Paris 1919

The dude from the Velvet Underground doing straight baroque cheese ball pop and he absolutely crushes it

Nowhere close to a 4 star album for me, but oddly mesmerizing enough that it isn't really close to a 2 either. I also don't know what style of music this is or who it is for, and yet it lands squarely on a 3 for its musicality. I'm as baffled as you.

Now this is good 70s rock. Charming, energetic, but also emotional at times. Each song feels clear enough on its emotion, as opposed to the tone of Tusk which felt much more aimless. It also doesn't outstay its welcome. It's the perfect little half an hour 70s rock album!

Not a fan. The whole Andy Warhol, Factory, Velvet Underground, New York scene in the 1960s did nothing for me. In recognize 1001 albums are quite a few. How this made its way into the group is beyond me.

I'll wager there were a lot of adults/parents that enjoyed the hell out of this album in it's day. It feels like when I was little. Like I don't recall ever hearing this album before. The cover doesn't pop up with a memory. Yet I swear I've heard it before. I'm not sure if this was a leader in its style or aping another artist, but it nails mid 70's parents. Well if that was a genre anyway. It's not terrible, I'm not upset at listening to it. It's not exciting, it's not something I'll put on to say clean the house, but it's a well put together piece of music. It's just not made for me.

At least we finally know who was in Paris.

3.5. Decent

Excellent. John Cale > Lou Reed

Nije losche al nije ni porsche

Interesting enough to hold my attention now but not to listen to in the future

Not bad but a little too ornate/baroque for me

I bought this on CD back in the day, partly because I’d been enjoying Velvet Underground and partly because of Cale’s Welsh roots and the fact that the opener is a nod to this. Back then, I thought it was underwhelming. 20 odd years on, nothing has changed. I cannot fathom why this justifies a place on the list aside from to reinforce my opinions on the compilers musical bias.

Syrupy

Usually I want something darker and more experimental if I'm seeking out John Cale and yet this album is as peaceful as the title suggests. I appreciate how casually dreamy it sounds. I could easily listen to it alongside something like Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy or some other slightly skewed pop outing. The original album is just the 9 songs and goes by quickly. In fact it might go by just a little too quick unless you dip into the deluxe edition. It's my second John so-and-so record in a row and while yesterday's was slightly better (Cash is king after all) this is solid and worthy of more spins.

couple decent songs, but mostly a bit boring

John Cale: I think I was expecting JJ Cale at first. Pretty easy to listen to this kind of 70’s singer songwriter soft rock. Good band and some nice Beatlesesque orchestral arrangements. It was cool but none of the songs or singing really grabbed me. Graham Greene has a quirky groove reminded me of Wings a bit. Did not like the whispering on Antarctica. Did not listen to any of the extra stuff just original album.

Interesting but goes into easy listening. Low 3.

Low 4

I was struck by how plush and dreamy Paris 1919 is, based on John Cale's contributions to The Velvet Underground I was expecting his solo efforts to be spookier and more eccentric, but instead we have a very well rounded and friendly release which has a wonderful nostalgia to it. I like both modes, but they couldn't be further apart from each other. He has a wonderful voice and infectiously chipper sensibility here.

Solid 3 for me today, couple of really beautiful songs, some interesting experiments, and some filler

8 / 10

Terribly boring until the last track which I somewhat enjoyed

I like John Cale. He’s probably my favorite member of The Velvet Underground. It’s a good album, reminds me of John Grant. But while I liked the way this album started, my interest waned as it went on. A decent listen, but ultimately didn’t make a big impression.

I didn't feel a connection to the music of this album. I listened through a few times and afterwards I don't remember anything.

Nothing special but it wasn’t painful to get through

Never had heard of him Nice sound

I wasn't expecting to like this at all given some of the reviews, but I actually very much enjoyed it. It's a sharp turn from the abrasive, droning experimentation of The Velvet Underground into vibrant and cinematic baroque/chamber pop. It gives off a strange vibe of being deceptively polite and warm sonically to mask some of Cale's eccentric musings, and it's that juxtaposition which appeals to me. The whole thing felt quite surreal and borderline unsettling at times, almost like a haunted photo album lost to time.

This is great too

This record is not “terrible” by any stretch but I find it extremely middling. At no point does it get me on the edge of my seat, or get my foot tapping. It’s middle of the road pop-rock that I can imagine being background music in an American bar.

Great writing and a well composed album. Refined and maybe a bit fussy but dark enough thematically to remain interesting.

This was pretty good. The arrangements have a very Sgt Pepper/Pet Sounds vibe - it's a bit hard to believe this is one of the founders of the Velvet Underground.

Much much better than I remembered it, having not listened to it for years. I can’t make out most of what he’s saying (possibly because he seems to have been up to his eyeballs in cocaine) but it’s absolutely gorgeous to listen to. A grower so I can understand some of the lower ratings.

Absolutely wonderful. Claustrophobic air of melancholy, dusting of whimsy, perfect.

1.9/5 Pretty mid

Notable Textzeilen: I'm not afraid now of the dark Anymore And many mountains now are molehills Back in Berlin they're all well fed But I don't care People always bored me anyway Wundervoll fragil, herausragend lyrische Texte, does not overstay it's welcome - ich habe nur Positives dazu zu sagen. Seit 2010 kein John Cale mehr gehört - wird für mich immer mit einer der seltsamsten Theatererfahrungen zu tun haben, dass Menschen die kommen (obwohl explizit als theatrale Installation angekündigt) ein Konzert erwarten und keines bekommen weil die Akkustik so schlecht ist das Musiker*innen in geschlossene Glasboxen gepackt werden - und danch wütend sind, obwohl sie etwas einmaliges erlebt haben.

Halt Moment. Ich habe hier ein krachiges experimentelles Rockalbum erwartet, dass verstört und betört und wo die Linie zwischen Geräusch und Musik verwischt wird. Das hier ist... ein poppiger Singer/Songwriter Zyklus mit Music Hall Einflüssen das sich mit... europäischem Alltag im Kontext von struktureller Gewalt (!?) auseinander setzt. Wild. Komplett unerwartet, aber irgendwie ganz gut.

You know, the Velvet Underground was originally going to be a pop group, what with being an Andy Warhol pet project and all. Warhol was a key figure in POP art, after all, so the original thought was that it be appropriate that he manage a group making pop music. All that changed when John Cale was introduced to the fold. A classically trained avant-garde violinist and conventional pop don't usually mix. The result of that strange halfway meeting is obvious on the 1967 Velvet Underground debut, right down to its banana cover art. Honestly, nothing else could really describe the Velvets' sound visually anyway. Released just 6 years after the Velvet Underground's debut arrived and...did nothing for a couple of decades (it admittedly took a little while for people to catch on) John Cale took to making what I can only describe as "gentleman art pop." Everything is so prettily produced, so fluffy and airy, so well-dressed and well-mannered that I half expect each song to bow before it starts. Half the time I was expecting "March of the Toys" to start playing (don't ask me why my brain to make THAT connection.) I guess with an album like this that has every single hair in place, there isn't too much that can be said about how daring its writing is, or to sing the high praises of its maverick architect. Rather, it seems Cale has decided to play it safe, offering mostly elegant mid-tempo balladry full of little details that reward repeat listens. The only exception to this is the rock and roll stomp of "Macbeth," itself a highlight for how it saves the album from being a totally limp-wristed affair. It's fine enough as background music, or to fulfill the "secular music that sounds oddly religious" niche, which exists to a surprising degree, though I can't really justify its inclusion on this list otherwise. Key Tracks: Child's Christmas in Wales, Macbeth, Half Past France

This list has thrown up some odd albums, I’m not sure why I should have to listen to this before I die, but I’m glad I did because it was hilarious… I know it didn’t mean to be, but the absurdly bad lyrics sang with earnestness had me convinced this had to be a parody album… if this is what you like then more power to you, but I thought it was just ridiculous… like a toddler rambling at you about a dinosaur he saw, it may be entertaining, but it doesn’t make any sense, and it’s nowhere near as profound as he thought

Fine music with a decent range of sounds across the album.

I'm afraid I don't get it. Just light guitar and a melody. Nothing to catch me I'm afraid

I enjoyed it more than the velvet Underground albums I guess

Crazy good, how come I never listened to this?

I can't find the energy to like it or to hate it.

some okay songs but nothing that makes me want to listen again. kinda like budget Beatles but much less interesting

really solid album!

This isn't bad, but when it comes to VU solo albums, Transformer is all I need. Favorite track: Paris 1919 3.5/5

5/10

3/5

A few really good tracks on here sprinkled between a lot of mostly forgettable ones. I liked the more bombastic and instrument-heavy tracks more than the slower ones for sure. Definitely prefer John Cale's work to Lou Reed's personally.

An immaculately-produced album of suitably epic proportions with a... well, a bad vocalist in Cale. Oftentimes Paris 1919 feels like trying to listen to an orchestra while swatting away a persistent housefly. It's engineered immaculately and performed well, if in a somewhat generic studio sort of way for its release period, but Cale himself doesn't properly sit in the mix either technically or creatively. Fav tracks: Paris 1919

Pretty boring, inoffensive but entirely forgettable.

It’s ok - sorry that you’ve been wholly upended by charli XCX

Heard it before. I love the title track, sadly the rest is slightly less interesting 2/5

Pretty unremarkable, some nice ish tunes but nothing too memorable

This is extraordinarily welsh.

To be fair, that is true best song ever written about the 1919 Paris peace conference

That was nice, but not particularly memorable.

Surprised by this album. At first I thought it was so sparse it was bland, but it quickly clicked.

7.5/10 - Real strong three or lighter four. If we had half stars it would get one. There are a handful of excellent songs. I would keep this in rotation. I see why he was so crucial to the Velvet Underground.

This is extremely British in a positive way. Andalucia and Paris 1919 are some of my favorite songs of all time and the rest of this album is beautiful. Strong 8/10

Mjoah, sehr ruhiges Album und äußerst unauffällig

naja ganz ok

Ok reicht

26/09/2026 I have no real feelings towards this. Neither too boring, nor too good. Bang average. Spotify listeners: 711.5k

One of the greats. If you don't get it, I don't know what to tell you.

Very early 70s Bowie-esque but obviously it’s its own thing. Each song is unpredictable, usually starts off very baroque but by the time you reach the end it’s way more rock. Andalucia is the easy standout, really beautiful.

This record had a hard time keeping my attention. I love John Cale in the VU but this record does nothing for me.

It was fine - probably wanted to like it more than I did

Kind of interesting with the Velvet Underground connection but overall a little boring for me.

A few weird moments, but overall I liked this one! Love the inclusion of full orchestra, and the hammond organ stuff. There are a few tracks I will likely keep listening to.

This list is so much repetition of the same men. For every VU album there’s Lou Reed and John Cale albums. For every Beatles album there are John, Paul and George albums. For every Crosby Stills Nash and Young album there are Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young albums.

dw i’n caru cerddoriath gymru. Tri / pump

Interesting

Let's just say John Cale was apparently not the bit of Velvet Underground that I liked.

Meanders around pleasantly enough. Nothing memorable though. Its a difficult voice to listen to

Good

I was not looking forward to this as I’ve found every Velvet Underground album to be horrible self absorbed bollocks, but this was a really good album. Decent singer songwriter pop, and definitely revisiting. Aside from the horrid cod-reggae track, of course.

Cale y Reed, dos genios en una banda única, la Velvet. Duraron lo que dura un suspiro y cuando este publicó París 1919, comprendimos que podía hacer un disco plenamente disfrutable, lejos de las disonancias y experimentos de sus otras creaciones. Para muestra, la titular. Andalucía, que luego sería versionada por nada menos que Yo la tengo (otros herederos de la VU). La divertida MacBeth, que no sería la única referencia a Shakespeare en el disco, o The Endless Plain of Fortune con la Orquesta Sinfónica de la UCLA, y sobre todo el cierre con Antarctica Starts Here conforman un disco que ha venido siendo cada vez más reconocido por crítica y público. La exquisita guitarra del disco es obra de un talento como fue Lowell George (Little Feat), y la producción de Chris Thomas (Procol Harum) se nota para bien.

I like the album Fear so much more than this one.

Well it’s fair to say John Grant and Father John Misty have probably heard this strange literary pop record. I’ve also heard it historically as a friend of mine used to put it on post pub in the 90’s I don’t remember anything about it other than the cover but I did enjoy it. The lyrics are so knowing they almost wink at you, but the music is weirdly theatrical and angular. Strange but strangely satisfying

Very twee and gentle in a way I wasn't expecting from the other guy from Velvet Underground. This is probably something like a 2.7 but I'm rounding down for Hanky Panky Nohow.

expected absolute garbage because of the Velvet Underground connection but it was fine

Favorite Track: Macbeth

Mellow and artsy. I don’t know much about the music or the mood of Paris in 1919, but Cale has put together a unique and somber album that seems to have captured both. Macbeth is the top track, but they’re all listenable, although a few are mighty sloooow. (2.4*s) I would have liked to see the original review I wrote that didn’t get saved from about 6 weeks ago…

Take me back to Paris 1919 when World War I just wrapped up. A time of peace talks and the Treaty of Versailles. The album has a nice, upbeat tone that makes you feel like good things are on the horizon. Boy was that not the case. Cale Side B better. Title track is best song. Due to the short run time, I let it play through to the bonus disc. Not as good so see why these tracks didn't make final cut. Not exactly sure what genre this falls into but similar to something John Grant or Nick Cave might put out. 2.33 stars.

Not bad. Opening tracks were underwhelming and did little to grip me for more than a couple minutes. After a few songs John Cale added a little energy and stepped it up a notch. Macbeth had a some upbeat rockabilly influence or something. Paris 1919 had a little more pop influence and wasn't bad. The album did feel like it improved as I got through it. Overall not bad but also not great. It's light and somewhat pleasant as some background music. I can't place what John Cale's vocal style reminds me of but there is something in there. Middle of the pack entry as there's plenty worse and plenty better elsewhere on the list. 2.50 stars

Sucks. Doesn't really have much going for it, sounds uninspired, dunno what the album title even means when the material sounds like conventional 70s anglo-centric folk. Par for the course, really.

Ugh, så irriterande

The most perfect record!

Wasn’t sure to expect out of this album, but I really enjoyed it.

I enjoyed it but didn't feel like anything particularly special.

This was pretty decent stuff, John Grant obviously took a WHOLE lot of inspiration from Mr. Cale. He’s got a handsome voice, the tunes are nifty too. Hanky Panky Nohow can beat it though. I’ve marked it as a three but it’s more like 3.5. I can imagine really liking this some days, and loathing it on other days.

Aja is one of those albums where the word “masterpiece” is completely understandable. But I don’t think it’s flawless. It’s too controlled. Too polished. Too emotionally detached.

this NEEDS a relisten it was really good I just got no idea who this kid is

A little boring but tolerable.

Nothing that stood out, okay for background music. 3

Not much on here really stuck out to me. It definitely got more experimental in some areas but not in I way I personally enjoyed. 1.5/5

I've found the Velvet Underground albums I've been served up underwhelming, overrated arty farty bullshit. So I was very apprehensive approaching this. On his own, however, John Cale seems to be serving up some pretty accessible, catchy, upbeat pop songs that I quite enjoyed. Ironically though, the more I listened to this album, the more generic and ordinary it sounded. It could almost pass off as something by Billy Joel. That's not necessarily a criticism, the man can write a pop song. Straightforward and down the middle of the road. Perfectly pleasant, but at no point did it really grab me. The title track is really nice and 'Macbeth' had a fun bit of groove to it, but I just don't know if this is an album I can see myself being excited to pick out and listen to again. So, in my subjective opinion, it's better than every VU album, but that's actually quite a low bar for me. Consider me whelmed.

..

I'm starting to realize there's a lot of baroque pop music on here. This is my second one this week. I don't think it's bad, per say, but I can find it a bit dull at times. This one did have interesting bits, however. I enjoyed the two-song run of "Paris 1919" and "Graham Greene". "Paris 1919" was theatrical and sweeping, and because I'm currently reading a historical fiction book based in France around the revolution time I thought the lyrics were of note. I also felt the same way about "Graham Greene", except I liked how cheeky the lyrics were and how fun the song sounded.