Underground and alternative music would certainly have sounded different today without the Welsh multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, songwriter and producer John Cale. As a student of John Cage and La Monte Young, he brought avant-garde music to rock in the 1960s, initially with The Velvet Underground and from 1968 mainly under his own name. His oeuvre ranges from exuberant rock to classical
… compositions and subdued piano songs with a dark, almost claustrophobic atmosphere, enhanced by his sonorous baritone voice. In 2005, Cale found new inspiration in the abstract R&B productions of Neptunes and Dr. Dre which was well reflected on BlackAcetate from that same year. On Shifty Adventures In The Nookie World, those influences are still cautiously audible, but above all it is a solid album with strong and often still biting rock songs in the best John Cale traditions. (MR)more
