john cale, “andalucia,”
from: paris 1919, 1973
“Andalucia when can I see you
When it is snowing out again
Farmer John wants you
Louder and softer closer and dearer
Then again
Needing you taking you keeping you leaving you
In a year and a day to be sure
That your face doesn’t alter
Your words never falter — I love you
I’ll be here waiting later and later
Hoping the night will go away
Andalucia Castles and Christians
Andalucia come to stay
You were lost, once before, on a day much like this
When you’d made up your mind not to come
And I couldn’t persuade you
Or wait till tomorrow — or pass the time
”
“Analucia,”: Spacey, dreamy, lovely, relaxed, intimate. Another example of a singer without a remarkable voice who is in my humble opinion a remarkable singer. Thank the spirits guru classicist Aaron Copeland had the visionary temerity to give a music scholarship to a promising Welsh viola player. In the early 60’s, he participated in avante gardner projects with the like of John Cage and LaMonte Young. Then from 1964-1968, organic originator in The Velvet Underground. ‘Nuf said. Paris 1919 stands near the top of his solo output, replete with unlikely entitled, melodically penchant winners. Even if you don’t trust them, many top ten lists of all time float the banner of this 40 year old lp at great heights. And that’s Lowell George from Little Feat doing all the beautific lead guitar work and the UCLA Symphony Orchestra providing strings.