Slow Dazzle: Vinyl LP

Label: Proper Records
Release Date: 6th December

1975 was John Cale's year, he's laying the seeds of punk with Modern Lovers and Patti Smith, whilst making his most diverse, hooky and most colourful performances with Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera again backing him in the studio. 

Following on quickly from Fear, and capitalising on that album's energy Slow Dazzle is another fiery release by Velvet Underground founder John Cale - This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1975 Island Records UK release and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

Released in March 1975, initially, the album offers a false sense of mellow security: "Mr Wilson", a tribute to Brian, the leader of Cale's beloved Beach Boys starts the on a much sweeter note than "Fear Is A Man's Best Friend", as does "Taking It All Away"; by "Dirty Ass Rock'n'Roll" Slow Dazzle is off to darker terrain, business as usual. Cale, however, cannot resist a pop song and a ballad – "Ski Patrol" is a great two-minute vignette, and "I'm Not The Loving Kind" is soul-baring.

The album's reputation, however, rests on two tracks – "Guts", a bald telling of Cale's wife's infidelity and his pitch-black cover of Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel". 50 years later, these songs still pack a tremendous punch.