Paris 1919

by

John Cale

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I don't know what more I can add to the Paris 1919 discussion. It's arguably the best work by arguably the most unfairly obscure popular music genius of his time. If you don't already own it, stop reading and buy it!

The reissue is what I'm really reviewing, and if I were to rate it on its own I would give it three stars. It's a case of quantity over quality, with unfortunate results.

First, the good. The booklet has great new liner notes by a writer who thoroughly understands the album. Burned Out Affair, despite a flat, possibly drunken vocal, is quite interesting. Though I'm glad it was cut from the album proper, I'm equally glad to hear it. Two alternate versions are fantastic: the Drone Mix of Hanky Panky Nohow and the hidden instrumental take of Macbeth (with masterful electric slide guitar) give new insights into the material and are great listening on their own.

Second, the bad. Pretty much all the other sketches are not particularly interesting at best. The piano mix of Paris 1919, the vocal mix of Antarctica Starts Here, and the informal takes of Endless Plain of Fortune and Graham Green are all good listening, just nothing special or revealing. Some, however, have mumbled partial vocals, muddy arrangements, lyric mistakes, and pitch problems.

Sure, these things happen while recording. This is probably the most honest set of rehearsals and takes I've ever seen on a commercial record -- there appear to be no overdubs or edits of any kind. I'm not at all convinced that's a good thing, however. It seems to me that including alternate versions of every song was overkill, and even undermines the album itself with material that obviously was never meant for public consumption.

If they'd just stuck to new and revelatory versions, we'd have three or four great bonus tracks. As it is, there's an entire alternate album that's not worth more than a couple listens.

Certainly this reissue is worth buying, for the first time or even for the second. Just don't expect anything much of the bonus tracks.

I know I'm going to get a lot of unhelpful marks, but with the invariably perfect reviews this record is getting, I thought I should speak up. I've tried pretty hard to enjoy this CD, what with paying money for it and all, but I just don't get it. Sure, the songs are pretty, but also repetitive and somewhat bland. This isn't helped by the incredibly murky mix this album has. I was hoping the bonus tracks would provide a clearer picture of what the songs sound like, but they sound the same for the most part.

The problem is that I got this along with Vintage Violence, his first solo album. I love that one. It has a great energy to it that makes the softer tracks more engaging as well as a mix that is loud and clear. Though I can easily see Paris 1919 as a good rainy day depression disc, its hard to take most of the songs seriously enough to do so. "Hanky Panky Nohow" is a good song until the lame chorus which consists of the words "Hanky Panky Nohow." On Vintage Violence, the lyrics are just as nonsensical, but the compositions are simply more entertaining. That having been said, "Andalucia" is a great song and so is "Paris 1919" (especially the piano mix).

I keep having to replay bits of the rest of the album to remember which of the other songs I liked and which I didn't. That isn't a good sign since I have listened to it close to six or seven times now. Comparatively, I've listened to Vintage Violence once and I still remember almost all of the songs. Now, if you'll excuse, I'm going to go hum "Fairweather Friend."