John Cale - Paris 1919

One of John Cale's very finest solo efforts, Paris 1919 is also among his most accessible records, one which grows in depth and resonance with each successive listen. A consciously literary work -- the songs even bear titles like "Child's Christmas in Wales," "Macbeth," and "Graham Greene" -- Paris 1919 is close in spirit to a collection of short stories; the songs are richly poetic, enigmatic period pieces strongly evocative of their time and place, and full of quiet loss and pain. Chris Thomas' production is appropriately lush and sweeping, with many tracks set to lush accompaniment courtesy of the UCLA Symphony Orchestra. The other musicians on the record are Little Feat's guitarist (Lowell George) and drummer (Richie Hayward) as well as bassist Wilton Felder of the Jazz Crusaders; they provide wonderfully sympathetic backing that can swing from laid back and dreamy ("Andulucia") to rollicking ("Graham Greene.") Their framework allows Cale to cast off his noisy, abrasive past and create a subtle, perfectly arranged set of songs that capture loss and devastation in an almost achingly pretty way. Cale swung back to a more chaotic sound after this and for better or worse, his music never achieved a similar beauty again. AllMusicGuide