| Fear | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 October 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1974 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 40:48 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | John Cale | |||
| John Cale chronology | ||||
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| John Cale studio album chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Fear | ||||
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Fear is the fourth solo studio album by the Welsh rock musician John Cale,released on 1 October 1974 by Island Records.
Fear is the first of Cale's three studio albums for Island Records,all of which were released in a period of just over a year. During this time Cale was also producing records for other artists,working on albums such as Horses (1975) by Patti Smith,one of the most influential of all proto-punk records.
In addition to his lead vocals on Fear,Cale also played keyboards,guitars,viola,violin and bass,and was joined by Fairport Convention's Richard Thompson,Roxy Music's Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera,and other artists who were signed to Island at the time.
"Gun" features an unusual two-man guitar solo from Manzanera and Eno,with the latter using a synthesizer to process the former's guitar playing in real-time. [1] The promotional album for Fear released by Island Records contained an interview with Cale. He announced an adaption of the William Blake poem "Jerusalem",and cover versions of the songs "Girl from the North Country" by Bob Dylan,"Eight Miles High" by the Byrds and "I Can See for Miles" by the Who. [2]
The cover photography was by Keith Morris.
Fear was released on 1 October 1974. "The Man Who Couldn't Afford to Orgy" b/w "Sylvia Said" was released as a single.
The album was remastered in 1996 as part of the 2CD release The Island Years ,containing also both Slow Dazzle (1975) and Helen of Troy (1975). It contained "Sylvia Said (Remix)" as a bonus track. The single version of "Sylvia Said" remained unissued on CD as of 2018.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A− [4] |
| Overdose | A [5] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 9/10 [7] |
Mick Brown of Crawdaddy said Fear was "in many ways a patchwork of [Cale's] past. His motif,as defined on Paris 1919 ,remains clean,compact,clever melodies,written and produced with a clear understanding of the subtle nuances of mood the simplest of chord structures and breaks can evoke. But the extravagant orchestration which characterized the last solo album has been largely abandoned in favor of a sparser,more barren sound,with just the barest backing essentials augmenting Cale's vocals." [8]
Writing in Let It Rock ,Mick Gold said:"Cale has the voice of a chameleon. It's never great singing but his deadpan Welsh-American accent gives it just the right edge. His music has broadened its range whilst also sounding more pared-down. And at least five songs on this album stand equal to the best songs of the 70s. I think it's self-evident from Paris and Fear that Cale's work is more original and more enjoyable than the albums being put out by a dozen better-known artists." [9]
Trouser Press called Fear "a brilliant record full of neat surprises and great,unsettling songs." [10]
All tracks are written by John Cale.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fear Is a Man's Best Friend" | 3:53 |
| 2. | "Buffalo Ballet" | 3:29 |
| 3. | "Barracuda" | 3:48 |
| 4. | "Emily" | 4:23 |
| 5. | "Ship of Fools" | 4:38 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Gun" | 8:05 |
| 7. | "The Man Who Couldn't Afford to Orgy" | 4:35 |
| 8. | "You Know More Than I Know" | 3:35 |
| 9. | "Momamma Scuba" | 4:24 |
| Total length: | 40:48 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sylvia Said" (Remix) | 4:09 |
Adapted from the Fear liner notes. [11]
Musicians
Production and artwork
John Davies Cale is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, drone, classical, avant-garde and electronic music.
Another Green World is the third studio album by English musician Brian Eno, released by Island Records in November 1975. Produced by Eno and Rhett Davies, it features contributions from a small core of musicians, including Robert Fripp (guitar), Phil Collins (drums), Percy Jones, and Rod Melvin (piano). John Cale plays viola on two tracks.
June 1, 1974 is a live album of songs performed at the Rainbow Theatre in London on the titular date. The album is officially attributed to all principal performers Kevin Ayers, John Cale, Brian Eno and Nico, although other well-known musicians, including Mike Oldfield, Robert Wyatt, and Ollie Halsall, also contributed to the concert.
The End... is the fourth studio album by German musician Nico. It was recorded in summer 1974 at Sound Techniques studio in London and produced by John Cale. It was released in November 1974, on record label Island.
Phillip Geoffrey Targett-Adams, known professionally as Phil Manzanera, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music, and was the lead guitarist with 801, and Quiet Sun. In 2006, Manzanera co-produced David Gilmour's album On an Island, and played in Gilmour's band for tours in Europe and North America. He wrote and presented a series of 14 one-hour radio programmes for station Planet Rock entitled The A-Z of Great Guitarists.
Roxy Music is the debut studio album by English rock band Roxy Music, released on 16 June 1972 by Island Records.
In Search of Eddie Riff is an album by British musician Andy Mackay, first released on Island Records in 1974.
Wrong Way Up is a 1990 album by Brian Eno and John Cale.
801 were an English experimental rock supergroup band, originally formed in London in 1976 for three live concerts by Phil Manzanera, Brian Eno, Bill MacCormick, Francis Monkman, Simon Phillips and Lloyd Watson.
801 Live is the first live album by 801. It was originally released by Island Records in the UK in November 1976. It was subsequently released by Polydor Records in North America in March 1978.
Slow Dazzle is the fifth solo studio album by the Welsh rock musician John Cale, released on 25 March 1975, his second album for record label Island.
The Island Years is a double CD compilation of John Cale's work during 1974 and 1975. The collection, released in 1996, is composed of the three previously released Cale albums issued by Island Records: Fear, Slow Dazzle and Helen of Troy. The album also includes some extra tracks, b-sides, and individual tracks from other albums but the Slow Dazzle's last and experimental track "The Jeweller" was shortened to 4:11. In 2007 The Island Years was reissued as a budget release, Gold, with the same track listing but reduced packaging.
Helen of Troy is the sixth solo studio album by the Welsh rock musician John Cale, released in November 1975. It was the last of his three studio albums for Island Records.
Guts is a retrospective compilation album by John Cale, released by Island Records in February 1977. It includes the songs "Leaving It Up To You", which was deleted from Helen of Troy, and the previously unreleased "Mary Lou". It was compiled by Howard Thompson.
Sabotage/Live is a live album by John Cale. It was recorded at CBGB, New York on 13–16 June 1979, and released by SPY Records in December 1979.
Honi Soit is the seventh solo studio album by the Welsh rock musician John Cale, released in March 1981 by A&M Records, and was his first studio album in six years following 1975's Helen of Troy. It was recorded and mixed by Harvey Goldberg at CBS Studios, East 30th Street and Mediasound in New York City with the intention of making a more commercial album with record producer Mike Thorne at the helm, Thorne would soon be known for his work with Soft Cell. "Dead or Alive" was the only single released from the album but it did not chart. However, Honi Soit is Cale's only studio album to date to chart on the US Billboard 200, peaking at No. 154.
Diamond Head is the first studio album by English rock musician Phil Manzanera. It was released in 1975, originally on Island Records in the UK and in the US on Atco Records. The sound quality on the US album was deemed to be worse than the UK album, so the UK import became a popular seller in the speciality record shops who sold Roxy Music and other UK bands. The diesel locomotive featured on the cover art is an EMD E9.
Live is a double live album by English art rock band Roxy Music, released in 2003. Their fourth official live album, it contains performances from a variety of venues on their 2001 reunion world tour, and represents the entire set list from those concerts. Live was packaged in a Digipak case.
John Cale is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band the Velvet Underground in the 1960s. In the subsequent four decades, Cale has released varied solo albums, film soundtracks, and collaborations with Lou Reed, Brian Eno, Bob Neuwirth and others.
Caribbean Sunset is the ninth solo studio album by Welsh rock musician John Cale, released in January 1984 by ZE Records.
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