JOHN CALE & LOU REED: SONGS FOR DRELLA

This is a concept album, in which all 15 short songs describe the life of Andy Warhol, the famous and somewhat eccentric artist. 'Drella' is the name they nicknamed him, for a person who had both Cinderella and Dracula sides in his personality. Both John Cale and Lou Reed got to know Andy Warhol during the 'Velvet Underground' period, and here they roll up his life story, their relationship with him, and his artistic path. His life described from his childhood in a small town, ("There's only one good use for a small town, you hate it and you know you'll have to leave"), through his point of view about art styles, ("The trouble with the classicists is"), art as a work ("The most important thing is work"), and his creation with repetitive images ("Images are worth repeating and repeating").

There is not just admiration or art discussions here; there is also a view about his humane relationships, sometimes with a criticism, ("It wasn't me"), sometimes with more empathy.

Each song is beautifully crafted, and the minimalist performance is excellent. The piano played by John Cale sound rich and deep and on the contrary could be very rock driven, with edgy, sharp riffs. Cale adds some synth touches, which sound very soft and gentle, and also brought his viola into the table, for few songs. Lou Reed contributes a lot with his sawn, distorted guitar. The vocal delivery is fantastic. The deep, low vocals from Cale, and the rough vocals from Reed, integrate together wonderfully.

The songs are short and simply structured, but there is no 'pop song' among them by any mean. It isn't truly rock songs either. Maybe 'art songs', or art rock, is the most suitable description here.

In many terms, it is a masterpiece. I'm not sure whether it's a prog masterpiece, or essential as a prog album. Therefore I turn off one star. And believe me I'm not doing it easily.

wonderful album in any case.

P.s.: I'm able only to read this album as Lou reed album. And in this sense'Songs For Drella' is a pure Lou Reed album.

True, True, true. Andy Warhol... Not only an artist but also a great patron for Lou Reed and John Cale. I'm not able to judge the art of Andy Warhol but sure I'm able to judge the art in music that Lou Reed and John Cale create in this 'Song For Drella' concept album.

Minimalist music or contemporary Decadent Modern Mannerism Music? Because this isn't a Rock album. Renaissance is precedent to Mannerism in art and this album present Mannerism. I'm from Pordenone and il Pordenone is one of the most important Mannerism painters so, because I know the painting of il Pordenone (but I do not know the painting of Vasari, Michelangelo, Parmigianino or Polidoro Caldara [AKA Polidoro da Caravaggio] [for examples] if not for seen them in books) I'm able to catalog 'Songs For drella' as Mannerism Decadent Music.

In 'Songs For Drella' Only Reed and Cale plays the music with voice and guitars (Reed) and vocals, keyboards and viola (Cale) so the music is not cheerful but decadent and not in Rock but in Classical or, better, in Romantic field. In my correct vision the magniloquence of Mannerism architecture is great for the description of this music. But only because the baroque architecture is too open to magniloquence with superstructure and stucco and mannerism still have the Renaissance structure. But in this case the music is essential and decadent because without superstructure or difficult colours. The romanticism isn't present. or better, the romanticism is present but is part of Decadence essence of being Lou Reed and John Cale, Andy Warhol and Velvet Underground. So this mix between POP Art, Mannerism and Romanticism is the soul of 'Song For Drella'.

In a certain sense 'Song For Drella' is an extreme difficult fresco of POP Art and USA in music. POP Art change the perception of Art. In Italy Lucio Fontana invented the Spatialism, Alberto Burri painted and stitched jute bags and in 60's in Turin and Rome born the so caled Arte Povera with Giovanni Anselmo, Jannis Kounellis, Mario Merz, Giuseppe Penone, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Alighiero Boetti e Giulio Paolini, Mario Ceroli, Piero Gilardi, Giulio Paolini, Sergio Lombardo, Cesare Tacchi, Fabio Mauri, Pino Pascali, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Gilberto Zorio, Luciano Fabro e Gino Marotta (among others) and in USA Warhol promoted the so called POP Art (in Italy this art was promoted by Mario Schifano [and in music from Le Stelle di Mario Schifano]) so It is this the hinterland of 'Song For Drella' in 20th Century but with a great revisitation of the art 16th Century but in decadent vision.

In definitive 'Song For Drella' is, for art, a genuine Prog album. And for me also a masterpiece!

Ex Velvet Underground members John Cale and Lou Reed collaboration album. This work is dedicated to Andy Warhol ( which nickname was Drella), guru of VU and bright pop-art figure.

Album consists of 15 short excellently composed and played minimalistic songs. All the music is just Reed's guitar and Cale's keyboards and violin ( vocals , mainly of Lou Reed). Everyone who know even a bit minimalism music knows, how difficult is produce perfect composition with so minimal technical possibilities. It is very easy to record myriad of albums using overproduction, overdubbing, symphonic orchestrations, etc, even if you are not too great musician, and don't have too much musical ideas at all ( big part of modern so named neo-prog are based on this old trick). But with acoustic space filled just with a few instruments it is almost impossible to lie. Every simple listener will catch you at once!

This album is absolutely RIO masterpiece, because two great artists openly show their abilities. And you understand, that in great music main thing is not electrical devices, expensive studios and other tricks. No, you just must to be great artist!

I believe this album lay far from regular prog listener filed of interest. But for RIO fans and for everyone searching for something different it is rare album of highest standard ( in it's own filed).

This, to me, is not a prog album. I don't see it is a Jon Cale album, either. It might be both, technically, but it's not the best way to describe it. What this really is is a typical Lou Reed album made special by John Cale taking the place of the rest of the band with his beautiful piano and viola. So how you feel about this album depends on how you feel about Lou Reed in general. Personally, I'm a big fan of both.

So what's a typical Lou Reed album like, then? First, musically it's driven by the vocals of Reed. Second, it has a depth of feeling which is driven by the lyrics. So, like a regular pop album, then? Sure, except for a raw sound and much greater breadth and depth of feeling. But what I think truly sets Reed's emotionality apart is the detail. Your typical pop love song is emotional when it talks about this or that girl. But the songs are usually vague about the details, so that it could be a song about any girl. It could be a song about YOUR girl (which I think is the whole point). The end result is generic feeling.

When Reed talks about something, however, (and you know it's not going to be love) there's plenty of detail. That's what makes it feel real. When he sings in Dirt from Street Hassle about how he despises a person, you get the feeling this is a very specific person, even if you don't know his name. When he sings about a friend fighting cancer in the first track of Magic and Loss, you know this is a very real, specific friend. Even when he talks about something as trivial as one of his favorite beverages from youth in Set the Twilight Reeling, you get all the details down to the bloody address and price of the damn thing.

And that's exactly what you get in this album. This is not simply an album about missing someone or even the regret of things left unsaid. This is about the very personal, specific relationship between Reed and Andy Warhol. And by the time it's all over, not only do you feel as if you'd met the man himself, from how he made it big to what he believed in, and you feel like a fly in the wall when Reed quarreled with Warhol and fired him, among other things. Reed's gift is so special in this regard that you even feel as if you'd been there sharing Warhol's decline into death with him as it happened.

Which is why the last track deserves a special shout out. After the obvious pain of Andy's death on A Dream, Forever Changed comes charging along with Cale on vocals with a song about transformation to close out the album (Hello It's Me is like an epilogue). For some reason I always picture the last scene from Blade Runner, with Deckard and the girl escaping the city, when I listen to it. I find it very moving, but exciting at the same time, as if it weren't a song about endings, but about beginnings.

All in all, a perfect five-star non-prog Lou Reed album with a big shout out to John Cale, who gives a unique flavor to this otherwise typical, perfect Lou Reed album.