Between the release of Vintage Violence and Paris 1919, Cale took two detours into the world of the experimental: a 1971 collaboration with minimalist Terry Riley, and his 1972 release, The Academy in Peril. Returning to his roots, it would seem that Cale was grounding himself. Regardless of his intent, the time off from pop certainly seemed to recharge him for his 1973 powerhouse record.
Cale's complaint with Vintage Violence was that it lacked personality, and one gets the sense that he intended to remedy this on his second pop album. It doesn't take long for his true self to shine through on Paris 1919 - the record begins with "Child's Christmas in Wales," which itself kicks off with an odd-metered line (I believe it's in 11) that immediately gives way to and eminently listenable verse. Backed by a descending bassline and sustaining Hammond organ, Cale's richly poetic lyrics nostalgically interpret Welsh poet Dylan Thomas' short story of the same name. I say "nostalgically" because one gets the sense that Thomas' Christmas recollections could in fact be Cale's and vice versa. Certainly, the lyrics (and the Thomas allusion) suggest that the song is set in WWI or post-WWI Wales - the mentions of Sebestapol and Adrianapolis (both WWI battles) confirm this. Nonetheless, Cale seems to be drawing upon the similarities between himself and Thomas - both Welsh artists - despite their being from such drastically different milieus. The song is by no means a literal interpretation of the story - there is something far greater than a simple retelling at work here.
Cale adopts period guise for the cover of Paris 1919
The album as a whole expands upon themes put forth in the opening track. Cale seems to be wrestling with epochs and locales seemingly so unlike his own, yet he approaches them with a striking personal familiarity. "Macbeth" removes the Shakespearian play from its Globe Theater origins and turns it into a spirited rock stomp. Cale yet again flexes his arranging muscles and classical chops on "Paris 1919," wrapping the post-war "gay Paree" of the Modernists in ornate orchestration. "Graham Greene" adeptly utilizes second-person perspective to situate the listener in the English moralist's world. Most impressive about the record: the music itself is so inviting and engrossing that one is apt to miss the thematic complexity almost entirely upon first listen.
The greatest beauty of Paris 1919 is its ability to find common ground with everything it touches - particularly its diverse and often grandiose themes, which are transformed from history textbook instances into remarkably accessible pop songs. The album's audience is not exempt from Cale's uncanny ability to relate to anything and anyone he pleases, and perhaps no track on the record exemplifies this more so than "Child's Christmas in Wales." It contains moments for all listeners: conservatory trained classicists, literate art students, and casual pop listeners alike.
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