•
Rating: When we talk about Velvet Underground, our minds instinctively take us to remember that "slap face" (with all due respect) of Lou Reed. We certainly owe him a lot for his contribution to the historic New York band (see "All Tomorrow's Parties" or "Femme Fatale"), but Lou Reed was not the only genius among Andy Warhol's four favorites.
John Cale was the other face of Velvet Underground. He hailed from Wales, and moved to the USA at the age of thirteen, already able to play piano and viola. His contribution to the band was very important, at least until the second album "White Light/ White Heat," which marks the musician's departure from the band and, not coincidentally, the end of the most creative period of the Velvet. But now let's stop repeating the news that music critics constantly bring up! Let's focus only on the introverted and brilliant figure of this historic character.
"Vintage Violence" was recorded together with Garland Jeffreys' Grinder's Switch, before the group members embarked on separate careers, and was released in 1970 by Columbia. For a long time it was considered by critics as an unimportant debut album, a compilation of insipid tracks with banal and predictable melodies. It took more than thirty years to understand that "Vintage Violence" was not what critics had always considered, but it was more than a collection of songs, it was a true album, an album that, despite its simplicity, contained gems of great depth and artistic depth.
The first track is "Hello There", a rather catchy track (not just a simple ditty) that vaguely reminds us of the old Velvet. The same goes for "Bring It On Up" and "Charlemagne". "Cleo", "Please" and "Adelaide" are simple melodies that the author uses as a backdrop to the standout pieces. The viola plays a prominent role: "Gideon's Bible" and the orchestral "Big White Cloud" are some of the masterpieces not only of "Vintage Violence" but of Cale's entire solo production. But the best (?) track of the album is "Amsterdam", where the musical commentary is entirely entrusted to Cale's guitar and voice, which vaguely recalls Leonard Cohen. Throughout the album, but especially in the last three compositions mentioned, the musician's melodic vein unleashes his creativity, giving birth to unique jewels in their genre.
This is why I invite every music enthusiast to listen to this album, hoping that you can share with me the emotions that Cale's music is capable of transmitting.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Gideon's Bible (03:22)
Holding on, with both eyes, to things that don't exist
Peering through the cutting wrist, at grand old mother greedy
Rolling out the cotton ship, upon the carpet pillow
Throttling children callously, a messy day with Clancy
Gideon lied and Gideon died
The force of China felt
Gideon smiled as Gideon died
The thought of China held.
Rolling out the golden robes and other foreign language
Stretching out the verbs and nouns together in the greeting
Some that felt the blade often, some deep confused emotion
Struck eye first against the wall of China under fire.
Gideon lied and Gideon died
The force of China felt
Gideon smiled as Gideon died
The thought of China held.
03 Adelaide (02:18)
I want to go home, I want to go home
I want to go back to Adelaide
It' s time for a change, don't want to be late
It's probably night in Adelaide
In a day or two, I'll be there asking for you
To come back to Adelaide with me
The weather there is so good.
So pass me the phone, I'll go it alone
I'll whistle my way to Adelaide
There's no time to cry, I'll be there tonight
The trains and the boats and planes are on time.
But before I go, I'm knock-knocking on your front door
Be sure to say good-bye to your friends
And to all my friends back home.
But before I go, I'm knock-knocking on your front door
Be sure to say good-bye to your friends
And to all my friends back home.
Oh, Adelaide, Adelaide, I want you tonight
Adelaide, Adelaide, I want you tonight
05 Cleo (02:35)
Cleo, Cleo, won't you come around and play girl
Cleo, Cleo, won't you come around and stay girl
You can find the lines to say, if you try
Someone else has just confessed
To drinking up all your wine.
Cleo, Cleo, there's a way for you to find out
How you should say, what you think is the way out
Will you, won't you, will you see me through
Maybe you could help me find a thing or two about you.
Cleo, Cleo, now's the time for you to tell me
If you, want to, you can leave it up to me girl
After you have told me what you wanna do
I could tell you, that I loved you, if I thought that it would be true.
Cleo, Cleo, Oh Cleo I want you, me oh my.
Oh Cleo I want you, me oh my.
07 Charlemagne (05:03)
The manager is waiting to be paid
Along with priests and deacons of his court
A quartermaster, quite a man, a mistress of the line
Has found a last cent avenue of pain
A Mardi Gras just passed this way a while ago
Making hungry people of us all
Along the Mississippi you can hear the fiddlers play
Fandangos and boleros to the lord
Many times, many tried,
Simple stories are the best
Keep in mind, the wishful kind,
Don't wanna be like all the rest.
My uncle was a vicar in the big parade
Selling fountain pens that never write
San Sebastian gamblers never cheat nor lie
They know good fences make good neighbours
I wish I knew what time of year it was What kind of people will be there When gruesome tales of two cities ran Running all the way Father might have heard his prayers were answered Inhibitions all the way from home Consider now, consider then before the deed is done The blood of consolation runs so true Many times, many tried, Simple stories are the best Keep in mind, the wishful kind, Don't wanna be like all the rest.
Loading comments slowly
