Paris 1919
by John Cale

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From teague 07/06/2020 05:33 | #255085

I was expecting the weirdness and the experimentation of the first two VU albums, not a copycat amalgam of Beach Boys and Procol Harum. Still pretty alright, just seems out of left field coming from the guy who played the noisiest viola I've ever heard on a rock record.

From Crumpet 03/01/2018 20:18 | #209873

I used to really like this album, but overtime I have come to appreciate and adore it. This album is perfectly written, every song is packed with intellegent lyrics accompanied by beautiful music.

This album shows that Cale is a very well read man, featuring refferences to Shakespeare, Graham Greene and Dylan Thomas among others, the lyrics really are the best part of this album.

Every track (and I’m not exaggerating, I mean EVERY track) on this album is brilliant, it really is one of the most consistant albums of all time, as well as one of the best. My two favourites are the opener “Childs Christmas in Wales”, title inspired by the Dylan Thomas piece of prose of the same name and the title track, obviously entitled “Paris 1919” which is one of the best songs ever written (and written very well, I would say).

From JulianR 11/17/2017 03:51 | #201469

Interesting stuff. Definitely not anything like the velvet underground. It's odd, it seems like Cale was kicked out of the band cuz he wanted to go even more experimental and Reed wanted to be more pop, but then Cale went pop anyway. I think this album will take a couple more listens to digest fully

From flamingyesdept 12/06/2016 20:45 | #179669

Wonderfully sweet album - the antithesis of the raucous rock of Lou Reed. Consistent and concise

Quite a straightforward and dare I say it, conservative album from John Cale. Paris 1999, is a thoroughly enjoyable record with moments of rock'n'roll, especially on, Macbeth, and some nice orchestral sounds, the title track being the most obvious example. There's even some reggae on, Graham Greene. It surprised me, on first listen, just how accessible and warm it is. Nice songs too.

From RoundTheBend 04/03/2016 19:12 | #163233

Hmm... well now I know I'm a Lou Reed fan and not a John Cale fan (unless there's other better albums of his).

Paris 1919 was a major shift from his earlier work with Velvet and solo albums which thrived on avantgarde rock and aggression. On this album, Cale displays his classical training and puts to use to dreamy songs which I can listen to on endless repeat. As other great artists, Cale demonstrates that he is much more than a one trick pony.

It is also fascinating that the release of Paris 1919 coincides with the release of Berlin, probably the best solo album from his former Velvet partner Lou Reed. 1973 stands out as one of best years in rock history by all accounts.

From SuedeSwede 07/01/2013 20:02 | #80185

I was listening to The Velvet Underground a lot a year back and decided to listen to Reed's stuff. I found out recently that Cale had a decent album on his own and I decided to give it a listen. A lot different to the stuff he wrote with Velvets, and I like that. It's a lot folkier, but still really good and an enjoying listen.

Key tracks: Andalucia, Paris 1919, Child's Christmas in Wales, Half Past France
Key lyric: 'The vanity, insanity her hungry heart forgave the fading bride's dull beauty grows, just begging to be seen.'

From meccalecca 03/29/2013 17:02 | #70444

John Cale's dark, poetic masterpiece proved he was as much a songwriter as he was a master of the avant garde