'C' Is For...
Aug. 22nd, 2018 09:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
waitingmanThrough the collection again, into the 'C's... past other worthy 'B' artists like Björk, David Byrne, David Bridie... Black Sabbath?!?
John Cale
So a young, Welsh concert pianist goes to New York & somehow meets Lou Reed. Rock'n'Roll is never the same again... John Cale came to New York in the mid 1960s to participate in an 18 hour long performance of an Erik Satie piece, alongside notable composers & performers like John Cage. Through his flatmate, he met Lou Reed - who was working as a songwriter for Pickwick - one of those places that produced sound-a-like songs in whatever style was deemed popular at the time. From this meeting came the Velvet Underground... a collision of art, beat poetry, performance, avant-garde, rock music & not a little sleaze. They only had one rule - "No blues licks!!"
Soon they came to the attention of Andy Warhol, who incorporated them into his multi-media shows, which meant the band having film projected onto them, experimental lighting, exotic dancers & a new singer - Nico - whose teutonic monotonous voice was in stark contrast to her blonde, model-like looks & only served to make the band that much more intimidating
After 2 albums, John left the band & began making his own music, which varied from album to album, depending on who he'd been hanging out with... Terry Riley, Iggy Pop... He also produced albums for Iggy, Nico, Nick Drake & The Modern Lovers. My 2 favourite songs of his from the early 70s:-
You can't go back to Elvis Presley's version after hearing this one...
However, he's also prone to writing beautiful songs about introspection & sadness... though I recommend listening to 'Music For A New Society' with a good friend... & all the lights on
He's found time to collaborate with many artists over the years, including one of my favourites (who'll probably feature when I get to 'E') - Brian Eno
He's been a fairly regular visitor to Australia over the years & I've seen him in various modes (& moods!) - solo, duo, with band, giving a keynote speech for an arts festival... The last time I saw him, L-SP & I were in the thick of the crowd down the front. Not long after L-SP got tired of being stepped on & pushed over & headed for the side, I was punched in the solar plexus by a young girl who had pushed to the front & begun dancing wildly all over everyone. I'd braced my feet to prevent her pushing into the smaller, younger people behind me & she just turned & lashed out. It really only hurt my pride... but the people around me were concerned enough to call security over & have her ejected. I'm pretty sure John didn't notice - he's been playing to rowdy crowds since 1965!!
John Cale
So a young, Welsh concert pianist goes to New York & somehow meets Lou Reed. Rock'n'Roll is never the same again... John Cale came to New York in the mid 1960s to participate in an 18 hour long performance of an Erik Satie piece, alongside notable composers & performers like John Cage. Through his flatmate, he met Lou Reed - who was working as a songwriter for Pickwick - one of those places that produced sound-a-like songs in whatever style was deemed popular at the time. From this meeting came the Velvet Underground... a collision of art, beat poetry, performance, avant-garde, rock music & not a little sleaze. They only had one rule - "No blues licks!!"
Soon they came to the attention of Andy Warhol, who incorporated them into his multi-media shows, which meant the band having film projected onto them, experimental lighting, exotic dancers & a new singer - Nico - whose teutonic monotonous voice was in stark contrast to her blonde, model-like looks & only served to make the band that much more intimidating
After 2 albums, John left the band & began making his own music, which varied from album to album, depending on who he'd been hanging out with... Terry Riley, Iggy Pop... He also produced albums for Iggy, Nico, Nick Drake & The Modern Lovers. My 2 favourite songs of his from the early 70s:-
You can't go back to Elvis Presley's version after hearing this one...
However, he's also prone to writing beautiful songs about introspection & sadness... though I recommend listening to 'Music For A New Society' with a good friend... & all the lights on
He's found time to collaborate with many artists over the years, including one of my favourites (who'll probably feature when I get to 'E') - Brian Eno
He's been a fairly regular visitor to Australia over the years & I've seen him in various modes (& moods!) - solo, duo, with band, giving a keynote speech for an arts festival... The last time I saw him, L-SP & I were in the thick of the crowd down the front. Not long after L-SP got tired of being stepped on & pushed over & headed for the side, I was punched in the solar plexus by a young girl who had pushed to the front & begun dancing wildly all over everyone. I'd braced my feet to prevent her pushing into the smaller, younger people behind me & she just turned & lashed out. It really only hurt my pride... but the people around me were concerned enough to call security over & have her ejected. I'm pretty sure John didn't notice - he's been playing to rowdy crowds since 1965!!
