Reviews (page 5 of 7)
Not a lot going on here musically, kinda feels like this would be better developed if made today. Overall it was decent enough.
The first three songs are nice and smooth-flowing. "Andalucia", "Antarctica Starts Here" and "Half Past France" are a bit lame. "Macbeth" finally has a nice beat and much more energy. Overall I don´t like his expressionless voice. 2,5
This seems like one of those albums where you had to be there, back in '72 to get its significance. Now, over 50 years later, it's easy to miss what makes it extraordinary. It seems just like a pop album from that time, which is all fine and good, but the fact that it was made by John Cale does bring it up a notch. I dunno, maybe I need to give this another listen. Top tracks: Title track, "Macbeth," "Antarctica Starts Here"
Decent, but nothing too memorable
Enjoyed it more than not. He did sound a bit like Ringo.
Pretty mundane album overall, nothing too exciting here and a pretty short record.
It’s a nice album, but didn’t love.
Two stars upon first listen, three stars upon the second. Thus, this album is a grower. However, as there is a new album tomorrow and plenty other music I’d rather listen to, I don’t have the time to let it grow. Best track: The Endless Plain of Fortune, which he manages to destroy with his lifeless vocals. Try the Manic Street Preachers cover instead.
A nice little album.
Just meh
It was pleasant enough.
This was an alright album. You could tell how much of velvet underground cale had his hand in as this was a less dark and somewhat more palatable version of that music. Cales performance doesn’t change and his style is consistent from velvet. Overall it was an alright album and if you like velvet underground this is a good other option. 6.1/10
Pretty good
Definitely extremely ambitious for a pop album. But impressive as the fusion of genres and the orchestral music is, I'm not really convinced. It all sounds well enough in the background, but there's nothing much to grab and hold me. To me this seems more like a proof of concept than something I'd revisit to actually listen to.
A surprisingly accessible record by an artist known for experimentation. Feels out of time, but not disconcertingly so.
- I really like what he’s doing here - very pleasant music - almost a show tune vibe -3.5
Dull
Paris 1919 is wel redelijk bekend geloof ik maar mwoah, verder niet enorm denderend
Easy listening potato monkey
Quite British
Couldn't name you any other Welsh musicians of the top of my head, but now I have Mr. John Cale. Not a huge fan, but pretty nice vibes in this one.
john cale war mir eher wegen seiner arbeiten mit nico und brian eno bekannt. mit den alben von eno aus den 70ern hat das hier viel gemeinsam und man nennt das wohl artpop. finde ich gut, die kollaborationen aber noch besser
Pretty sure everything this guy shit out made it on this list. This is fine I guess. Rather forgettable.
It's alright. Feels very uptight. The latter half of the record is the best. Favorite tracks: "Macbeth", "Paris 1919"
Easy listening and pretty solid album. No real standouts for me and may not warrant another listen.
This was really uneven from my perspective. Some good, some not so good. The ballads seem like filler, but there are some neat ideas in the other tracks.
A very cool and quirky album for the 1970s. Intriguing and clever lyrics over an idiosyncratic musical backing. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Paris 1919 Date listened: 23/02/24
The shortest album we've listened to so far at only 30 minutes. I really like his voice. This was an easy one to listen to. Just as you start getting into it, it's over.
Thoughts before listening: Former Velvet Underground member that I don't know much about as a solo artist. Lou Reed was always the bigger star, with John Cale being portrayed as an avant garde artist. I'm expecting art rock with lots of ambient soundscape type pieces. Review: This is more orchestral pop music than the post-rock I was expecting. I hear a bit of the Velvet Underground in the instrumentation and arrangements, but this is quite a bit different from the sound of his former band. On initial listen, "MacBeth" stands out as a flat out rocker that immediately draws me in. Overall I don't hate this album but it's not something I'd go back to often. 3-stars.
Quite alright
Expected to enjoy this a lot more considering that I’ve always enjoyed Velvet Underground and he worked with Modern Lovers who I also really like. It was fine, just a bit dry overall. Title track was really good though. 3 stars
Hanky Panky No Thanks
A decent if somewhat inconsistent LP - had things stayed in the vein of ‘Macbeth’ this would’ve easily been a 4-star rock LP. Definitely a matter of taste but the slower, ballad-like tracks don’t do it for me and seem to gum up the flow of the album. Cale can clearly rock, and I wish he had let loose and done so a bit more here.
3.5
3.5
Best goed. Niet helemaal mijn genre
Moderately interesting.
Obscure but good
It's ok
Truly never heard of this artist. Interested to listen to this. Not sure I will be able to get through this album. So far just not my style, very mellow. His voice is very reminiscent to Jim Morrison's.
Okay, but a little boring.
Decent album overall, enjoyed the second half much more. Self titled song was great as well.
3/5 personal favourites: • half past france
ok
Didn't hate anything, but it was so mid and forgettable to me
Un poco meh.
This is very far from what I expected from John Cale after listening to Velvet Underground, but I liked it. It's not so remarkable, but it's good.
Chamber pop. Ni fu ni fa.
Sat on the fence with this one. Absolutely epic moments with totally forgettable ones in equal measures 2.5
nice enough
Smör, helt ok, 3!
I enjoyed this album
This was okay. The album’s eponymous song was the best track on the album and the song after it was decent. I’m kind of struggling to remember what the rest of the album even sounded like. Maybe more of a 3.5?
Classic rock. Pretty nice. Favorite song: Half Past France.
Previous Familiarity: Low. Only experience with The Velvet Underground. Upon first listen I was underwhelmed. John Cale is a very pedestrian vocalist and the songs didn't really do anything to grab me. After the second listen, I still didn't think Cale's singing did the songs any favors, but I did find the arrangements to be very becoming on a few of the tracks. "Endless Plain of Fortune" and "Paris 1919" both were able to showcase what Cale can do with melody and mood, but the rest of it did not feel special. Not essential listening.
Good Folk, but nothing to write home about.
Folkalicious. My son asked if this was in a language other than English after the first song...
This was a nice spot of whimsy. I really like the title track, very music hall meets prog.
Nothing really stood out to me other than the title track. 3/5. Favorite Track: Paris 1919
No ihan jees!
This album was okay. I didn't hate it, and I didn't love it either. I wasn't really that in the mood for this sort of thing, but I think I'm never really in the mood for this easy-listening stuff. It was all just a bit slow. There were a few high-points on the album. I thought Andalucia was nice with it's dialled back and tender feel, and then Macbeth came out of nowhere and became the most energetic point of the album with an awesome rock and roll beat. I only wish that Macbeth was longer, and the album had more songs like it. I thought the title track was fine, it grew on me a bit throughout its duration, but it was still absolutely forgettable following Macbeth. The one song I totally disliked was Antarctica Starts Here. I detest whispered vocals in most situations; it never fails to creep me out. Overall, the album was okay. It's not one I'm likely to remember at the end of this list, but maybe I'll find a time and a place for it one day. Favourite: Macbeth
Pretty record
Melodic and beautifully arranged. Put me in the mind of Nillsson! Surprising, since this seems 180-degrees from the Velvet Underground.
Was leuke achtergrond muziek. Deed me denken aan iets dat vroeger bij mijn moeder had kunnen opstaan. Goed geschreven muziek, maar deed me niet echt iets.
Even though I didn’t know any of these songs, the music had a familiar vibe. I enjoyed it, especially the titular song.
Pleasant listen. I liked the chords in hanky panky knowhow. Nothing that really stands out.
I've heard the title track from this before and was a fan. I really dig the orchestral vibe of the album and how the harmonies work. Far from a perfect album but I'm glad to have heard it.
His vocals feel like he is a ghost haunting the songs from the corners and if I try to focus on what he is saying I can never quite get there. The instrumentation seems like something special. I'm questioning if getting rid of the vocals would be better. Get this guy a coffee!
I expected a much more avant garde sound and I was happy that this album was pretty mainstream. Nothing really special about it but at least it is more accessible than much of his work.
Ahead of its time for sure. I have to assume this was influential on David Byrne and the entire genre of indie rock. Did I love it? No but I don’t feel like my time was wasted either. 3.5 would be appropriate if possible.
Pretty fun but nothing special. I agree with the commenter that said this sounded like Ringo. It really does. Kinda cheesy in that way.
Lovely but kinda boring. Inoffensive? Couldn't hear lyrics well. Never heard of this guy before.
Better than I expected
Never heard this album before. Some really good songs, especially in the beginning. Some of the songs sound a little like showtunes but overall pretty good.
Not at all what I expecting! I was getting John Cale mixed up in my head with J.J. Cale... I like this Cale better! 3/5
Slight Christmas vibes? But the songs were too similar, no variety.
Enjoyed this album, had a nice mellow vobe about it. Never heard of John Cale before this
Pee good, not sure if it really deserves a 3 because I couldn't really see myself resisting this but it better than a 2
Has the feel of the beach boys with a classical feel.
Never got into John Cale's solo stuff, but this was great. A couple of bangers on here and I'll be looking into more of his stuff.
Essential Tracks: Paris 1919 (playlist) Children’s Christmas in Wales Half Past France
Easy listening, poetic
really don't have much to say about it, it was alright, the endless plain of fortune was my favourite cause i liked the instrumenal the most, that's all.
Perfectly pleasant.
ehhh, unmemorable
6/10. Pretty good I suppose
Somewhat unique for 1973 but also a little boring. 6/10
It was nice, uneventful for me though. Like a warm day but you’re on the couch with the window open instead of being outside
Chamber pop. Ni fu ni fa.
Art pop. Baroque pop. Bien, agradable.
3.8 - It took several listens but this record finally grew on me. I was definitely unimpressed at the beginning. I don’t love Cale’s voice. And I wasn’t sure about the mix on this record - it’s muted and every song has this dream-like halo reminiscent of Lennon’s “Imagine.” But after a couple more tries, “Hanky Panky Nohow” was the first song to click - a gorgeous little refrain on that. “Paris 1919” soon followed with its literary lyrics and sophisticated orchestral arrangement. My hunch is that with more listens, this record will only get better.
John Cale pretends to be a normal dude to make a normal pop album and it works for me
BOG STANDARD 70s FOLK
Felt a bit all over the place; some songs I liked but also a lot of stuff I wasn't that interested in.
Ikinä en ole tätä kuullut tai kuunnellut mutta hyvin kyl rokkaa. Ns. hyvää perusmusaa! 3/5
About sellasta brittirockia kuin tältä listalta on oppinut odottamaan eli luonnollisesti 3/5.
Pretty upbeat tunes. It didn't leave a huge impression on me but I did like it
Yeah I thought this was pretty good really. Not amazing but interesting
aggressively boring
Kind of dreamy but uneven
Heard before. Quite a mixed bag, it starts slow but picks up at around Macbeth. Mediocre for me. Hanky Panky Nohow is a song that randomly strikes my brain sometimes, so I'm glad I found it again. + Hanky Panky Nohow + Macbeth + Andalucia + Paris 1919
Les albums très courts sont toujours valorisés alors un grand bravo John Cale. Tu peux retravailler l'aspect musical en revanche.
Bien joué pour les 30 minutes John, pour le reste c'est beaucoup moins bien joué.
Not bad at all. Like Nick Drake meets Roxy Music, but more forgettable than either.
I enjoyed this. Never really listened to a lot of John Cale outside of VU. Cale for me sits alongside artists like Eno. Except that I find Cale eminently more listenable.
Decent album, the review for it felt pretty biased and kind of pretentious to me. Maybe I would have felt some of the life-changing fervor the author had were I to be reading along to the lyrics, or listening to this album 30 years ago?
Decent sound, see building blocks for future folk groups and some blues guitar. 5/10
Interesting album, it reminded me a little of Rufus Wainwright style, but contrary to his music, I actually liked Paris 1919. I think John Cale's vocal is much more approachable, and his music is just average, without much of that baroque style. Some songs on this album were really good, mainly the opening and self-titled songs. On the other end of spectrum we have few tracks that absolutely were hard to listen to. In summary, average album with few great moments.
Welsh 🤮
Cale is consistently sly, but has the album pick up steam around the title track. The music here occupies indeterminate western space between America, Britain, and France, and could use more noise: It's firmly in the cloudy pop mode familiar there.
Me sorprendió.
Solo artists and their idiosyncrasies tend to be a divisive element for this reviewer, and John Cale is not an exception to this. In fairness, the approach to this album was skeptical and assumed just another album to sort of power through, but this album carried some surprising elements in particular how melodic it was. Lyrically, the writing is actually good in the sense that it seems appropriately artful welcoming interpretation rather than nonsensical drivel that spawns arguments over bad coffee with posers. Where this album falls short has more to do with how not every album is destined for widest acclaim, no matter how well they are produced. This album has the feeling of being a one-off labor of love that binds itself to its place in history without any ambition to have significant lasting effect beyond the era it was made.
Interesting soft rock mix. Some mournful, some operatic/cinematic, some a bit more upbeat
Before today, I'd never heard of John Cale before. He is apparently the co-founder and bassist of the Velvet Underground. This is his third solo studio album, and is apparently a departure from his usual fare for a quieter slower form of music. This music reminded me of easy listening folk rock artists such as Paul Simon, Ringo Starr, and Nick Drake. Turns out Cale worked on Nick's album, Brighter Later with him. Drake needed to make a more accessible album in order to sell records and make money. Perhaps Cale saw this idea, and decided to do it himself as well, which would describe why this is such an outlier if an album sonically . Cale doesn't have a great singing voice, but the beautiful orchestration in the background more than makes up for that. Cale's Welsh accent makes him hard to understand through most of the album, but after reading the nonsensical lyrics, I guess that doesn't matter. It's not like I was going to get anything out of the utter nonsense he sang about. Overall, a surprisingly great album. Not one I would gravitate to on my own, but I wouldn't turn it off if it was playing either. Favorite songs: Macbeth, Child's Christmas in Wales, Andalucia, Hanky Panky Nohow, The Endless Plain of Fortune, Graham Greene, Half Past France Least favorite songs: Antarctica Starts Here 3/5
Some interesting stuff, but overall pretty meh.
An album based on the 1919 Paris Peace Conference is an interesting idea. It finally got a wee bit exciting for tracks 5 and 6, Macbeth and Paris 1919. The rest was fine.
I don’t LOVE it right now but I feel like I will in the future
Art/baroque pop that is not very pop-y. Has a pretty and gentle sound, upbeat at times and slow and beautiful at times. Standout is the title track.
It’s fine, kinda nice. Not much to say about it. 3.5/5
Lässiges 70er album
Never heard of John Cale and enjoyed this album.
Enjoyable but forgettable
Meh. I’m surprised I’d never heard any of these on classic rock radio or on xm deep tracks or something. Interesting lyrics and quirky arrangements, just not really my style.
Pop. Un poco aburrido .
Was disappointed I am afraid, loving other things John Cale made, like early Velvet Underground and later more minimal stuff, this sounded too middle of the road for me. Lyrics seem be more interesting, but unfortunately have 30 albums "UNRATED" so ashame, up to the next UNRATED one.
Art pop. Baroque pop. Bien, agradable.
Never listened to this artist before It's OK I guess.
It's fine 3/5
The titular song Paris 1919 is quite nice; the rest of the album are plain but harmless pop songs with some orchestra mixed in.
I liked it, just not my jam but definitely a solid effort. Highlights probably Graham Greene and Antarctica Starts here.
Ok, Paris 1919 the song is fire though
It took a while to pick up but I liked when it did.
Overall, pretty bland to me. Sounds like many of the random thrift store finds I came across from that time period.
Real short album, but better than I was anticipating.
Rating: 6/10
Some nice surprises. More albums should be half an hour long.
Very pleasing - and excellent lyrics.
John Cale always tends to bring his own sort of flare to all his projects his solo stuff being the obvious biggest recipient of that flare. Here he’s got with him a group of good songs, though they never reach true greatness on this release.
This is an interesting album but also a bit forgettable. Deserve to be on the list but can’t see me rushing back to to.
This was good and I like his voice but nothing really slapped for me.
It's not a masterpiece, it's not thrilling, it's utterly pleasant. Especially "Child's Christmas in Wales". End.
Listens: 3 Enjoyed: yeah There was something intriguing about this that I can't quite figure out. It almost felt like a soundtrack to some strange play or musical. The change in tempo for various lyrics defo peaked my interest
Was about to listen to the Velvet Underground and this came up. He is definitely talented. Can hear how it could be considered influential too.
Listened on a long run, not had, but nothing drew me in. Add to the list of might need a second listen to appreciate
Well, this really was fairly pleasant, if forgettable. Who were you, John Cale? Apparently the majority of the world found you forgettable too.
Considering Cale's talent and carreer this record is not so artistically pleasing and memorable as other highlights with the Velvet Underground or by himself. To be fair it is a very well composed album but maybe a bit too simple (even though really pleasant) for a genius such as John Cale.
A pretty album
Decent music, fairly unremarkable.
не услышала ничего особенного
Soft, mostly boring.
Not uninteresting, but the overall composition seemed kind of indistinct to me. I read a couple of the lyrics and had a similar impression: obviously the product of someone very clever and with a gifted touch with words, but were they actually saying anything much? Maybe I’m the one who isn’t smart enough. Also the vocal tracks in most of the mixes were kind of muddy.
composition folle, des fois j'adore la voix, des fois je déteste
Interesting
I read that this is Cale's most beautiful and accessible album. They say it grows in depth and resonance with each successive listen, which seems accurate. Quoting other people, "the songs are richly poetic, enigmatic period pieces strongly evocative of their time and place."—Paris 1919 Review by Jason Ankeny, available from https://www.allmusic.com/album/paris-1919-mw0000100610, accessed on Aug. 7, 2022.
Fine, no complaints. Prefer the Velvet Underground.
Idiosyncratic, a like experimental. Hard to pin down.
Ljúf og góð plata.
Not my cup of tea. Some orchestral moments in this were interesting, but the vocals and lyrics didn't really impress me.
Title track is a wonderful song - but the rest is quite average folk… there’s a little interest in the choice of the subject matter of the songs - but not much more to me. To be fair this album popped up for me right after a Nick Drake album so I might be a little unfair on Johnny.
Yeah had its moments. Don't think I'd relisten but nice piano and head nodding
i liked this album, the length was good and the songs were fun. 7/10 honestly. at some points it got a little confusing in a way but i did like.
I was definitely triggered by seeing John Cale's name, with his association with perhaps my least-enjoyed act of all-time (Velvet Underground). But perhaps you can judge an album by its cover - it sounds very much like the cover looks. Much more melodic, classically-pop-oriented, and well-crafted than I'd expect, and I enjoy those aspects of it quite a bit. The mix is bad though - not in a dated way as 1973 should be prime analog era recording - but it's just cloudy and dense in a way that does not bring out the best elements of the songs in a way I'd have liked. Cale has a ... not good at all? voice ... which is really weak but at times ironically works with the music. "Macbeth" was almost out-of-place up-tempo/aggressive but when he starts singing it brings it back into line with the rest of the album. So... I don't know how to feel about this. I like so many of the musical ideas in this - e.g. "Paris 1919" and its near chamber-music melodies are really nice; overall I feel like this is something I should love and need to give it a few more spins - I've connected on little melodies but have yet to truly love any of the songs. Initial reaction is 6/10 3 stars - should have been more with a better mix.
Actually not as good as I remembered. Huh.
Very pleasant, worth a listen
Bueno
Pretty good. Not groundbreaking, but I enjoyed it as chill morning music. One of those albums where I have nothing to say. It's always the ones where the cover is some guy looking at you. The ones where you think "Okay, i'll listen to this and I'll even probably enjoy it, but this isn't going to be the next Dark Side of the Moon". 3/5
Not his best work but I did D1Sc0VeR a new s0nG
another mediocre album
mouais
A few interesting baroque pop songs, the rest was forgettable.
This bores me. It's grand, but it bores me
I love the VU so predisposed to listen to this - and wasn't disappointed. I actually like his vocal style, and found all the tracks pretty interesting
Paris 1919 is a very poetic take on the pop genre, and thankfully had a reasonable runtime. With numerous pop-rock influences and countless literary and cultural references throughout it makes for a rich listen. Likely John Cale's most famous work "Paris 1919" he described it as "an example of the nicest ways of saying something ugly." Best: Paris 1919; Antarctica Starts Here Worst: Hanky Panky Nohow 2.5 Stars
Nice outfit! Album title and art are in perfect alignment. Diving straight into the music my first impression is lush beautiful arrangement, straight ahead tune. Easy to listen to. Second song, also lovely, calls to mind Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, another lovely song. The rest of the album unfurls from there with stately beauty. The title track is my favorite. This is a beautiful work. Stick a world class voice in there, someone with a strong clear tone, nothing too rich, with solid pitch, and you'd have a five star album. (Don't @ me, you know it's true).
1970s weirdness personified is John Cale.
Un bon album priginal 3.75
Surprisingly not too bad. Was expecting worse. Cover art worst ever
Well, that was fine. Some fine songs. But I’ll probably forget I listened to it. And wouldn’t reach for it again.
I really want to like this album. Velvet Underground were the shit and Lou Reed's post VU was also great. While I'm not crazy about John Cale's voice, he did the seminal cover version of Cohen's Hallelujah including three verses that Leonard had sung live but had not released. As much as I want to like Paris 1919, I have a hard time saying this is much more than OK. Andalusia is a pretty song and the asskicking Rock and Roll song MacBeth is also good. (I guess this one needed to be the last song on the side since it is so explosively different from the rest of the songs.) I like the arrangement on the song Paris 1919 and if I could listen to it enough to figure out what his message is on the Treaty of Versailles, it might be top shelf. Ditto Child's Christmas in Wales if I could figure out what his message is on - Christmas? The lyrics are quite cryptic and if I listened to it more, I'm sure it would grow on me. But for now . . .
A fun album that felt like that time period.
Very quirky rock album. Clearly influenced by old styles of music, as if this guy came from the Victorian era to make rock-pop. I like the departure from our usual fare, even if I didn't absolutely love the project. Definitely some cool tracks on here. Favorite tracks: Paris 1919, Hanky Panky Nohow, Half Past France. Album art: Very fitting, based on the garb this gent is wearing. The font is pretty cool too. 3/5
Pretty mellow & groovy.
Meh
Lofi beats to study and relax to
Very pretty chamber pop with erudite lyrics. A good surprise given Cale's Velvet Underground and avant-garde reputation. I'd guess that Divine Comedy knows this album well. Child's Christmas, Paris 1919 and Graham Greene were my favourites.
Aggréablement surpris, je m'attendais pas à ce son. Quelques chansons un peu dull mais overall resepctable.
Auf seltsame Weise schön. Nicht wirklich Pop, kein ungewaschener Songwriter oder schillernd glamouröser Crooner. „1919“ ist wohl schon 1973 etwas aus der Zeit gefallen. 3.4
Proof that John Cale was the Bernie Leadon of the band, mainly concerned with playing new or obscure instruments and lacking the charismatic vocals of his band mates, and ultimately leaves the band. But look: I love Bernie Leadon. I just think Lou Reed was right. Cale's ideas are out there.
John Cale's quiet, beautiful album. It is perhaps his most accessible album but for me lacks the magic of the other three albums of his that I am familiar with; Fear, Vintage Violence and Slow Dazzle. Admittedly I came to this album later than those others and maybe it hasn't had the time to make its way deeper into my soul but on the other hand it hasn't made me curious enough to allow it to. 3.5 🌟
Wasn't sure what I was expecting post Velvet Underground. Just a straight forward rock record.
Pretty good but nothing that knocked my socks off. Could see myself listening to it again.
Interesting person. With a few more listens could enjoy more
Paris 1919 is good. everything else is meh
Kolejne nowosci, ale od postaci ktora zdarzylo mi sie slyszec, nawet nie wiedzac tego, bo pan Cale byl founderowym memberem velvetowych undergroundow, gdzie byl glownym multinstrumentalista bandy z dowych pierwszych krazkow, a dodatkowo nawet kilka wokalow jest jego, gral od klawiszy przez elektryczne altowki po basy, tak samo na tym materiale tworzy na kilku instrumentach, gatunkowo jest to ambitna muzyka popowa, ktora romansuje z klimatami muzyki kasycznej i rocka starajac sie jakos sprzedac taki blend, juz z samej okladki widac, ze jest to odsluch dla gentelmanowego sluchacza, tytul paris 1919 nawiazuje do konferencji ktora zrodzila traktat wersalski, co slychac na calym krazku, ktory luzno porusza tematy okolo europejskie XX wieku z perspektywy wyspiarza, jest to ciekawy pomysl na koncept, ale nie dla polaka robaka to, nie jestem w stanie wczuc sie w niego i brzmi on dosc bezpluciwo, jest to dosyc krotka plyta, bo zamyka sie w 31 minutach i 9 trakach, jak na album z 73 to trzyma sie dobrze, pewnie dlatego, ze pomimo tego, ze muzycznie sporo sie dzieje, orkiestrowe smyczki, gitary elektryczne akustyczne, czy nawet tamburyniarze, to pan Cale sie w tym nie gubi i jest glownym bohaterem krazka, a z tak powszednio brzmiacym wokalem jest to osiagniecie, o ile nie ma tutaj jakis miejsc ktore wyjatkowo mi zapadna w pamiec, to jednak calosc byla rowna, wiec przesluchanie calego krazka wchodzi dobrze, na plejke dodam trak tytulowy, zeby pamietac, ze taka plyta istnieje, bo pan Cale troche nagral tych studyjnych albumikow, wiec moze jeszcze jakies ciekawe rzeczy wykonceptowal, bo to jest jego trzecia z 16 plyt
I love The Velvet Underground but never listened to a John Cale album. The reason: John Cale had a great musical mind, but the times when he provided his vocals to the band were pretty god awful. That's pretty much what happened here. The music is pretty cool for the most part. The opening song had my attention but Cale is just not a vocalist that I enjoy. The vocals just bring down the overall quality of the songs. I would consider listening to this again someday. I think it could maybe grow on me
Very British.
The first 4 songs are quite slow and don't do anything for me. Macbeth sounds good, and Paris 1919 is excellent. The last couple of songs are also pretty decent. Overall I would probably not put on the whole album again, but I'll definitely listen to selected songs in the future.
Ja, dit vond best aardig. Relaxte muziek.
QUITE cool 3.7
Very easy listening, kind of meloncholy 70s piano rock. A bit sappy and slow for me. Was a very average listen, just sounds like a lot of other musicians I've heard before.
only really know cale from VU where he wrote some of my favorite stuff. this isn't what i expected but i thought it was somewhat rad for a rich guy light rock album
Indifferent, to be honest. Quite excited to *rediscover* Chris Thomas, though. Had no idea that he produced songs on the White Album, for instance. Sounds like quite an affable chap. (I suppose one would have to be to work with Pink Floyd. Writs and all that.)
Nothing special really
I much prefer John Cale in The Velvet Underground, nothing blew me away here.
A bit sing-songy
Interesting, and seems like it deserves another listen.
Interesting aberration in his catalogue (of which I have limited knowledge)- I wasn't familiar with this one and while I appreciate it I don't think I would ever come back to it to listen to.
Never heard this before it super interesting and i read his most accessible album, even then i'm not sure its super accessible... Hanlpanky nohow has his velvets drone and mabeth has a pretty distinctive stomp on it that might bridge the velvets and glam.. dunno. The title track is really distinctive and i think loads of people have listened to it, im thinking of a blur song but i cant quite remember it, it also feels like crosby stills nash and young a bit.. His voice is a lot thinner than i remembered and pretty haunting.. Im gonna spend more time listening to this...
Hanky Panky Nohow?! masterpiece haha. This is actually a very pleasant listen while working
pleasantly surprised with this one :) thoughtful and smooth
Paris 1919 is a banger. Mixing also super good on album.
Startet ruhig mit klassischem Rock im Klang der 60-70 Jahre, um dann über rock'n roll in etwas düstere ecperimentellere Töne zu gehen.
The second half is amazing.
Qua il rischio polpo era dietro l'angolo ed a tratti ce n'erano di polpette però alla fine l'album è stato gradevole. Alla fine del disco ti resta la voglia di risentirlo
Best Tracks: Child's Christmas in Wales, The Endless Plain of Fortune, Paris 1919, Half Past France
This was a pretty great album, the songwriting is meaningful and the instrumentals are great, the vocals on some songs though are really not fun to listen to and can get annoying.
70's pop sounds a lot different from today, but that doesn't mean it's bad! John Cale created an awesome album by using so many sounds in his music, that it sounds like it was instead produced by an orchestra.
I don't know. This was quite fun. I had no idea what to expect and listened to it a few times. Intriguing.
NEW! Orchestral rock/pop. Best Tracks: A Child's Christmas In Wales, Macbeth, Graham Greene
Some good stuff. The production seemed dated to me.
Pretty mellow, but still quite enjoyable. 1RS
liked this. Sort of eccentric english folksy sound that just breezes by. 6/10
Sinceramente me dio un poco de hueva la mayor parte del disco. Me pareció también un poco familiar como si ya hubiera escuchado una que otra, dejá vù. Canción favorita: MacBeth, porque me suena elvisiana.
Andalucia? Velvet, interesante
A good album, but not awesome
Eléctrico a ratos. Buena voz
Buenas letras en general y no sé muy bien si lo que escucho es rock o pop o ambas, ya en rock-pop. Pienso que es un álbum al que quizá no volvería, pero sí a algunas canciones, hacia el final me gustó bastante: "Half Past France" y "Antarctica Starts Here" son como lo que más me emocioné, junto con "Macbeth". La canción titular igual está buena, tiene de repente esa instrumentalización muy de soundtrack. En fin, no sé si lo que diga sea una tontería, pero de pronto me recordaba leve a los Beatles, de pronto a Bowie, algo así. 7/10
not bad. some great songs
Really underimpressive from the Velvet Underground guy. I'm reading all of these as bland background songs I had to keep reminding myself to listen to
Interesting sound, not sure if I have an adequate comparison.
Fine to have in the background
+
Musique de fond agréable mais assez quelconque
Its like a stepping stome album. The ideas are there but the execution can be just avg. long way to go, but explains why theres a long long catalog in their solo career. So it reassures me that maybe they go forward in experimenting with this folk-classical sound. its very gay and i love it and im here for it. just execute better, show me your glittered face not just the glistening hair
Not to bad solid 3/5
Nothing wrong with it just felt like elevator music
No private session used for Spotify. Based on his other work I was surprised how mainstream and poppy this was.
I'm going into this with high hopes. Pretty much being dashed right out of the gate. This is a far cry from The Velvet Underground. This album sucks. Lou Reed and John Cale clearly need each other desperately. This feels like a concept album where the concept sucks. A British artist with a ska influenced song? Who could ever have imagined? Why is he just dropping one place name after another in these songs? Not a great album after I went in with such high hopes.
Genuinely, is there anything on this record that the Beatles didn't do better, and in many cases also earlier? 2.1/5
Nonsensical. Silly shit. 2/5
I was not familiar with this album or with John Cale, other than knowing he was one of the original members of the Velvet Underground. I didn't really get this one. Not a huge fan of his voice. The music was fine, but nothing super interesting or exciting. According to what I read, this album is considered to be Cale's masterpiece, but I guess I really have nothing to compare it to since I don't know any of his stuff.
Kind of ho-hum for me. Not a whole lot going on. Enjoyable but I'm not really engaged.
It probably didn't help that I read the first few sentences of Cale's bio before spinning the record, but I really don't know that it colored my experience. I kept wanting to like this, but nothing aligned. The production (he's hailed as a great producer? I don't understand.), the songwriting, the performances — it's all very proud to be different? Edgy? Artsy? Whatever it is, it ain't for me.
Bit mad really.
I was rather bored by it.
It was fine
No fav song
This is better than what happened to Paris in the 1910s but not by much
Pleasant background noise. At one point I forgot I was even listening to it, it was that 'meh', but I'm not mad about it.
Ma saan aru, kuidas see võis 1973. a kohta päris revolutsiooniline olla. Instrumentatsioon ja masterdamine kõlab siin päris tänapäevaselt isegi. Aga see vokaal on tõesti kohutav ja tüütu. Ning tegelikult on laulud ka päris igavad või tüütud. Positiivseid tundeid nagu ei tekigi seda albumit kuulates. John Cale vast mõjutas paljusid teisi selle plaadiga, aga ta enda originaal pole minu jaoks väärt kuulamist. 2.3/5
Love the Velvet Underground, don't love this.
didn't really like it, kid of vanilla start to finish
Wow, this rabbit hole has no end. John Cale solo, talk about never sniffing success in the US. He's not a frontman (just listen to "The Endless Plain Of Fortune" if you can), that's why Lou did all the singing in Velvet Underground. I feel like this list is part educational and part torture. Nothing bad to say about John and this album, it's all fine and dandy but nothing stands out about it, it has zero hits (at least stateside), no one has ever mentioned it to me in 50 yrs, and it has no legacy or impact. Vanilla as vanilla gets (just listen to "Hanky Panky Nohow"). I give this a generous 2 stars.
Day878 - i know it’s a concept album but the concept is lame
Didn't know that Coldplay ripped off this rando.
ok
I don't know, instantly forgettable for me.
Nothing stood out to me in particular, but decent vibes
Not really my thing. I see wikipedia has it described as "baroque pop." Well, at least I know I don't really like baroque pop. It kind of just sounds like the last gasp of "let's try to sound like the Beatles." It's not terrible, just not really that great. 2/5
Pas pour moi.
2.5
Not my cup of tea
I listened to this in the morning on my commute to work. It’s now 7:30 at night and I can’t recall any of the songs I listened to. This album made zero impression on me.
This sounds like the first draft of a collection to be released next year. There is semblance of a cohesive product, but I feel like it all needs some tweaking before it’s consumed by the general public. It wasn’t bad music, just not complete and not really something that belongs on this list.
I’m starting to understand that when I read “this reminds me of the Beatles” in reviews, it means it’s going to be really shitty British pop. Case in point …
Pretentious brit pop. Unremarkable.
Didn't enjoy
Kinda easy-listening crap. I only liked the song Macbeth and the rest was entirely bland.
Found this too much like the early 70s rock that I really disliked. Didn't hate it enough to give it 1 star but I really don't need to hear this every again.
Quite depressing and forgettable
I guess it’s alright cause of the length of it - infinity forgettable pop rock music though
Second time writing this review; there are three decent songs that, when listening in the right context, sound pretty great. However, when listening to it on headphones, it takes all of the light out of it. This album is like seasoning, not particularly great by itself, but with something, it works wonders. Objectively, I'm rating the seasoning, not the meal, so this forgettable album with fine vocals suffers.
Forgot all the songs after 19 minutes and 19 seconds. 4/10
Ganz nett. Mehr nicht. Ich mag Orchester, aber diesmal funkte es nicht.
I’m underwhelmed. I heard from people that this was great. Not to me though
Child’s Christmas In Wales // 2.5/5
Meh
overall to me just felt a bit meh, first half was a little boring second half bit more to it but just didnt feel much from listening to this album
inconsistent, maybe for the point? i'm not engaging with it any further Would I listen again: no Deserves to be on this list: no 2.3
Didn’t know what to expect, and it kept me interested throughout. Quirky in places. If I hadn’t have been painting my fence I might have paid more attention to the lyrics, as there was a theme going on there I think. The fence? First coat done but will need a second coat tomorrow. I have Peter Gabriel lined up for that. I mean, he’s not coming round to paint it for me. I’ll be painting. He’ll be singing in my earphones.
There’s at least a sense of fun to this and it perhaps paves a way for people like The Divine Comedy, but it failed to really grab me.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this album. The cover is sort of boring but it has an interesting font which I appreciate. But the music was kinda all over the place for me and not in a pleasant way unfortunately. For example my favorite song on the album is the very first song. It’s very fun and poppy. It had a great energy and feels like the start to a really creative and alternative rock album. Sadly the rest of album doesn’t live up to that bar that was set fairly high. Not unachievably high, but high enough that the only other track that caught my attention from the mess was a song called “graham greene” which u also thought was really creative and original. But sadly as a whole I found it to be slow and uninspiring. I should also mention the massive track in this album called “Paris 1919”. It’s really not a bad song, I like that it has like rock opera/rock epic energy. But it just didn’t blow me away. This song, much like the majority of the album, was just sort of disappointing despite not having not very high expectations.
Largely forgettable IMO.
Not utterly awful but close. Bonkers stuff.
Not doing much for me, just a bit dull really
The beginning had some good songs which reminded my of Joni Mitchell’s more heartfelt ballads. But then it became rather mundane and I was bored by the half way point.
fine
Not for me
Okayish. Paris 1919 und dieser Christmas Song sind nicht schlecht. Rest so lala
What
That certainly sounded like music made from a side member of a very popular band.
This didnt do much for me. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for it. Not terrible, but pretty unremarkable. 2.5/5.
While much better than other stuff Cale has released, it's still boring and somehow unambitious.
Going into Paris 1919, I was expecting something a bit more in line with The Velvet Underground — experimental, edgy and a little bit different. Instead, what I got was a fairly straightforward, orchestral folk-pop album that didn’t quite land for me. There are moments where you can hear glimpses of that Velvet Underground influence, but they’re few and far between. The album leans heavily into orchestration, and while it sounds polished, the songwriting and lyrics feel a bit underwhelming. It’s not a bad listen, but it never really grabs you or gives you a reason to come back. There are a couple of decent moments, but overall it just feels quite forgettable. Favourite tracks: Paris 1919 is decent enough Least favourite tracks: Child’s Christmas in Wales felt very dull, along with a few others Album artwork: Good album cover
it's giving c-tier musical. there's numerous points across this album that feel like they have the intent of a grand and triumphant scale, but this all falls so flat to me. it's Fine at best on the whole in a way that is largely boring but at least manages to hit the "at least i'm listening to music" bar. the ucla symphony orchestra is quite nice at least! i would've enjoyed them significantly more if they were just Doing Their Thing, but while i can often find enjoyment in baroque pop, i don't feel like john cale brought much to the table. i don't care for his singing.
It's got all the ingredients, like it SHOULD be great. But very much is not. His voice is awful too. I Must Not Sniff Cocaine was the best bit so that says a lot (was accidentally still listening when the inescapable 'deluxe version' songs came on but soon realised and saved myself).
It was kind of a mixed bag really, a little bit ok-ish and a lot of meh. I had higher hopes for it, especially coming from Cale with his Velvet Underground pedigree, but it felt a bit too baroque pop and inconsistent. The arrangements are all over the place, but they just don't have any spark. The production is nice, but a lot of the songs sound like they belong in a fancy lounge. Cale's voice is...unique, and the lyrics are a bit too arty for my liking. There are a couple of good moments, like the title track and the opener, but overall, it's pretty forgettable.
didn’t really care much for this!
Borinnggg
How very uninspiring.