1001 Albums Generator
Paris 1919 by John Cale

Paris 1919

John Cale

1973
2.96
Rating
23345
Votes
1
6%
2
25%
3
42%
4
20%
5
7%
Distribution
Genres: Rock, Pop Styles: Art Rock, Singer Songwriter, Baroque Pop

Reviews (page 4 of 8)

This album is pretty much a perfect length. It's quite good and has a few absolutely soaring moments

Fun but not fun. 2/5.

Never heard of this guy, and not sure I'll know any of these songs. meh, didn't even really give it a chance. 2 stars

I just listened to this album for the first time a few months ago. I really liked it then, and I think I liked it more on this listen. Lots of cool choices, and he really plays well within different styles and genres. It's cool to learn that Lowell George played guitar on this album. Listening with that in mind, I feel like the guitar adds a lot more than I realized on first listen.

Somehow self-indulgent and forgettable at the same time.

After “Hanky Panky Nohow”, I was done with this collection of questionable poetry put to music.

I honestly don’t get why this one tends to get lower ratings, because I thought it was great. John Cale surprised me with how good his singing is, especially considering how intense and experimental his Velvet Underground work was. His voice fits perfectly with the lush, almost orchestral feel of this album. The concept behind Paris 1919 is really interesting, and that sense of historical melancholy runs through the whole record. Cale’s Welsh accent adds a little extra depth and character too, giving the songs a kind of old-world charm that matches the theme perfectly. Child’s Christmas in Wales, Paris 1919, and Half Past France were the big standouts for me. Half Past France especially hit hard; it’s beautifully written and really poignant. This one’s a gem that deserves more love than it gets. Favorite Song: Paris 1919

It’s clear from listening to this that John Cale is a huge fan of this album. But me, not so much. Some stuff to enjoy but otherwise pretty plodding and dull.

Strings. Pianos. Poetry. What’s not to like? ‘Macbeth’ seems like it’s from a different album altogether and is the only skip for me.

This was enjoyable. Had never heard of the artist or any of the songs, but would probably listen to some of them again.

< the Beatles Love velvet underground but why is he trying to be a Beatle?

Quite possibly the twoiest two that has ever dared to two. I can only imagine this was deemed "relevant" because it's the British dude from The Velvet Underground.

I’d be interested in the conversation they had to decide this has to be on the list. I’d be curious what was the selling point that made this a must listen. The only thing I could find redeemable was it was short enough not to make me annoyed I was listening to it.

Really good. This album deserves to be more well known. Really great 70s soft rock / pop. Very well composed songs. I love the Velvet Underground but had never listened to any of John Cale's solo work until now. I know this is more pop oriented than most of his work, I'm glad he made a change of direction for a moment. This album still has got me interested in exploring more of his work.

Imagine if Stephen Fry were a music album. That’s Paris 1919 by John Cale. It’s so far up its own backside and so pleased with itself that at times you can literally (not figuratively) hear the smugness. A combination of fancy words, weird baroque style music and an unspectacular voice, I won’t be revisiting this again. The only positive is this: This project is to listen to 1001 albums you must hear; at no point are we told that it is the 1001 best albums (that’s subjective anyway) and sometimes the album of the day is something out there, something unorthodox. It’s always interesting to hear something different. That doesn’t justify a second star though because this was not an enjoyable listen.

nice relaxing album

Melodies are great on this. Each song just flows beautifully one in the other. It's pretty good songwriting and definitely is in the pop canon, while being rather rich and orchestral in parts. Also quite a blend of styles, Graham Greene struck me for being quite different from the rest. Some of the tracks follow that ballad like structure, but in a way that feels quite unique. By the end of it, you just think, what a great record.

Nothing to say really, it’s a guy that used to be in critic favourite VU doing a record that wouldn’t have stood out in the year it came out. Absolutely forgettable 2 Star

Nothing special here in my opinion, but also not bad

mid if folk rock originated in the 1800s this is what it would sound like

Very innovative for 1973, like a precursor for ELO. But not much on this is news in 2025. I liked a couple of the tracks on the outtakes, like the drone version of Hanky Panky Nohow. 3.5/5

C'est tellement fade et molasse que j'ai l'impression d'écouter du pain blanc.

I liked this more than I was expecting, some pretty fun rock songs

English milquetoast. Even the more energetic tracks felt dull and lifeless. Maybe there's something deeper there. And I'll fully admit there might be. I'm just not inclined after this first listen to give it a second. Solid 2.

A pleasant surprise. Sweet, concise, subtly ornate and understated. The title track is a beauty.

Very nice. All very pretty, soft and picturesque. Strings come in and layer scenes with richness. "Macbeth" then turns it up with some rompy glam that sounds really good. Drums get heavy on this track. Second side is a bit less dreamy and more cognizant (though "Half Past France" still floats away in a cloud). Still very picturesque throughout. Cale's singing kinda reminds me of Eno's. Like it's not "good" in technical terms, but it's very sincere (and I mean all that favorably). This whole album has an Eno quality, and I don't think there's any way Eno didn't hear and wasn't affected by this album. Lovely production. Beautiful record.

I am not a great big fan of the Velvet Underground. I tend to think they were kind of up their own asses most of the time. So I wasn't really looking forward to this record today because I figure that anything that John Cale wrote was likely to be pretty Velvet Undergroundy. I was pretty happy to be wrong about that, cause this record wasn't half bad. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't amazing; it was pretty sappy and saccharine on the front half. But, it was pretty listenable without ever getting into pretentious shitheadery. And it wasn't terribly long. I doubt I'll ever give it another spin, but I realize that any listenability that the Velvet Underground ever achieved was likely because of John Cale. 3.5/5 Turns out, that’s not really true. My buddy is a big Velvet Underground fan and says John Cale is exactly the reason why VU was so weird. John Cale is a super weird dude, apparently. Anyway, this record is alright, despite John Cale’s predilection toward weirdness.

not as experimental as what I would have expected from a member of the Velvet Underground. Pretty mellow, but not a bad listen.

Não é de todo ruim, mas acaba passando um pouco batido. Há neste disco ótimos momentos, como se espera de um artista como John Cale. Algo que me pegou em algumas partes foram as ótimas melodias. Mas acho que Cale por si só não consegue sustentar este disco. Os vocais dele deixam muito a desejar. O pouco de atenção que prestei nas letras deu pra perceber que elas são boas e bem escritas, mas o alcance vocal de Cale não faz as letras brilharem como deveriam. Ele me lembra o delivery do Ringo, na verdade. Os momentos bons são muito bons, não dá pra negar. Eu imagino que eu teria amado este álbum se ainda estivéssemos na década de 1970, e eu tivesse acabado de comprar uma cópia dele em LP, e estivesse sentado na sala do som em uma poltrona supremamente confortável, tendo acabado de tirar meus sapatos depois de um dia de trabalho. Essa é a vibe que ele me passa acima de tudo, uma vibe forte de relaxamento, descanso. É algo bom, e isso certamente deu uma alavancada no meu aproveitamento e na nota que darei ao disco, o tirando da mediocridade. 4/5

It is fine

V impressed with the arrangements and low down groovie about it but got bored. Alo the cocaine song lol.

Pedestrian

This album was pretty good.

Not much to say about this one. Not bad, but forgettable. Like a 2.25 out of 5

Booooring

Quite obscure, very British, a little Beatles-esque Fav song: Paris 1919

I've never liked John Cale solo as much as i've liked Velvet Underground stuff.

Fun, but not sure I'll come back to it.

"Highly melodic songs with arcane and complex lyrics" says Wikipedia... I would agree. This is an unusual album, and I'll not sure I'll be returning to it, but I welcome the addition to my musical knowledge - I hadn't really paid attention to how John Cale fitted in to *things* although I knew the name. Anyway, it's interesting that Lou Reed saw him as the wacky one, because this particular album seemed very gentle. Wacky in a spacy sense, I guess, but not musically challenging or avant-garde. I didn't gel with it, unfortunately. A bit too whimsical, perhaps, and it was definitely dragging for me, by the end.

Not memorable but inoffensive

Just an easy listening album. That's really all it is. It's nothing like the Velvet Underground's abrasive, dark rock sound. That said, it's a pretty decent pop album. The song "Macbeth" is significantly louder and more rock oriented than the rest of the album.

Hanky panky know howwww 🗣️🗣️ Also the I Must Not Sniff Cocaine interlude lmao. Very funny for a p soft singer-songwriter album.

Boring ahhh hell so far

I’m back! 6/7 month break. Really enjoyed this, has highs and lows. Overall groovy pop - rock (70’s definition). Will definitely listen again. Would be nice to hear it with lyrics too. Thought at first it reminded me of Velvet Underground, funny that John Cale collaborated with Lou Reed a bunch.

It had some creative lyrics that I appreciated for their imagery, but did not understand at all. Overall fine songs, but mostly I just know that this album exists now and will probably never think about it again.

Haunting grandeur, Little feat Andalucia Paris 1919

Hey cool, Okkervil River covered one of these songs.

1919 seems like it’d have been a weird year to be in Paris.

I don’t get this album at all. Not one song was enjoyable or interesting to me.

i haven’t listened to this album in years and i’m not sure it really holds up but i still find it oddly enjoyable

Another one that I'm really grateful to have found because of this. Never gotten into the Velvet Underground really, had no idea that John Cale was a founding member. Had no real idea who John Cale even was, but this is an incredible record. 4/5

Me gusta John Cale porque nunca sé muy bien si soy super fan o si en realidad no entiendo mucho lo que quiere hacer, pero en general siempre da buenos discos. Paris 1919 me gusta porque al inicio parece que vamos a escuchar una onda un tanto folk que no va a variar mucho, y de la mitad para adelante todo cambia y mete un rock pop bastante cool. Y bueno, la voz del tipo es otra cosa.

Interesting but not noteworthy. 3*

Beatles if they were boring

How did I not know about John Cale's solo work until now??? This is a fantastic, rich '70s folk album in the vein of Nick Drake. I have to think he was a huge influence on Belle and Sebastian.

Not as weird as I want from Cale

Knowing some of the Velvet Undergrounds tunes, I was not expecting something distinct, but... and I might be wrong, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this. And that is not a slight to the Velvet Underground. This felt at times like a wonderfully weird smorgasbord of UK contemporary roc-folk-psychedelia. Think part Beatles, part Kinks, which at times I guess they were competing for the same sounds. Anyways, I'll complete this review by saying I enjoyed this a good deal. And community note: I listened as the original 9 track album.

This was good but a little on the longer side. Didn’t really care for the demo tapes and wish there was a non-deluxe version. With that being said I feel like I could see myself listening to individual songs

I enjoyed this while cooking

1.5 - Bad

There were a few songs that I liked. The rest were kinda meh. Glad the album was short.

I gather that Cale is typically moe avant-garde than we hear on this album which sits in a more art-pop space, not unlike something Bowie might produce on one of his more subdued days. I think there's some subtelty and complexity to this that is difficult to pickup in one listen so whilst I don't have strong feelings, I think in will bear repeated listens so I may return to it one day.

As a huge Velvet Underground fan I was looking forward to this, but was disappointed. All a bit twee and lacking the edge that Lou Reed's vocals provide.

Heretofore, I was only familiar with John Cale through his association with Lou Reed. I had heard Velvet Underground's first two albums and the Reed/Cale homage to Andy Warhol, Songs for Drella. So it was quite disorienting to find an album of radio-friendly John Cale. The opening track made me think of Brian Eno so I checked for the producer credit and it was Chris Thomas. (Incidentally, it was interesting to me that Thomas went on to have a production credit on Nevermind the Bollocks by Sex Pistols and INXS's Kick.) Anyway, there's an alternate universe where this album was huge and multiple songs became radio staples. In that universe, I think of this album as a 4.5. But this is not that universe, so I am only giving Paris 1919 a 3.

surprised i liked this as much as i did, but what do you know? i can't get enough of this baroque pop stuff. i didn't even know it was called baroque pop until i started 1001. i love music!! this was going to be a 4, but then i searched john cale on the internet and went to images. ok grandpa!! get it!!!! 5 stars. highlights - child's christmas in wales, the endless plain of fortune, macbeth, paris 1919, graham greene

It's OK, but a little dull

Fairly melodic album. Soft singing style. Most the songs on the album up to the title song were similar. Paris 1919 introduced a new set of instruments - felt more like a musical song ( possibly the name, use of trumpets too - made me feel of Les Mis). I did enjoy the song as a different pace But the rest of the album didn’t do enough for me to warrant another listen

Paris 1919 Who knew this guy founded The Velvet Underground and is bloody Welsh!! First track is Steffs festive anthem, without a doubt. This guy is the real deal, has produced and been involved with many of the all time great records, though for me, his solo tracks are meh, obviously vibes with the synergy of collaborators. The track Hanky Panky Nohow… enough said. Lyrics like “Andalusia, when will I see ya” make me want to punch myself. ⭐️⭐️

Talented multi instrumentalist and good songwriter, some interesting melodic songs, but the vocals are poor

I was not expecting this music based on what I know about John Cale. I was a little disappointed at first. I mean this is a pretty straight forward pop album. I was expecting more experimentation. That said, the album grew on me, it’s not the best thing I ever heard but there’s some decent tracks on it.

The only thing I knew about John Cale was that he was in the Velvet Underground, but he was coming to play at a venue I went to all the time and the tickets were only $10, so I said “what the hell” and drove from Greensboro to Carrboro, NC and saw him play at the Cat’s Cradle on October 9, 1997. He mostly sat at the piano and performed all of Fragments of a Rainy Season and it was a tie for the best concert I’ve ever been to.* I was used to seeing 20-something year old indie rockers doing 90’s indie rock and this could not have been more different. It was otherworldly. To this day, I have never had an experience with live music quite like that one. That night he performed “The Endless Plain of Fortune” and “Child’s Christmas in Wales” but they were vastly stripped down compared to the versions on this album. Years later I would torrent all of John Cale’s albums to see if the magic that I experienced when I saw him live had ever been captured on one of his studio albums but none of them ever hit me the way that concert did. His studio albums aren’t bad but I could see someone hearing one for the first time not being that into it. But man, that night in the fall of 1997 he was something else. It’s almost thirty years later and I am still in awe of that performance. If this album didn’t wow you then check out Fragments of a Rainy Season. And when you see an artist coming to play a show that you think might be cool and are considering going; do. It might just be one of the greatest concerts you’ll ever see in your life. *Tied with seeing James Brown at the Greenwood Civic Center on December 31, 1995. Greenwood didn’t get many concerts, so it was already a big deal. He put on a killer show for hours but because it was a Sunday he wouldn’t play “Sex Machine” despite multiple requests. But then it hit midnight, he and the band led a singalong of “For Auld Lang Syne” and then James Brown - maybe the best pure showman of the 20th Century - looked out at the crowd and said “Well, it ain’t Sunday no more” and they did “Sex Machine” and blew the fucking roof off the place. There were asses in that civic center that hadn’t shaken in decades that shook like it was their job that night. It was transcendent. The fact that a Welshman behind a piano in a 200-capacity club was able to match that moment should tell you something about how good that John Cale show was.

We have Sergeant Peppers at home

Waking up on a Tuesday morning pondering the early results of the fantasy football season. A 1-1 record can feel like losing sometimes but this album makes you look at it with a little more optimism than usual. Egbuka is real. 3.5

Maybe it was because I only had access to the Deluxe Version, but this thing went on and on. At first I was like hey this is kinda neat, but only a few tracks had something interesting going on. It's meandering and too artful for my liking. I noticed that this guy is from Velvet Underground and friends with Andy Warhol, so this trying to be very arty makes sense (nothing against those things, just the vibe I pick up)

Laid back chill album

Generic as hell.

Okayish background noise. But it gets boring towards the end.

This wasn’t terrible. That said, it was so forgettable I had to skip through and sample Sunday night to even remember what I listened to on Friday. 2.5/5

I thought I was listening to the B-side outtake sessions of Spinal Tap’s Cups And Cakes/Flower People era…and then I realized this was written as a serious work. Yikes.

This sounded like a saltine cracker and I have never felt so white listening to this. The title track was a little interesting. The rest fell quite flat for me. Parts of it sounded familiar but not as good as what it reminded me of.

I thought this was fine. One of those where you listen on Friday and then pretty much completely forget about it come Monday. 2.75/5

Better than Velvet Underground but still not my thing.

Title track may just be one of the best songs I've ever heard.

I think I’ve listened to this like a dozen times because I keep forgetting to score it afterwards. I like it. And I don’t.

Didn't like it, didn't hate it.

Assez éclectique entre rock, pop, un peu vibe Elton John par moment, pas un gros kiff particulièrement j'ai eu du mal à rentrer dedans

Sympa, un peu pour la route des vacances

J'ai passé un très bon moment ! Le genre change, j'ai pas l'habitude d'écouter ce style de musique mais ça m'a beaucoup plu. 4/5

I really wanted to like this, but I was just bored the whole time. It's typical 1970's easy listening pop rock. meh.

3/5, good to listen to at work

Beautiful, brisk, really enjoyable. Will return to this.

I didn't enjoy it as much as I should.

I quite disliked this at first, on my tinny car stereo. Started over for real with headphones later. Whether a different day/time/mood contributed, I felt positive towards a number of the tunes. Nothing I’d seek out, but I appreciated the variety and uniqueness there.

Excellent album!

I enjoyed it much more than whenever I previously listened to it. A couple fantastic songs and the rest were pretty good. Beautiful orchestral pop rock Rating: 4.3

Not always the biggest fan of Cale’s voice, but between his writing and Lowell George’s guitar work, there’s more than enough goodness here. 3.5/5

Listened Before? N This reminded me of the Beatles later stuff and the Beach Boys. It was okay, but I'll stick to the bigger acts. It was easy to listen to, but just not all that unique - especially by the time it was released in the 70's. Not sure why I needed to hear it. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Paris 1919

Tittelsangen e ganske bra

Really enjoyed this album. Not what I expected from John Cale at all.

This was ok, but not sure why on this list again.

I don’t know why I like it, but I do. That’s an oxymoron, but it’s true

Really nice. Was very hesitant when I read that he cofounded The Velvet Underground but this was so much better than any of their stuff. Sounded really nice, lyrics were solid. Overall just a very enjoyable experience.

the music was much more interesting than the vocals, but not enough to keep me engaged. another "meh" album

Listened to this whilst at a football match. We won 3-1 so maybe this album was a lucky charm or smth idk. Come on you Rsssssss

big beatles vibes tbh

Paris 1919 is a cool, kinda dreamy record that didn’t hit me straight away, but I get the feeling it’s one that opens up the more you spin it.

Your average 70’s folk

You're a ghost!

Pues ni bien ni mal, ole por andalucia colaboracion especial con marge sipson al final de locos. Tiene algo sutil el disco que lo hace mas agradable que desagradable

Paris 1919 is a great song-- the rest of the album is *good* but not particularly memorable. It just sort of happens. I think because the instrumentals overpower the vocal track versus complementing it and that there aren't any strong hooks. The albums has the vibes of a 1970's melancholy road trip

Really interesting album - not familiar with John Cale at alll previously

This was actually really good and pretty and all, but it really could have been *great* with some more machines that NEATLY PUMP AIR

Didn’t really know what to expect. Sounds quite silly and fun. Goofy lyrics. Not too bad, but nothing special.

# 549 : Paris 1919 by John Cale Paris 1919 – Mediocrity in a Velvet Suit Pleasant enough, sure—but are you seriously telling me this made the cut over literally any of the other thousands of albums out there? Paris 1919 is like sipping lukewarm tea while reading poetry you don’t quite understand. It’s cultured, it’s composed, and it’s… kind of boring. “Macbeth” is the highlight, but even that feels like the album’s way of saying, “Look, I can be interesting… I just choose not to.” If too much of a good thing is bad, then too much of a mediocre thing is just exhausting. Verdict: A polite yawn in album form. Avoid unless you're curating a list of musical wallpaper. If you have to listen to this, look out for : Macbeth Listened: 19/08/2025

Correcto

1919 is timeless, it's a shame the rest of the album doesn't measure up

This was kind of interesting, but also fairly boring.

Enjoyable.

I admire Cale for being kicked out of the VU because he wanted to be less commercial (than, say Heroin?!?). But this is like listening to Wings knowing that McCartney wanted to do better than the Beatles

Loved this. Never heard of John Cale but this album ticks so many boxes of what I like in that folk/rock crossover sound from the 70s Will come back to this again.

very comfy, and slightly unusual.. i like it

Sorta like a worse steely dan imo

Why? Just why?

Hmmm...I don't think so...2

I'm digging the strings in the first few tracks. It's a nostalgic, melodic pop sound. Laid back and slow, although The Endless Plain of Fortune beuilds to a climax with the orchestra taking it up another notch. Then a simpler arrangement with the gentle Andalucia, maybe my favourite so far. Macbeth is - somewhat jarringly - an upbeat rocker. The title track is top notch though, strings and vocals playing off each other. I don't know how I feel about this. It's quite good at times, but a little uneven and not sure it quite knows what it wants to be.

This was beautiful, never listened to him before but saved it for later

It was alright but I'm not fussed about listening to it again

This hanky panky songs needs to get to fuck. And some of this sounds like Chas and Dave (derogatory). But some bits were incredible. The opening of Paris 1919 was BIIIIIG.

It's certainly an album

Dang, I was so into this 20 years ago. A little less so now, but I’ll come back to it.

I was unfamiliar with the term “baroque pop”. Turns out it’s a fusion of rock and classical music, which as it turns out applies to so many bands I like: Arcade Fire, Beirut, Andrew Bird, San Fermin, Vampire Weekend, etc. When I first saw John Cale described as baroque pop, I assumed it would be full of harpsichord (which I hate), and thankfully this was not. Instead, what I found was a delightful album, Paris 1919, that’s right up my alley. The songs vary pretty greatly from one to the next in terms of the accompanying instrumentation, and I love it. This was an incredibly pleasant surprise, and nearly earned my second 5/5, but a couple tracks in the middle were a bit weaker for me, so it slides to a 4.

What an album to listen to when I was already feeling melancholy -- it made me cry

I like that this is a bit experimental, a bit unique. It's quite a nice listen, maybe one I appreciate more than I love. It fell into the background a little bit, but it's done well enough. Macbeth was a fun, upbeat track, full of instruments and stuff going on. That would be my pick of the bunch.

Whats a surprise. Avangardistic, artsy but also rocking. Fav: Paris 1919

Somebody really needs to explain or justify why this album is on this list. This is why 1001 is really too many albums to consider which leaves the door open for "just okay" albums to get in.

This was a bland nothing burger, with extra mayonnaise.

This album is a double bland supreme with a side of meh.

Not every song is a winner, but I found it very elegant while still not playing it too safe.

John Cale's most accessible and well known album is a beautiful orchestral-inspired record with great instrumentation, extremely lush and smooth production and an overall so comforting sound. It's a rock solid pop-rock album that I highly enjoyed.

Didn't really listen too intently but it wasn't bad.

Better than I had thought it would be - 3 stars

This was good, actually

Why does John Cale sound like Ringo on some of these tracks?

Just because you’re a founding member of the Velvet Underground doesn’t mean your solo stuff requires special consideration.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cohesive contemporary album. Lush warm melodies coddle wide ranging vocals and themes. The structures of each song are as solid as european cathedrals, thus timeless. Production value is real high. I know Cale worked with Lou Reed but this couldnt have been further from Reed's body of work. Maybe some melodic styling similarities. But, Cale is real good. This was my first step into his work. I liked it alot.

Not the masterpiece it has the reputation as but still damn solid.

un álbum muy chill la vdd no está mal hay algunas q me han gustado bastante

No me esperaba que este álbum sonará así Oye the endless plain of fortune va dura eh muy chill en general, me gusta Antártica starts here tmb me ha gustado 3,62/5

Such an amazing album, I only wish it was longer. Macbeth was the lone song on the album I didn't love. 8/10

Very timeless feel. I'm sure something important happened in 1919

Un álbum poco memorable. Las melodías de la voz y la voz en sí misma tienen un trabajo bastante pobre (muchas veces no llega al registro vocal que se propone cantar). Supongo que se podría decir que es una elección estética, pero no es de mi agrado, he escuchado otras voces que suenan "frágiles" como por ejemplo la de Elliott Smith, pero él cantaba de una manera y dentro de un estilo que, considero, funcionaba. Solo en el último tema "Antarctica Starts Here" hace un mejor uso de la fragilidad de la voz al cantar, casi susurrando, vinculando mejor ese timbre en relación al tono meditabundo de la música. Si hubiese cantado todo el álbum así tal vez hubiese sido una experiencia más especial, pero solo se reduce al final del álbum. El tercer tema "The Endless Plain of Fortune" es uno de los que sí me gustó, y pensé que el álbum iba a mejorar a partir de ese punto, pero no estuvo a la altura hasta llegar al cierre. He escuchado álbumes tranquilos y me encantan, pero esto es más bien aburrido. Además considerando la cantidad de orquestación con que se produjo el álbum prácticamente no hace nada especial con ello, lo cual es un desperdicio. Leí que es uno de los trabajos más accesibles de Cale, en tanto a que es menos experimental y más pop. Tal vez si hubiese sido más experimental hubiese podido apreciar el atrevimiento, pero un álbum así se queda a mitad de camino. No puedo decir que sea un mal álbum, pero no me resultó destacable.

Dont like his voice. Dont like the music. Dont like the album.

Having never listened to anything by John Cale before, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this. Very easy to listen to, a good, tight run time of 30-ish minutes. Lovely.

What I thought was the first track (there was a slight issue were I clicked on the title track instead of the album and then got extremely confused when the second track on the record was "Another One Bites The Dust" by Queen) pleasantly surprised me - the musical parts of the song reminded me of Harry Nilsson, Divine Comedy or Badly Drawn Boy and I loved it. I also liked the lyrics. What I was really struggling with was his voice. After the mistake was realised and I played the actual first song, that continued. I don't like his lyrical delivery at all, but I do mostly like everything else. I do really struggle to get into an artist, no matter how talented in other ways, if I don't enjoy the singer's voice. Conversely, for the artists I do love, it's a voice that always cemented my love of them (even in some notable cases, where it's band with a beautiful voiced backing singer). I had to try very hard not to laugh at his pronunciation of Chipping Sodbury. I think I'd give the musicanship a 4/5 (I did really like the songs) but his voice 1/5, so: 3/5

Not bad but nothing to remember it by

2/5, not my fav.

no para mi

It wasn’t bad. It was fun to get into the Expanded Velvet Underground Universe. John Cale tends to sing little bit too quietly sometimes. So, it was hard to pick up some of lyrics. I’ll be listening to this again, though.

John Cale isn't Lou Reed, but he's definitely not his Garfunkel either if you know what I mean. This is a good album.

Didn't know John Cale before, nor that he was Welsh or in the Velvet Underground. Got just two days after Transformer by Lou Reed came up too. Pleasant listen for the most part. Loved "the endless plain of fortune", and "Half Past France", but especially liked "Andalucia". What an awesome name. If I have a daughter I may well call her that now (🇪🇸). Didn't like some songs, so I should really give 3* but the good songs are very appealing to me. Low 4* (damn this 5 point scale...)

Is this what it's like when most people hear Pet Sounds for the first time without that album's context? I would imagine so. Yet again, doing this music homework for another day has taught me about how we interact with music and respond to it. Given that Pet Sounds is my all-time favourite album, this should be a slam-dunk, right? It is very nice. I enjoy the wall-of-sound production intention of the album, with the country-style highlights added. I think these two things are slightly incompatible, however, but not too much to the albums detriment. The wall-of-sound production it absolutely beneficial to the country aesthetics, but the reverse... perhaps not so much. I acknowledge this may be due to my bias against country music. The melodies are fantastic; while not at all experimental, they are sufficiently unpredictable and very enjoyable. I find myself thinking; "is this the bridge? Or just a cool extension of the verse?" The song structure for each track has such a great flow and I find it so enjoyable to be along for the ride. Really nice album; I'd be excited to have this on for long car journeys. And I'd also be keen, if anyone wanted to know what my favourite country album was, to say that this it. Hopefully that would not frustrate too many, given it's not really country (at least according to Wikipedia). Then... the title track comes on. Yes, we're not even halfway through. Where did this song come from? Gosh, it's pretty. But before I can really grasp the significance of this simple, unassuming track being the title track, the next track starts and I am baffled. Is this secretly a Beatles album? It's capable of being a rocker, a crooner and a sincerely twee pop album... and the flow track-to-track makes sense! Well this is a silly review. Don't write it alongside your first listen; with albums like this, you'll end up confused and your writing will be nonsensical. It's a really good album, ok?

Quite a beautiful album. Richly layered under John Cale's smooth and soft voice. While soft rock has become the poster child for "yacht rock" with juvenile or trite themes, John Cale's soft rock is soothing and mature. Its produced lusciously & decadent but not overbearing & frustrating. The lyrics are quite mature and somber while remaining accessible & meaningful. Excellent all around and I would recommend this to anyone.

I actually quite like this one. Great instrumentals and quiet fitting vocal work. I do think it lacked a bit of oomph, but overall an enjoyable listen.

Didn't love it. The music wasn't bad, but it didn't grab me at all.

I’ve heard the name John Cale before but wasn’t sure I actually knew who he was (he’s a Velvet Underground guy turns out), but this is a delightful album. Just super good singer-songwriter stuff with amazing production and lyrics. Every song has at least one amazing moment in it, plus it never wears out its welcome. Strong showing!

Sounds like he would make great jingles for 60's or 70's sofa stores. Not my freshly ground mug of coffee.

Not my pint of beer

His voice was nice and the songs are well executed, this just wasn't my flavour of crack

A nice album (to have in the background while I was reading my book)

Some songs are overly serious and dreary. The album picks up with "Macbeth". and "Paris 1919". But other tracks are just a waste of time: "Half Past France", for example, rambles on.

Das Album Paris 1919 wurde in den Sunwest Studios in Los Angeles aufgenommen. John Cale, gebürtiger Waliser und bekannt für seine Rolle als Mitbegründer von The Velvet Underground, bewegt sich auf dieser Veröffentlichung im Bereich des Art Rock mit orchestralen und popnahen Elementen. Musikalisch zeigt sich das Album deutlich strukturierter als frühere Arbeiten von Cale. Songs wie „Child’s Christmas in Wales“, „Andalucía“ und der Titeltrack „Paris 1919“ gelten als besonders einprägsam und prägen den Charakter der Platte. Die Arrangements, die unter anderem mit einem Kammerorchester eingespielt wurden, schaffen eine klare Abgrenzung zu experimentelleren Werken des Künstlers. Inhaltlich setzt sich das Album mit historischen und literarischen Motiven auseinander. Dabei bleibt der Ton eher nüchtern als emotional, was der musikalischen Dichte des Albums jedoch nicht entgegensteht. Paris 1919 ist ein gut produziertes, in sich geschlossenes Werk, das Cales musikalisches Gespür für klassische Strukturen und persönliche Themen gleichermaßen zeigt.

I love this record. John Cale is awesome.

I think I liked it

just so boring

1 star babeyyyy I only.like barracuda

Decent. Nothing terrible here but nothing great.

норм, негатива не испытал.

The title track is a genuinely lovely, wonderful, charming baroque pop song. If only the rest of the album was as good.

Not for me. 1/5

It's 70's sounding folky rock. The instrumentation is nice. I'm not into his voice so much. In some of the tracks it sounds like he's straining to his notes (e.g. some parts of Andalucia, not the falsetto parts). In the end I got into one track: The Endless Pain of Fortune.

There were some moments on this where it almost caught my attention, but outside of some baroque flourishes this felt too straight-forward to win me over.

Kind of like that album by The Beach Boys drummer, or all of Morrisey’s solo work - just because you were part of something great doesn’t mean that you are great.

Sounds like a Beatles cover band that tried to write its own music. So not objectionable, but not memorable either. 2.5⭐️

Bien naze

I don’t understand why this is an album I should listen to. It’s boring, it doesn’t seem to fit into any evolution of music genres that I care about in any way, it has no redeeming value in my eyes.

Another one I had never even heard of. Really cool songwriting and arrangement. Chamber pop aesthetic

gonna guess this is not everyone's cup of tea, but i particularly adore this sort of genre of music. very orchestral singer-songwriter stuff. it reminds me of a lot of van dyke parks' work from years prior, a bit artsy and heady, but also reminds me of procol harum, which makes sense, considering their producer produced this! there's a lot of great stuff on here, but the highlight to me is the title track, which is wonderful! glad i got to listen to this one.

Lovely ditties, nothing much to add.

Really really good. Unexpected Title track, opener and closer all good Best album I've had in a while 4

Best Song: Paris 1919 My only experience with Cale was his time in Velvet Underground. This isn't Velvet Underground, it is more approachable with great music and lyrics.

Feels like France a hundred years ago

This is kind of weird, with barely intelligible words, but the melodies were nice.

So stoked this is the first album generated for me - I’m a huge fan of Cale’s work with the Velvet Underground, and I’m familiar with the song “Paris 1919,” so I was excited to dive deeper into this one!

Turned off after 2. Nop.e

Bangs but it‘s a ons

Aquí tenemos a John Cale, miembro fundador de The Velvet Underground, componiendo baladas de art-rock de la forma más pop (accesible) de la que es capaz. Me ha gustado especialmente la instrumentación, muy orquestal a veces y, en general, muy placentera. Por lo demás, la voz es nefasta, la producción algo mediocre, y las composiciones nada del otro mundo. Lo mejor del álbum son las letras, que, aunque algo abstractas, son muy interesantes y tratan temas muy diversos: lugares, momentos tanto históricos (la conferencia por la paz de París) como personales, y todo ello mezclado con referencias poéticas y literarias. P. D. ¿Qué les pasa a los cantautores de los 60 y 70 con Andalucía? Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Jim Morrison y ahora John Cale. Agradezco el interés, pero no lo termino de entender.

that was dumb

#613. Honestly just sounds super generic. What and/or who is it for? Did they play this, or anything like it, on the radio? What is the scenario in which an album like this would be played, outside of observing it like this for inspection? 2/5: why?

I see that this is quite a praised album, but I must say I didn't find it very exciting. 'Paris 1919' is a familiar song from before and stands out as the best one, but even at that it's not that fun. While fitting conceptually, I find the old victorian-like sound found in some songs quite off-putting. Overall quite a tame record, and I find John's voice quite lacking of power which makes it a bit boring to listen. Not a big fan. This ends up on the lower end of the middle spectrum for me.

This album grew on me. From being bored the first time and forgetting about it I tried listening to it again and found it had something. That something might turn in to something memorable but after 2 listens I can’t remember how any of the songs actually went. The only song I recognized was “Paris 1919” but I have no clue from where. I feel like this could grow on me as it had a fun and whimsical sound but I have spent enough time with it for now. Mid 3.

Not good.

pretty good jazz pop fusion. i can actually hear how parisian culture influenced this album. no notes really. still good. probably a 4/5.

Meh. It just sounds 70s. It's not crap, but it just is what it is. I really only liked the closing track.

This was a solid folk rock album with some pretty melodies and catchy songs! I would definitely give this a listen again in the future and recommend it to others!

Ihan hauska, vähän hiljainen torventöräyksistä huolimatta. Boheemielämän kaipuu kuuluu, vaikka kivasti ei silleen halolla päähän. Eurooppa vaan on romanttinen, ei kai sille mahda mitään, ja jos siitä teemalevyn tekee, se kuulostaa ennalta-arvattavalta äänimaailmassaan, vaikka olisi pikku vitsiä mukana. Mutta jääkö tämä mieleen?

Muuntuu tekotaiteellisesta ykkösestä melkein heti sympaattiseksi kolmoseksi. Temppu jos mikä. Iskevistä melodioista on apua.

Prima muziek

Not my cup of tea

Incredibly inconsistent - but there is something here. Closer to 3.5 than 4, though.

Troligtvis 3. Hade kunnat bli högre utan hanky panky nohow...

Not particularly my thing. Probably an album that requires more than one listen

Har sedan länge haft "Hanky panky nohow" på en spellista. Har dock inte lyssnat på hela skivan. Men det här är lätt att gilla, min kopp te. Svårt att inte gilla det lite "bombastiska" med stråkar. Sen är det melodiskt och piggt i övrigt. Visste inte att Cale var med i Velvet underground, aldrig kopplat. Man lär sig varje dag!

Trevlig skiva och lyssning. Tappar lite under andra halvan, med undantag för Paris 1919. Kul med orkester och stråkarna. Stark trea.

Piano fanfare and an excitable slide guitar crack open John Cale’s 1973 masterpiece Paris 1919. ‘A Child’s Christmas In Wales’ comes across as a surreal nursery rhyme with lyrics like “ten murdered oranges bled on board ship” set to a most sunny sort of music. The atmosphere is active and enormous. Organ overtones overwhelm and run together with the relishable Welsh accent of the singing. Syncopated drum-stuff keeps the beat flush with rhythmic richness. The entire vibe’s not unlike a great gospel song; appropriately so, the words are as mysterious as any divine design. Direct segue via sliding strings and it’s time for Country Cale: ‘Hanky Panky Nohow’ gently drones along with pleasant soft-strummed acoustics and more organ and another dose of lyrical enigma (to be expected throughout the entire album). What are the “cows that agriculture won’t allow?”. I haven’t the know-how. But the singing is sweet and darn declarative enough that you’ll be joining in for the chorus and dreaming of sun-downing cattle-fields. Depart the pasture and enter the ‘Endless Plain Of Fortune’. Ominous piano plows through a soldierly passage on repeat. Symphonic strings sweep and creep and add understated dramatic contour to the music. Without outright trying to be tragic, the melody makes many melancholy movements. The straining major-seventh sound of lines like “look out below! the tides…” calls to my mind a bittersweet grief for something lost and fragmented. Lyrically, the cut-up scenes about “Old Taylor” and “Segovia” and “Gendarmerie” all sound very sad and solemn. Coupled with expressive instrumentation (oh what woe for humanity heard in that bombastic brass!), the words play like puzzle pieces all over the place; but the big picture can never be finished, and that’s what’s so tragic about the tune. After that, ‘Andalucia’ is a graceful ballad about some alluring object, whether a special person or perhaps the place in southern Spain. The song seems to elicit a sense of nostalgia for things you’ve never known. The purity and peace of the piece stems from a reflection on the past; and considering the composer’s arcane lyrical content, this sentimental reflection remains absolutely sugar-free, non-schmaltzy. Indeed, lyrics like “leaving”, “doesn't alter”, and “again” imply this particularly effective past-tense perspective. Musically, the tune doesn’t tread beyond a common three-chord territory. It shines brightly in its sufficient simplicity. Acoustics come out again, ever active. Slide guitars shimmer warmly. Drums-n-bass compliment each other kindly with perfectly-placed tight socket-locked grooves. The melody moves higher and higher on the pre-chorus parts. It’s all delightfully delicate. Sudden drums drop in and welcome ‘Macbeth’. It’s hard rock-n-roll time: greasy guitars grunt and a piano ticks away quickly over this spastic track for Shakespeare’s title-king. The fast shuffle pace breaks for some satisfying jumps in the chorus, these little hitches and hesitations like musical renderings of Macbeth’s paranoid worry. “It’s gotta be me or it’s gotta be you”. But alas, the mad Macbeth ultimately commits to his tragedy by screaming: “it’s all right by me!” Then approaches the imperial ‘Paris 1919’ title-track. Its exclusively orchestral score evokes royalty. This classical mood reminds of times begone. Strings slice like swords on one chord, attacking it again-n-again. Lower voices embark on a dangerous and dissonant reconnaissance mission, rumbling bravely in their military motive. The tension breaks when some spirited singing starts. Chords descend. Chorus comes catching the ear with cries of “you’re the ghost!” and a syncopated series of lovely little-kid-like “la la la”s. Pace changes with a rhapsodic instrumental interlude where the beat breaks and birds chirp and pianos cascade and a French horn carries the tune with a plaintive purity. Back to the sword-chords: last verse ends with the wonderfully elusive line of “as the crowds begin complaining / that the Beaujolais is raining / down on darkened meetings on the Champs-Elysées”. Somehow, it’s a sing-a-long. ‘Graham Greene’ goes on with odd tuneless piano and squirrely strums. There’s a wee warble-organ working its way through the twee track. Busy drums-n-bass stay tight and well balanced all bobbing song. Stay tuned for a twinkly marimba and a touch of trumpet. From the opening line of “You’re having tea with Graham Greene / in the colored costume of your choice / and you’ll be held in high esteem / if you’re seen…”, it’s actually quite clear that the song’s on the subject of stiff high-society and all of its vainglorious waste. A train travelogue, the next tune takes place on an early-hours commute across the country. ‘Half Past France’ heaves with a slow-drone and not-incongruous honky-tonk guitar. A golden organ hangs on huge like morning mist underneath reflections about Old Hollweg from Norway and the well-fed denizens back in Berlin. Chorus makes moves with drum-beat, “daily bread”, and drawn-out “take your time” most divine before quiet choir comments about being “so far away”, anthemically. ‘Antarctica Starts Here’ at the end of the album. Mellow electric piano plays over a melodic lil bass solo of soulful spirit. All the words are whispered wearily with wistful passion. The debilitated delivery only enhances the fragile feel of the piece that features lovely lines like “the fading bride’s dull beauty grows / just begging to be seen / beneath the magic lights that reach from Barbary to here”. Triumph and tragedy. It all collapses into a confused chord. The artful pop of Paris 1919 is intelligent and accessible. I'd say the rocker-songs aren't on par with the rest of the record, but that's probably just personally preference!

Not really my cup of tea. It has that post-Beatles late 60s/early 70s melodramatic soft-psychedlic sound I've never been too big on, and John Cale's voice ain't all there for me. On the positive side, Child's Christmas in Wales, Macbeth, and Paris 1919 actually did hook me in a little bit.

jävligt najs ju! gillar egentligen alla låtar förutom den sista och kanske graham green som är lite knepig. men annars ett kanonalbum. det känns som att det är sofistikerad 70-tals rock med en edge.

His voice reminds me a little bit of Ringo Starr. Endless Plain of Fortune give me Moody Blues vibes. Overall this was an enjoyable album that I wasn't at all familiar with. I would revisit this one.

A meandering album that has a lot of charm. I expected so much more based on Cale's connection with the Velvet Underground, and though the album was much different than I expected, it didn't disappointing at all. The full orchestral pop-ness of the album actually caught me off guard and drew me in quickly. Lyrically it was quirky and poetic. I really enjoyed this.

This is fine. A worthy inclusion, but not something I’ll likely be back to.

This was nice but nothing amazing. Fun fact, the version of Hallelujah from Shrek is John Cale but the album version is not the John Cale. The cover isn’t on this album but I just thought it was fun to point out.

Enjoyable

Nice little album that reminds me a bit of Brian Eno's early post-Roxy work. I definitely will be checking out more of Cake's albums. Nothing super spectacular here but just good stuff.

Really enjoyed it. Surprised how straight it is. He has a very fine voice. I was worried it was a bit one paced but Macbeth fixed that.

This was a very pleasant but forgettable listen

Didn't notice a single thing about it.

Okay, not great.

Mostly forgettable.

absolutely scrumptious

Absolute beaut

01) Child's Christmas in Wales - 6,0 02) Hanky Panky Nohow - 5,5 03) The Endless Plain of Fortune - 6,0 04) Andalucia - 7,5 05) Macbeth - 6,5 06) Paris 1919 - 7,0 07) Graham Greene - 6,5 08) Half Past France - 6,5 09) Antarctica Starts Here - 6,0 TOTAL: 6,39 (64/100) Current ranking: 401/549

A really good album, I enjoyed the music style. I liked The Endless Plain of Fortune and Paris 1919 the most.

Part upbeat, part melancholy, all kinda boring to be honest.

Good for insomniacs.

What a change of pace from recent albums in this collection, both temporally and tonally. I'm not sure I've ever really listened to John Cale's music before, and didn't realize he was a co-founder of The Velvet Underground until I read the Wikpedia entry. As I listened to the album, I was struck by how *un*-Velvet-Underground it sounds, and how you'd never guess that Cale was apparently very experimental and wide-ranging both before and after this album; "Paris 1919" seems very much the opposite of any of those things, with lush but fairly tepid songs and no hint of drones or "lunatic" flourishes. In many ways the song titles are the best aspect of this album for me, although I did enjoy the harder-rock "Macbeth", the Beatles-esque title track "Paris 1919", and the mildly-quirky "Graham Greene" more than the others. And I suspect the lyrics are a *lot* more interesting with repeated playback (or so the glowing reviews would suggest).

This was a treat this morning. It's not the best album but when it's good (tracks 1, 6, 7), it's fantastic.

Liked that this sounded like he had a whole orchestra with him, the endless pain of fortune & Paris 1919 stood out

Ergh, is this really one of the top albums ever made?? I can't understand this list

I absolutely adore this album. Writing about it is somewhat difficult, though, due to how disparate so much of it is. It’s an album that is at once both welcoming and sinister; generous yet closed off; hopeful yet cynical; human yet detached; playful yet mournful; open yet cryptic. Nothing captures this better than the title track, which I think is straight-up one of the best songs ever. It’s incredibly complex—both musically and lyrically—and yet it glides off the record like something that has just always existed. Despite having absolutely no idea what it’s actually about, by the time it reaches its soaring final chorus, it means absolutely EVERYTHING, and is like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.

Thank god this was only a half hour long. The dreamy tone of this album is likely a draw for some of you, but it was not engaging to me.

Pish. I'll stick to the Velvet Underground.

Too slow for my taste. Good songs. But can't really listen to them on repeat.

wtf is this

Not much to comment, was okay.

I don't know how to feel about this one. I don't hate it but I don't love it either. Nothing grabs me.

Even the penguins in Antartica should not have to listen to this album. 1 star or F.

Au panthéon des oeuvres singulières qui jalonnent l'histoire du rock, "Paris 1919" de John Cale occupe une place à part. Sorti en 1973, "Paris 1919" marque une étape importante dans le parcours de John Cale après ses premières tentatives solo plus expérimentales ou brutes. L'attrait immédiat de cet album repose sur la singularité d'être en équilibre entre une accessibilité mélodique et une production orchestrale d'une élégance rare d'une part, et une profondeur thématique et une complexité lyrique d'autre part. L'album réussit le pari audacieux de marier la sophistication européenne à une certaine sensibilité pop américaine. Cette tension entre la surface chatoyante et les profondeurs obscures constitue l'une des clés de la fascination qu'exerce l'album. Il ne s'agit pas simplement d'une collection de belles chansons, mais d'une œuvre où John Cale parvient, comme rarement, à marier son penchant pour l'élégance stylistique et une forme de chaos sous-jacent. Musicalement, "Paris 1919" s'ancre dans une pop orchestrale teintée d'influences baroques. John Cale, avec l'aide du producteur Chris Thomas, façonne un son ample et sophistiqué, où les instruments rock traditionnels dialoguent avec les cordes et les cuivres du UCLA Symphony Orchestra. "Paris 1919" présente un moment de beauté presque sereine, une perfection formelle que John Cale n'atteindra plus jamais de cette manière spécifique. C'est cette unicité qui renforce son statut d'œuvre à part, un sommet d'élégance dans une carrière par ailleurs marquée par l'expérimentation et la rupture. Dès sa sortie, Paris 1919 a bénéficié d'un accueil critique chaleureux, posant les bases de son statut actuel de classique. Le magazine Rolling Stone n'hésita pas à le qualifier de "chef-d'œuvre" et comme étant "un des albums les plus ambitieux jamais sortis sous l'étiquette 'pop'". Bien qu'il n'ait jamais connu un succès commercial foudroyant, "Paris 1919" a progressivement acquis un statut qui dépasse celui de simple album culte. Il est fréquemment cité comme l'œuvre solo la plus accessible et la plus connue de John Cale, servant souvent de point d'entrée à sa discographie foisonnante. Plus de cinquante ans après sa sortie, "Paris 1919" demeure un sommet incontesté dans la discographie de John Cale et une œuvre majeure du rock des années 1970. Un gros 4 sur 5 pour un chef d'oeuvre intemporel à découvrir.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this album. I guess it's pleasant enough. The meaning of the lyrics are beyond me. It's average I guess. Best track: Macbeth.

Okay album. Macbeth was a pretty fun track, but writing this a few days after having listened I don't recall being really wow'd by much else.

Nice album. More straightforward than I'd expect from someone from Velvet Underground, but I enjoyed it. 3.25/5

little boring for me Will I listen to again: 2%

joonatan kaali! katso tämä oli mukana bändissä joka influentiaalinen... mahtavaaaaa eli täytyy lisätä soolotyöskentelyä vaikka ei millään tavalla erikoista heheh tai suosittua hihhelshuijahakkaa hehe! niin vitunn tärketä musikkihistoriaa koska oli mukana 60-luvun huumehörhöjen bändissä joka varasti musiikkia + vanha brittiläismies baby boomer type shi.. näitä täytyy saada lukuisasti lisää ja ei miten.. ei mikään kourallinen vaan satamäärin. harmaat häpsyt vaan riviin ja alkakaas laulamaan huonosti. ja joku kusinen rumpali sinne taakse ja jotain zappa wannabe bändiläisiä jotain saatanan ksylofonia pilputtamaan tai jotain... mahtavaa mahtavaa.. macbeth

Super corny

Quite a bore.

I do like the Velvet Underground and some John Cale so this should be a pleasent experience. I hope. Haven't been so lucky here lately. first song was good enough second song is ok. weird chorus though. sadly for me this is sort of going by without leaving much of a mark. Andalucia is the best track so far macbeth is actually pretty interesting. they were clearly not as interested in making the song sound "refined". the whole song sounds like a take that made the final cut. probably my favourite so far. title track is good, and i can see why people like it. love the violin or whatever it is. but i just don't connect with it. i don't know yeah, i'm not loving this :( antarctica starts here might be one of the best moments here, but still not enough for me. this album is not bad. i just don't enjoy it. which does sadden me. i can see that some of the things done here might have been new for the time (1973 was a while back). or maybe i'm just not getting something at first listen. but this really just didn't impress me in any way. bye

Not bad, not... enthralling?

Hmm, not at all what I expected from John Cale. Very approachable, dare I say, poppy melody here... That being said, it lacks a certain something. Seems kind of dispassionate. Well performed, just not having much that draws me in and makes me want to listen to it more.

This one is a bit of a rollercoaster for me. It starts off so incredibly mid. Like impressively mid. And then the middle of the album is actually quite good? The instruments are definitely what carry it, but the steel guitar, the drum work, and the orchestral instruments all work really well (in the songs that they're in). But the end of the album gets all weird and, consequently, really bad. It's really hard for me to rate because of those massive swings in quality. I'm just going to average it out to about a 3. It's definitely on the low end, because the mid isn't interesting and the bad is pretty damn bad. I would listen to the middle of the album again, though. Favorite Song(s): Andalucia, Paris 1919

Largely forgettable. Just kind of there. Fairly uninspired. Nothing that I would actively go out of my way to listen to. Not much more I can say really. There was some pretty okay guitar work here and there, and the vocals are pleasant enough. Title track was quite upbeat, as was 'Macbeth' and 'Half Past France' was probably the best of this slightly below average bunch. I can't see how this is on the list. It's not a bad album by any means, but it does absolutely nothing for me, it doesn't sound very groundbreaking for an album that came out in 1973 so I can't see what this album does that warrants an inclusion

Just background noise

Lite för bögigt för mig.

sounded like the beatles? it was fine.

i'm no longer confident that john cale was in velvet underground because he sounds like the sixth beatle here. the early 70s orchestral pop-rock sound works here, and with only a few real duds. it's a 3.5 for me but i'm rounding down because i had a velvet underground album recently and it was awful. thanks a lot, john. favorites: hanky panky nohow, andalucia, macbeth, paris 1919, half past france, antarctica starts here

Meh. It would be more entertaining to occupy your head with a headcrab than this album

Hymns to listen to before heading to battle

I did not enjoy this. His voice is weak, the lyrics seemed parochial and rhe music was twee

always love me some true art pop music from the 1970s. something about all the mixing and nostalgic energy (even as someone who was definitely not alive during the 70s) makes me grin from ear to ear. dreamy production value and abstract, yet pretty meaningful lyrics... while the orchestral pop sound is familiar to those who frequently listen to 70s music, this album feels a little more off-kilter. it's short, sharp, and has no filler.

I like orchestral pop that's a bit experimental and get the impression there's a lot of depth to the lyrics here. I wished it was a bit more experimental, overall, but Paris 1919 is a fantastic song and most of the rest were interesting and enjoyable too.

I guess this month we are getting the solo albums from the Velvet Underground members after getting Lou Reed like a week ago. I found that album to be a lot more compelling and emotional than anything this album offers. I did like Paris 1919 and Graham Greene, but most of this album was pretty standard stuff from the late 60s. For an album in 1973, there wasn't nearly as much evolution as what Reed demonstrated.

I had never sat down and listened to anything by John Cale other than Velvet Underground. Not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. A few songs (especially "The Endless Plain of Fortune") reminded me of a Welsh Warren Zevon. This is OK. I like "Half Past France." John Cale is obviously an important figure in the history of rock/popular music, but I am unable to see/hear why this was an album I needed to listen to before I died.

listened.

i didn't realize this was the guy from charli xcx's song house, which is really interesting, since this album has a VERY different feel from that project. this is very english, very chill, very goofy

Showtunes for music snobs

A couple of songs on here I really dig - Half Past France and Paris 1919. Kind of a strange vibe to the whole album, but that intrigues me.

Never heard of this guy but he rocks. Big fan. Huge reason why I’m doing this

A cup of coffee, a cigarette and a time machine back to 1919.

Gear: Grado Hemp Artwork: 🙄🤵‍♂️⬜ Production: 🙄🤔🤷 Music: 🙄🎤😴 Rating: 🙄(🙄)/5

Album 744 of 1001 John Cale - Paris 1919 (1973) Rating : 2.5 / 5 This album has been described as a "masterpiece of art rock, balancing experimentalism with accessibility". Interesting listen but sometimes feels like he's trying to ingratiate himself to a room full of literary scholars while forgetting the rest of us commoners.