Jubilee Offer: Patriotic Classics for £2.50 |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Track Listings
| 1. "Hello, There" |
| 2. Gideon's Bible |
| 3. Adelaide |
| 4. Big White Cloud |
| 5. Cleo |
| 6. Please |
| 7. Charlemagne |
| 8. Bring It On Up |
| 9. Amsterdam |
| 10. Ghost Story |
| 11. Fairweather Friend |
| 12. Fairweather Friend |
| 13. Wall |
Product Description
CD Description
180 grams audiophile vinyl
About the Artist
'Vintage Violence' is John Cale's first post-Velvet Underground album and was originally released in 1970. Cale's signature sound with the Velvets was purposefully rough and aurally challenging, but 'Vintage Violence' is a startlingly user-friendly piece of mature, intelligent pop with a smooth, satin finish. The album shows a pop craftsman at work on ten tracks that reference everything from country rock to Beach Boys harmonies to The Band-style Americana and beyond.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
John Cale, the man who brought the electric viola to the forefront of rock with the Velvet Underground, made his debut with "Vintage Violence." With a title like that, and given Cale's musical history, you'd expect full on loud guitar, bass, organ and viola screaming into your ears. However, this is John Cale we're talking about. Never one to follow convention, his first solo album is tinged by a somewhat commerical sound, albeit a sound with mysterious undertones.
This album contains country-esque sounds on "Adelaide," haunting organ playing on the incredible "Ghost Story", melancholic guitar work on the delicate "Amsterdam," and a slow burning, epic, orchestral sound on the dreamy "Big White Cloud." From this selection it is clear there's a wide variety of influence.
I'll admit some tracks are bewildering, "Cleo", for example, is a simple, child-like song, although bizarrely charming.
To sum up, don't expect a blast of electric viola, that only appears on the bonus track "Wall," which is coupled with an "alternate" take of the jaunty "Fairweather Friend" (although I percieve little difference between the album version and the outtake), but prepared to be surprised. Whether this surprise is pleasnt or disappointing, is up to you to decide.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It's easy to be misled by the slightly aggressive title and cover art into thinking this album is going to be a difficult or uncomfortable musical experience. The opposite could not be more true. Instead these are simply masks for thoughtful lyrics, exquisite melodies and great, great songwriting. In songs such as Charlemagne, Hello There, Gideon's Bible and Ghost Story, John Cale gives you tunes which lift the heart and swell the soul. Big White Cloud is a personal favourite, beautifully capturing the experience of lying on your back in a field and staring out into the infinite enormity of space. While Amsterdam is a hauntingly wistful song of love and loss.
The two bonus tracks highlight Cale's eclectic range. The first is a looser, jauntier version of the final album track - Fairweather Friend. While the second bonus track - Wall - provides you with just that, a wall of sound from the electric viola and a reminder (in case you've forgotten) of John Cale's avant garde heritage with the Velvet Underground.
The two bonus tracks highlight Cale's eclectic range. The first is a looser, jauntier version of the final album track - Fairweather Friend. While the second bonus track - Wall - provides you with just that, a wall of sound from the electric viola and a reminder (in case you've forgotten) of John Cale's avant garde heritage with the Velvet Underground.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
There were a number of options that John Cale could have taken when he quit the Velvet Underground, but he has a knack for the unexpected, hence this album, which perhaps its year of issue (1970) just wasn't ready for.
Thus the relatively lightweight pop of `Fairweather Friend' is as far away from his old band as it's possible to be without going into orbit; Cale being Cale there's nothing contrived about its jollification though.
`Big White cloud' is dream pop some time before anyone managed to coin the description, but then Cale's nothing if not ahead of his time. He throws the catchiest hook into this one too, like a man to whom such things come as easily as eating biscuits.
He's assured enough as a songwriter to come up with something like `Amsterdam' too, and make something of it something other than moody introspection. In short, it works because it's him being heartfelt, and not being morose about it.
So John Cale's one of those people for whom the term multi-faceted could have been invented, which of course makes him stand out like the proverbial at the end of this first decade of the twenty-first century, when at times it feels as though formula and indeed the formulaic is everything. For all of its age this album underlines the point.
Thus the relatively lightweight pop of `Fairweather Friend' is as far away from his old band as it's possible to be without going into orbit; Cale being Cale there's nothing contrived about its jollification though.
`Big White cloud' is dream pop some time before anyone managed to coin the description, but then Cale's nothing if not ahead of his time. He throws the catchiest hook into this one too, like a man to whom such things come as easily as eating biscuits.
He's assured enough as a songwriter to come up with something like `Amsterdam' too, and make something of it something other than moody introspection. In short, it works because it's him being heartfelt, and not being morose about it.
So John Cale's one of those people for whom the term multi-faceted could have been invented, which of course makes him stand out like the proverbial at the end of this first decade of the twenty-first century, when at times it feels as though formula and indeed the formulaic is everything. For all of its age this album underlines the point.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Bonus!
I am a young purveyor of old music. Oh don't scoff! This album IS old! The time between when this album came out and now exceeds my age by about seventeen years! Read more
Published on 27 Jun 2007 by Elliot Davies
10.0
this is a superb record. please ignore the review above. anyone with any interest in pop music should hear this. Read more
Published on 21 April 2007 by bru
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
