The history of John Cale remains to this day, a tale of eccentricity, achievement, and eclectic excellence. His first walk with fame came with his attachment to The Velvet Underground. From there, it is his 20 studio sets, and a handful of live albums that sets him apart from the rest of Rock. Writing songs with intent (like “Zen” from his HoboSapiens album (2003), John Cale is a songwriter of note, and a singer of classics.
On January 20, via Double Six/Domino, John Cale will release his newest album. The album is being called Mercy and will contain 12 new songs. Previously, John Cale has released “Night Crawling”, and more recently, “Story of Blood” featuring a collaboration with Reyes Blood (hear this track below).
Mercy will be released on CD, DD, and vinyl 2LP in two sets. One set of LPs will be pressed on black vinyl 2LPs. A limited edition transparent blue vinyl 2LPs will housed in a gatefold jacket and limited to 1000 copies. The Blue-colored LPs will be stored in printed sleeves. A 16-page booklet will accompany the 2LPs, which will add in an exclusive 7″ vinyl single that features two non-album tracks that are an alternate version of “Mercy” with Tony Allen, and “Pretty People”. (To maintain exclusivity of those two tracks, they will not be made available as DD.)
Mercy – John Cale
01 Mercy (feat. Laurel Halo)
02 Marilyn Monroe’s Legs (beauty elsewhere) [feat. Actress]
03 Noise Of You
04 Story of Blood (feat. Weyes Blood)
05 Time Stands Still (feat. Sylvan Esso)
06 Moonstruck (Nico’s Song)
07 Everlasting Days (feat. Animal Collective)
08 Night Crawling
09 Not The End Of The World
10 The Legal status of Ice (feat. Fat White Family)
11 I Know You’re Happy (feat. Tei Shi)
12 Out Your Window
I love Cale. He’s by far my favorite Velvet. I’ve followed him throughout the years, and it’s been way too long since we had a new album. I look forward to this, and I’ll put it on pre-order, but it’s with some wariness. This electronica material, which has been creeping into his work for some time, doesn’t quite do it for me. I’d prefer him to go back to a traditional four piece. But it is what it is, and I’ll definitely give this a go.
I miss his HoboSapiens period.