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Elly Roberts reviews
Capitol (EMI)
- February 2007
- Rating: 8/10
Sixty-four year old Welshman John Calemade his name as founding member of seminal 60s band the Velvet Underground,that included Lou Reed.
In the intervening years since they split in 1973, Cale has continued to be acult figure, though commercially hes faired less well than Reed. Thisexcellent collection of career spanning compositions, (40 years) is unlikelyto change anything, sadly.
Using a more expansive setlist and band compared to the one I witnessed atCentral Station Wrexham in January, Circus Live is a much better gigthan the one I saw. Like his Wrexham visit, it includes Save Us, Helen OfTroy, Walking The Dog, Dirty Ass Rock And Roll, The Ballad Of Cable Hogueand Pablo Picasso, all of which went down well.
Added here are tracks from his last album blackAcetate (2005), Outta The Bag, Hush and Woman, along with credits to Lou Reed,Rufus Thomas, Jonathan Richmond and Elvis Presley et al.
From first-hand experience, Cales music can be emotionally moving to downright average; however its interesting listening, particularly for devotees.
On to trademark (and annoying) drone, Cale and co. get stuck in to VU singleVenus In Furs, followed by thumping rustic rocker Femme Fatalecomplete with wiry solos by Dustin Boyer with his rockier edge continuing onrasping Helen Of Troy bursting with more solos from Boyer and bumperstick-bashing by Michael Jerome.
From blackAcetate, Woman chugs along nicely this is Cale athis most accessible. One of his better rock sojourns is the dirty-funkyOutta The Box: this rasping blast is a CD 1 highlight that containssome deft axework by Boyer.
On a mellower note, Cale can pull-off some quality ballads Buffalo Balletand Set Me Free are amongst his best songs, a gentle plodder thatshowcases his baritone voice, sounding strangely like Bruce Springsteen onhis quieter moments. There are equally good songs like quirky Femme Fatalewritten by Reed.
A song about his favourite painter Magritte the famous surreal Belgian artistis a sombre affair with stirring violin. Rounding off CD 1, rock-belterDirty Ass Rock And Roll thrills the crowd.
Walking The Dog withslicing riffs form side-kick Boyer and catchy chorus, even if the lyrics arelimited.
Eccentricity finally surfaces on Gun, a slap-dash cacophonous wasterand almost pointless effort, as is the 4 minutes of weird drone that leadsinto the masterful Amsterdam Suite. Soft and gentle Hanky PankyNohow restores some semblance of musical credibility; with the ominousMercenaries (Ready For War) is a poignant reminder of the state of theworld.
Pablo Picasso, a rugged blast restores the Rock fever with analmost jam flavour over 12 minutes. Cale clearly has a thing about drones,so were left with one again, for the outro.
Weblink:john-cale.com
The full list of tracks included are :
Disc 1:
1. Venus In Furs
2. Save Us
3. Helen Of Troy
4. Woman
5. Buffalo Ballet
6. Femme Fatale/Funeral Rosegarden Of Sores
7. Hush
8. Outta The Bag
9. Set Me Free
10. The Ballad Of Cable Hogue
11. Look Horizon
12. Magritte
13. Dirty Ass Rock And Roll
Disc 2:
1. Walking The Dog
2. Gun
3. Hanky Panky Nohow
4. Pablo Picasso/Mary Lou
5. DRONE into Amsterdam Suite
6. Zen
7. Style It Takes
8. Heartbreak Hotel
9. Mercenaries (Ready For War)
10. Outro Drone
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.