John Cale
Paris 1919
Play Paris 1919
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MOG Editorial Review
If Lou Reed represented the Velvet Underground's rock 'n' roll cool and Nico represented their wistful side, singer-songwriter was the group's avant-pop secret weapon, a statement you'll agree with after listening to Paris 1919. Employing both his unique vocal and his knack for narrative-heavy lyrics, songs like opener "Child's Christmas in Wales" and "Graham Greene" are both nostalgic and evocative in a way the best Velvet Underground songs always were, trading in noisy guitars for strings and pianos. The aggressive, upbeat "MacBeth," however, shows Cale's range as he slips back into rock 'n' roll, if only for one song, but when it's followed up by melancholy title track, it's hard to deny their chamber pop always suited him best, and this strange-yet-inviting collection is far and away his masterpiece, solo or otherwise.
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AMG Review of Paris 1919
Jason Ankeny
All Music GuideOne 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. Chris Thomas' production is appropriately lush and sweeping, with many tracks set to orchestral accompaniment; indeed, there's little here to suggest either Cale's noisy, abrasive past or the chaos about to resurface in his subsequent work -- for better or worse, his music never achieved a similar beauty again.
 "Paris 1919")
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- Release Date 1973
- Label Rhino/Warner Bros.
- Genre Rock
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