Welsh music legend John Cale reissues seminal albums

John Cale has reissued two of his most acclaimed albums – Paris 1919 and The Academy In Peril.

Both are released today. Paris 1919 includes previously unreleased outtakes and liner notes by Grayson Haver Currin, and features a brand new recording, “Fever Dream 2024: You’re a Ghost.” The Academy of Peril includes bonus track, “Temper.”

Velvet Underground founder John Cale was never very kind to his solo debut, Vintage Violence. When it was released in early 1970, Cale had been out of The Velvet Underground for less than two years.

He wanted to prove he could be the songwriter, the person penning the words and melodies behind which a band could work.

“I was masked on Vintage Violence,” he wrote much later. “You’re not really seeing the personality.”

Indeed, Cale’s personality as a polyglot seemingly interested in everything emerged more and more on his next two solo albums, his only two for Reprise: 1972’s bracing and exploratory classical sojourn, The Academy in Peril, and 1973’s masterclass in anxious but accessible songcraft, Paris 1919.

By reissuing both records in tandem, it reaffirms the artistic fearlessness Cale then fostered at the edge of 30, when all of music seemed like one inviting playpen.

“Revisiting work from the past is a double-edged sword for me. Of course, it’s bound to happen when you’ve been making music for 60 years or so,” he says.

“What’s unique about this process with (his label) Domino, is their desire to get it right. Not merely re-issue something for the sake of an anniversary or racking up a catalogue favourite – but finding new treasures and highlighting what made it special in the first place.

“After hearing the test pressings, it occurred to me that the new mastering was a major part of how these works will be presented, rather than simply being preserved. There are moments of clarity and even a laugh or two had by revisiting not only the music, but recalling the sessions (and antics) that made up what became these two recordings. It is my pleasure to share these with you.”

PARIS 1919
Artist-sanctioned reissue
Remastered from the original tapes by Heba Kadry
Includes previously unreleased outtakes and a brand new recording, “Fever Dream 2024: You’re a Ghost.”
Liner notes written by Grayson Haver Currin
Replica promotional insert

THE ACADEMY IN PERIL
Artist-sanctioned reissue
Remastered from the original tapes by Heba Kadry
Replica promotional insert & sticker
Download includes bonus track – Temper

Find out more HERE

The Welshman heads out on his POPtical Illusion (the title of his most recent album) Tour in 2025 which sees the musician return to Wales to play The New Theatre, Cardiff on March 29.

Tickets available HERE