John Cale
Fear Is A Man's Best Friend - John Cale

Solo albums

Paris 1919

Paris 1919

About this album

Released on February 25, 1973. Reprise K44239. Reissued in expanded formats in 2006 and 2024.

Tracks:

  1. Child's Christmas in Wales
  2. Hanky Panky Nohow
  3. The Endless Plain of Fortune
  4. Andalucia
  5. Macbeth
  6. Paris 1919
  7. Graham Greene
  8. Half Past France
  9. Antarctica Starts Here
"My third solo album, Paris 1919 was the last record I did for Reprise. We recorded in Los Angeles and the producer was Chris Thomas, an Englishman who recently left George Martin's AIR Studios, when he had produced Procol Harum. I didn't know anything about Chris Thomas but David Berson said, 'I've got a guy for you.' And we had a whale of a time doing this thing. There were some crazy things going on. I gave Chris a ride on the bonnet of my Cobra up Sunset Boulevard. When I think back I'm horrified by that. I we'd got stopped we would have both been in jail. I learned a great deal from Chris in terms of general feedback. The weird part was his mother's being form Wales and knowing my mother's mentor in the education system."
Paris 1919 test pressing

Test pressings

Test pressings of the original album are on the Columbia label instead of Warners/Reprise.

Musicians:
John Cale: bass, guitar, keyboards, viola
Wilton Felder: bass
Lowell George: guitar
Richard Hayward: drums
Bill Payne: keyboards
Chris Thomas: tambourine
And the U.C.L.A. Orchestra. Note: in his book about the album Mark Doyle refers to Joel Druckman who says that it was in fact the orchestra from the University of South California.

Other credits:
Producer: Chris Thomas
Cover photo and design: Mike Salisbury
Orchestral manager: J. Druckman Esq.
Recorded at Sunwest Studios, Los Angeles, USA

Paris 1919 live

The album was performed live in its entirety for the first time in Cardiff on November 21, 2009, with his regular band and a 19 piece orchestra.

The show was staged again in 2010 in London, Norwich, Paris, Brescia, Los Angeles and Melbourne.

2011 shows in Barcelona, Essen and Malmö.

Two shows in New York in 2013.

2014 show in Mesen.

As a rule Macbeth is moved to the end of the first set.

Expanded & remastered reissue (2006)

An expanded & remastered reissue (Rhino 81122 74060 2) came out on May 29, 2006, with just one outtake - Burned Out Affair - alternate mixes and versions, instrumentals and rehearsal tracks:

Tracks:

  1. Child's Christmas In Wales
  2. Hanky Panky Nohow
  3. The Endless Plain Of Fortune
  4. Andalucia
  5. Macbeth
  6. Paris 1919
  7. Graham Greene
  8. Half Past France
  9. Antarctica Starts Here
  10. Burned Out Affair (outtake)
  11. Child's Christmas In Wales (alternative mix)
  12. Hanky Panky Nohow (drone mix)
  13. The Endless Plain Of Fortune (alternative version)
  14. Andalucia (rehearsal)
  15. Macbeth (rehearsal)
  16. Paris 1919 (string mix)
  17. Graham Greene (rehearsal)
  18. Half Past France (alternative version)
  19. Antarctica Starts Here (rehearsal)
  20. Paris 1919 (piano mix)

Not listed on the cover or CD, but it's there:

  1. Macbeth (instrumental)

Reissue credits:
Reissue producer: Andy Zax
Project supervision for Rhino UK: Mike Houghton
Remastering: Dave Schultz at DigiPrep, Los Angeles, CA
Liner notes: Matthew Specktor
Additional booklet photos: Bob Rush
Project assistance: Brian Kehew, Bill Inglot, Rick Conrad, Patrick Milligan, Cheryl Pawelski, Mason Williams & Robert Hurley
Special thanks: Geoffrey Weiss, Lisa Jane Persky & James Billingslea

4 Men With Beards vinyl reissue

The album was reissued on June 26, 2007 on 180 Gram vinyl on specialty label 4 Men With Beards. To put it mildly: it does not sound good.

Paris 1919

Expanded & remastered reissue (2024)

An expanded & remastered reissue (Domino REWIGCD13 - CD / REWIGLP13 - 2LP) comes out on November 15, 2024, with alternate mixes and versions, the short I Must Not Sniff Cocaine (a version of Half Past France that falls apart), and one new track: Fever Dream 2024: You're a Ghost.

Tracks:

  1. Child's Christmas in Wales (Remastered)
  2. Hanky Panky Nohow (Remastered)
  3. The Endless Plain of Fortune (Remastered)
  4. Andalucia (Remastered)
  5. Macbeth (Remastered)
  6. Paris 1919 (Remastered)
  7. Graham Greene (Remastered)
  8. Half Past France (Remastered)
  9. Antarctica Starts Here (Remastered)
  10. I Must Not Sniff Cocaine (Remastered)
  11. Hanky Panky Nohow (Drone Mix) (Remastered)
  12. Child's Christmas in Wales (Rehearsal 1) (Remastered)
  13. Half Past France (Intro Chat) (Remastered)
  14. Macbeth (Take 11) (Remastered)
  15. Hanky Panky Nohow (Guitar Mix) (Remastered)
  16. Fever Dream 2024: You're a Ghost

Reissue credits:
Remastered from the original tapes by Heba Kadry
Lacquer cut by Chris Bellman
Liner notes written by Grayson Haver Currin
Engineer: Dustin Boyer (Fever Dream 2024: You're a Ghost)
Producer: John Cale (Fever Dream 2024: You're a Ghost)
Research: Stuart Batsford
Additonal layout: Matthew Cooper, Paul J Street


© 1999- Hans Werksman