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John Cale

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused withJ. J. Cale.

John Cale
OBE
Cale playing a viola while singing into a microphone onstage
Cale performing at De Warande inTurnhout,Belgium, 2006
Background information
Birth nameJohn Davies Cale
Born(1942-03-09)9 March 1942(age 82)
Garnant,Carmarthenshire,Wales[1]
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • composer
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
  • viola
  • bass
  • guitar
DiscographyJohn Cale discography
Years active1957–present
Labels
Formerly of
Websitejohn-cale.com

John Davies CaleOBE(born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the Americanrockbandthe Velvet Underground.Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock,drone,classical,avant-gardeandelectronic music.[5]

He studied music atGoldsmiths College,University of London(UoL), before relocating in 1963 toNew York City'sdowntown musicscene, where he performed as part of theTheatre of Eternal Musicand formed the Velvet Underground. Since leaving the band in 1968, Cale has released seventeen solostudio albums,including the widely acclaimedParis 1919(1973) andMusic for a New Society(1982). Cale has also acquired a reputation as an adventurous record producer, working on the debut studio albums of several innovative artists, includingthe StoogesandPatti Smith.[6]

Early life and career

[edit]

John Davies Cale was born on 9 March 1942 in the mining village ofGarnantin the valley of theRiver AmmaninCarmarthenshireof Wales to Will Cale, acoal miner,and Margaret Davies, aprimary schoolteacher.[7]Although his father spoke only English, his mother spoke and taughtWelshto Cale, which hindered his relationship with his father,[7]although he began learning English at primary school, at around the age of seven.[7]Cale wasmolestedby two different men during his youth: anAnglicanpriest who molested him in a church and a music teacher.[7][8][9]He played organ atAmmanfordchurch. TheBBCrecorded Cale playing atoccatahe composed primarily on the black keys of the piano in the style ofAram Khachaturian.

Having discovered a talent forviola,Cale joined theNational Youth Orchestra of Wales(NYOW) at age 13.[10]Receiving a scholarship, Cale studied music atGoldsmiths College,University of London(UoL).[10]While he was there he organised an earlyFluxusconcert,A Little Festival of New Music,on 6 July 1963. He also contributed to the short filmPolice Carand had two scores published inFluxus Preview Review(July 1963) for the nascent avant-garde collective. He conducted the first performance in the UK of Cage'sConcert for Piano and Orchestra,with the composer and pianistMichael Garrettas soloist. In 1963, he travelled to the United States to continue his musical training with the assistance and influence ofAaron Copland,[11]who recommended him forTanglewood.[12]

Upon arriving inNew York City,Cale met a number of influential composers. On 9 September 1963 he participated, along withJohn Cageand several others, in an 18-hour and 40 minute piano-playing marathon that was the first full-length performance ofErik Satie's "Vexations".After the performance Cale appeared on the television panel showI've Got a Secret.Cale's secret was that he had performed in an 18-hour concert, and he was accompanied by Karl Schenzer, whose secret was that he was the only member of the audience who had stayed for the duration.[10][13][better source needed]Cale would later attribute Cage's writings with his own "relaxed" artistic outlook, having hitherto been raised to believe that European composers were obliged to justify their work.

Cale played inLa Monte Young's ensemble theTheatre of Eternal Music.The heavilydrone-laden music he played there proved to be a big influence in his work with his next band,the Velvet Underground.One of his collaborators on these recordings was the Velvet Underground guitaristSterling Morrison.Three albums of his early experimental work from this period were released in 2001.

The Velvet Underground (1964–1968)

[edit]
Main article:The Velvet Underground

Cale had enjoyed and followed rock music as well as avant-garde and European art music from a young age; on a visit to Britain in 1965, he procured records bythe Kinks,the WhoandSmall Facesthat had remained unavailable in the United States.[14]

Earlier that year, he co-founded the Velvet Underground withLou Reed,recruiting his flatmateAngus MacLiseand Reed's college friend Sterling Morrison to complete the initial line-up. Just before the band's first paying gig for $75 atSummit High SchoolinNew Jersey,MacLise abruptly quit the band because he viewed accepting money for art asselling out;he was replaced byMoe Tuckeras the band's drummer.[15]Initially hired to play that one show, she soon became a permanent member and her tribal pounding style became an integral part of the band's music, despite the initial objections of Cale to the band having a female drummer.[16]

On his aforementioned visit to Britain in the summer of 1965, Cale shopped a crudely recorded, acoustic-based Velvet Undergrounddemo reelto several luminaries in the British rock scene (includingMarianne Faithfull) with the intention of securing arecording contract.[10]Although this failed to manifest, the tape was disseminated throughout theUK undergroundover the following eighteen months by such figures as producerJoe BoydandMick Farrenofthe Deviants.As a result, the Deviants,the YardbirdsandDavid Bowiehad all covered Velvet Underground songs prior to the release of their debut studio album in 1967.[14]

The very first commercially available recording of the Velvet Underground, an instrumental track called "Loop" given away with the Pop Art issue ofAspenmagazine, was afeedbackexperiment written and conducted by Cale. His creative relationship with Reed was integral to the sound of the Velvet Underground's first two studio albums,The Velvet Underground & Nico(recorded in 1966, released in 1967) andWhite Light/White Heat(recorded in 1967, released in 1968).[10]On these albums he plays viola,bass guitarandpiano,and sings occasionalbacking vocals.White Light/White Heat(1968) also features Cale onorgan(on "Sister Ray") as well as two vocal performances:"Lady Godiva's Operation",an experimental song where he shares lead vocal duties with Reed, and"The Gift",a longspoken wordpiece written by Reed during his time at Syracuse University.[10]Though Cale co-wrote the music to several songs, his most distinctive contribution is the electrically amplified viola. He also playedcelestaon "Sunday Morning".Cale also played onNico's debut studio album,Chelsea Girl(1967), which includes songs co-written by Velvet Underground members Cale, Reed and Morrison, who also appear as musicians.[10]Cale makes his debut as lyricist on "Winter Song" "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams", and "Little Sister".[10]

With tensions between Reed and Cale growing, Reed gave an ultimatum to Morrison and Tucker, declaring that unless Cale was fired, he would quit the band. Morrison and Tucker reluctantly went along with the scheme.[17]

In September 1968, Cale played his final gig with the Velvet Underground at theBoston Tea Partyand according to Tucker, "When John left, it was really sad. I felt really bad. And of course, this was gonna really influence the music, 'cause, John's alunatic(laughs). I think we became a little more normal, which was fine, it was good music, good songs, it was never the same though. It was good stuff, a lot of good songs, but, just, the lunacy factor was... gone. "[18]After his dismissal from the band, Cale was replaced byBoston-based musicianDoug Yule,who played bass guitar, keyboards and who would soon share lead vocal duties in the band with Reed.[19]

Michael Carlucci, who was friends withRobert Quine,has given this explanation about Cale's dismissal, "Lou told Quine that the reason why he had to get rid of Cale in the band was Cale's ideas were just too out there. Cale had some wacky ideas. He wanted to record the next album with the amplifiers underwater, and [Lou] just couldn't have it. He was trying to make the band more accessible."[20]

Arguably, the artistic frictions between Cale and Reed are what shaped the band's early sound much more than any other members. The pair often had heated disagreements about the direction of the band, and this tension was central to their later collaborations. When Cale left, he seemed to take the more experimental tendencies with him, as is noticeable in comparing the proto-noise rockofWhite Light/White Heat(which Cale co-created) to the comparatively dulcet,folk rock–influencedThe Velvet Underground(1969), recorded after his departure.

Cale has favorably compared the dissonance of his Velvet Underground compositions to the indecipherable lyricism of certain strains ofSouthern hip hop:"If I can use out-of-tune stuff, [rappers] don't need words to make sense. There's definitely a lineage".[21]

Cale would briefly return to the Velvet Underground in 1970, albeit in the studio only: he played organ[22]on the track "Ocean" during the practice sessions to producedemosfor the band's fourth studio albumLoaded,nearly two years after he left the band.[10]He was enticed back into the studio by the band's manager,Steve Sesnick,"in a half-hearted attempt to reunite old comrades", as Cale put it.[23]Although he does not appear on the finished album, the demo recording of "Ocean" was included in the 1997Loaded: Fully Loaded EditionCD re-issue. Finally, five previously unreleased tracks recorded in late 1967 and early 1968 were included on the compilation albumsVU(1985) andAnother View(1986).

Solo career

[edit]

1970s

[edit]

After leaving the Velvet Underground, Cale worked as a record producer and arranger on a number of studio albums, most notablythe Stooges' highly influential 1969self-titled debutand a trilogy by Nico, includingThe Marble Index(1968),Desertshore(1970) andThe End...(1974).[10]On these he accompanied Nico's voice andharmoniumusing a wide array of instruments to unusual effect. While meeting with Joe Boyd (who co-producedDesertshore), he came acrossNick Drake's music and insisted on collaborating with the fledgling artist. He appeared on Drake's second studio album,Bryter Layter(1971), playing viola andharpsichordon "Fly" and piano, organ, and celesta on "Northern Sky".

In addition to working as a record producer, Cale initiated a solo recording career in early 1970. His debut studio album,Vintage Violence(1970), is a lushly producedroots rockeffort indebted to a range of disparate influences, includingthe Band,Leonard Cohen,the Byrds,Phil SpectorandBrian Wilson.[10]The more experimentalChurch of Anthrax(a collaboration withminimal musicpioneerTerry Riley) followed in February 1971, although it was actually recorded nearly a year prior to its release.[10]While his explorations in art music briefly continued with 1972'sThe Academy in Peril,he would not compose in the classical mode thereafter until he began working on film soundtracks in the 1980s.

In 1972, he signed with au courantReprise Recordsas a recording artist and staff producer.The Academy in Peril(1972) was his first project for Reprise. The subsequentParis 1919(1973) steered back towards the singer-songwriter mode ofVintage Violence(1970) with a backing band that includedLowell GeorgeofLittle FeatandWilton Felderofthe Crusaders,as well as the UCLA Symphony Orchestra.[10]Composed of highly melodic songs with arcane and complex lyrics, it has been cited by critics as one of his best.[24]

While affiliated with the label, he produced studio albums byJennifer Warnes(her third,Jennifer), Chunky, Novi & Ernie, and theself-titled debutofthe Modern Lovers,which Reprise chose not to release; it subsequently appeared onBeserkley Records,the latest in a series of important Cale-producedproto-punkrecords. In 1974, he signed toIsland Recordsas an artist, while continuing to produce a variety of artists, mostly for other labels, includingSqueeze,Patti SmithandSham 69.He worked as a talent scout with Island'sA&Rdepartment.

1974–1979

[edit]
Cale performing live inToronto,Canada, 1977

In 1974, Cale moved back toLondon.[10]As his second marriage had begun to dissolve, he made a series of solo studio albums which moved in a new direction.[10]His records now featured a dark and threatening aura, often carrying a sense of barely suppressed aggression. A trilogy of studio albums –Fear(1974),Slow Dazzle(1975), andHelen of Troy(1975) – were rapidly recorded and released over the course of about a year with other Island artists, includingPhil ManzaneraandBrian EnoofRoxy MusicandChris Spedding,who played in his live band. A showpiece of his concerts from the era was his radically transformedcover versionofElvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel",[10]initially performed by Cale onSlow Dazzle(1975) and the live albumJune 1, 1974,recorded withKevin Ayers,Nico and Eno. Both "Leaving It Up to You" and "Fear Is a Man's Best Friend" (fromFear) begin as relatively conventional songs that gradually grow more paranoid in tone before breaking down into what critic Dave Thompson calls "a morass of discordance and screaming".[10][25]

Cale releasedAnimal Justicein 1977, anextended play(EP) notable particularly for the epic "Hedda Gabler" based very loosely on the1891 play of the same namebyHenrik Ibsen.His loud, abrasive and confrontational live performances fitted well with thepunk rockscene developing on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Cale took to wearing ahockey goaltender maskonstage (as evinced by the cover of his 1977 compilation albumGuts,[10]a compilation drawn from the Island trilogy after the label withheldHelen of Troy(1975) in the United States); this look predated the creation ofFriday the 13th's villain,Jason Voorhees,by several years. During one concert inCroydon,south London,Cale chopped the head off a dead chicken with a meat cleaver, leading his band to walk offstage in protest.[10]Cale's drummer – avegetarian– was so bothered he quit the band.[10]Cale mocks his decision on "Chicken Shit" from theAnimal JusticeEP. Cale has admitted that some of his paranoia and erratic behaviour at this time was associated with heavycocaineuse.[26]

Also in 1977, Cale produced "I Don't Wanna",the debut single by punk rock band Sham 69.

In 1978, Cale produced the majority of Squeeze's debut studio albumSqueeze,with Cale instructing the band to discard all of the songs that the band had written up until that point, and to write new songs instead, withGlenn Tilbrook,andChris Diffordfinding the process of working with Cale both frustrating and challenging.[27]Also that year he played keyboards onJulie Covington's cover version ofAlice Cooper's "Only Women Bleed",which peaked at No. 12 on theUK Singles Chart.

In 1979, he began a relationship withAustin, Texas-basedgroupieand journalistMargaret Moser.[28]Cale named the group of women that Moser hung out with the Texas Blondes.[29][30]His relationship with Moser lasted about five years, overlapping with the beginning of his third marriage.[29][30]

In December 1979, Cale's embrace of the punk rock ethic that he helped to inspire culminated in the release ofSabotage/Live.This record, recorded live over three nights, atCBGBthat June, features aggressive vocal and instrumental performances.[10]The album consists entirely of new songs, many of which grapple confrontationally with global politics, militarism and paranoia.[10][9]

Also in 1979, Cale played piano and theARPsynthesizer on the track "Bastard" byIan HunterofMott the Hoople,on his fourth solo studio albumYou're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic.

The band included Deerfrance on vocals and percussion.[10]An earlier live set, consisting mostly of new material, was recorded at CBGB the previous year. It was released in 1987 asEven Cowgirls Get the Blues.The band on that recording includesIvan Král(best known for his work with Patti Smith) on bass and longtime Brian Eno associateJudy Nylonproviding vocals, and narrating.

1980s

[edit]
Cale performing inToronto,Canada, 1980

In 1980, Cale signed a recording contract withA&M Recordsand moved in a more commercial direction with his seventh solo studio albumHoni Soit(1981).[10]He worked with record producerMike Thornetowards this end.[31]Andy Warholprovided the cover art, in black and white, but against Warhol's wishes, Cale colourised it.[10]The new direction did not succeed commercially, however, and his relationship with A&M ended.[10]He signed withZE Records,a company he had influenced the creation of and which had absorbedSPY Records,[10]the label he had co-founded with Jane Friedman. In 1982, Cale released the sparse studio albumMusic for a New Society.[10]Seeming to blend the refined music of his early solo work with the threatening music that came later, it is by any standard a bleak, harrowing record. It's been called "understated, and perhaps a masterpiece."[25]

He followed it up with his ninth solo studio albumCaribbean Sunset(1984), also on ZE Records. The album features contributions from Brian Eno and an otherwise "young unknown" band, that consisted ofDavid Youngon guitar,Andrew Heermanson bass guitar, and David Lichtenstein (son of artistRoy Lichtenstein) on drums. This work, with much more accessible production than onMusic for a New Society(1982), was still extremely militant in some ways.Caribbean Sunsetbecame Cale's only studio album to chart on theDutch Album Top 100,peaking at No. 28.[32]However, it received negative reviews from critics, and has never been released on CD.

A live album,John Cale Comes Alive(1984), followedCaribbean Sunsetand included two new studio songs, "Ooh La La"[10]and "Never Give Up on You". Different mixes of the two studio tracks appeared on both sides of the Atlantic. During this period, Eden Cale was born to Cale and his third wife Risé Irushalmi in July 1985.[10]

In a last-ditch attempt at commercial success, Cale recordedArtificial Intelligence(1985), his only studio album forBeggars Banquet Records.With all of its tracks written in collaboration withHigh TimesandNational LampooneditorLarry "Ratso" Sloman(who had previously co-written two tracks onCaribbean Sunset),[10]the album was a pop effort characterised by prominent use ofsynthesizersanddrum machines.It was not significantly more successful than its predecessors, despite the relative success of the single "Satellite Walk". However, "Dying on the Vine" is generally regarded as one of Cale's best songs. That same year, he played aneo-Naziorganizer on an episode ofThe Equalizer,and wrote the music for a dramatization of theKurt Vonnegutshort story,Who Am I This Time?(1982), which aired onPBSand starredChristopher WalkenandSusan Sarandon.

Cale again returned to record producing, producing Belgian pop singerLio's third studio albumPop model(1986), andHappy Mondays's debut studio album,Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out)(1987). Other albums that he produced during this time wereElement of Crime's second studio albumTry to Be Mensch(1987), andArt Bergmann's debut solo studio albumCrawl with Me(1988).

In part because of his young daughter, Cale took a long break from recording and performing. He made a comeback in 1989 with the Brian Eno-produced studio albumWords for the Dying.[10]The album consists mainly of oral work, read or sung by Cale. It was written in 1982 as a response to the Anglo-ArgentinianFalklands War,using poems written by fellow WelshmanDylan Thomas.There are also two orchestral interludes, two other solo piano pieces "Songs Without Words", and finally a song by Cale, "The Soul ofCarmen Miranda".

1990s

[edit]

Following Warhol's death in 1987, Cale again collaborated with Lou Reed on the 1990 studio albumSongs for Drella,asong cycleabout Warhol, their mentor.[10]The album marked an end to a 18-year estrangement from Reed. In his autobiography, Cale revealed that he resented letting Reed take charge of the project. The longstanding friction between Reed and Cale contributed to the passion and lurching frustration evident in the sound of the album, as did the ambivalent relationship Reed had to Warhol. Nevertheless, that same year, following a 20-year hiatus, the Velvet Underground reformed for aFondation Cartierbenefit show inParis,France.[10]

Cale again collaborated with Brian Eno, also in 1990,Wrong Way Up,a collaboration album characterised by an up-tempo accessibility at odds with Cale's description of the fraught relationship between the pair.[10]The following year, Cale contributed a cover version of "Hallelujah"to the Leonard Cohen tribute albumI'm Your Fan.His mid-tempo, piano arrangement formed the basis of most subsequent cover versions of the song, which has since become astandard.[33]

In 1996, Cale releasedWalking on Locusts[10]which turned out to be his only solo studio album of the decade. The record featured appearances byTalking Heads'David Byrne,[10]theSoldier String Quartet,and original Velvet Underground drummer Moe Tucker. Throughout the rest of the nineties, he worked primarily as a producer or contributor to other's recordings.

In 1992, he performed vocals on two songs, "Hunger" and "First Evening", on French composer and record producerHector Zazou'sconcept album,Sahara Blue.All lyrics on the album were based on the poetry ofArthur Rimbaud.In 1994, Cale performed a spoken-word duet with folk rock singerSuzanne Vegaon the song "The Long Voyage" on Zazou's studio albumChansons des mers froides.The lyrics were based on the poem "Les Silhouettes" byOscar Wilde,and Cale co-wrote the music with Zazou. It was later released as a single (retitled "The Long Voyages" as it featured several remixes by Zazou,Mad Professorand more).

In 1996, he played piano on "Love to Die For" byMarc AlmondofSoft Cell,from his ninth solo studio albumFantastic Star.He also produced Scottish alternative rock bandGoya Dress's debut studio albumRooms.

Cale composed an instrumental score for a ballet titledNico,performed by the Scapino Ballet inRotterdamin October 1997 and was released asDance Music(1998). Cale has written a number of filmsoundtracks,often using moreclassicallyinfluenced instrumentation.

In 1998, Cale mainly spent the year on tour with singerSiouxsie Sioux,formerly of Siouxsie and the Banshees. In February, he was the curator of one day festival called With a Little Help from My Friends that took place at theParadisoinAmsterdam,Netherlands, with the presence of theMetropole Orchestra.[34]The concert was shown on Dutch national television and featured a song specially composed for the event and still unreleased, "Murdering Mouth", sung induetwith Siouxsie and her second bandthe Creatures.[35]Cale and Siouxsie then did a double bill tour in the US for two months from late June until mid-August,[36]both artists collaborating on stage on several songs including a version of the Velvet Underground's "Venus in Furs".[37]

Cale'sautobiography,What's Welsh for Zen?,was written in collaboration withVictor Bockrisand published in 1999 byBloomsbury Publishing.

2000s

[edit]
Cale performing atUCLA'sRoyce HallinLos Angeles, California,2010

Cale had recorded a cover version of "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen for the tribute albumI'm Your Fan(1991). Cohen's original version of the song had not garnered much interest; it was only through Cale's arrangement and recording of it (andJeff Buckley's subsequent cover of Cale's arrangement) that it achieved popularity.[38]It was used in the 2001 animated filmShrek,although it did not appear in the film's soundtrack due to licensing issues.[39]

In 2002, Cale played piano and sang vocals on the track "Don't Pretend" byGordon GanoofViolent Femmes,from his debut solo studio albumHitting the Ground.

Signing toEMI Recordsin 2003 with the EP5 Tracksand studio albumHoboSapiens,Cale again returned as a regular recording artist, this time with music influenced by modernelectronicaandalternative rock.The well-received album was co-produced withNick FranglenofLemon Jelly.It was followed by his 2005 studio albumblackAcetate.

In 2005, Cale produced Austin, Texas singer-songwriterAlejandro Escovedo's eighth studio album,The Boxing Mirror,which was released in May 2006.[40]In June 2006, Cale released a radio and digital single, "Jumbo in tha Modernworld", which was a standalone single. Amusic videowas created for the song as well.

In February 2007, a 23-song live retrospective,Circus Live,was released in Europe. This two-disc album, composed of recordings from both the 2004 and 2006 tours, featured new arrangements and reworkings of songs from his entire career. Of particular interest is theAmsterdam Suite,a set of songs from a performance at the Amsterdam Paradiso in 2004.[41]A studio-created drone has been edited into these songs. The set also included a DVD, featuring electric rehearsal material and a short acoustic set, as well as the video for "Jumbo in tha Modernworld", a 2006 single.

In May 2007, Cale contributed a cover version of the song "All My Friends"byLCD Soundsystemto the vinyl and digital single releases of the LCD Soundsystem original. Cale has continued to work with other artists, contributing viola toReplica Sun Machine,theDanger Mouse-produced second studio album by Londonalternative poptriothe Shortwave Setand producing the second studio album of AmericanindiebandAmbulance LTD.

On 11 October 2008, Cale hosted an event to pay tribute to Nico called Life Along the Borderline in celebration of what, five days later, would have been her 70th birthday.[42]The event was reprised at the Teatro Communale inFerrara,Italy on 10 May 2009.

Cale represented Wales at the 2009Venice Biennaleexhibition, collaborating with artists, filmmakers, and poets, and focusing the artwork on his relationship with the Welsh language.[citation needed]

2010s

[edit]

In January 2010, Cale was invited to be the first Eminent Art in Residence (EAR) at theMona Fomafestival curated byBrian Ritchieof the Violent Femmes held inHobart,Tasmania,Australia. His work for the 2009 Venice Biennale 'Dyddiau Du (dark days)'[43]was shown at the festival, along with a number of live performances at venues around Hobart.

Cale performing at Urban SimpleLife Festival in 2010

TheParis 1919(1973) studio album was performed, in its entirety, at theCoal ExchangeinCardiffon 21 November 2009, at theRoyal Festival Hallin London on 5 March 2010, and the Theatre Royal inNorwichon 14 May 2010. These performances were reprised in Paris, France, on 5 September 2010;Brescia,Italy, on 11 September 2010;Los Angeles, California,on 30 September 2010 atUCLA'sRoyce Hall;Melbourne,Australia, on 16 October 2010;Barcelona,Spain, on 28 May 2010 andEssen,Germany, on 6 October 2011.

In October 2010, Cale released the two-disc live albumLive at Rockpalast,recorded during his two shows for German music television showRockpalaston 14 October 1984 atGrugahalle,Essen (first disc; with full band) and 6 March 1983 at Zeche,Bochum(second disc; Cale solo with guitar and piano). This concert is missing "Risé, Sam and Rimsky-Korsakov" (Cale, Shepard) narrated by his then-wife Risé Irushalmi.[44]

In February 2011, Cale signed a recording contract withDomino RecordssubsidiaryDouble Sixand released an EP,Extra Playful,in September 2011.[45]

In May 2011, he and his band appeared at theBrighton Festival,performing songs to the theme ofÉmigré/Lost & Found.[46][47]Cale appeared at the invitation of theNobel Peace PrizewinnerAung San Suu Kyi,who was the festival's guest director.[48]

In the autumn of 2012, Cale releasedShifty Adventures in Nookie Wood,his first studio album since 2005. The album features a collaboration with Danger Mouse, "I Wanna Talk 2 U".Critical reception of the album was mixed to positive, withThe Guardiannewspaper describing it as "an album that combines the 70-year-old's experience with the glee of a small child."[49]

In 2014, he appeared as vendor in an episode "Sorrowsworn"of the crime drama television seriesThe Bridge.[50]

Cale released his sixteenth solo studio albumM:FANSin January 2016. It features new versions of songs from his 1982 studio albumMusic for a New Society.[51]

In July 2016, Cale performed the songs "Valentine's Day","Sorrow"and"Space Oddity"at a late-nightBBC Promconcert at theRoyal Albert Hallin London, celebrating the music of David Bowie who had died earlier that year.

At the 2017 Grammy Salute to Music Legends ceremony, Cale performed with, amongst others, Moe Tucker, two Velvet Underground classics, "Sunday Morning" and "I'm Waiting for the Man". The Velvet Underground were also the recipients of the 2017 Merit Award.

In February 2019, Cale collaborated withMarissa Nadleron her new single "Poison".[52]

In September 2019, he gave three concerts titled2019–1964: Futurespectiveat the Paris'Philharmonie,[53]inviting his compatriotCate Le Bonto join the band.[54]

2020s

[edit]

Cale features on the track "Corner of My Sky" from Welsh electronic musicianKelly Lee Owens' second studio albumInner Song(2020).[55]

On 6 October 2020, Cale released a standalone single and accompanying music video called "Lazy Day".[56]

In February 2022, Cale announced his first full UK tour in almost a decade. Cale's tour was to begin inLiverpoolat thePhilharmonic Hallon July 15, before calling atWhitley Bay,York,Bexhill,Cambridgeand the London Palladium, before closing out the run atBirmingham Town Hallon July 25.[57]However, the tour was postponed to the fall of 2022 due to some bandmembers contractingCOVID-19.[58]

In August 2022, Cale released the new track "Night Crawling", accompanied by an official animated music video by Mickey Miles. The song is a reminiscence about his friendship withDavid Bowiewho had died in 2016. "It's been a helluva past two years and I'm glad to finally share a glimpse of what's coming ahead," Cale said in a statement. "There was this period around mid-late Seventies when David and I would run into each other in New York. There was plenty of talk about getting some work done but of course we'd end up running the streets, sometimes until we couldn't keep a thought in our heads, let alone actually get a song together!" Cale played synthesizers, bass guitar, piano and drums on the track assisted byMars VoltadrummerDeantoni Parksand guitaristDustin Boyer.[59]On 19 October 2022, Cale released another track, titled "Story of Blood", featuring the Americanchamber popsingerWeyes Blood."Noise of You" was released as the third track on 11 January 2023. All tracks are from his seventeenth studio albumMercy.The album was released on 20 January 2023.[60][61][62]

After further postponements, Cale finished his UK tour in 2023, adding two extra dates forManchester,andStroudlater that year.

Cale released an official music video for "Pretty People" on 5 February 2024. The song is one of the 7 "vinyl bonus tracks from the 2023 releasedMercyalbum. The video was directed by Abigail Portner.[63]

"How We See the Light" is the first single, accompanied by an official video, released in March 2024 and a second single and official video were released in May 2024, titled "Shark-Shark".[64]The songs are from his forthcoming eighteenth studio albumPoptical Illusion,which was released on 14 June 2024.[65][66][67]

Honours and legacy

[edit]

Cale was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fameas a member of the Velvet Underground in 1996. At the ceremony, Cale, Reed, and Tucker performed a song titled "Last Night I Said Goodbye to My Friend", dedicated to Sterling Morrison, who had died the previous August due tonon-Hodgkin lymphoma.[68]

Cale was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire(OBE) in the2010 Birthday Honoursfor services to Music and to the Arts.[69]

Personal life

[edit]

Cale married American fashion designerBetsey Johnsonin 1968.[70]The couple divorced in 1971 having been married three years.[71]

In 1971,[72]Cale met Cynthia "Cindy" Wells, better known as Miss Cinderella or Miss Cindy ofthe GTOs,[73]and they married soon afterward. Their marriage was rocky and they divorced in 1975.[74]

On 6 December 1981, Cale married his third wife, Risé Irushalmi.[75]They had one daughter together, Eden Cale.[76]They divorced in 1997.[77]

For his 2004 appearance on BBC Radio 4'sDesert Island DiscsCale chose "She Belongs to Me"byBob Dylanas his favourite track; he also selectedRepetition(2001) byAlain Robbe-Grilletas his chosen book and an espresso coffee machine as his luxury item.[78]

Substance abuse

[edit]

As a child, Cale suffered from severebronchial issues,which led to a doctor prescribing himopiates.[79]He would come to rely on the drug in order to fall asleep.[79]Biographer Tim Mitchell claims Cale's early dependence on medicine was a "formative experience".[79]Cale later told an interviewer that, "When I got to New York, drugs were everywhere, and they quickly became part of my artistic experiment".[10][80]

He was heavily involved in New York City's drug scene of the 1960s and 1970s, with cocaine as his drug of choice.[80][81]He is said to have "taken most of the available drugs in the United States." Cale has said that, "In the '60s, for me, drugs were a cool experiment... In the '70s, I got in over my head."[80]

Cale feels his drug addiction negatively affected his music during the 1980s. He decided to clean up following a series of embarrassing concerts and the birth of his daughter.[80]According to a 2009 BBC interview, the "strongest drug" he was then taking was coffee.[80]Cale has also hosted a documentary calledHeroin, Wales and Me(2009) to promote awareness of the problems ofheroin addiction,easy availability and low cost of the drug in his native Wales and thousands of addicts.[82]

Discography

[edit]
Main article:John Cale discography

References

[edit]
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  2. ^Harris, Sophie (7 January 2013)."Musical revolutionary John Cale storms BAM".Time Out.Retrieved22 September2015.
  3. ^"At 71, John Cale is a still-vital living legend of avant-garde".Indy Week.4 September 2013. pp. Ward, Ed.Retrieved22 September2015.
  4. ^Kozinn, Allan (15 January 2013)."An Eclectic Rock Pioneer Traversing the Borderline".The New York Times.Retrieved22 September2015.
  5. ^Beaumont, Mark (14 September 2014)."John Cale and Liam Young review – Cale's drones outshine Young's flying bots in sinister vision of the future".The Guardian.Retrieved30 July2016.
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  7. ^abcdMitchell, TimSedition and Alchemy: A Biography of John Cale,2003, p. 24
  8. ^Cold, Black Style: The John Cale Interview,markmordue.com; accessed 3 January 2018.Archived1 January 2011 at theWayback Machine
  9. ^abBevan, Nathan (28 May 2016)."John Cale on why Bowie's death made him never want to give up".walesonline.co.uk.Retrieved12 March2019.
  10. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiajakalCale, John (2000).What's Welsh for Zen: the autobiography of John Cale.Victor Bockris (1st U.S. ed.). New York:Bloomsbury.ISBN1-58234-068-4.OCLC43468904.
  11. ^"John Cale interview".Time Out New York.Archived fromthe originalon 22 May 2018.Retrieved22 May2018.
  12. ^Luhrssen, David; Larson, Michael (24 February 2017).Encyclopedia of Classic Rock.ABC-CLIO.ISBN978-1-4408-3514-8.
  13. ^John Cale onI've Got a SecretonYouTube
  14. ^abUnterberger, Richie (1 June 2009).White Light/White Heat: The Velvet Underground Day by Day.Jawbone Press.ISBN9781906002220.
  15. ^DeCurtis, Anthony (2 October 2017)."Inside the Birth of the Velvet Underground".Rolling Stone.
  16. ^Bockris, Victor (1994).Transformer: The Lou Reed Story.New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. pp.99,101.ISBN0-684-80366-6.Cale, horrified by the mere suggestion that a 'chick' should play in their great group, had to be placated by the promise that it was strictly temporary.
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  22. ^Fricke, David. Liner notes to theLoaded: Fully Loaded EditionCD, 1997
  23. ^Fricke, David. Liner notes to thePeel Slowly and Seebox set,1995
  24. ^"Paris 1919 – John Cale – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic".AllMusic.Retrieved4 January2018.
  25. ^ab"Fear Is a Man's Best Friend – John Cale – Song Info – AllMusic".AllMusic.Retrieved4 January2018.
  26. ^Mitchell, TimSedition and Alchemy: A Biography of John Cale,2003,ISBN0-7206-1132-6
  27. ^Bud Scoppa with Darryl Morden Music Connection, 25 January 1988
  28. ^Goldberg, Stephanie (16 October 2002)."They Used to Play Rocking Roles".Chicago Tribune.p. 7C.Retrieved28 August2017– via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^abPatoski, Joe Nick (22 June 2017)."Margaret Moser, Queen of Austin, Is Dancing in the Light".NPR.Retrieved28 August2017.
  30. ^abGoldberg, Stephanie (16 October 2002)."They Used to Play Rockin' Roles".Chicago Tribune.p. 1C.Retrieved28 August2017– via Newspapers.com.
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    Gill, David (30 June 1998)."Creatures Creep Through a Night of Seductive Rock".Mtv.com.Retrieved12 December2019.
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  38. ^Whatley, Jack (9 March 2020)."Without John Cale, Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' would've been forgotten'".Far Out Magazine.
  39. ^Dekel, Jon (8 December 2016)."How John Cale recorded the definitive version of 'Hallelujah'".CBC Music.
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  41. ^Archived by the venue on theirInternet performance repository
  42. ^"A Tribute to Nico – Live Event Featuring John Cale, Lisa Gerrard, Mark Lanegan, Soap&Skin and more at the Royal Festival Hall in London, England".LineOfBestFit.com.22 September 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 11 October 2008.Retrieved2 February2009.
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  64. ^"John Cale Shares Artistic New Single & Video" Shark-Shark "".Music.mxdwn.com.11 May 2024.
  65. ^"POPtical Illusion (Exclusive Limited Double LP)".Domino Recording Company.Retrieved27 April2024.
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  80. ^abcde"BBC News Online: John Cale's 'shambolic' drug past".BBC News.16 June 2009.Retrieved4 March2017.
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Sources

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[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related toJohn Cale.
Wikimedia Commons has media related toJohn Cale.


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