The Forgotten Arm: John Cale’s “Fear”

June 1st 2009 by E..

Aside from featuring a cover that obviously impacted the members of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, the former-Velvets bassist/keyboardist/violist’s first release for Island records was a gritty, intense masterpiece.  Cale’s previous album, the very different but still stunning Paris 1919, featured more classical and pop influences, but Fear was a move in the direction of rock.  Or something that closely resembled rock.  This shift could be attributed to Cale’s simultaneous production work on debut albums from Squeeze and Patti Smith.  Themes of isolation and, yes, fear carry through each song, with the epic “Gun” standing as the album’s centerpiece.  Like the band on Paris 1919 was Little Feat, Fear’s band was made up of most of Roxy Music and other Island groups.

Listen: John Cale - “Fear Is A Man’s Best Friend”

Posted in The Forgotten Arm, Music | 1 Comment »