John Cale's Black Acetate. A return to form?

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I saw Mr Cale last night in Frankfurt. And he and his band rocked as if there was no tomorrow. Most of the tight, funky and fierce songs were from his new album. Could it be his best after Music for a New Society? It's a mixed bag with some slower ballad-like material in between but quite amazing in its intensity. I mean this man is about 60 years old and can still make more noise than most contemporary bands.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 29 September 2005 17:18 (twenty years ago)

Cool, is it out yet?

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 29 September 2005 17:22 (twenty years ago)

in germany it is. in the states it is still an import. btw i only listened to the sound samples of the album.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 29 September 2005 17:24 (twenty years ago)

His last one had some really good songs on it too, "Things" being the real memorable one.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Thursday, 29 September 2005 17:25 (twenty years ago)

He's playing here in a few weeks and you're helping me make up my mind about whether or not to go ...

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 29 September 2005 17:25 (twenty years ago)

xpost agreed, I might have to dig up Hobosapiens tonight ...

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 29 September 2005 17:25 (twenty years ago)

i hated the two songs he played from hobosapiens. they sounded very much like 70s prog rock.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 29 September 2005 17:28 (twenty years ago)

Hobosapiens was (is) a great album.

Looking forward to this one enormously.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 29 September 2005 18:03 (twenty years ago)

Hm. I saw him do an underwhelming instore on a few songs on that (last) album- plus "Cable Hogue," natch- but it was just him on acoustic and some other guy playing noodly lead.

― k/l (Ken L), Thursday, 29 September 2005 18:04 (twenty years ago)

while we're talking about mr. cale...any idea if there is any way to obtain his performance of Frozen Warnings that is shown during the closing credits to NicoIcon? It's just him at a piano and it's amazingly beautiful.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 29 September 2005 18:13 (twenty years ago)

A guy I used to work with and I used to argue about who was the bigger pretentious ass, Lou or Cale? He used that performance in Nico/Icon to argue it was Cale. I used Lou's whole career.

And Hobosapiens is among the less pretentious ass's best albums.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 29 September 2005 18:27 (twenty years ago)

Why in the world would someone say that performance of "Frozen Warnings" in Nico/Icon was pretentious? I found it to be a very beautiful, moving tribute. Dan OTM.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 29 September 2005 19:18 (twenty years ago)

A guy I used to work with and I used to argue about who was the bigger pretentious ass, Lou or Cale?

I've never seen any artist come off as a bigger assHOLE than Lou Reed, that's for sure.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 29 September 2005 19:30 (twenty years ago)

I love it, too -- although his parody was pretty hilarious, with Cale dramatically hunched over the piano, gruff Welsh baritone and all.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 29 September 2005 19:52 (twenty years ago)

over at the euroranch you can listen to six tracks of black acetate.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 29 September 2005 19:54 (twenty years ago)

sorry, i forgot the link.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 29 September 2005 19:54 (twenty years ago)

I don't like the new album very much at all. Seems kind of thrown together...no cohesiveness and the strongs just aren't very strong.

― Patrick South (Patrick South), Thursday, 29 September 2005 19:55 (twenty years ago)

It's an interesting experiment in avant-Dre-ism but it's nowhere near as good as HoboSapiens which is certainly the best thing he's done since MFANS. That being said, hearing "Perfect" on drivetime Radio 2 is agreeably unsettling.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 30 September 2005 06:55 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

Hobosapiens was a great album (Over her head = favourite song on it), but I like how this new one *rocks* more, being more guitar-based. And Cale is always brilliant live.

― David L., Wednesday, 19 October 2005 11:51 (twenty years ago)

The new one alternately makes me think Cale has been listening to Nirvana and Timbaland, which is intriguing in a time warp sort of way.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 12:00 (twenty years ago)

in case ya didn't know:
Thu, 11/10/05 John Cale and Chris Connelly Double Door

I might even fly up for that one.

― when something smacks of something (dave225.3), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 12:04 (twenty years ago)

"Perfect" is really good.

― Hillary Brown (Hillary Brown), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 14:50 (twenty years ago)

I swore after Hobosapiens never to fall for John Cale 'back to form' hype, but have to admit I am very tempted to get this...

― Baaderonixx and the hedonistic gluttons (baaderonixx), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 14:52 (twenty years ago)

The video for "Perfect" can be seen on his website.

― David L., Wednesday, 19 October 2005 17:00 (twenty years ago)

what is supposed to be good about hobosapiens? i don't really know it but i am almost sure that in a concert setting the grooving songs from black acetate sound better.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 17:06 (twenty years ago)

I was sorely disappointed by Hobosapiens

― Baaderonixx and the hedonistic gluttons (baaderonixx), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 20:15 (twenty years ago)

three weeks pass...

Wonderfuckingful show at the Double Door last night. Played a lot of the new ones and some great older choices with great arrangements. Amazing show... I hope they schedule some additional shows. I recorded last night, but I couldn't see my MD, so the levels were pegged the whole time. I don't know if it's salvageable.

Believe the hype about the new one being a return to form.

― D.I.Y. U.N.K.L.E. (dave225.3), Friday, 11 November 2005 23:15 (twenty years ago)

playing saturday in nyc...will probably miss it. any word where he is sunday night?

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 11 November 2005 23:25 (twenty years ago)

Don't go see John Cale if you can help it. He's turned into some sort of awful evil hybrid of 4th generation 90s "alternative rock" and Blueshammer-esque Stevie Ray Vaughan skullfucking, with a Seal-ish level of glossy shellac coating the whole bloated mess. He's got some little fucker on lead guitar who probably really respects Vai and Yngwie whose sole talent in life seems to be masturbating for an hour and a half continuously. Then some white-afroed bassist who does the awful, awful honkey bass head bob whilst playing sonically meaningless D'arcy Wretzky-level basslines. The drummer---he has "skillz" I'm sure, but it all adds up to a testicle-less thud. And Cale--well, the best thing I can say about him is that although he's trying to sound like late-era Mick Jagger, he's not trying to dress like him. The music was repetative in all the wrong ways, like the band had gone to the University of Rock in that Yo La Tengo video and barely matriculated, each song essentially indistinguishable from the previous retarded-but-slick alternarena "jam". The show was free, and I still had to go outside after about twenty minutes.

― I.M. (I.M.), Saturday, 12 November 2005 00:00 (twenty years ago)

Plus, the "Pablo Picasso" "cover" was one of the most soul-sucking things I'd heard in ages. Truly pathetic.

― I.M. (I.M.), Saturday, 12 November 2005 00:10 (twenty years ago)

Ha ha, nice review I.M. That sounds just like a Cale show I saw about 6 years or so ago.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Saturday, 12 November 2005 00:12 (twenty years ago)

Gosh, I was thinking that John Cale's been doing that since 1973. Warning: Do not see John Cale if you don't like John Cale.

― D.I.Y. U.N.K.L.E. (dave225.3), Saturday, 12 November 2005 01:09 (twenty years ago)

I liked John Cale when he was making music.

― I.M. (I.M.), Saturday, 12 November 2005 01:20 (twenty years ago)

please state, for the record, when that was.

― D.I.Y. U.N.K.L.E. (dave225.3), Saturday, 12 November 2005 01:25 (twenty years ago)

hmm, good point.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Saturday, 12 November 2005 01:49 (twenty years ago)

playing saturday in nyc...will probably miss it. any word where he is sunday night?

He's in Toronto on Sun-Mon-Tues. I'm going on Sunday! Can't wait to him (apparently) not play music. (aka Dave OTM)

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 12 November 2005 01:58 (twenty years ago)

Apparently, 1960s-1973. I never followed him past 'Paris 1919'.

― I.M. (I.M.), Saturday, 12 November 2005 02:02 (twenty years ago)

ian, can't remember if that period includes "fear" but if not, get yourself listening to Fear is a Man's Best friend ASAP. See also Music for a New Society.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Saturday, 12 November 2005 04:09 (twenty years ago)

This album seems like a big step down from Hobosapiens, without nearly the quality of songs or production ideas. Immemorable.

― borrowed_tunes, Saturday, 12 November 2005 04:16 (twenty years ago)

ian, can't remember if that period includes "fear" but if not, get yourself listening to Fear is a Man's Best friend ASAP. See also Music for a New Society.

On your advice, will do.

― I.M. (I.M.), Saturday, 12 November 2005 06:24 (twenty years ago)

Then get Slow Dazzle.

― nickn (nickn), Saturday, 12 November 2005 07:40 (twenty years ago)

...and be a touch disappointed. While Slow Dazzle's excellent in places, Fear wins by a mile.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Sunday, 13 November 2005 04:14 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

Weird:

John Cale Produces New Alejandro Escovedo Album

Zach Vowell reports:
Good news: On May 2, Backporch Records will release The Boxing Mirror, Alejandro Escovedo's first new solo album since 2000. Even better news (in case you haven't heard yet): Escovedo has for the most part overcome the Hepatitis C that left him collapsed on a Phoenix stage in 2003.

Thanks to the generosity of family, friends, and fellow musicians, Escovedo has been able to fund his treatment and recovery despite his lack of health insurance. (The 2004 Escovedo tribute album Por Vida, featuring Lucinda Williams, Calexico, the Jayhawks, Son Volt, Steve Earle, and many others, sure helped.)

Now that he's back in the game, Escovedo has enlisted one of his more famous friends, John Cale, to produce The Boxing Mirror, which the pair recorded with Escovedo's touring band in Los Angeles late last year. The album will feature 11 new Escovedo songs, but has 12 tracks in all. If you just go by the story the tracklist tells, it looks like Escovedo had to settle a disagreement between John Cale and Larry Goetz (who, incidentally, worked on Cale's 2005 effort Black Acetate) by including both of the soundman's mixes of "Take Your Place".

Tracks:

01 Arizona
02 Dearhead on the Wall
03 Notes on Air
04 One True Love
05 The Ladder
06 Break This Time
07 Evita's Lullaby
08 Sacramento & Polk
09 I Died a Little Today
10 Take Your Place (John Cale mix)
11 The Boxing Mirror
12 Take Your Place (Larry Goetz mix)

It's no accident that Escovedo recorded The Boxing Mirror with his touring band, because he has begun venturing more and more out on the road these days. According to his PR, Escovedo will continue to play more shows in support of the album, if at a reduced pace from before his illness. So far, here's where he'll be found:

01-26 Atlanta, GA - The Earl *
01-27 Birmingham, AL - WorkPlay Theatre
01-28 Birmingham, AL - WorkPlay Theatre
04-28 Chicago, IL - Old Town School of Folk Music #
04-30 Kilkenny, Ireland - Kilkenny Festival
05-01 Kilkenny, Ireland - Kilkenny Festival
05-04 Bergen, Norway - Bergen Music Fest
06-02 London, England - St. James Church
06-03 London, England - St. James Church

* with Jon Dee Graham, National Grain
# with the Horse's Ha (Janet Bean and Jim Elkington)

* Pitchfork Review: Alejandro Escovedo: A Man Under the Influence

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:07 (twenty years ago)

The new album's a snooze.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:43 (twenty years ago)

no--it's a hodge-podge; not as strong as Hobosapiens. the Black Acetate tracks did fare better live, though! any luck on that Frozen Warnings from the Nico film above?

― nerve pylon (flat_of_angles), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:51 (twenty years ago)

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