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Music for a New Society

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Untitled

Music for a New Society is an album by former Velvet Underground member John Cale. It was released in August 1982 on Island Records. It went in stark contrast with his previous few albums, which were packed with as much avant-garde noise as could be afforded[citation needed], as it contained very minimalist instrumentation and a great deal of sonic space. Allmusic has called it "Spare, understated, and perhaps a masterpiece." "(I Keep A) Close Watch" is a re-recording of the song originally released on Helen of Troy. The original "Mama's Song", featured a telephone call between John Cale and his mother. She had sung "Arlan y Mor" (On The Sea Shore). When she was taken ill, Cale decided not to include it on the album. The engineer misread Cale's handwritten title of "Sanctus" and thus the track was named "Santies" on the LP. The CD reissue, which is no longer manufactured, calls it "Sanities". The song was the inspiration for the title and closing quote of the twelfth chapter of the comic book "Watchmen" entitled "A Stronger Loving World".

The cover photography is by Betsey Johnson, Cale's former wife.

UNCUT Magazine listed it at number 10 in their list of great 'lost' albums in the May 2010 edition.

Track listing

All tracks composed by John Cale; except where indicated

  1. "Taking Your Life in Your Hands"
  2. "Thoughtless Kind"
  3. "Sanities"
  4. "If You Were Still Around" (Cale, Sam Shepard)
  5. "(I Keep A) Close Watch"
  6. "Broken Bird"
  7. "Chinese Envoy"
  8. "Changes Made"
  9. "Damn Life" (Cale, Risé Cale)
  10. "Risé, Sam and Rimsky-Korsakov" (Cale, Sam Shepard)
  11. "In the Library of Force" (included on CD reissues since 1993)

Personnel

  • John Cale: vocals, guitars, keyboards
  • Allen Lanier: guitar
  • David J. Young: guitar, assistant engineer
  • David Lichtenstein: accompaniment, engineer
  • John Wonderling: accompaniment
  • Mike McLintock: accompaniment
  • Robert Elk: accompaniment
  • Pipe Major Tom Fitzgibbon: accompaniment
  • Chris Spedding: acoustic guitar
  • Risé Cale: vocal on "Risé, Sam and Rimsky-Korsakov"
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