'Music for a New Society'

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The John Cale album. Harrowing journey into purgatory, or 'Dark Side of the Moon' for smarties?

― dave q, Monday, 10 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I like the production and atmosphere a lot. I also notice that "Close Watch" would be right at home on Elton John's 'Blue Moves'.

― dave q, Monday, 10 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Definite classic songwriting. I'm more familiar with the Fragments versions of most of these songs - I think they're better versions... But Chinese Envoy is one of Cale's all-time greats, and Close Watch always makes me assume the fetal position. (I don't know what that means.)

I'll have to read "What's Welsh for Zen?" again to see what Cale has to say about it...

― Dave225, Monday, 10 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Total classic. I hear it as more of a prayer than anything else. Hard for me to talk about without sounding like some like a misty-eyed spiritual nut case. It's beautiful to listen to and always leaves me in a better place.

― dan, Monday, 10 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Smart, streetwise avant-pop.

― Sterling Clover, Monday, 10 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I bought it when it came out, but it was warped, so I returned it. Never got around to getting another copy; still haven't heard it.

― Sean, Monday, 10 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

As a whole, a bit patchy, like most Cale releases. Highlights mentioned above are definite *career* highlights though. "Changes Made" is also a highlight of discomfort, and "Risé, Sam And Rimsky- Korsakov" is just one of the best titles I know. Anybody named Risé deserves a song. Their daughter is called Eden, you know.

― Simon, Monday, 10 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

two years pass...

Keep listening to this... 'Broken Bird' is one of the most desperate thing I've heard.

― Baaderoni (Fabfunk), Monday, 6 September 2004 17:57 (twenty-one years ago)

"If You Were Still Around" is about as sad. Too good/impt a record to me to wanna talk about

― Andrew Blood Thames (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 04:39 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

oh no!

― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 10 December 2005 11:28 (nineteen years ago)

The bright lights in the eyes of the ones we love will tell us nothing
Except that we're the thoughtless kind

― Ward Fowler (Ward Fowler), Saturday, 10 December 2005 13:24 (nineteen years ago)

two years pass...

I still don't know how I feel about this album. It seems so poorly recorded and incomplete in some way. I don't know what Cale was going through at that time but I've never heard anyone sound so bitter on tape.

― baaderonixx, Thursday, 17 April 2008 21:05 (seventeen years ago)

So it seems not many people care about this album around here...

― baaderonixx, Friday, 18 April 2008 07:33 (seventeen years ago)

i like it, production a bit patchy, good songs, not an easy listen. Sorta reminds me a bit of a Nico album

― gershy, Friday, 18 April 2008 07:55 (seventeen years ago)

This and "Paris 1919" are his best albums. What's wrong with the production?

― Tom D., Friday, 18 April 2008 08:31 (seventeen years ago)

To me it sounds very poorly recorded, eg voice and piano all trebly on 'Close Watch'. Most of the vocals sound like they've been recorded in the corridor of the studio

― baaderonixx, Friday, 18 April 2008 08:49 (seventeen years ago)

Hmmmmmmmmm, odd, I can't say I've ever noticed!

― Tom D., Friday, 18 April 2008 08:55 (seventeen years ago)

Even on my 26-year-old "Island 1 + 1" cassette the recording quality doesn't sound poor at all! Maybe there was a remastering problem with the original CD issue?

― Dingbod Kesterson, Friday, 18 April 2008 11:17 (seventeen years ago)

yeah maybe i've got a bad pressing. on quiet songs, like 'Close Watch' for inst, everything sounds a bit distorted

― baaderonixx, Friday, 18 April 2008 12:44 (seventeen years ago)

I have never seen this on CD...am I not looking hard enough?

― henry s, Friday, 18 April 2008 13:35 (seventeen years ago)

It was out on CD for a bit but is currently not available.

The last time I saw a second hand copy it was going for £25 so it's clearly in demand.

― Dingbod Kesterson, Friday, 18 April 2008 13:55 (seventeen years ago)

Hah - maybe I should get rid of my crappy-sounding CD and wait for the ineluctable deluxe remaster

― baaderonixx, Friday, 18 April 2008 14:12 (seventeen years ago)

two years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbrh4KlskBM

― hair length/style continuity errors (buzza), Saturday, 13 November 2010 09:34 (fourteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndE-nvwTuoI

― Ward Fowler, Saturday, 13 November 2010 09:50 (fourteen years ago)

two years pass...

Cale doing the full album live thing.
Apart from the cuts on Fragments... he hasn't played much of these live I think?

― willem, Wednesday, 19 June 2013 11:50 (twelve years ago)

Whoa!

― That elusive North American wood-ape (Capitaine Jay Vee), Wednesday, 19 June 2013 13:07 (twelve years ago)

wow that is cool. yeah he never really "toured" this album afaik.

― tylerw, Wednesday, 19 June 2013 14:11 (twelve years ago)

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'Music for a New Society' - C or D?