The Los Angeles Times puts the recording of Paris 1919 in perspective leading up to the John Cale show at Royce Hall tomorrow:
His masterpiece, however, remains "Paris 1919" — a mesmerizing mélange that coalesced in a surprising manner. At the time it was created, Cale, steered by music-biz icon Clive Davis, had made his first two solo albums for Columbia; however, he'd also been lured to Los Angeles as an A&R/in-house producer for Warner Bros. by another legendary music exec, Mo Ostin, which led to "Paris 1919's" coming out on that imprint.
According to Cale, producer Ted Templeman suggested Cale use the L.A. group Little Feat as his backing band. Initially, it seemed a strange pairing — Cale the severe, black-clad, viola-slashing maverick merged with Little Feat's funky hippie groove.
The results proved inspired: Little Feat's countrified, organic pocket imbued Cale's regal melodies and fantastical imagery with unexpected beauty. "I didn't know how it was going to work," Cale says now. "I didn't know how flexible they were musically, but they let it rip."
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