John Cale – Ship Of Fools: The Island Albums [3CD Box Set]

I have always been musically drawn to outsiders, to wonky pop, avant pop, call it what you will, and anything slightly, and sometimes a lot off-kilter. An early satisfier of that strange appetite of mine was John Cale, whom I was already vaguely aware of from his Velvet’s past. No-one outside of the truly hip circles in the first half of the 70s knew who the Velvets were, despite what they might tell you now! That band’s mythical status transferred to its still working ex-members, namely Nico, Lou Reed, and to his somewhat more obscure once musical partner in crime, John Cale. The very fact that Cale was a Welshman who found himself via a circuitous academic and performing route in the underbelly of New York cultural life in the mid-60s is off-kilter enough for a spotty 14-year old, doncha think? Oh, I didn’t know all this at the time, I picked it up from the Bible, aka the N.M.E. of course, somewhere along the way.

Prior to his brief but highly productive tenure at Island Records, Cale had already released two albums of songs on Reprise Records, Vintage Violence and Paris 1919, two fine pointers to his ongoing development as a songwriter, something he wanted to explore after years on the experimental fringes. He also had released two more outré works, Church of Anthrax (with Terry Riley), and The Academy In Peril, both well worth your time. Cale had also started to carve out a reputation as a producer, working with The Stooges, Jonathan Richman, and Nico. Those earlier records I only discovered in later years, it was the Island albums that grabbed me. Eno was on them, Phil Manzanera too! Unheard, they were already floating my youthful coracle.

The first album of Cale’s Island trio is Fear, recorded during the febrile period that included the concert from which the iconic live album 1st June 1974 was recorded, with Eno, Manzanera, Nico, and somewhat fractiously, rock’n’roll Cassanova Kevin Ayers aka “the bugger in short sleeves (who) fucked my wife”. More on that later! This energy, enhanced by Cale’s propensity for booze and marching powder manifests itself in songs such as Gun. The electricity positively crackles on this threatening militaristic march of a number. In a similar vein is the opening and nominally title track, Fear Is A Man’s Best Friend, which is a nervous, twitchy beast, and a song that sounds as paranoid as its lyric. The song edgily deconstructs totally at the end, the bass guitar torturing itself in the basement. It is a musical equivalent of self-harm.

Eno’s role on the album is simply as himself. His credit on the album is “Eno – Eno”. His role as musical adviser was downplayed by Cale, who gets the sole production credit on the album, but there is no doubt the anarchic intellectual acted as a catalyst for Cale’s muse and added to the tension in the atmosphere. In total contrast the earlier Emily, a rather gorgeous love song, and a million miles away from angst, has Eno’s proto-ambient production stamp all over it. As well as noise and ballads, there’s a couple of good pop songs on Fear too, and the album is a successful enterprise. All killer, no filler!

Fear was released on 1st October 1974, and the follow up, Slow Dazzle was recorded and in the shops by 25th March 1975. A different rhythm section and the ubiquitous Chris Spedding join Cale, Manzanera, and Eno for this somewhat more relaxed affair. Dark pop is the writing through this stick of rock vinyl, and Cale has by now honed his iconoclastic style to a point where it’s instantly recognisable.

Taking It All Away and I’m Not The Loving Kind are prime examples of this effortless grace, but laced with an undercurrent of slightly unsettling je ne sais quoi. Dirtyass Rock’n’Roll threatens to get funky, Chris Spedding’s chicken guitar clucking away over a rolling bass line.

There are two songs that go down the gnarly angst route, and Cale being Cale would we have expected anything else? Both on side two, the first being a pitch-black cover of Heartbreak Hotel, that opens with Eno’s death wail synthesiser, giving way to Cale’s vituperative snarl of a vocal, putting a whole new frightening spin on the well-known version. I wonder if Elvis ever heard this, and what did he make of it if so?! And now we come to Guts, opening with a visceral putdown of Kevin Ayers, after “the bugger in the short sleeves fucked my wife” backstage at the 1st June 1974 Rainbow concert. How about this for a cathartic bloodletting combined with wishful thinking?

The bugger in the short sleeves fucked my wife
Did it quick and split

Back home, fresh as a daisy to Maisy, oh Maisy
And the twelve-bore it stood in the corner
Quite operatic in its self-disgust
It blew him all over the living room floor
Like parrot shit, parrot spit, parrot shit was shot

Musically Guts is a straightforward rock’n’roll song, Spedding to the fore. Once you’ve heard the lyrics, you tend not to take much notice of the music.

In fact, side two gives the pop feel of side one a good kicking, although it does contain the wholesome ballad I’m Not The Loving Kind. The album ends with The Jeweller, a spoken word horror story not for the faint of heart, over Eno’s sombre synth backing, ebbing and flowing like a gentle tide scudded with effluent. One is reminded of the Velvet’s The Gift. If anything, this is more insidious, not to mention surreally gruesome!

Slow Dazzle while containing some great music is a bit of a mismatch, and it sounds like Cale couldn’t decide whether he wanted to be a dark pop magus, or a channel for black magick!

The bonus tracks on Slow Dazzle have the stripped-back piano alt-pop feel of Cale’s first two albums and seem more innocent (yet still knowing!) than the psychodrama played out on the parent album. That is until we arrive at the end, an alternative take of The Jeweller, which is never going to sound innocent no matter how many happy drugs you’re on!

A mere eight months later sees the release of Helen Of Troy, Cale’s third album in just over a year. He even somehow managed to fit in producing Patti Smith’s debut album in New York during this time. They didn’t hang about in the 70s, no million-year gaps between albums then, Mr Gabriel! There’s no Phil Manzanera on this one, Spedding has the guitar reins. Eno is still there though.

My Maria is a fabulous opening statement of intent, Spedding is on fire, and the backing choir add layers of drama. The title track, with its crawling guitar and portentous synth horns follows, and the two tracks set the tone for a return to Cale’s more edgy musical persona. Curiously, the otherwise highly informative, and more importantly, readable liner notes by Mike Barnes say that Island decided to replace Leaving It Up To You, which referenced the Sharon Tate murders, with Coral Moon, a throwaway pop tune. Not on my LP they didn’t! If that was the case and I have a rarity on my hands, then the original running order has been restored on this set. Coral Moon is one of three bonus tracks here.

With its more left-field leanings, and fab songs like Leaving It Up To You, Cable Hogue, and the mightily swoonsome I Keep A Close Watch, not to mention a wonderfully nasty cover of Jonathan Richman’s Pablo Picasso, Helen Of Troy is my favourite of the trio of Island albums. The cover features a picture of Cale in a straightjacket, perhaps signifying his frustrations with Island, with whom he would soon part company.

I am not sure why Cale fans would want this, as they probably have these albums anyway, and the fairly low number of bonus tracks do not contain anything essential. However, Ship Of Fools is a fine entry point for those new to the world of John Cale’s unique songcraft.

TRACKLIST
DISC ONE: Fear
01. Fear Is A Man’s Best Friend
02. Buffalo Ballet
03. Barracuda
04. Emily
05. Ship Of Fools
06. Gun
07. The Man Who Couldn’t Afford To Orgy
08. You Know More Than I Know
09. Momamma Scuba
~ Bonus track:
10. Sylvia Said (B-side of single)

DISC TWO: Slow Dazzle
01. Mr. Wilson
02. Taking it All Away
03. Dirty-Ass Rock ‘n’ Roll
04. Darling, I Need You
05. Rollaroll
06. Heartbreak Hotel
07. Ski Patrol
08. I’m Not The Loving Kind
09. Guts
10. The Jeweller
~ Bonus tracks:
11. All I Want Is You
12. Bamboo Floor
13. The Jeweller (alternate version)

DISC THREE: Helen Of Troy
01. My Maria
02. Helen Of Troy
03. China Sea
04. Engine
05. Save Us
06. Cable Hogue
07. I Keep A Close Watch
08. Pablo Picasso
09. Leaving It Up To You
10. Baby, What You Want Me to Do?
11. Sudden Death
~ Bonus tracks:
12. Coral Moon
13. You & Me
14. Mary Lou

MUSICIANS
Fear
John Cale – Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar, Bass
Phil Manzanera – Guitar & Slide Guitar (9)
Archie Leggatt – Bass
Fred Smith – Drums
Eno – Eno
~ With:
Irene Chanter – Backing Vocals
Doreen Chanter – Backing Vocals
Liza Strike – Backing Vocals
Michael Desmarais – Drums (1 & 9)
Judy Nylon – Lead Vocal (7)
Richard Thompson – Slide Guitar (9)
Bryn Haworth – Slide Guitar (9)
Brian Turrington – Bass (9)

Slow Dazzle
John Cale – Vocals, Piano, Organ, Clavinet
Phil Manzanera – Guitar
Chris Spedding – Guitars
Pat Donaldson – Bass
Timi Donald – Drums
Gerry Conway – Drums
Chris Thomas – Violin, Electric Piano
Eno – Synthesiser
~ With:
Tony Burrows – Harmony Vocals (1)
Russell Stone – Harmony Vocals (1)
Neil Lancaster – Harmony Vocals (1)
Geoff Muldaur – Harmony Vocals (4 & 9)
Steve Gregory – Saxophone (4)

Helen Of Troy
John Cale – Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar
Chris Spedding – Guitar
Pat Donaldson – Bass
Timi Donald – Drums
Phil Collins – Drums
Brian Eno – Synthesiser
Robert Kirby – String & Choir Arrangement
Alan Courtney – Narration (2)
Liza Strike – Backing Vocals (uncredited)

ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Esoteric Recordings | Cherry Red Records
Country of Origin: U.K.
Date of Release: 16^th August 2024

LINKS
John Cale –Website | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
Cherry Red Records – Website