Slow Dazzle cover

Slow Dazzle

Released

His buddies Eno and Manzanera sort of coax Cale into a smoother almost Supertramp vibe here, which only backfires, because there is nothing you can do to make John Cale into a smooth character. And Cale pulls it all back, laying down his now-classic “Heartbreak Hotel” version, in one of its more psychotic versions here. The Cale dread and horror overwhelms all the sweet Seventies sounds and the tension is really fantastic. This album is sequenced in a really unusual way, getting obviously better as it goes, moving into the best material at the end of side two? Who does that! “The Jeweller”? A sequel to “The Gift,” another short story set to music, this time an excellent drone.

Sasha Frere-Jones

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