John Cale - Dying On The Vine

[theekrusher]

Wow.....so in love with this great song.....man!.... how could it be any better

[dallexandro]

amazing song, perfect.

[Sakhalinskii]

Heh, what he said about drummers seems to have changed recently, he's had Michael Jerome in his band for a few years now.

[Caligulita]

This song is as close to perfection as you can get and still technically be human.

[heintron]

He is so good you might call him John Cake.

[Willburys]

I like john Cale

[dopeythebarbarian]

this was my first song by john cale, and since i heard it the first time, it never went out of my head ... its so absolutely perfect, i cant believe it.

[linorf]

i listen to this nearly everyday. it's addictive

[natalik]

wow. this is perfection

[linorf]

divine! 

[robertlloydsite]

God, This is so great! John Cale always creates wonderful creative work did he arrange the strings? Thanks! John Cale.

[jordan3222002]

I can't give my source but he is in the industry. I feel for John Cale or anyone who struggles with that dragon, but Jesus -- be nice to other people mate. I respect Cale's intense abilities, he is a great for sure... Wasn't he a child prodigy who studied piano under Leonard Bernstein? Cale is brilliant but so, apparently, is his demon. "I wish somebody would tell me where to draw the line..." -Cale This song is particularly poignant to have this conversation isn't it?

[jordan3222002]

I love his music too, but he is a vicious alcoholic who is terribly abusive to his wife and for that I can hardly listen to him anymore. It is a shame... I feel sorry for people close to him.

[ForARide]

@jordan3222002 He´s been of alcohol and drugs since the birth of his daughter in the late eighties!

So what´s your sorce?

[Svetlahna]

from the first moment i saw John Cale and the shape of his eyes, and the colour of his eyes and the look in his eyes..... not to mention the profound beauty of his resonating voice...... i found myself in love, absolutely

[easytoremember246]

wait i want to hear Television play too!

[IJustHitTheFan]

I remember seeing him in the 80s. Wow.

But disliked this version of this great and normally very sad song.

[michaelvoland54]

@IJustHitTheFan

Yes, agree ! >Vine< is my favourite JC song, but the "original version" is much better ! It's the rhythm, it drives, pushes, beats the listener along, just like in a Shakespeare tragedy !

This 1992 is great, even brilliant, but compared to the "original" we must be disappointed ! Sorry, great John !

[ForARide]

@michaelvoland54

instead of being dissappointed by a different version, we should all be grateful.

John Cale always rearranges his songs so it dosen´t become boring and repeatative like with most musicians. I´d rather have a different version which I might like a little less instead of the same old song over and over again. That´s why he´s always worth watching live.

Check out the different versions of him doing Waiting For The Man, Heartbreak Hotel or Streets Of Laredo.

I´d say pretty amazing.

[DannyBsnacks]

Damn, writing a song for my metal band and thought this would be a great title. I guess great minds think alike.

[AlmostEthical]

Great song, lovely textures and his version of Heartbreak Hotel is one of my fave performances ever.

But, as a drummer, I'm wounded by his comments about drumming at the start. John, you've forsaken us! We don't *have* to play backbeat ... drum kits can have lots of cool colours.

Sorry about the digression, I just had to speak up. Please resume normal service ...

[brakoify]

6 dislikes......how can u douch bags not like this? honestly its good music just nice over all sound and good music

[musemeduse]

Am I the only one who thinks that he's strangely beautiful, besides being a genius? Maybe I'm crazy.

[comercuuy]

@musemeduse No, you're not crazy. Cale is a genius! A very over-looked genius! I'm tired of everyone mentioning Lou Reed in the same breath as Cale. There is no comparison! Cale's song-writing as well as his interpreptation of other's works expresses a sense of Humanity that makes one glad to be alive!

[ForARide]

@comercuuy spot on!

Cale made the Velvets sound and Nico´s Marble Index the first ever Goth Lp, recorded proto Industrial music (JC:New York In The 1960´s) and produced all those milestone lp´s leading up to Punk. He should therefore be hailed as the godfather of Alternative music! But in this shitty world, where the likes of Goldman & Sachs rule, true character and credibillity count for nothing. So it seems pretty obvious he is constantly overlooked. Remember Van Gogh? But maybe someday ...

[justnicknet]

@ForARide While Cale is marvelous, and certainly instrumental in Nico's first albums, he was taking full orders from Nico on Marble Index, after he - in her view - bungled t he Chelsea Girls LP. So he can't take credit for the sound of that album.

[ForARide]

@justnicknet Cale´s only part towards Chelsea Girls was to write Winter Song, Little Sister (Cale, Reed) and It was A Pleasure Then (Cale,Reed, Morrison). The LP was produced by Tom Wilson, that´s why Nico wanted Cale for the Marble Index. They recorded Nico´s Harmonium and voice first, then Cale would add the arrangements, which he did by himself, and when he presented the result to Nico she burst out into tears, saying it was wonderful. There were no orders from Nico on Cale´s musical output.

[pratwurst]

Exquisite- a life story like Rimbaud, and viola could only come from John Cale!

[elstrangefruit]

Fantastic version of great song, tnx for posting :-)

[jared50505050]

Amazing. Watched this at the time and was just dazzled. Question, John Cale-ites: according to Wikipedia (aka "The Book Of Lies", granted), Cale didn't write the lyrics to this. Is this correct? I could go and dig out my Artificial Intelligence (dreadful album, btw) bu I'm a broken hip following a rollerskating injury so can't.

[TheMaxxim000]

ein wirklich schönes lied

[amsongonfia]

the real genius of VELVET UNDERGROUND

[sternumagnum]

@amsongonfia They had at least four geniuses in there.

(OK, twelve if they say so themselves.)

[amsongonfia]

@sternumagnum the characteristic sound of the Velvet forged Cale, Lou Reed without him has not been so Underground, Lou Reed though remains a big ..

[Hypermammal]

Incredible

[AnastasioFranco]

This is a fantastic musician. Bravo!!!!

[ktmlange]

i think he sings this song better in this vid then the other ones.

[DeanMeredithMusic]

Total Class, beautiful string quartet. Thank you for the upload

[grainofsandfan]

There's nothing shallow about John Cale.

[NicoDraak74]

But I was thinking about my mother ....

that one line says so much, you can just imagine him waking up with a mean hangover, next to somebody he doesnt recognize, dirty clothes, empty bottles and full ashtrays everywhere, totally broke, and then thinking about his mother...

[blakedawg76]

The Island Years is Great!!! Loving this little journey you guys have shared.

[seviwesuohetarepsed]

What a marvellous rendition of one of his great masterpieces

[blakedawg76]

This is great!

Just discovering this fella for myself tonight. You guys help me out, where does a newbie go first when listening to Cale?

This is great!

[SadLisa777]

Yes, great!

[blakedawg76]

exuberant, yes?  :-)

[SadLisa777]

Sure, blakedawg76!

[lutheringram]

if you enjoy this you should try his live cd Fragments of a Rainy Season. otherwise see velvet underground. most of his diverse solowerk is astonishing. go for it!

[SadLisa777]

I have Fragments and it´s the most great thing I ever heard from him!

[blakedawg76]

Went with Paris 1919 (which came in the mail today) and the Island compilation, like I did with Waits and based on the recommendations I received here. Thanks for your responses, fantastic to hear from people who care so much about their music. Best wishes.

[gabrieldix64]

Paris 1919 is a pretty good place to start.

[blakedawg76]

Hey thanks, it came in the mail today, Island Years is on the way too.

[JasonBNYC]

I'd say The Island Years, which is basically a collection of 3 of his best albums!

[blakedawg76]

Went with this and Paris 1919. There were several recommendations for that one and Tom Waits' Island Years is one of my all time faves.

[rrte2]

His best solo record probably is "Music for a new society", but a new listener should maybe start with "Paris 1919". If you like these two, look for "Fear", "Vintage Violence" and "Fragments of a Rainy Season". If you enjoy these, get'em all!

[louiseduvee]

Ask SadLisa...:)

[SadLisa777]

Cale forever!

[hardtimesincountry]

Beautiful string arrangement - I wonder if Cale did it himself? Ought to get a proper release - why not a whole album of Cale songs, vocals, piano and strings?

[ForARide]

Of course he bloody well did!

He had studied classical music and compossition in London in the early 60´ies and was then awarded a Leonhard Bernstein scholarship to go to the U.S. and work with John Cage.

[astralleviathan]

John is an absolute genius with music, easily one of the best musicians of his generation! Bloody fantastic!

[deutscherfootballfan]

really like this

[xxpiggystardustxx]

love this version

[esterisko]

oh, this is brilliant!I just love Cale's voice on this show, and strings blending in here even better than in Hallelujah

[gilmar112]

amazing

[xxpiggystardustxx]

one of wales greatest musicians

[elianikol63]

i like very much this performance

excellent..poetry..etc

bravo !!

[machishy]

is it just me or is there some kind of similarity between this song and coldplay's "viva la vida"?

[ohhDeerLordd]

i feel it to.

[eaterHP]

I think there are a lot of songs that have a pretty big similarity to "viva la vida"

[TheMetro28]

well, i don't think so. but write that under a coldplay video. will be great fun.

[SadLisa777]

eaterHP is little crazy, I think...

[eaterHP]

I'm not saying its plagiarized just that there are a fair amount of songs with that tune, not just that one Joe Satriani, ever heard Foreigner Suite by Cat Stevens or many other songs that have a similar Melody. Just because Nickleback, Seether etc. sound the same, doesn't mean they copy each other.

[eaterHP]

Why the hell are we talking about this shit anyway, John Cale is beyond all this.

[SadLisa777]

Yes I UNDERSTAND...!

[trollfinger]

No, bands like that fit into trendy narratives, or did when they came out. Nickeback and Seether I mean of course.

[dementux]

genial ! supeeeer !

[01011101010001111010]

GREAT!!

[basic51]

beautiful song

[GovmentTookMaBaby]

I love cellos and all but i think i like the other version that's on youtube just a little more than this one.

[MuhaO]

je l'aime toujours cette voix veloutée et grave j'aimerai écouter ses chansons sur la guerre des malouines, des choeurs magnifiques.

Peter Hammil Lou Reed Battiato....;

[kidcalabria]

Wonderful song from a real genius. This is Rock'n'Roll as Art with a capitol A.

[brakoify]

@kidcalabria i wouldnt exactly say its rock'n roll lol but it is epicly great

[kidcalabria]

@brakoify

I meant Rock'n'Roll as the wider musical art-form, "the context", in which John Cale works, not the style of this particular song... from The Velvets' White Light/White Heat to his own solo stuff, he does Rock'n'Roll (Fairweather Friend on Vintage Violence, Macbeth on Paris 1919, his cover of Chuck Berry's Memphis, etc..) Cale might come from the avantgarde & his output is very varied, but he's definitely a Rock'n'Roll musician, isn't he? 'Dirtyass Rock'n'Roll' as he himself sings...

[brakoify]

@kidcalabria lol i know who cale is i thought u were refering to THIS particular song/version being played lololol

[kidcalabria]

@brakoify

Lol! I think this is one of his best songs ever... very original, distinctive, deep, meaningful, with pathos, catchy, memorable, etc.. everything that the best Rock'n'Roll (or Rock music) can achieve...any song that mentions William Burroughs can't be too bad! I mean not only the song in general, but this particular version (in my modest opinion better than the original studio one... from Caribbean Sunset maybe?) It also has a touch, the feel of classical music, naturally... Cheers!

[etuberalism]

me like too. Cool, got some of his stuff from 20 yrs ago, haven't checked it out in a while.

[rodgerguitar]

Check out "dying on the vine" posted by mooseontheloose to see the stunning guitar solo played by ollie halsall to this song

[casamusic]

Casa like it

[soulmanjoeb]

Very beautiful

[shfinx]

sa cet la vrai music

[musicboxbook]

straordinario. tanx a lot for this moment of pure poetry...

[meddlingkids]

Genius! Thank you for this.

[KenboD67]

I remember watching this at the time. Not long befor I saw him with the VU at their first reunion concert.

[ashleighfleur]

soooo perfect and beautiful :-)x

[DeepFrance]

One of the most beautiful john Cale'song.

No studio version of it with string quartet...a great lack for every fan.

[TheFeloniusMonk]

Spectacular! He's occasionally brilliant, isn't he?