Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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CALE, John

(b 3 December 1940, Garnant, South Wales) Initially studied at Goldsmiths College, London; beginning as a classical cellist, his fascination with early '60s US avant-garde led to scholarship to study in NYC with Aaron Copland and Lamont Young. A founder member with Lou Reed of the seminal NYC band Velvet Underground; classical and avant-garde experiments inflenced their first albums, notably on 'The Gift' and epic 17-minute 'Sister Ray', both on White Light, White Heat '67. He left the Velvets '68, ousted by Lou Reed; his first solo album Vintage Violence '69 continued experiments, using a unique combination of insight into violence (more cathartic than Lou Reed's because more intelligent) and often lovely folkish ballads. He worked with composer Terry Riley on The Church Of Anthrax '71 and The Academy In Peril '72. Solo Paris 1919 '73 featured contributions from Lowell George, was lavishly produced by Chris Thomas, including an enigmatic 'Half Past France' and 'A Child's Christmas In Wales'. Fear '74 was harder-edged rock; June 1, 1974 found Cale reunited with Nico from the Velvets, as well as Brian Eno and Kevin Ayers. Slow Dazzle '75 included 'Heartbreak Hotel' and featured Phil Manzanera; Helen Of Troy came the same year. Guts '77 was a best-of. Honi Soit '81 was considered one of his strongest albums, including a haunting version of the cowboy ballad 'Streets Of Laredo', itself descended from an English song.

Music For A New Society '82 was his debut on the Ze label; John Cale Comes Alive and Caribbean Sunset came in '84. He also worked as an A&R man and quadrophonic consultant for CBS. A godfather of punk because of his reputation with the Velvets and his idiosyncratic solo work, he had pre-empted UK punk with a production of Iggy Pop's The Stooges '69, Patti Smith's Horses '75 and Jonathan Richman's Modern Lovers '76; he produced the first Squeeze album, demos by Police and a Nico album. Words For The Dying (produced by Eno) included 'The Falklands Suite', Cale's setting of four anti-war poems by Dylan Thomas, premièred in Amsterdam '87 and recorded with Gostelradio SO (Moscow) and the Llandaff Cathedral Choir (UK). Meeting Reed at Andy Warhol's funeral, they collaborated on Songs For Drella for workshop performances as a duo '89, just as they were on the sidewalk when they were joined by two others to become the Velvets. ('Drella' was a Warhol nickname, after the 'Cinderella' parties he gave for poor artists.) More Cale albums: Even Cowgirls Get The Blues '91 on Rhino, Fragments Of A Rainy Season on Hannibal, Walking On Locusts '96 on Rykodisc, the latter including 'So Much For Love', on which trumpeter Ben Neill plays a horn with three bells on it, so he can direct the sound at will through three different mutes. The Island Years '96 compiled Fear, Slow Dazzle and Helen Of Troy plus B-sides and out-takes on two CDs. Eat/Kiss--Music For The Films By Andy Warhol, recorded live in Lille '95, was on Rykodisc; 'Kiss' an entertaining 45 minutes, 'Eat' rather silly, including Cale reading out loud.