Customer Reviews

Sabotage

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I saw one critic characterize this as a strange decade late response to Lou Reed's "Rock N Roll Animal". Interesting thought, but whereas Reed relied heavily on Velvet Underground classics and produced a record that sounds hopelessly dated, Cale produced a vibrant and timeless recording of all new material. (To my knowledge, no studio versions of these tracks exist.)

While "Rock N Roll Animal" is a highly polished generic 70's arena rock record, "Sabotage Live" is an honest one take, no overdub blast of sonic fury, gloriously sloppy. This is so raw that Cale stumbles over the spoken word intro to the first song, then blows out his voice screaming during its climax, but just keeps going. All the worts are left in place.

Cale's voice may be shot after that first song, but no matter. His band of young unknowns plays with tremendous energy and his voice, even hoarse, is fully emotive as he delivers his left-wing diatribes. My favorites here are the opening "Mercenaries (Ready for War)", and the slow moody "Captain Hook", a haunting story of the decline of British colonialism. Other highlights are the angry avant-garde title track and Deerfrance's vocal spotlight on "Only Time Will Tell".

The sound quality on my previous edition of this album was quite good, so I assume this version will sound at least as good. (Don't actually have this new edition.) Also, the last four tracks are new for this edition, so I cannot comment on them. (I am wondering if this is the same version of "Hedda Gabler" that turned up on "Seducing Down the Door". . .)

This is a must for any Cale fan's collection. I would also recommend it as a good first purchase for those wanting to explore. Cale has hit on too many different styles in his solo career to call any one album representative, so this is as good a place to start as any.

Sabotage Live was my introduction to John Cale and the legacy of the Velvet Underground. When the album first came out, it was the rawest, most violent recording I'd ever heard. "Mercenaries" opens the album with a grinding romp through the mind of a nearly psychotic soldier of fortune. The album closes with the startlingly serene meditation that is "Chorale." The bonus tracks include the three tracks from the Animal Justice EP and "Rosegarden Funeral of Sores" which was the b-side to the "Mercenaries" single.

From the opening chords of "Mercenaries (Ready for War)" it's obvious somebody's there to make a point. By the time Cale and his band get to the second piece ("Baby You Know") it's obvious they're not letting up (or letting anybody off the hook easily either--anyone at CBGB that night HAD to listen). Cale's band (Marc Aaron on lead guitar, Joe Bidwell on keyboards, George Scott on bass and Doug Browne on drums) are tight and play as if they're on fire. Cale sounds as if he's trying to devour the mike. His songs are cutting-edge material that explore things we don't like to think about. He doesn't paint pretty pictures but has a sense of humour, albeit a dark one ("my rifle is my friend"?). Not all of the songs are great. The title track is more of a rant with arpeggios than a song. "Dr. Mudd" and "Walkin' the Dog" aren't bad but don't stand well alongside the best works in the set. The best here more than makes up for the weaker spots though. "Mercenaries (Ready for War)" is a chilling and brilliant work. "Baby You Know" subtly suggests an understanding that things didn't have to be grim. The lovely ballad "Only Time Will Tell" is bittersweet and haunting. Deerfrance sings this one beautifully. Her voice isn't strong but it has a ethereal quality that suits the piece. Cale put a viola line into this one that he must have been playing with his heart. "Captain Hook" is a masterpiece on all levels. The song is brilliant piece of writing. The arrangement doesn't have a wasted note and the band executes it magnificently. The lead guitar line Marc Aaron came up with really sounds threatening and ominous. That doesn't happen often enough, at least not in this age of canned product. "Chorale" (intentionally or otherwise) comes off as a sort of a "wake" celebrating the evening. It's the perfect finish.

The extra tracks are a mixed bag that offers an insight into the different styles Cale delves into. Trying to judge any of them as "good" or "bad" is impossible (not many of us really have the vision to fathom all the places where a mind like Cale's will end up). Personally, I enjoyed "Hedda Gabler" and "Memphis", could have done without "Chickenshit" and am still trying to make up my mind about "Rosegarden Funeral of Sores". It has something about it that's intensely interesting.

This live set was a breath of fresh air in 1979 and it still is now. It was well recorded, well played and the material made you think. Its content is valid for all times because it's about things that keep happening. It's raw, raunchy and not always pretty but it's musically solid on all fronts. The sound quality on the reissue is just as good as was on the vinyl.

This is a must for anyone who likes their rock with a bite, a tender heart and a deep intelligence.

The sound on this makes you feel like you're right there crammed into CBGBs with John Cale screaming in your ear-- and it's great. "Mercenaries," from its opening about them "being paid just enough to make them wanna KILL for you, but not enough to make them wanna DIE for you," to the screaming climax of its explosive ending, is a buzz-saw of a start for this thing, and it never really lets up. This is high-energy post-punk at its best, and Cale plays the role to the hilt. The last time I saw him, he'd burned out his voice so badly he couldn't perform-- listen to this and you'll see why that might have happened.....

I know it's rather hard for a John Cale fan to accept the guy dropping his acoustical piano and violin for an electric guitar, and issuing what's most probably the most brutal/ straightforward live album ever- but it would be a crime to ignore that masterpiece, which runs at full voltage all the way down. Captain Hook is probably the best cale performance ever, Mercenaries the best anti-war song ever written, but anyway the whole album is an astonishing experience, provided of course that you do know how to pump up the volume on your stereo amp...

If you like John Cale, and John Cale live with a punk band(and new material) then by all means get this cd! The sound is crisp. The music bombastic and John is at his sneering, nasty best. Note: this also includes the Animal EP as additional tracks.
It is...the perfect cd for the current times with a looming war with Iraq on the horizon "Mercenaries(Ready For War)" is suitably chilling, lyrically. "Captain Hook" which clocks in over 10:00 minutes is jocular. This cd sums up the FEAR, SLOW DAZZLE, and HELEN OF TROY trilogy of mad, erudite, and paranoic Cale compositions. This is a keeper.

The centerpiece of this live album is "Captain Hook," an 11-minute exercise in psychosis and fuzz guitar, nicely augmented by the spooky, wailing background vocals of percussionist "Deerfrance." At the two minute mark there are some nicely descending minor chords, which resolve into a brief guitar solo somewhat reminiscent of the Hunter-Wagner intro to Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane" on "Rock & Roll Animal." More tortured lead guitar arrives at the four minute mark, followed by Deerfrance, then by Cale declaring "I lost my memory today, the day my ship set sail..." At nine minutes, another distorted guitar solo winds its way into more Deerfrance wailing and the repeated howling refrain "By hook or by crook, I am the Captain of this life..." The song is very moody and slowly builds to its apocalyptic climax. It's a great album, but "Captain Hook" is the terrifyingly essential song here. The next song is the tranquil "Only Time Will Tell," a lilting Velvets-style ballad with lead vocals by Deerfrance, which sets you up for the dissonant arrogance of the title track, and that's followed by the hymn-like weirdness of the album's closer, Chorale." A true gem in the Cale catalog.

Sabotage/Live has superb songs performed in a brutal manner. If you feel as though you don't fit in, then you may enjoy this album because John Cale sounds like he's shouting from a place of isolation and outrage.

Sabotage/Live is a seriously underrated album in Cale's oeuvre. Deranged, paranoid, vicious, dangerous--all these adjectives adequately sum up the songs on one of Cale's most visceral recordings. Think of the whole album as a grim obituary for the cold war era, as many of the songs--"Mercenaries (Ready for War)," "Dr. Mudd," and the elegiac "Chorale" all share a vision of nuclear annihilation. Cale's songs here are timely and--surprisingly--hardly dated at all.

This is one very intense album, partly because of the subject matter (genocide, colonialism, denial, etc.)and partly due to the combination of ferocious and restrained performances. A big part of the power of this album is imagining what it must have been like to hear this music performed live, the thought of which sends shivers down my spine. To me, the album works very well as a cohesive unit (even including the bonus studio tracks); there are some standouts though, like "Baby you know", "Dr. Mudd", "Captain Hook", "Walking the dog", "Chorale", and all of the bonus tracks. All in all, I wouldn't suggest this as a starting point into the ouevre of John Cale, but for those acquainted with some of his work from the 70's, it's a fascinating and visceral experience.