John Cale - Circus (live)

Throughout an extraordinary career that has so far spanned five decades, John Cale live performances have earned themselves notoriety to say the least. From the Welshman’s experimental ‘Drone’ work with The Theatre Of Eternal Music in 60s NYC, through the early days of one of the most influential bands of all time – The Velvet Underground – to his solo career, he has always courted controversy. Following his pioneering 60s career, he confrontationally wore a hockey mask during his solo shows a long time before Friday 13^th and famously chopped off the head of a live chicken onstage – something that caused the vegetarian drummer to quit his band. The question is, following two well-received albums in the last 3 years, is the Cale of 2007 still relevant as a live performer?

Inspired by the chemistry with his new backing band (Dustin Boyer, guitar; Joseph Karnes, bass; Michael Jerome, drums) on the recording of his 2005 album Black Acetate, performances from the following year’s tour were recorded and the result is this monster of a double live album, entitled Circus (Live). The majority of the set is made up of songs from his solo heyday of the early-mid 70s and the two recent albums Black Acetate and Hobosapiens (2003). Also thrown in are a couple of Velvet Underground classics and a handpicked selection from the rest of his solo career, including his astonishing versions of rock and roll classics 'Heartbreak Hotel' and 'Walking The Dog'. The summation of all this is over 3 hours of live performance that can at times be challenging but is in general totally absorbing.

The live band sounds extremely tight, in particular some fantastic, wah-wah heavy, guitar work from Dustin Boyer, which makes sure that this is not just a vehicle for Cale’s multi-instrumentation, but a true band experience. Throughout Circus (Live) Cale adapts his menacing baritone to a variety of musical styles and as a foursome the band manages to deliver the kind of performance fitting for such a body of work. It is a dark and broody collection of live takes that is so saturated with menace that it sounds for the most part like it could be a live recording of the resident house band at the gateway to Hell.

The first CD opens with one of only two VU songs included, a typically intense version of 'Venus In Furs': a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Reworking songs by a band you were in but that you did not originally sing can go either way and we get both sides of the coin on this album. 'Venus In Furs' works perfectly well with Cale’s vocals and arrangement differing little from the original Lou Reed fronted take. The string-sampling 'Femme Fatale', on the other hand, is virtually unrecognisable until the chorus and this time the vocals (both Cale’s and those backing him) actually make you yearn for the characteristic German warbling of the Nico sung 1967 version.

Following very bass heavy, almost heavy metal sounding, renditions of 'Save Us' and 'Helen Of Troy' (both 1975) comes 'Woman', the first of three songs on Disc One from Black Acetate. Along with 'Hush' and 'OuttaTheBag', as well as 'Look Horizons' and 'Magritte' from Hobosapiens, the modern songs prove that Cale continues to evolve (and succeed doing so) as an artist. They stand up as well as virtually anything in this collection, with the guitar interplay of 'OuttaTheBag' and Cale’s trademark viola on 'Magritte' particularly pleasing.

Other first disc highlights include a great, relaxed version of 'Buffalo Ballet' which is a joy despite the occasionally out of tune singing, the beautiful 'Set Me Free' and the impassioned vocal performance of 'The Ballad Of Cable Hogue' that climaxes with the repeated “Cable you can’t leave me here like this / Cable please…” becoming a strained emotional wail drawn from Cale’s lips. The funky 'Dirty Ass Rock and Roll' provides a fittingly upbeat conclusion to Disc One.

The second CD is a more challenging experience than the first with more sonic experimentation. The dark 13 minute version of 'Gun' melts into a sparse and atmospheric 'Hanky Panky Nohow', while the 'Pablo Picasso/Mary Lou' medley lasts a demanding 12m25s. Calm is restored with effect-laden performances of ballads 'Zen' and 'Style It Takes', before the fantastically haunting cover of 'Heartbreak Hotel' that is virtually indescribable. On this and the final track 'Mercenaries (Ready For War)' a performance of remarkable diversity culminates with vocals that range from sung to whispered to spoken word, coupled with intensely moody backing. It is a fittingly unpredictable ending.

Live albums are strange beasts. They give the dedicated fan something extra, be it a rare song, the chance to relive a gig they witnessed, or just different takes on songs previously committed to record, but rarely can they fully capture the exhilaration and atmosphere of a live performance. At their best (The Who’s Live At Leeds for example) they can be a fantastic document and at their worst a complete money-spinning letdown. This album is certainly right at the former end of the spectrum and gives you a fascinating insight into the Cale live experience. It is worth listening to just to absorb the breadth of work that this man has blessed us with (and continues to) and to be reminded of the range of contemporary bands he still influences.

John Cale is a musician’s musician: classically trained, true to his ideals, innovative and truly inspirational. He has been an avant-garde experimentalist, a punk trailblazer, a masterful producer (The Stooges, Patti Smith et al), a film sound-tracker (Sid & Nancy, American Psycho) and much more. Circus (Live) demonstrates his ability to remain vital well into his 5^th decade as an artist. It is a must for any John Cale fan and well worth picking up for any fan of music full stop.


First published on glasswerk.co.uk and rockfeedback.com. See it here and here.