Paris 1919

John Cale | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 26, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reprise / Ada
• ASIN: B000005JAB
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,684 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #88 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

John Cale has one of the richest resumes 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

Product Description

Originally released in 1973, Paris 1919 is Cale's fourth solo release following his departure from The Velvet Underground. Cale's songs on Paris 1919 are hyper-literate numbers filled with political intrigue and shady characters loosely based around the Versailles Conference alluded to in the album's title. Recorded with help from Lowell George and Richie Hayward of Los Angeles southern-rockers Little Feat and the UCLA Symphony Orchestra. Pitchfork called Paris 1919 'the most accessible and most purely beautiful record of Cale's storied, multi-faceted career.' --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All-time great album, inessential bonus tracks, August 18, 2006

By 

Robert P. Inverarity (Silicon Valley, California, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Paris 1919 (Exp) (Audio CD)

I don't know what more I can add to the Paris 1919 discussion. It's arguably the best work by arguably the most unfairly obscure popular music genius of his time. If you don't already own it, stop reading and buy it!

The reissue is what I'm really reviewing, and if I were to rate it on its own I would give it three stars. It's a case of quantity over quality, with unfortunate results.

First, the good. The booklet has great new liner notes by a writer who thoroughly understands the album. Burned Out Affair, despite a flat, possibly drunken vocal, is quite interesting. Though I'm glad it was cut from the album proper, I'm equally glad to hear it. Two alternate versions are fantastic: the Drone Mix of Hanky Panky Nohow and the hidden instrumental take of Macbeth (with masterful electric slide guitar) give new insights into the material and are great listening on their own.

Second, the bad. Pretty much all the other sketches are not particularly interesting at best. The piano mix of Paris 1919, the vocal mix of Antarctica Starts Here, and the informal takes of Endless Plain of Fortune and Graham Green are all good listening, just nothing special or revealing. Some, however, have mumbled partial vocals, muddy arrangements, lyric mistakes, and pitch problems.

Sure, these things happen while recording. This is probably the most honest set of rehearsals and takes I've ever seen on a commercial record -- there appear to be no overdubs or edits of any kind. I'm not at all convinced that's a good thing, however. It seems to me that including alternate versions of every song was overkill, and even undermines the album itself with material that obviously was never meant for public consumption.

If they'd just stuck to new and revelatory versions, we'd have three or four great bonus tracks. As it is, there's an entire alternate album that's not worth more than a couple listens.

Certainly this reissue is worth buying, for the first time or even for the second. Just don't expect anything much of the bonus tracks.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GENTLE POP SONGS FROM JOHN CALE...?, May 2, 2004

By 

Larry L. Looney (Austin, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Paris 1919 (Audio CD)

The cover pic might give it away - John sits in a wicker chair, in a very dapper white suit and vest, staring calmly into the camera (or the eye of the viewer, perhaps). The music on this album is indeed some of the gentlest he ever recorded - pop songs (his own slightly skewed variety, of course...) recorded in Los Angeles in 1973, augmented by some lovely orchestral arrangements. The only song in the set that comes close to a `rock' motif is `Macbeth', Cale's reworking/reprise of Shakespearean tragedy - the rest are slow-or medium-tempo numbers that all fall pretty much into the `mellow' category.

If you read `mellow' as `boring', however, you'd be sadly mistaken - the songs here are built upon some lovely, memorable melodies and arrangements, but they're far from boring. Cale's lyrics here are as wry and intelligent as on any of his more raucous releases - there's insight, humor and irony aplenty in these tunes. He comments on an array of subjects - loneliness, history (and the lessons we either learn or don't, as the case may be), morality, longing, love, pretension, art, religion (this subject being mentioned/invoked more than a couple of times), and more. For instance, in `Hanky panky nohow' Cale sings: `Nothing frightens me more than religion at my door - I never answer panic knocking...' In `Andalucia', a beautiful love song, the image of `castles and Christians' is painted; and in `Paris 1919' which I read as a ghost story of sorts), the perceived threat or terror felt at the encounter with the unexplainable is answered with `I'm the bishop and I've come to claim you with my iron drum'.

And speaking of ghosts, their presence haunts several of the songs - ghosts from history (Columbus, Segovia, Graham Greene, Macbeth and Banquo) parade before us, and in general the taste and feeling of eras bygone inhabit the program, leaving the listener with the feeling of actually witnessing, albeit it in an evanescent form, scenes from other times. Cale's intellect and imagination (and, again, his humor) are powerful tools - he pulls it off nicely, that which might be handled clumsily by an artist less deft.

This is certainly a far cry from the stark and seminal FEAR, and the rocked-out SLOW DAZZLE that were to follow. For a really raw, brutal live recording (and a great, energetic document), check out SABOTAGE from 1979. PARIS 1919 is definitely a transition album from his beautiful THE ACADEMY IN PERIL (1972), which is my all-time favorite from his catalogue, to the harsher music that would follow - but an essential document for anyone who wants to understand the complete artist.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OMG....12 more parts of an absolute classic, June 27, 2006

By 

B. Margolis (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Paris 1919 (Exp) (Audio CD)

I couldn't be more excited than if George Martin announced that more previously unknown parts of "Sgt. Pepper" had been found!

The 9 track original LP is just about the best LP to be released in the early 1970's (it was released in 1973) and the lousy sounding Warner Archives CD has remained a good catalog seller after all these years.

Now, UK Rhino has released a 20 track CD (US Rhino is too damn stupid to put it out here....). Even tho at the time of this review, Amazon has not updated their listing. Here's the extra tracks:

10.Burned Out Affair (amazing outtake....slightly flat vocals...could've used another take)
11.Child's Christmas In Wales (alt version)
12.Hanky Panky Nohow (drone mix)
13.The Endless Plain Of Fortune (alt version)
14.Andalucia (rehearsal)
15.MacBeth (alt version)
16.Paris 1919 (string mix)
17.Graham Greene (rehearsal)
18.Half Past France (alt version)
19.Antarctia Starts Here (rehearsal)
20.Paris 1919 (piano mix)
21.HIDDEN TRACK; Macbeth (wild unissued backing track!)

.....wow these are just plain fabulous....early versions, rough rehearsals, alternative versions of 9 of the greatest pieces of serious pop music ever!)

Anyone who like this classic album needs this reissue.

Wouldn't it be nice for Amazon to update their listing?