Church Of Anthrax - John Cale & Terry Riley

Advantages: perfect pop songs, mature, amusing and catchy
Disadvantages: slightly dated production

...This album contains some of Brain Eno's most commercial songs ever and some of John Cale's most atmospheric lyrics ever. Recorded in 1990 at Eno's home studio the sessions began amicably enough but by the end the two men were hardly speaking as Cale began to resent what he saw as Eno's constant tinkering with perfectly good recordings. The daggers between the faces on the album cover reflect this tension. However none of this is apparent when listening to the record. Without doubt one of the cheeriest albums I own there is a perpetual sunny atmosphere throughout, which occasionally spills over into outright goofiness. The absurdity of the sea shanty "Empty Frame" is infectious and I defy anyone not to grin along with the tune. But somehow it avoids embarrassment and silliness. Other highlights include one of Eno's most romantic tunes... Read review

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Advantages: Each song is different
Disadvantages: Lou Reed and John Cale's style is not to everyone's taste

...‘Drella’ was Andy Wahl’s nickname, a combination of ‘Dracula’ and ‘Cinderella. In this affectionate tribute to their former manager/producer, the Velvet Underground’s Lou Reed and John Cale are reunited in both song and spirit to create a musical biography of the 20th century’s most revered and reviled artist. A largely cut-down recording (many songs are just guitar and piano) the pair put their Velvet history behind them and manage to create something that borrows from each writer’s solo style and creates something new at the same time. While Lou writes and sings most of the material, it’s John Cale’s otherworldly approach that will stay with you. His poetic reading of one of Warhol’s haunting diaries is neither song nor poem; it transcends all usual definitions, it exists unique. Unusual among ‘rock monsters’ both Reed and Cale have... Read review

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Advantages: Previously unreleased material!
Disadvantages: Now you all know about it!

...of everything else around you as you are immersed in Terry's beautifully pure & soulful voice, each track not only features thought provoking lyrics, but the music is carefully matched to each song to make sure that it really gives you the mood that Terry is trying to get across. Also featured on this album is "Can't Catch The Train" (track 5) this is a really jazzy track dedicated to John Coltrane, and is probably the richest, jazziest track on the album, the pace of the track almost resembling a train, another notable track is "Lean On Me" (track 9) straight after "Blues For Marcus" is so tender and soft, if you managed to listen to "Blues for Marcus" without shedding a tear, they will definitely start to flow now! There are not many albums that you can listen to all the way through, and this one is definitely one of them, it is a classic... Read review

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