180 gram vinyl LP pressing with digital download that includes bonus tracks. Over 50 years in the arena of Contemporary Music and John Cale remains as active and unpredictable as ever; is there a more restless and ruminating spark of an artist, who, at the age of 73, admits he still goes to the studio every day and writes? From classical roots as a precociously gifted Welsh boy to modern classical experiments in New York, that lead to co-founding The Velvet Underground, Cale has filtered that mindset through singer-songwriter, proto-punk and post-punk prisms. His endless fascination has kept us endlessly fascinated, as Cale has consistently created new fissions, including the digital advances of the day, absorbed by hip hop as much as conventional songwriting.
This 1982 release is one of the most understated, quietly compelling works in John Cale's large and diverse catalog. His knack for bracing arrangement juxtapositions is heard to great effect here. "Taking Your Life in Your Hands" is a keyboard-based composition, with a skittering acoustic slide guitar dancing around the song's chordal structure. "Thoughtless Kind" weds boldly modernist elements--percussive sound effects, multiple voices, complicated mix patterns--to a song of simple poetic strengths. Similarly, "Sanities" is awash in dramatic flourish, but on a near-whispered scale. Cale revisits his own "(I Keep a) Close Watch," casting it in prayerful and heartfelt solemnity, as he sings at his most plaintive over rich piano chords that are underscored by a rhythm section at each chorus. John Cale is a multifaceted composer and performer. This set offers a superlative view of him as an inventive and emotive songwriter, arranger, singer, and musician.
Personnel: John Cale (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Rise Cale (vocals); Alan Lanier, D.J. Young, David Lichtenstein, John Wonderling, Mike McLintock, Pipe Major Tom Fitzgibbon, Robert Elk.
Recorded at Skyline Studios, New York, New York.
- Format: Vinyl
- Released: 01/22/2016
- Genre: Rock
- Remember, for our lowest prices, always order directly from our official JocoRecords website!
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Tracklist
| A1 | Taking Your Life In Your Hands |
| A2 | Thoughtless Kind |
| A3 | Sanctus (Santies) |
| A4 | If You Were Still Around |
| A5 | Close Watch |
| B1 | Broken Bird |
| B2 | Chinese Envoy |
| B3 | Changes Made |
| B4 | Damn Life |
| B5 | Risé, Sam And Rimsky Korsakov |
