New Stuff: John Cale

Radical 2016 reworking of 1982 masterpiece from founding member of The Velvet Underground, plus the original album remastered & expanded with 3 previously unreleased bonus tracks.

Songs in the key of my life: John Cale - Sabotage

My German Rock-Lexikon set John Cale's album Paris 1919 on their list of the 100 most important albums in rock music. I got the album and my disappointment was immense: I expected a more aggressive effort from one the Velvet Underground's founders, but this was in my ears a very mellifluous work. This was in the 70s, and although I eventually did find appreciation for this album much later, I dismissed John Cale for the time being. However, a few years later, 1979 actually, one of my favourite radio jockeys, played Sabotage on his show, and this song really knocked me off my feet. Here you had a full force aggreesive song with messy cacophonous guitar lines and a militant message ("Read and destroy everything you read in the press Read and destroy everything you read in books"). In comparison most contemporary punk songs sounded lame. It took me decades to get the album on cd, but I had it on cassette, copied directly from that radio show. I've heard it numerous times, and for years it was also useful for scaring guests away.

From my vaults: John Cale

Bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cale

John Cale

John Cale - Sabotage/Live (1979) 

Life is short and love is very sweet
Look at all the people running from their lives in the street
What're they running from?
What are they running from?
Well, god, damn it, ask them
I wanna know, too

Read and destroy everything you read in the press
Read and destroy everything you read in books
It's a waste of time
It's a waste of energy
It's a waste of paper
And it's a waste of ink
Whatever you read in the books, leave it there
The word for it is:

Sabotage, sabotage
Sabotage, sabotage

The military intelligence isn't what it used to be
So waht, human intelligence what it used to be either
It's a rising expectation
It's a rising of the tide
The wards will discharge all their patients in teh streets
Are they hurt again? they are mine, yeah, murderer

Sabotage, sabotage, sabotage

New stuff

New stuff

(my copy isn't a promotional one, though)