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Old 11-01-2008, 08:54 AM   #11 (permalink)
4ZZZ
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Slow Dazzle. 1975.



Cale produced an album with a predominant mix of MOR pop and rock and one avant garde surprise. A who's who of the 70's elite helps out with Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, Chris Spedding and Chris Thomas. Starting with Mr Wilson we get a homage to Brian Wilson with a wonderful pop/rock song. Thumping keyboards and key changes aplenty whisk back and forth to an orchestral production that Mr Wilson would have been proud of. Taking It All Away is more pop that has a good lyric and female backing vocals under Cales slightly gruff vocal. Dirty Ass Rock "N" Roll is a rock and roll song that, though a good song, needed a just a touch more grunt. Piano and punchy rhythm with fine female vocals and horns. Darling I Need You is more MOR pop/rock and has one wondering why Cale is writing a love lyric considering the bitter lyrics of other tracks. Rollaroll follows the same musical path but has lyrical content that veers away from the love of the previous track. Heartbreak Hotel is covered and is reconstructed to become something that sounds like a classic Cale song. The tempo of the album is changed for a moment. This is Cale at his experimental best as we are taken on a ride of his vocal sounding slightly insane and menacing, the female backing vocals wail away when required and the instrumentation is dark and rocks slowly. Ski Patrol takes us back to the pop rock feel of the previous tracks though this is a poor song that does not have the usual redeeming quality of at least a good lyric. Entirely disposable. I'm Not The Loving Kind is a slow anti love song
"When my lady passes me by
I leave the love I thought I had in mind
Send no flowers or words of regret
I'm not the loving kind"

In context of the next track, Guts, all is revealed with this MOR track. Guts has a bitter lyric that jumps out and hits hard.
"The bugger in the short sleeves ****ed my wife
Did it quick and split
Back home, fresh as a daisy to Maisy, oh Maisy"

Reportedly Cale sang this about Kevin Ayers who had a dalliance with his then wife. Oddly this verse is sung in an almost whispery style and musically lacks the spite of the lyric. Cale may be the only musician that can sing a song like this and make me think that Robbie Williams could have covered it and made it sound like a love song. The final track, The Jeweller, is classic Cale avant garde. Think The Gift from the VU classic White Light/White Heat and one knows what one will get. The music a soundscape of synths and viola drones. The spoken lyric is mesmerising and concerns a Jeweller who has the misfortune of one of his eyes turning into a part of the female anatomy. Completely out of place in the MOR pop/rock context of the album but for me a perfect end.

This is a strange album to look back at. Heavy in the pop/rock sensibilities of the day and, other than 2 tracks, lacking any sense of musical adventurism. I have no criticism of Cales singing, in fact that is always a strength, no criticism of the musicianship or production but it does feel slightly dated. A couple of these tracks Cale has performed live and they are better for that. I do like Slow Dazzle but it had its time and Cale had produced better previously and has, with hindsight, produced better into the future.
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