John Cale: “I Wanna Talk 2 U”
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As a co-founder of the Velvet Underground, John Cale earned a place amongst rock-and-roll royalty early in his career, but he’s not one for resting on his laurels. He’s still going strong as a producer and solo performer, and on October 2, Cale will release Shifty Adventures In Nookie Wood, his first album in seven years.
Cale’s memorable electric viola playing punctuated many of the Velvet Underground’s classics, but since leaving that band in 1969, his musical reach has been wide-ranging. As a performer, he’s appeared on records by Nico and Nick Drake, and Cale has also made a significant mark as a producer and collaborator over the years. He’s worked with such divergent personalities as Brian Eno and the Stooges, and recently his production graced Alejandro Escovedo’s well-received 2006 album The Boxing Mirror.
It’s hard to imagine Cale finding time for his own solo output, and perhaps his busy schedule explains this absence for so long. But Shifty Adventures In Nookie Wood finds Cale continuing to challenge audiences–not a bad feat for an artist who’s entering his fifth decade of work. Album-opener “I Wanna Talk 2 U” even features another bold collaboration, this time with the producer Danger Mouse. As he’s done repeatedly throughout his career, Cale crafts a song that’s bursting at the seams with ideas. We’d expect nothing less from an artist who’s seemingly done and seen it all.
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