrated with a mournful organ topped with George’s delicious guitar riffs. Kyle’s vocals are appropriately world-weary as he repeats the phrase “We’re so far away, floating in this bay.”

“Paris 1919” concludes with the phrase, “Antarctica begins here.” The tune is a lost lullaby with a distinct Los Angeles flavour, a slow, psychedelic song about a “great megalomaniacal movie queen”, and an acoustic version of the classic about a fading silent screen star, “Sunset Boulevard”. According to Cale, it is also a reference to his addiction to cocaine at the time, which almost caused him to use the nickname “Cocale”.

Cale’s vocals are whispered over a McCartney-like Wurlitzer electric piano. An excellent bridge section featuring a “squeeze box” and orchestra makes the song soar for a solemn moment. As the final verse ends, the pace builds to a crawl with the next line: “The anesthetics are wearing off, Antarctica starts here.” In the end, we’re left with a strange final chord, a musical mystery that will never be resolved in a harmonious and enjoyable way. Unlike “Macbeth” which used to shock me after every play, this tune never failed to send me to sleep-land.

The two-record vinyl set I reviewed from Domino Music sounds excellent, providing a warmth somewhat missing from the digital releases found on streaming services. At the same time, Domino was re-released Paris 1919′Q experimental counterpart, The academy is in danger. This largely musical collection is another worthwhile addition to Cale’s diverse discography.