POLL: Best track on John Cale's "Slow Dazzle"

"The bugger in the short sleeves fucked my wife...."

On some days I think this is Cale's best, and if not, certainly his most gangsta.

Guts narrowly over Mr. Wilson.

But The Jeweler is without doubt the Stairway To Heaven of vagina-eye songs.

Is there a remotely bad track on this? Jeez, from strength to strength on this one. Insanely great reinterpretation of the Elvis classic. And I was gonna make a similar comment about "The Jeweler". "Ski Patrol" inspired an obscure but cool postpunk band name. And I think half these songs have been covered by someone in my collection.

Alfred, not sure if this is his most 'gangsta'. Don't you think _Sabatoge Live_ is moreso?

Mr Odd,

TS: Singing about buggers fucking your wife vs acting like a bugger fucking your wife.

I love "Guts," and it's indispensable on certain days, but "Mr. Wilson" is so beautiful and sad and kind of mean maybe? but still fantastic.

hell yes fantastic album

almost "mr wilson" but i think "dirty-ass rock 'n' roll" takes it.

ski patrol is my favorite obvious "throwaway" tune of all time, it's so light & jaunty it sounds like he wrote it in 30 seconds (who knows, maybe he slaved over it for months).
jeweller strikes that nice balance b/w creepy & funny.
gotta be guts ftw

This is his most casual/humorous album, though it's certainly not light. Not his pinnacle but hey, you can't go wrong with 70's era Cale.

Cale goes to California, likes it, dreams of the big continent beyond but only gets as far as Brian Wilson's back yard, where everyone's doing coke and the beautiful girls roll Mike Love when he's not looking. I love "Taking It All Away" but it's a tie between "Guts" (Kevin Ayers fucks Cale's wife) and "Dirtyass Rock 'n' Roll," which latter I voted for. "Don't it make you sick to hear a woman cry when she don't get whatever she wants," a line worthy of Jimmy Reed or Skip James.

Mr. Wilson, for the wall o' glockenspiel in the bridge alone!

I always preferred the 2nd side, the Heartbreak Hotel->Ski Patrol shift is aces, it basically struts, it knows how great it is. Went with I'm Not the Loving Kind, which isn't too distinctly Slow Dazzle-ey, but is distinctly and perfectly Cale-ey.

Voted Mr Wilson but now I'm listening to the record and maybe I should have gone with I'm Not the Loving Kind. Never really got into this record back in the day (when I was crazy into Paris 1919), but I might now.

Is Kevin Ayers really the guy in "Guts"?

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

From Fear Is A Man's Best Friend, a John Cale fan page:

Kevin Ayers and Guts

Kevin Ayers had sex with Cale's wife Cindy - the night before the June 1st 1974 concert. Hence the famous starting lines of Guts:
"The bugger in the short sleeves fucked my wife
Did it quick and split"

Did not know this! Joy of a Toy, indeed...

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

NO votes for "Heartbreak Hotel"????!?

I forgot to vote! Not that I consider this a particularly great album. Don't get the love for "Ski Patrol", a piece of fluff I reckon, also once you've heard "The Jeweller" once, what's the point in listening to it again? Best tracks: Mr. Wilson, Guts, I'm Not The Loving Kind, Taking It All Away, Heartbreak Hotel (not in that order)