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John Cale
Vintage Violence

(CBS 1970/Columbia-Legacy 2001)

http://www.irscorner.com/c/cale.html

John Cale will forever be remembered as a member of the Velvet Underground, undoubtedly one of the most significant avant-rock groups of all time. His songwriting and viola playing helped give the Velvets' music a distinct and unique style. However, Cale felt that his potential was not being fully realized in the Velvet Underground, and left the band to pursue a solo career. After quitting the Velvet Underground, Cale dabbled in production, working on Nico's The Marble Index, as well as the Stooges landmark debut album. He then decided to return to the UK to begin work on his first solo album. Released in 1970, Vintage Violence introduced a different side of John Cale from the one known to Velvet Underground fans. On this album, Cale experiments with the possibilities of the pop/rock genre.

The compositions are simple but well crafted, with an emphasis on melody and form. The lyrical style ranges from straightforward to obscure, though thoughout they are consistently engaging. The opening cut "Hello, There" sounds at times almost like a quieter, more relaxed "Sister Ray". The song features nice piano work and effectively establishes the pop/rock mood of the album. "Gideon's Bible" is one of the slower numbers on the album, and features beautiful ambient lead guitar work and understated violin playing. Another lovely song from the album is "Amsterdam", which again contains exquisite guitar work as well as intelligent, meaningful lyrics. "Big White Cloud" features pleasant orchestration which was arranged by Cale himself. Vintage Violence definitely proves that John Cale was a sizeable talent. It indeed seems that Cale's abilities were not given the chance to be heard in the context of the Velvet Underground's music.

As a solo artist, Cale proves to be not only a fine songwriter, but a talented solo performer as well. Though his voice is not great, Cale's compositions shine though despite his vocal limitations. Cale seems to recognize his own strengths and weaknesses and write his songs accordingly. Vintage Violence is a good album, though it is somewhat removed from the style Cale became known for with the Velvet Underground and his later solo work. The album has recently been reissued on CD by Columbia-Legacy, with remastered sound and two bonus tracks: an alternate take of "Fairweather Friend" and "Wall", an experimental viola instrumental.

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The Status Quo
The Technicolor Dreams Of - The Complete '60s Recordings

(Castle 2001)

http://www.quoratory.co.uk/home.htm

One thing that this reviewer will never understand is why the early Status Quo are consistently given such a bad rap. Every time you read about the psychedelic stage of the Status Quo (1968-1969), one will find such words as "rip-off", "moronic", "mindless", and "idiotic". I pose this question: why is "Pictures of Matchstick Men" idiotic and "I am the Walrus" genius? I'd certainly rather hear the Quo's upbeat psychedelic pop any day than subject my ears to John Lennon's pretentious musical masturbation. At least the Status Quo never claimed to be anything they were not. Personally, I've always thought that the Status Quo were one of the best groups to effectively blend mid-60s mod/beat with psychedelic pop. The Small Faces and the Kinks did it too, but somehow they are respected and the Quo are not. I just don't get it.

Anyway, this new two-CD set from Castle truly lives up to its name "The Complete 60s Recordings". It features the Quo albums "Picturesque Matchstickable Messages" and "Spare Parts" in their entirety, plus all the non-LP single tracks. In addition, this release includes every song released by the pre-Quo bands The Spectres and Traffic Jam, as well as several unreleased cuts and rare stereo mixes. Also, the sound of the recordings is greatly improved from earlier CDs. Technicolor Dreams Of allows the listener to see the Status Quo progress from tough middle class R&B mods to psychedelic rockers.

This two-CD set features all the Quo's '60s hits, including "Pictures of Matchstick Men", "Ice in the Sun", and "Are You Growing Tired of My Love". There are countless other amazing tracks, many of which actually surpass the quality of the group's best-known cuts. Songs like "Make Me Stay a Bit Longer", "Face Without A Soul", and ""Technicolor Dreams" are British psychedelic rock at its best. Technicolor Dreams Of is the definitive statement of the Status Quo before they drastically changed their musical style to boogie-rock sludge in 1970. Some of the best British psych to come out of the 60s can be found on this release, which is well conceived, affordable, and utterly enjoyable.

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