Newpaper article for impending John Cale show on 01/13/88, (with Chris Spedding), at The Ballard Firehouse, Seattle, WA

MUSICIANS DECIDE NOT TO PLAY BY THE RULES
By Roberta Penn, Seattle Post Intelligenser Pop Critic
FRIDAY, January 8, 1988
Section: What's Happening, Page: 8

Two artists who take chances with pop and rock 'n' roll bring their experimental spirit to Seattle this week.

John Cale, who founded the Velvet Underground with Lou Reed in 1966, is still composing and performing unpredictable music. While the Underground efforts focused on juxtaposing noise with lyricism, Cale's more recent efforts have taken him back to his Welsh roots.

"I have just finished setting four Dylan Thomas poems to music using a chamber orchestra, pedal steel guitar and a children's choir," Cale said by phone from his home in New York. "It recaptured my interest in classical music, which is home base for me. I was trained in it."

Although he's classically trained, Cale has been most influenced by rock 'n' roll. In addition to laying the ground work for the punk movement, he was producer for several new rock artists such as Patti Smith and the Stooges. He has scored movies for Andy Warhol and Roger Corman, remixed a Barbra Streisand album for quadraphonic sound and been a consultant to major record companies, including Columbia.

Cale's own records span hard rock, smooth pop and punk. His most recent album, "Artificial Intelligence," was a dense, synthesizer-oriente record. Now Cale says he's working on a record that will fit the Top 40 format.

"It's new songs about love, kind of in the genre of 'Paris 1919.' I've been shaping the songs on a computer, and they're geared to be popular songs for radio," he said.

For Wednesday night's gig at the Ballard Firehouse, Cale will have a pared-down sound. It will be just him on piano, vocals and acoustic guitar, with well-known studio guitarist Chris Spedding. But the two avante-garde players will not sound like a conventional duo.

"Chris was in my first rock 'n' roll band, and he's used to me throwing new songs at him on stage, so a lot of improvisation can go on," said Cale.