Paris 1919

Originally released in 1973, Paris 1919 is Cale's fourth solo release following his departure from The Velvet Underground. Cale's songs on Paris 1919 are hyper-literate numbers filled with political intrigue and shady characters loosely based around the Versailles Conference alluded to in the album's title. Recorded with help from Lowell George and Richie Hayward of Los Angeles southern-rockers Little Feat and the UCLA Symphony Orchestra. Pitchfork called Paris 1919 'the most accessible and most purely beautiful record of Cale's storied, multi-faceted career.'

John Cale has one of the richest resumes in pop, with experience in avant-garde music even before he met Lou Reed and they formed the Velvet Underground. His record productions include such landmarks as the debut by the Stooges and Patti Smith's Horses. But as a solo artist, Cale has often seemed caught between his sophisticated leanings and his fondness for punky attitudes. Two early albums, Vintage Violence and Paris 1919, were the work of a highly-developed pop musician; later albums found Cale the pop provocateur dominating the show. Cale's a fairly deadpan singer, but the sweet mix of rock band instrumentation and fuller orchestration make --Paris 1919 one of his strongest efforts, and the lovely "Andalucia" one of his very best songs. If the righteous boogie of "Macbeth" sounds familiar, that's because Lowell George and Richie Hayward, guitarist and drummer of Little Feat, formed the core of Cale's studio band. --John Milward