Timeline: 1991
Scoring Iphigenia in Tauris
Cale's first ever score for a ballet, Iphigenia in Tauris, is presented at the Merce Cunningham Studios in New York, January 16-19.
Revolting Cocks
The Revolting Cocks cover Chickenshit at Modernes, Bremen, Germany - January 17.
Dirge for the New Sunrise
Performs Dirge for the New Sunrise at the Elvehjem Museum in Madison, Wisconsin, USA - April 17.
Based on a poem by Edith Sittwel about the horrors of Hiroshima:
But I saw the little Ant-men as they ran
Carrying the world’s weight of the world’s filth
And the filth in the heart of Man--
Compressed till those lusts and greeds had a greater heat than that of the Sun.
And the ray from that heat came soundless, shook the sky
As if in search for food, and squeezed the stems
Of all that grows on the earth till they were dry--
And drank the marrow of the bone:
The eyes that saw, the lips that kissed, are gone--
Or black as thunder lie and grin at the murdered Sun.
The living blind and seeing Dead together lie
As if in love. . . . There was no more hating then,
And no more love: Gone is the heart of Man.
Primary Motive
Cale writes the score for Primary Motive, a political thriller directed by Dan Adams. Released on the Paris s'eveille - suivi d'autres compositions album.
Louise Feron
Produces and plays piano on one track Amour Fou on the four song promo CD Souvenirs de L'Avenir.
He also records, mixes and produces her self-titled album and writes the music for La morte amoureuse.
Paris s'eveille
Release of Cale's first soundtrack album Paris s'eveille - suivi d'autres compositions.
Animals At Night was written for the Ralph Lemon Dance Company.
Sanctus (Four Etudes For Electronic Orchestra) was written for the Randy Warshaw Dance Company in 1987.
Contains an three minute excerpt of Booker T., an instrumental recorded live with The Velvet Underground at The Gymnasium, New York City, 1967. The full version was released on a CDEP, named Paris s'eveille.
The album also contains a new version of Antarctica Starts Here from the Paris 1919 album.
Soldier String Quartet
The Soldier String Quartet cover Paris 1919 on their Sojourner Truth album. This ensemble will perform with Cale throughout the Nineties, often using the arrangements of David Soldier.
My Friend the Chocolate Ballet
Australian folkrock My Friend the Chocolate Cake cover Buffalo Ballet on their untitled debut album.
Blackeyed Susans
Australian band Blackeyed Susans cover Close Watch.
Spent A Week
Plays viola and syntesizer on Moe Tucker's I Spent A Week There The Other Night. Tracks featuring Cale: (and) Then He Kissed Me, I'm not and I'm Waiting For The Man.
Sister Double Happiness
Plays Radar Blips on Heart and Mind album of this American group.
Cale sings Cohen
Cale sings Hallelujah on I'm Your Fan, various artists covering Leonard Cohen songs.
"I don't consider it my music, I consider it Leonard's. I'd always regarded that song as quintessential Leonard. That version was initially recorded for an Les inrockuptibles compilation [1991's I'm Your Fan]. There were originally 15 verses to the song, some of them intensely religious, and I felt uncomfortable singing those, so I changed them around. If you watch the DVD extras on Shrek, there's one of a long conversation between the directors, an American lady and an Australian guy, I think, discussing how certain scenes came about. When they come to that scene, the guy is obviously a fan and the lady less so. He says, you know, expansively, like, 'Oh, John Cale's voice, whenever I hear his voice I wanna cry.' And the lady responds, drily, ''Well, there were a number of times during the making of this movie when I felt like crying too!' It was very funny."
Also released as a maxi single with both Cale's and Cohne's version and Queen Victoria, a track co-written with Cohen, as the b-side.
Cale's version would be used in the Shrek movie in 2001. The soundtracks album of that movie howver has the Rufus Wainwright version.
Paul Kelly covers Cale
Australian songwriter Paul Kelly covers Buffalo Ballet on his Comedy album.