Paris 1919

Olipahan tylsää ja turhankin rauhallista matskua. En tykännyt.

Kuunteli tuon läpi, mut tylsä

Good stuff. Great song writer. Not super into the genre but the songs are solid.

Meh.

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.

I confess I winced when I saw the album cover here, and expected to hate it. But I was pleasantly surprised, and actually quite enjoyed this listen. Macbeth was a glam rock stomper, and Cale's exaggerated Welsh accent is amusing in Graham Greene.

ehhh, unmemorable

6/10. Pretty good I suppose

Somewhat unique for 1973 but also a little boring. 6/10

Thoroughly enjoyed this, and thought I was gonna hate it when it popped up. It wasn't perfect but it was so enjoyable and the lyrics were beautiful. Great listen.

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.

A pedestrian affair.

Meh… sounds like badly jerked-over Beatles tunes, but less interesting.

Brilliant

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.

Not my cup of tea

AJ: nyc drug folk orchestral melodies. Sounds pretty good musically, his voice is cool too. Not something I’ll listen to again.

Ikinä en ole tätä kuullut tai kuunnellut mutta hyvin kyl rokkaa. Ns. hyvää perusmusaa! 3/5

No tää ei ollut ihan mulle. En tiedä onko sattumaa, että VU:kin muuttui enemmän omaan makuun, kun Cale lähti.

About sellasta brittirockia kuin tältä listalta on oppinut odottamaan eli luonnollisesti 3/5.

Very calm album, fun concept

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

Worth a second listen, lyrically and muscially strong in the most. Occasionally a little soft for my liking

Only listened to the first 3-4 songs, but my wavelengths didn't quite settle into these jams

4+

aggressively boring

I was previously familiar with the great title track but still struggled with this at first. But like a lot of these albums, especially the quirkier ones, it grew on subsequent listenings. New fave: Graham Greene.

I loved everything about this album. It just hit the right note for what I was in the mood for today. "Hanky Panky Nohow" and "Paris 1919" really stood out for me. His voice is a bit of Ray Davies and Ringo Starr. The songwriting had a touch of Harry Nilsson (or vice versa). This was a great album

What a surprise this album was. His mellow voice, slightly spiritual sounding, on top of a unique guitar and strings blend, with every song making you feel something. Also, such a cool selection of song names.

Quite enjoyable album with catchy songs

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

I really enjoyed this album. It had a fun ethereal/shoestring sound that was well balanced throughout. I hate that hanky panky know how was my favorite song

Really liked this one. Had the full, lush orchestration that I always like, was the perfect length in terms of time and wouldn’t count

if you told me that a member of velvet underground created music that wasn't a discordant, experimental mess but full of beautiful orchestra pop, i would call you a liar. john cale discarded his punk roots and went in a completely different direction with paris 1919, and i absolutely love it. this is the kind of music i am a sucker for. the backing orchestra adds such a lovely, pleasant quality to this album. i am left to suspect that without the orchestra, i wouldn't be as interested. his voice isn't too remarkable, though it's interesting that he's close to whispering on "like on antarctica." the orchestra fills up the tension, higher and higher, on "the endless plain of fortune". the orchestra matches the increased tempo on "macbeth," which definitely sounds like your typical fun rock song from the seventies. the orchestra allows "andalucia" and other songs to be mellow and sweet. yet, cale makes himself known with a song named "hanky panky nohow." alright, cale, i see u.

I wasn't aware of John Cale and was surprised to hear this side of a founding member of Velvet Underground. This was okay, but I wasn't wowed. I felt like the album took off pretty slowly and just never really gained momentum. Production quality was also fairly low. The artistic, orchestral quality was neat, as were a lot of the lyrics. Ultimately, it's listenable, I just didn't really vibe with it.

Reminds me of the Bee Gees album I had two days ago. Lots of lush production without much interesting going on with the lyrics. The historical references throughout is an cool concept for an album but I think John's delivery didn't keep my attention all that much. 4/10

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.

A much kinder album than I would have expected.

Nice enough but background music for me. I really wish I could vote more than just 5 numbers though, guess this would be like a 2.9 but given what I've previously given a 3 a 3 here seems to high.

Not bad at all. Like Nick Drake meets Roxy Music, but more forgettable than either.

Öde. Wieder eines dieser Alben, nach dessen Audüre (™️) man sich fragt, warum man dieses Projekt eigentlich noch fortführt. Was man alles so gehört haben soll...

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.

It's just kinda there.

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.

Yeah ok this is pretty limp. Whimsical and weak. 2/5.

Well crafted music. The singing isn’t terrible, but his voice is boring. He was one of the members of the Velvet Underground. This record is the opposite. Favorite song: Paris 1919.

Welsh 🤮

Nice

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.

John Cale's name is slightly familiar but I couldn't say from where. All of the music on Paris 1919 was new to me. The album sounds like early 70s. I'm having a hard time placing this album in the rankings. Nothing was bad on the album, but nothing stood out as a new favorite or something I should come back to = 3.5 stars almost exactly. I COULD listen to this album again with no reservation, so I'll round up.

"Paris 1919" is the third solo studio album by Welsh musician John Cale. The album was a shift in his more experimental music toward an orchestral-influenced style as with the contemporary pop rock. His band included Little Feat's Lowell George (guitars) and Richie Hayword (drums), The Crusaders' Wilton Felder (bass, sax) and the UCLA symphony orchestra. Lyrics explore various aspects of early 20th century Western European culture and history. The album title (and song) " Paris 1919" refers to Paris Peace Conference (Treaty of Versailles) which resulted in the partitioning of Europe and assignment of unilateral war reparations and contributed to the rise of the Third Reich. Piano begins "Child's Christmas in Wales," in both a happy and sad sounding pop song. A busy song. Great vocals. A droning guitar bridge. Based on a Dylan Thomas poem. The strings appear in "Hanky Panky Nohow." It's softer, slower. A chorus. I love the way there's no rush in this song. The modernization of life. The strings give a darker edge to "The Endless Pain of Fortune." Dramatic. It's about settlers in 1910 South Africa searching for diamonds and gold. The influence of Lowell George is really heard in the beautiful "Andalucia." The slide guitar. Hey, this is country rock. Cale's emotional delivery. Dire Straits had to be huge fans of John Cale. A person from Andalucia, Spain. A lover? Ominous strings begin "Paris 1919," the most baroque of these songs. Layered and urgent vocals and chorus. Is Cale comparing his life the disastrous results of The Treaty of Versailles? "Half Past France" slows it down a bit from the previous songs. Piano. Slide guitar. This sounds a lot like Brian Eno at that time. No surprise Cale and Eno worked together. The album ends with a soulful song in "Antartica Starts Here." Cale whispering the album to a close. This is a fantastic album. I was completely blown away. It's beautiful sounding with the strings. Great variety as each song changes styles slightly and is worth listening on their own. Pop, baroque, country rock, soul and glam rock. I'm always a sucker for songs with dual meanings and he does this here with the historical lyrics and comparing to his current personal situation or not maybe. I cannot recommend this album any higher.

This didn’t do anything for me throughout most of the listen. My ears pricked up during the second to last song but I forgot to care throughout the day. Inoffensive but dull.

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.

Learning new things. John Cale was in the Velvet Underground. The sort of art pop you'd expect from someone formerly managed by Andy Warhol. It's very 70s experimental, and you can hear alot of elements of the time while also he's trying to do new things. Worth another listen.

Interesting soft rock mix. Some mournful, some operatic/cinematic, some a bit more upbeat

Pretty good but not memorable.

Not my cup of tea

I quit listening when he sang, "Andalucia, when can I see ya." Finito.

I think the album starts pretty well, and though Paris 1919 is really strong, it becomes apparent that John Cale's voice seems to have a really narrow range. Wherever he seems to have to push his range, the vocals just don't come off well. The Antarctica whisper approach isn't an improvement. This was potential here, but it didn't hit for me.

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.

This album is bouncy and fun. I keep thinking of what to compare it to and then realize I can't think of much except maybe Richard Thompson. I love that warm and friendly blonde Wurlitzer in Antarctica Starts Here.

I know I'm supposed to revel in all the brilliance that is John Cale, but I don't. This album is like attending church so you can avoid going to hell.

The 1919 Paris Peace Conference heralded the end of WWI, and perhaps eventually precipitated the rise of the Nazis in Germany. But in 1919, in Paris, in that moment, the town (and Europe) were surely partying. There is no partying to be found on John Cale's "Paris 1919." After boring us all on the first track, he follows it up by declaring "Hanky Panky nohow." I don't think he is refusing to go down to the banks of the Hanky Panky. I think he's against the other kind of hanky panky. (Jeez, that really is the lamest euphemism there is.) But as many have sang throughout the years, "My baby does the hanky panky." (Best delivered in Sylvan Esso's "Coffee." Does Cale have no baby? No one to share the hanky panky with? I'd be willing to bet there was quite a bit of hanky panky in Paris in 1919, launching their own little baby boom perfectly timed to send those babies off to the sequel. Elsewhere Cale continued to bore, with a minor exception on "Macbeth," though that seemed like it didn't fit and couldn't have been recorded with the rest. I'd rather watch a loop of the movie scene that inspired the Pixies' "Debaser" line "un chien andalusia" then listen to John Cale's "Andalusia" or any of the rest of this album. "Antarctica" didn't start at the last track - I felt frozen by boredom from the start.

His voice reminded me of Belle and Sebastian, but without the jangliness that makes Belle and Sebastian pleasant.

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.

For the longest time, I thought JJ and John Cale were the same person. But they couldn't be more different. This is great, building and surging nicely, and definitely an influence on Belle and Sebastien.

Such a gifted songwriter, John Cale gently grabs you by the hand and guides you through this pleasantly accessible record of his. It's a pop record, but you still never quite know what's coming next, as Cale takes you on a journey from his home in Wales to the edges of the world in Antarctica. The most memorable stops along the way are 'Andalucía' and 'Paris 1919'.

A work of immense beauty. In many ways a straightforward pop album - but it’s never that simple when John Cale is involved. Paris 1919 is one of the more accessible albums in Cale’s discography. And yet it’s hugely innovative and challenging at times. An absolute genius, this man is.

I’m sure I’m missing something here, but when it comes to post-Velvet Underground works, I’m always going to be more of a Lou Reed kind of guy.

I don’t LOVE it right now but I feel like I will in the future

hanky panky nohow anyone?

A toothy blowjob in the back of my brother's old van. Thousands of brown spiders swarming my penis and balls as I look on in horror. It hurts.

Noooooooot good.

After years of toiling in the darkness, John Cale allowed himself to let the light in and what a splendid way to do it with an album whose title comes from world changing events that eventually gave way to other world changing events. John Cale's Paris 1919 doesn't have such tools for such things yet it sparkles, shimmers and shines with character building songs and opulent instrumentation that's worlds away from the dingy, charcoal black landscape he excelled in. And this album proves that he can excel in baroque areas as well. Favorites: Child's Christmas in Wales, Hanky Panky Nohow, Andalusia, Macbeth, Paris 1919, Graham Greene, Antarctica Starts Here.

Everything John Cale touches seems to be wonderful. Loved this album. 4.5/5, rounding up to 5.

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.

This album is doubly amazing insofar that I find all the rest of Cale’s solo repertoire (and a lot of his Velvet Underground stuff) utterly and unpleasantly impenetrable. Still, I like many of his production projects, so I know he can make an album that I like. And I did, this. I can see the impact of this on many artists. I hear late Beatles, I hear Level 42, I hear Sweet, I hear the Decemberists. I liked it all.

I like the songs, but they just werent attention grabbing for me.

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.

Great orchestration and composing. I should expect no less from John Cale but I had no idea he did pop.

Ich mags

Hätte nen sehr gutes Album sein können aber es hört sich iwie so an als wüsste das Album nicht in welche Richtung es gehen will also eher entspannt oder pracgtvoll oder aufregend. Deshalb fehlt bei den meisten songs für mich iwas. Aufnahmen sind auch nicht so wirklich clear. 3-4/10

Don’t like the voice. Liked 2 songs.

4/5

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.

Forgettable

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.

A bit middle of the road.

A sensação de um pop bem desenvolvido é altamente perceptível, mesmo assim não me envolve para sentir a importância histórica.

Very chill music. It was nice for a weekend morning.

Was a complete daze of an album, until Macbeth kicked it up a much needed notch. Then it fizzles out again towards the end. I'll give this 2 crowns for Macbeth being decent, and the rest being not awful to listen to. 👑👑

Art pop. Baroque pop. Bien, agradable.

Never listened to this artist before It's OK I guess.

Meh.

I like John Cale

Best Song: Macbeth. Real dancey rock and roll. Worst Song: Hanky Panky Nohow. The lyrics aren't as bad as I expected, but still the phrase "hanky panky" is insurmountably bad. Overall: This was certainly a collection of songs. Breathtakingly average.

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.

Beetje outdated. Vond het wat aan de saaie kant

Oh man Awful

Lush, delicate arrangements and compositions for interesting pop tunes.

I liked it, just not my jam but definitely a solid effort. Highlights probably Graham Greene and Antarctica Starts here.

Classic John Cale album. Hard to see why anyone would give fewer than 5 stars for it.

Very nice collection of beautiful songs. Cale's singing is a bit wobbly at times, but in this case I can live with that.

Very accessible album: I enjoyed it!

Absolute perfection. Bliss. Incredible. The title track is genuinely one of the most gorgeous compositions ever put to record. Now THIS is symphonic rock at it's finest. VU alum >>>

Ok, Paris 1919 the song is fire though

It took a while to pick up but I liked when it did.

meh

Great finding

Good easy listening, nothing too special for me

Good!

Old school bangers! I’d never even heard of this man, lol.

Overall, pretty bland to me. Sounds like many of the random thrift store finds I came across from that time period.

Let me say before I start that this was the hardest album to rate that I've listened to yet. I swung throughout the course of it from 1 to 4 and ultimately can absolutely see why people rate it highly. John Cale's work with the velvet underground needs no introduction but this was my very first exposure to his solo work. A casual browse throws up words like avant-garde and experimental. Brilliant I thought a challenging listen in the vein of Robert Wyatt or a proto ambient work in the vein of what Eno was doing at the time awaits me. I don't think that's what this album is. I cant really tell what this album is. Is it a collection of 70's folk ballad nonsense? Is it a very accessible baroque pop album? Is it sublimely stripped down progressive rock? I genuinely can't tell. And therein lies the issue I want it to be more progressive, I want it to commit to being a weird album. However it just manages to dodge the question of if its a work of a mad genius or a singer songwriter going through the motions. Sometimes that enigmatic quality is to be celebrated, most of the time really but with this one it just left me feeling really frustrated. On the good points the title track is a great song and "Hanky Panky Nohow" has somehow wormed its way into the same part of my brain that's usually reserved for things much closer to outsider art. In fact, skipping back through the album, the song writing in general is quite strong. I just wish I could work out what he was trying to say with this album. I'm giving it a 2 but also following it on Spotify to give it more listens, I think that says it all really.

Real short album, but better than I was anticipating.

Rating: 6/10

wonderful and amazing!! Some tracks are unappealing when they start but by the end are simply great. Best tracks: andalucia, Paris 1919, the endless plain of fortune

How peculiar - Cale goes from antagonistic noisenik to auditioning for the Zombies. This rather lovely baroque pop, with the same kind of laser focus on parochial life as the Kinks' ...Are the Village Green Preservation Society. Wry, mournful and wistful all at once - even if the first track does sound a bit like 'Walk Away Renee'.

Liked this, but feel I need to listen to it several times get deeper into it. John Cale's voice moves from understated to absurd, but always fascinating.

Not good. Very not good

Very nice, almost classical sounding. A very talented guy, I wish he had done more accessible albums like this one. 4 stars.

I fell in love with Child's Christmas in Wales and the title track immediately, such delights which I know for sure will be repeated constantly during Christmas. The album itself is short and sweet, though not as memorable as those two tracks. There are some great album cuts, but the rest blends in the background. Its a bit uncanny this can be compared to Lou Reed's Transformer, as both have are some fantastic highpoints but gets bogged down by some of its meh backbones.

Some nice surprises. More albums should be half an hour long.

Very pleasing - and excellent lyrics.

A real grower…

The perfect album to go with my morning tea.

its a peculiar album because its described as pop but no one would really think of this when they say pop. It reminds me of simon & garfunkel and john denver. Lyrically very intruing

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this album, but it was pretty good. Every song started in a way that had me hooked and interested in what was to come. I like his voice too. It kinda reminds me of Morten Harket's voice. It wasn't perfect, but this was a good album. My favourite song was Graham Greene.

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.

My familiarity with John Cale prior to today was mostly limited to his work in The Velvet Underground, so this turned out to be an unexpectedly straightforward and accessible rock album to listen to. Highly enjoyable art-rock, with beautiful orchestration. I need to check out more of Cale’s solo work.

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.

Never heard any of his stuff before. A quaint album with interesting lyricism. Saved tracks: The Endless Plain Of Fortune, Macbeth, Paris 1919, Graham Greene

Listened on a long run, not had, but nothing drew me in. Add to the list of might need a second listen to appreciate

7/10 unobtrusive and with a few gems

Nonsense, very very old fashioned, not very exciting.

To be fair, this dude didn't stand a chance, following right on the heals of the ArchAndroid from yesterday. So much energy! So much variety! Yesterday, of course. Not today. This is bland AF. It's vanilla ice cream with no sprinkles. It's a pan-fried burger with no toppings. It's a unicorn with no horn that just walks around eating grass, just like a regular ole horse. This tracks with my experience with the 70s on 7 on SiriusXM. The music from this time period is either amazing, sing out loud while driving awesome - or total and utter crap. Like change the channel to anything - EVEN THE BLEND - crap. This is the latter - hard pass, but thanks for trying.

Well, this really was fairly pleasant, if forgettable. Who were you, John Cale? Apparently the majority of the world found you forgettable too.

Kind of interesting, but not for me.

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.

bopring

не услышала ничего особенного

The album sounds like it was ahead of its time, I was surprised it released in 1973. Actually never mind I was going to say it sounded Beatles-esq but it was actually released afterwards. I do like the orchestral influences. Did not finish last song tho

Soft, mostly boring.

Slow, and kind of a weak voice. Thought it would pick up with “Macbeth” but his voice maintained the weakness even when the band added some edge. Not a fan.

It felt like he was trying out for the Beatles. Not the best.

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.

Boring through and through

composition folle, des fois j'adore la voix, des fois je déteste

Reminds me of my grandparents

Jag tycker att det här albumet hade någonting. Var speciellt en låt som stod ut bland de andra.

In the realm of interesting and slickness, this is far from rich jalapeños. Mostly dull, Macbeth was ok

not really anything special

Interesting

Great use of the orchestral sound

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.

Absolute waste of time. This was almost unlistenable and even then, it was boring beyond belief. I somehow made it through and I was so angry the whole time that I was forcing myself to finish it.

It was fine folk, but a bit repetitive.

Favorites: Child's Christmas In Wales, Andalucia, Paris 1919

A nice guitar pop record with some well-written songs. I’m sure this album rewards multiple listens.

Idiosyncratic, a like experimental. Hard to pin down.

Ljúf og góð plata.

If in doubt, do a period piece--except the period is so riddled with Cale's idiosyncracies and weirdo visions that it could double as the present (though probably not the future). For the first few songs, his drone floats in a misplaced yesteryear while the tunes exist in the here and the now, but on 'Macbeth', 'Paris 1919' and 'Graham Greene' they come barrelling onto the stage together for a twisted history of the bourgeoisie told in a hodge-podge of The Kinks' sorrowful quaintness and Nick Drake's John Donne poses.

Not my cup of tea. Some orchestral moments in this were interesting, but the vocals and lyrics didn't really impress me.

The album was kind of there. Nothing really remarkable or noteworthy about it. I didn't skip any of the songs. I didn't hate it. Probably better than a 2 not really a 3. I will round down.

Cale at his most approachable, one of my favourite albums.

Pretty solid album. Started a little slow but ended up enjoying it more than I expected to. My player started shuffling through a 2nd time after the first listen and I 1) didn't realize it and 2) liked it even more the further I got, so this might be one that really builds with additional listens. 3.5/5

kinda unsurprising because i love the Velvet Underground, but man was this a good album

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.

I liked this a lot. Really unique and sophisticated.

Qu´est-ce que c’est que cette merde. Il chante mal, ce n’est pas inovant, rien de tout ça n’a traversé le temps, c’est ennuyant pour mourir. Antartica starts here est la seule toune qui mérite d’être entendue là-dessus.

Je suis quand même surpris de cette écoute. Je m'attendais à quelque chose de plus éclaté de cet ancien du Velvet Underground, quelque chose de plus difficile d'approche. Finalement ça s'écoute bien. Les arrangements ne sont pas plates. La longueur de l'album est parfaite. La qualité de l'enregistrement n'est pas superbe, mais c'est un album à écouter et j'y reviendrai sûrement. Pièces préférées: The Endless Plain Of Fortune, Paris 1919, Graham Greene

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

Pretty dated sound. Was hoping for something a bit more experimental in line with the Velvet Underground.

Альбом понравился, прослушан был стремительно быстро. Но оказался добротным.

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

It’s ok I guess

Been waiting for this one too Love Paris 1919 4 or 5 definitely Not perfect at least 4

Yea it was ok

another mediocre album

mouais

Meh? Gets an extra star for the song names

A solid #2. Well, maybe not that solid, but it certainly is a #2.

A few interesting baroque pop songs, the rest was forgettable.

This bores me. It's grand, but it bores me

Je reconnais la qualité des orchestrations des chansons, mais celles-ci, en soi, m’ont paru étonnamment ennuyeuses.

I was expecting to enjoy this more than I did. I mean the guy was in the Velvet Underground, after all. I could see (hear) that this hangs together neatly as a body of work, but none of the songs grabbed me much, or were familiar. I would have liked a bit more experimentation - this sounded like standard '70s rock ballad fare, to me, with none of the smarts that Cale’s playing for VU displayed. Black Angels Death Song this is not..

This was a welcome surprise. Paris 1919 couldn't be more far removed from the Velvets. It's an uplifting pop album with a wonderful warm and homely production. Not exactly an album in which to take Class A drugs to. I'm never really a fan of concept albums. They require too much investment for a narrative that probably doesn't interest you. But a pop album about the Paris Communes worked well for 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

John Cale doing almost pop music, it works. Also helps to Lowell George on guitar as well.

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).

Nothing really there for me on this album. Middle ground 70s soft rock styles.

That was surprisingly good. It does beg the question as to why Reed was the lead singer of the Velvet Underground. Because Cale can sing. In tune, even.

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.

Not interesting at all, why was this on the list?

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 . . .

Weirdness all round. First, because it sounds a few years out of date, belonging more to late sixties psychedelic orchestral pop. Also, the topics explored make it an album you'd want to have Wikipedia at your side to make sure you get all the references. Picking Lowell George as the guitar player is a shocker since Little Feat (and all the other artists that George accompanied) are the exact opposite of this stuff. That said, I kind of liked it. It's good that there was a time when a record like this, hard to define and out of place, could get released by a major label.

I can appreciate that he's got good song-writing skills and has street cred being that he was one of the founders of the Velvet Underground, but this really did not resonate with me.

Didn’t like

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.

Minus a song or two, this album was hot garbage.

Honestly one of my favourite ever albums. I always think of it as underrated so I was pleasantly surprised it made the list. It's a shame he never went back to this style with his later more experimental stuff

Paris 1919 by John Cale (1973) Of the three key members of The Velvet Underground (John Cale, Lou Reed, and Nico [1965-1967]), John Cale was the most inscrutable. But on the post-Underground album Paris 1919, John Cale approaches scrutability. If nothing else, the record demonstrated that he actually had musical talent, even if his lyrics remained on the obscure side. With an almost pop sound, utilizing sensible but creative melodies, and backed by the UCLA Symphony Orchestra, Paris 1919 is listenable, even if Cale’s voice leaves much to be desired (I’m being generous on that last bit). From the wacky faux-reggae “Graham Greene” to the almost folk rock anthem “Half Past France” to the delicately pretty and cool “Andalucia”, the musical chops are there, but they seem almost desperate to achieve meaning. The allusions to the overall theme of the album are oh so slight. It takes work to understand, and it’s not quite worth it. The album does prompt some historical reflection, which is a plus. The ‘Paris’ of Paris 1919 was of course the post-WWI Paris, recovering but victorious after the Triple Entente (Britain, France, and Russia) defeated the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) and providing the setting for the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. The conference was marked by the victors’ idealism and hopefulness that sought an international path forward after the “war to end all wars”. Sadly (and due in no small part to the arrogant and vain naïveté of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson), the resulting Treaty of Versailles would be a colossal failure, ensuring the rise of German nationalism and the horrors of WWII just 20 years later. Cale’s lyrics on the title track “Paris 1919” make reference to this ephemeral buoyancy, but they remain indeterminate, so they represent a missed opportunity. But the music captures the mood—the foolishness of those who put bright heads together confident of securing the avoidance of war. As the wise man said, “When will they ever learn?” (Pete Seeger/Joe Hickerson, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” [1955/1960]) An even wiser man said (in 1950), “No one has yet explained how war prevents war. Nor has anyone been able to explain away the fact that war begets the conditions that beget further war.” That ‘even wiser man’ was the American Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. He should know. 2/5

Meh

made it to andalucia, nope.

Lofi beats to study and relax to

geggjuð plata en hjef ekki endurjhlustað síðan í mr

I can see the talent here, but this is just that bit pedestrian for my tastes.

John Cale, the founder of Velvet Underground, doing a collection of fun catchy pop songs. Nothing out of place. The majority being baroque pop, one of my favorite genres (especially from that era) with a heavy wall of sound, incorporating strings like an orchestra. Different styles here and there like the bluegrass "Macbeth" or psychedelic folk "Hanky Panky Nohow" that never test the boundaries of our comfort zone. Beautiful writing reminiscent of 19th to early-20th century literature. He gets pretty artsy at times, most dramatically in the bridge title track, which draws your attention while still being pleasing and accessible. Has a very British sound, with vocals and writing reminding me of the mods, especially the Kinks. Closer is a satisfying exit. Length and pacing are just right. Favorites: The Endless Plain of Fortune, Andalucia, Paris 1919

Fun stuff, very eclectic but good pop sensibilities throughout. Not sure about the cod reggae track, though.

Muito bom.

Weird, John Cale's name came up yesterday. Can't remember why. This had some very nice orchestral chamber pop (is that the term?) moments. I think it's good, but for some reason it didn't truly grab me. Second listen was more enjoyable than the first and third... maybe it requires a specific mood? At the moment: 2.5

Can't say I'm familiar with John Cale. This album is a real mixed bag. Macbeth and Paris 1919 are both great. But Hanky Panky Nohow is awful

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.

Cruise ship lower decks lounge music. At best.

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

This was a really different album and I wasn't really album to fully appreciate it, I think. I found it off putting lyrically, and not always in a bad way, and I never found myself getting wrapped up in it. Still, I thought that it was unique and, sadly, ultimately forgettable. Favorite song: Hanky Panky Nohow

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 🌟

Very sweet

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 to hear this one so close to Lou Reed's "Transformer": two former Velvets a few years on, taking the reins of their solo careers and moving in very different directions. Where Reed chased Bowie's glam-rock sounds, Cale (VU's "lunatic" according to drummer Maureen Tucker) also went commercial with a lush, sophisticated half-hour of orchestral pop. "Paris 1919" is a regal, stately album: full of bombast, intricate orchestral arrangements, classical influence and overt allusions to writers from Dylan Thomas to Shakespeare to Graham Greene. It puts its cards immediately on the table and rarely lets go of its dense arrangements and orchestra, used to greatest effect in the stunning title track. The biggest shock is perhaps the most conventional song, rocker "Macbeth". Upbeat, riotous and bringing drums and electric guitar to the fore, it sounds like it belongs on a different album... in the end, it's just another mesmerising trick in Cale's box. "Macbeth" and "Paris 1919" both add to my main take-away of this album: underneath all the sonic ambition, there are some real pop gems here. My favourites boast truly aching melodies: "Andalucia" is a straightforward three-chord folk song that could work as a stripped back, acoustic-guitar-only ballad. "Half Past France" is another winner, its wistful melody surrendering to floods of organ and reverb. Things end on an oblique, mysterious note with "Antarctica Starts Here". If anything lets the album down, it's "Hanky Panky Nohow" and "Endless Plain of Fortune", which don't reach the same heights of the other ballads here- maybe on account of feeling overbaked, over-orchestrated? It's a tricky line to walk. This is nitpicking though- on the whole, this is definitely one of my favourite new albums I've been introduced to on the list and will be added to regular rotation.

Interesting person. With a few more listens could enjoy more

nostalgic yet hopeful 70s road trip montage music through Europe. Try not to fall over during the first 7 seconds of the opener!

The music was strong. The instrumentation was expansive giving the album a symphonic feel. There was also a strong sense of melody and whimsy. I only know John Cale through his work his work with the Velvet Underground but though this was very different, this art pop stands very well on its own.

I braced myself for the electric viola and was pleasantly surprised. Best track: Half Past France

Kind of a James Taylor vibe, but not as good.

Paris 1919 is good. everything else is meh

Great album!

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

Absolutely not for me. The only song that was anywhere near good was "Paris 1919". "Hanky Panky Nohow" was basically unlistenable.

Very British.

I liked this. Stunning instrumentation. And introspective quirky song styles.

Quite pleasant, not sure if I'd put it on again any time soon but wouldn't mind listening again.

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.

Great album! All compositions are powerfully connected by the concept, while each one is different. Feel free to listen to this album in its entirety. Cale opened to me this uniqe genre as barocco-pop

Ja, ik ga het gewoon doen: "na 1 nummer begon het me al aardig de Cale uit te hangen" (sorry)

Wilde zeggen dat dit als een nachtkaars uitging, maar het is nooit ontvlamt, wat een saaie bedoeling zeg.

Ja, dit vond best aardig. Relaxte muziek.

Voor iemand die in de Velvet Underground heeft gezeten vond ik dit nogal brave en zelfs enigszins slaapverwekkende muziek.

Gezapig! Met als dieptepunt 'Hanky Panky Nohow'.

No joy here

QUITE cool 3.7

If there’s one thing I can always rely on, it’s for John Cale to confound me a little with his music, but I love it. His music can be a bit of a rough listen for some because of his avant-garde sensibility. But this album is probably one of his most accessible and most enjoyable to listen to. The songs are a pleasant listen, with a hint of a pop vibe. Several reviewers compared Cale to Ringo Starr which at first annoyed me, but I can hear it, particularly in the piano. They also have similar vocal ranges, but that’s about it. What Cale is up to is a bit more left field, to put it mildly. There are some stunningly pretty songs on here, mostly with simple but elegant arrangements. In contrast, the kicky rocker “Macbeth” is kind of ridiculous, especially followed up with the masterful “Paris 1919.” It’s a tonal shift that will break your brain on some level. I like to think Cale had a good laugh over it. Speaking of “Paris 1919,” it’s a singularly lovely confection of a song, the best track on the album. I would have loved a whole album of songs in this vein. The lyrics on “Paris 1919” are also quite clever but won’t mean much to a casual listener. As with a number of songs on the album, the lyrics are peppered with historical and cultural references that tend toward the obscure. Cale is not known for his vocal talents, but something in his delivery is enjoyable to me. It's slightly off-kilter and wavering, but conveys a certain pathos that works really effectively with his musical style. Richie Unterberger describes it as a “lilting if thin Welsh burr,” which is about as perfect a description of Cale’s vocal style as I have ever seen. Combined with his beautiful arrangements, that wonderful viola, and a little warmth courtesy of Lowell George’s guitar work, you have a really unique collection of songs here. It may take multiple listens to connect with it, but it’s worth it. Fave Songs: Paris 1919, The Endless Plain of Fortune, Child's Christmas in Wales, Andalucia, Half Past France

Boredom in a glass ready to be sipped like church cordial

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.

Heel saai

This is aggressively ok

The most three star album I've had on this. Two stars

Didn't vibe with it but also it didn't put me off it was just kinda there.

This guy reads books

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.)

Fabulous!!

Nothing special really

Pretty forgettable honestly

Not a big fan of this. It sounds like a demented children's album.

Though this is not my personal favorite John Cale album (that would be "Fear"), I am going to give this a 5 because I'm pretty sure this will be John Cale's only solo appearance on the list. This is a beautiful album and I find his voice oddly comforting.

I much prefer John Cale in The Velvet Underground, nothing blew me away here.

fun! upbeat! poppy! everything i want in a good daytime music working cd.

A bit sing-songy