John Cale

[McChesney Duntz]

White Light.. has got some brilliant things on it, but then you remember that Lady Godiva's Operation is on there to stink things up

Bah. "Lady Godiva's Operation" is a cracker, with one or two of the funniest moments of the VU catalogue (Lou's vocal insertions, specifically). In fact, I'd call WL/WH the VU's comedy album. And/or the world's first concept album about people's brains getting bisected.

[Monsieur Verdoux]

The debut album hasn't aged well; White Light.. has got some brilliant things on it, but then you remember that Lady Godiva's Operation is on there to stink things up, and The Gift, which is a bit silly, so it's probably between 'Self-Titled' and Loaded.

bull shit the pulsing instrumental track of lady Godiva is mind blowing, one of their most successful drone experiments

[holyzombiejesus]

Fragments of a Rainy Season is still one of my favourite records, contains the best versions of many of his songs and probably my favourite live album. Never needed that third disc though, Domino.

[Monsieur Verdoux]

I have the rare 'More Fragments' EP on mp3 if anyone wants it, it was a giveaway with some sort of European music magazine (quick google reveals that it was Les Inrockuptiles) which features performances from the 'Fragments' tour including songs that didn't make it on the album.

[Sin Agog]

MATE are you high on aliens dmt

Not at all.  Bought it by accident in my teens thinking it was the 'nana record (no one told me there were two self-titleds), and I've rarely* found a fix for that kind of non-folk folk since.  I even love Murder Mystery- used to mess around sending the music to the left/right channels on their early stereo fuckabouts all the time.  Loaded is kinda classic rock sounding to me, and WL/WH is good, wiry fun (though I prefer some of the things it influences, like Monster Movie); & Nico's great but self-conscious and attention-grabby in a way the simple hymnal charm of a track like Jesus will never be.  So yeah, easily, easily my favourite by them.  Even the song Mo Tucker sings is a devastating, bang-on take on teen anomie: 'if you close the door, the night can last forever.'


*closest to that exact sound I've ever heard are the gorgeous first few songs Les Rallizes Denudes ever recorded on Mizutani, before spending the rest of their career mining Sister Ray: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSRcQ6eV10Q

[Monsieur Verdoux]

*closest to that exact sound I've ever heard are the gorgeous first few songs Les Rallizes Denudes ever recorded on Mizutani, before spending the rest of their career mining Sister Ray: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSRcQ6eV10Q

This is amazing

[SteveDave]

Squeeze is the best VU LP. Doug's the only one who didn't die like a dog.

[Sin Agog]

This is amazing

Aye, me favourite band.

I don't think anyone in this thread has delved into Cale's kinda side career as a spoken-word musician, but ever since being shanghaied into reading that old Lou Reed story The Gift, he's routinely gone back to that style in his own work and in collabs, and the results have often been dead good.  I suspect that side of his career even drew him towards producing all those William Burroughs records.  I particularly like his mesmerising, sensuous tracks with Hector Zazou, especially his reading of this Rimbaud poem. It even has David Sylvain doing most of the music as well. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-70BokYDeC4

[Johnboy]

Which V.U. did you try to get into?  Their third one is easily their best, with Reed doing a sensitive journalistic approach to songwriting, and inventing gentle, twee aesthetics at the same time.  I usually improve it by sprinkling in a few songs from their abandoned earlier attempt at that style (with Cale just about still in tow).  Stephanie Says is one of their best ever songs.

Eno's favourite Velvets album