2 CD Live Set from John Cale
John Cale and his Viola are back with this 2 CD set, comprising of various live tracks from his 50 year career (or thereabouts). I can't say his vocals sound appealing to me, especially on the first track, "Venus in furs", which is much more droned out and haunting than the original. The track sounds too mellow and laid back for his gruff voice. Considering this album is about 3 hours long, listening, let alone reviewing such an monster is quite an endurance trial.
"Helen of Troy" has some nice guitar work, and the intro sets itself apart from the previous two tracks. Sadly, when the vocals kick in, I can't help but feel John Cale is singing with a pickle stuck in his mouth. When he stops singing however, the viola and guitar can be heard a little more clearly and it does sound good. "Hush" features some haunting piano work and some warbling guitar and finally the vocals make a little more sense, reminding me somewhat of Rob Dougan, though the comparison is loose at best. Still, it's certainly a well named song. The same thing can be said for "Outta the Bag"; another song that seems to fit together well.
Still singing out of the corner of his mouth, "Set me Free" is, nevertheless, quite a moving piece. "The Ballad of Cable Hogue" worries me slightly as John Cale's attempt at screaming sounds like he's about to die of a heart attack and sounds simply awful. However, he does follow it up with an amazing guitar solo so I suppose he makes up for it somewhat. "Dirty Ass Rock and Roll" shows that screeching guitar solos can go well with a piano. Certainly the fusion of classical and rock, which he is known for, is up to scratch.
CD 2 starts off with "Walking the Dog" and I have to be honest, I can't be doing with Mr Cales pointless "woo woo woo-ing". It's just bordering on downright annoying which seems to ruin an otherwise, great, jazz-ey sounding song. The 12 minute marathon of "Gun" is somewhat more laid back to the point of falling over. I wouldn't like to be on drugs whilst listening to this track, else I might not wake up. Things get a bit more funky with "Pablo Piccasso / Mary Lou" although the song doesn't really change much over the course of 12 minutes. "Drove into Amsterdam Suite" isn't even a song. It sounds, literally, like a recording of an underground train. I'm getting annoyed at this point!
It's clear to me that the musicianship should indeed, speak for itself, and it does, until it's somewhat lessened by the vocals. I can't say I was a fan of John Cale before this, and I don't think I will be after this. Certainly, the guitar and classical instrument playing is excellent and hats off to him for that, but will I be listening to this again? Nope. John Cale fans will love it. Anyone else? Could be a stretch.