John Cale - Slow Dazzle

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.