While best known for being a co-founding member of the Velvet Underground, John Cale has been writing and releasing music as a solo artist for over five decades. At 82 years old, the man is still releasing music: in the last year, Cale has released Mercy (2023) and POPtical Illusion (2024), his first two studio albums of original material in over a decade. Cale’s music is also being reissued and remastered. Just recently, Cherry Red Records have reissued Cale’s output on Island Records. All three albums have been newly remastered, complete with liners notes and bonus tracks. As a result, Ship of Fools is a solid release from the label.
A Little History
It was 1973. John Cale had been out of the Velvet Underground for five years. His recent most recent album, Paris 1919, was being reviewed as his best album yet. It’s baroque stylings made it stand out and, to this day, is considered Cale’s best album. Around 1974, Richard Williams, then head of A&R at Island Records, signed Cale to the label. The first album Cale would release on the label was a one-off concert Cale did with former Velvet Underground band mate Nico, Roxy Music’s Brian Eno and the Soft Machine’s Kevin Ayers. That show would be released as June 1, 1974. By the time the album was released, Cale and Nico were both signed to Island. For Cale, he would release his next three studio albums on the label.
THE ALBUMS
Fear (1974)
With the help of Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera, Cale made the natural successor to Paris 1919. Compared to the orchestral and refined feel of Paris 1919, Fear is a fairly diverse art rock album with different variations of Cale’s sound. There’s some rockers and a couple of ballads, all while maintaining this reverberating and edgy production. Of the albums in this set, Fear is easily the strongest.
Rating: 8/10
Favorite Songs: Fear’s A Man’s Best Friend, Gun, Barracuda, Buffalo Ballet, You Know Me More Than I Know
Slow Dazzle (1975)
While another art rock effort from Cale, Slow Dazzle is slightly more commercial yet unconventional. Production wise, the album sounds like the typical rock album from that time period. The songs, however, couldn’t be any more different. Cale does flirt with some conventional sounding ballads but also leaves room for some hard rockers, with some of them being unhinged. While not as good as Fear, it’s a solid follow up.
Rating: 7/10
Favorite Songs: Heartbreak Hotel, Guts, Dirty Ass Rock N Roll, Taking It All Away, Mr. Wilson
Helen of Troy (1975)
Cale’s last album for Island is probably the weakest of the three. At this time, Cale was producing many albums, including Patti Smith’s iconic debut Horses. Cale didn’t have a lot of time to work on this album, churning out what he’d later call “demo tapes.” If anything, Helen of Troy is a mix of the previous two albums but not as organized or memorable. Despite these flaws, it’s a solid effort from Cale. Musically, it has some of the conventional feel of Slow Dazzle while also having the artsy elements of Fear.
Rating: 7/10
Favorite Songs: I Keep A Close Watch, My Maria, Leaving It Up to You, Pablo Picasso, Helen of Troy
The Remastering
The Island Albums were reissued and remastered last at some point during the 2010s in CD-sized vinyl replica packages. Ship of Fools isn’t the first set to assemble Cale’s Island albums. In 1996, a set called The Island Years was released. This set features all three albums spread across two CDs. Looking at the sound waves in Audacity of the two remasters, it’s difficult to see the difference between the two. Though listening to them back to back, the new remasters sound clearer and this carries through for all three albums.
The sound files in Audacity for the song “Fear’s A Man’s Best Friend.” 1996 remaster (Top) and 2024 remaster (Bottom)
Conclusion
Ship of Fools is yet another great set from the folks at Cherry Red Records. Along with the three albums, there are several bonus tracks included and a booklet of liner notes from writer Mike Barnes. If you already own these albums, it’s up to you whether to get this set or not: the remastering doesn’t sound dramatically different from the 1996 Island Years set yet it does sound clearer. If you’re new to the world of John Cale’s solo career, this is a solid introduction to the man’s work.
Overall Rating: 7/10
I'm a writer/journalist with a passion for music and pop culture. Having graduated from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, PA in 2014, I've been looking for a platform in which I can share my passions. Since 2009, I've been posting to my own blog- The Walrus' Music Blog- via Blogger. I'm also the author of two self-published books, "The Camp: Stories from the Summer" and "The College: Stories from King's." Together, the two books cover the story of my life from 2004 to 2014. I've been lucky enough to interview several of my favorite musicians over the years and go to concerts from time to time. I'm also very devoted to the CBS reality TV show Survivor, which I started watching in 2002 when its fourth season started. I currently live in New Jersey.