The John Cale Extravaganza II

Hi. I have returned with an unreasonable amount ov words to say about my senator in psychopathy, John Cale, who I love and I think he is very neat and I liked it very much that he misgendered me while he was wearing a skirt. Its okay. I would misgender her, too.

In this installation we will continuing to take from my AOTY reviews for his records, this selection being four reviews ov his records from the latter half of the 1970's and early 1980's.

Animal Justice [1977]

Often glossed over when discussing Cale's discography, “Animal Justice” is a short but exciting excursion into those nooks of John’s psyche that isn’t mentioned in most cursory looks. The first track, "Chicken Shit," is an outright assault on your senses with John basically growling his lines, giving John Fogerty a run for his money. "Chicken Shit" is like the lamer, more strung out version of "Fortunate Son" that stands for nothing. And it is amazing.

I find that John’s mental/emotional state in his career is deeply understated, while most artists will be talked in depth concerning their emotionality and tragedies, these hardships are often looked over when talking about Cale. I suppose it’s just a side effect of John being overlooked overall, and still in Reed’s shadow. Especially considering he did not lean into the "aesthetic" of his struggles in the way Reed did ["shooting up" on stage] or in the way later icons following in The Velvet's footsteps would later on, like Johnny Thunders doing photoshoots with torniquets around his arm. His pain was very much not sensationalised which is a good thing, it just meant that there was less for the music press to grab onto in terms of covering him. Though John was of course not without his antics.

“Animal justice” is fantastic tailspin even in it’s deeply slow but horrifically saddening track “Hedda Gambler,” which may be it’s standout track despite electric tracks like “Chickenshit.” "Hedda Gambler" is an eight minute sprawl of elevating, cosmic sounding guitar and guttural delivery. Overall, you will rarely hear art rock as amazing as this, it is absolutely worth the listen. This is a hidden holy grail of late 70’s experimentation. Don’t overlook this!!!

Sabotage/Live [1979]

Not originally on my list of Cale records to review, but seeing as how it was one of my most sought after vinyl finds from him, it only seems fair I give it a shot under the microscope.

Naturally, as it is a live record and henceforth not reinforced by the backings & surroundings of a contained studio record — you can’t really judge it on the same grounds … Lucky for me, John Cale’s live performances are one of my favourite spectacles to experience ! Cale plays a variety of instruments in this record from fretless bass to piano to his signature electric viola, and his grim state of anger and paranoia are on full blast on this recording. It is almost terrifying to hear the frustration & sadness laced in this recording, John straining his voice to it’s limits, emitting growling like noises from his vocal chords & unlocking a sortuv savagery that his live performances tended to hold back in these days.

Though it was admittedly an incredibly difficult period for Cale, drowning in addictions & social isolation, he was able to pursue an emotional output that was stupefying in it’s raw honesty. Marc Aaron’s lead guitar here is striking & sharp, akin to Richard Lloyd [of Television fame] in many ways. An enthralling, classic New York record.

This is perhaps my favourite type of Cale exhibitionism, though considering my love for his live recordings, I maaay be a bit biased.

Honit Soit [1981]

Going into “Honi Soit” I expected it to be a very bad album as it is one of the records which doesn't fall heavily into Cale fanbases favour. However, I was surprised to recall that the opening track, “Dead or Alive,” is one of my favourite John Cale songs of all time. It’s an astounding [albeit cheesy] song which is criminally catchy. It's a remarkably exciting opening track with a typical early-80's horns intro and a powerful vocal performance for Cale.

For the most part, the album is filled with that intricate descending guitar and awkward instrumentation that bolster’s Cale’s intimidating vocal performance. The weakest and only outright bad song on this record is “Magic & Lies,” but thankfully it is the last track on the record and easy to just skip over, however something genuinely interesting about that track is these isolated star-like glitter synth which we'll find on his next project. It’s a solid record, cheesy at points, for sure, but it also veers towards sounding like what Tuxedomoon would in their mid-80s output such as “Ship of Fools.”

"Honit Soit" is another incredibly overlooked gem in John's discography and potentially the most accessible of his records from an 80's pop point of view. It is definitely still experimental and "out there" with that extremely abrasive, out of sorts type of guitar. A genuine upside-down pop music experience.

Music For A New Society [1982]

For me, this is one of the most underrated and potentially most directly influential albums by Cale. It seems that this record has fallen to the opinion of the consumers when purchased, though critically acclaimed it was panned by audiences and sold poorly. Though structurally sparse and rather cheap to make, it is a record which contains a multitude of depths and ironies. Floating throughout a nebulous space of regret, the album glides on a still whim throughout - the minimalist, contemporary classical gestures enhanced only by Cale's production and miscellaneous sounds with dubious origin. It is a nominal masterpiece, sonically reaching forwards around three decades to inform the music of legends yet to come. It is a record which is criminally understated and unappreciated.

It influences perhaps most notably, Nick Cave in his grief trilogy - "Push the Sky Away [2012] / "Skeleton Tree" [2016] / "Ghosteen" [2019]. Tracks such as "Galleon Ship" from 'Ghosteen' are clearly echoes of Cale's work on tracks such as "Thoughtless Kind" or "Chinese Envoy." It feels like a clear lineage, with similar bloodlines running throughout.

This review has been the hardest for me to write as the record is heavy with emotion, aching with pain, swelling with regret and echoes of a man on the brink. ["A Man Under The Influence," once again.] When a white, barren room is exposed a whimper reverberates every space where one might feel an instrument may be needed.

It is grim, but it is Cale's first landmark, a wholly genius work which denies any room to breathe from the raw ache which Cale experiences. I can understand, however, why it would be that one may not want to listen to this or find it enjoyable. It isn't, even for a Cale devotee like myself, easy to listen to. It evokes memories long since gone from the Silver Factory era, melting mementos and sorrows never brought up at the right time because youth dictates arrogance which only time can clarify. It is honest, often to Cale's detriment, and that much one can hold as virtuous.

I love you, John.