The Academy in Peril

Velvet Undergroundのオリジナル・メンバー、永遠の異端者
John Caleによるアルバム2作のリイシューが決定!

Velvet Underground活動後は、自己名義の作品を多数発表し、音楽プロデューサーとしてもThe Stooges、Patti Smithなど様々なアーティストの作品を手がけてきた鬼才John Cale。2024年にリリースされた『POPtical Illusion』に続き、1970年代のCaleが30歳を目前にして育んだ芸術的な大胆不敵さを証明する2作の再発が決定!
1972年の爽快で探求的なクラシック作品『The Academy in Peril』、そしてアメリカン・ルーツ・ミュージックを特徴とするロック・バンド、Little FeatのLowell GeorgeとRichie Haywardが参加した1973年の『Paris 1919』が〈Domino〉からリリース!
いずれもHeba Kadry(Bjork, Slowdive, 坂本龍一)がリマスターを手がけ、この2作の再発は初のアーティスト公認盤となる。
『The Academy of Peril』にはボーナストラック「Temper」が収録されている。

Taking a sidestep from his earliest solo efforts into an exploration of his classical training and influences -- thus the title -- John Cale on Academy creates a set of songs that probably bemused more than one listener at the time of release. The predominantly instrumental release, which finds him working with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on two tracks, steers away from the more grotesque classical/rock fusions at the time to find an unexpectedly happy and often compelling balance between the two sides. Opening track "The Philosopher" signals this well, with a low-key acoustic guitar/drums rhythm accompanied by separate horn, string, and keyboard lines. The sound is at once thick and remarkably spare, a rejection of flash for mood setting without aiming toward the drones so prevalent in much of Cales initial work. Restrained humor crops up throughout, a smart way to undercut any fusty claims of pretension. "Legs Larry at Television Centre" has Cale acting like a very uptight, controlling TV technical director "directing" the string quartet performance at the center of the song. "King Harry," the only song with lyrics, is a memorably whispered zinger at the dying figure of King Henry VIII, with Spanish and calypso touches on top of everything else. Much of the time the mood is, quite simply, serene and beautiful, an exercise of Cales skills that impresses both technically and emotionally. When things are more quick in mood, as in "Faust," one of "3 Orchestral Pieces," Cale has good fun applying rock arrangement and production tricks: compression, gentle flanging, drum rhythms, and so forth. ~ Ned Raggett