John Cale, throughout his career, has managed to do everything, and he has done it all very well: in the '60s, he was a young talent of the New York avant-garde and then the brilliant mind behind the banana-related antics of Andy Warhol, who had come up with gems like "Sister Ray." The Welsh viola player released, in 1970, his first solo album filled with simple, beautifully tranquil pop songs. Gorgeous. Ah, he can do pop too? Yes. "Vintage Violence" may not be a Masterpiece, but it’s a hell of a debut. Cale proves to be a pop songwriter with exquisite melodic taste, especially in two stunning tracks like "Gideon's Bible" (that chorus and that sweet viola...) and the very sparse "Amsterdam." The same applies to almost all the songs ("Ghost Story," "Charlemagne," "Please," "Hello There," which incidentally reminds me of Wilco's pop on "Summerteeth," I don't know, not just that one but also the ending of "Cleo"). A great album. From this point on, Cale will alternate between experimentation, avant-garde, and albums that span from pop to rock (even fiery rock) with the same ease as drinking a glass of water. Hats off, oh.
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