Good for many reasons not the least of which is Cale himself. But this album is more-its Cale as virtuoso pianist, gifted interpreter, distinctive songwriter and charismatic performer. This is almost an overview of his whole career, including material from every studio album up to that point(1992) as well as his setting of three of Dylan Thomas' poems to music(and as far as I know, the first ever his estate has allowed published) plus old Chestnuts like Fear and Ship of Fools, plus his radically take on Elvis' Heartbreak Hotel which still sounds haunting. and of course his legendary arrangement of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen.
People often mistakenly pin the principal talent in the Velvet Underground on Lou Reed but other than mentoring with the poet Delmore Schwartz and doing some songwriting for the Picwic record label in the mid 60s he didn't have that much going on outside his burgeoning drug habit and the lingering effects of shock therapy treatments. Cale on the other hand was already a child prodigy, had played with no less than Terry Reily, Tony Conrad, Lamont Young AND John Cage before he turned 21-WAY before he even met Reed. He's also acted as producer on some of the most influential albums ever(Patti Smith's Horses comes to mind but the list-Nico,The Ramones, Nick Drake, Brian Eno, et al is HUGE)and written songs with loads of others. a real artist and poet-someone who does it because there isn't anything else worth doing. inspiration.
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