Circus Live

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Circus Live
Live album by John Cale
Released	19 February 2007
Recorded	2004, 2006
Label	EMI
Producer	John Cale
Professional reviews
Rocklouder link Culturedeluxe link
John Cale chronology
blackAcetate (2005) Circus Live (2007)

Circus Live is a 3 disc live album by John Cale released on February 19, 2007. The contents were recorded live on the 2004 and 2006 European tours. One of the discs is a DVD^[1] containing rehearsal footage, a music video, and a two audio tracks. An early version of the tracklisting was published by Cale fansite Fear is a Man's Best Friend - which was close to the final listing - in September 2006^[2].

One performance included, September 12, 2004 at Paradiso in Amsterdam, was broadcast on air and online. Video of the entire concert is still available at the venue's live performance archive, Fabchannel.com.

Contents 1 EMI press release 2 Track listing 3 Personnel: 4 Notes

[edit] EMI press release

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The ringmaster of the avant-garde, Mr John Cale, releases a double CD set Circus Live on February 5th. Featuring artwork by long-time friend Dave McKean, the album is virtually a chronology of Cale's musical career; its inception began on 2005's blackAcetate: album when Cale backed by his new band (Dustin Boyer – guitar, Joseph Karnes – bass and Michael Jerome – drums), really hit pay-dirt on the subsequent tour.

Cale felt like he'd finally found the personnel to interpret his songs with new twists, new dimensions and new emotions. None more so evident than the track Gun, originally appearing on 1974’s Eno & Manzanera produced Fear but now sounding akin to a heavy arsenal of crunching weaponry, a full sonic catastrophic force to behold. Inspired, Cale recorded the dates and the band began to tear up a 40 year musical history book, challenging and breathing new life into Cale's work. In full, confident stride they take in everything from ‘Femme Fatale’, the Warhol tribute Style It Takes, a capricious Pablo Picasso, the sweet groove of ‘Hanky Panky Nohow’ from ‘Paris 1919’, Look Horizon and Zen from 2003's Hobosapiens, the Neptunes inspired funk of Outta The Bag and Hush from black:Acetate, an impassioned take of Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel and the viola swathed VU masterpiece Venus In Furs.

The album begins with a drone and ends with a drone. They signal the very start of Cale’s music career (as recorded in 1965 with LaMonte Young’s experiment the Dream Syndicate) and the closing point of this particular chapter. For the New Year finds John Cale twisting and bending his new brand of drone even further. Firstly with Juan Alderete of the Mars Volta on a forthcoming single Jumbo in tha Modernworld, and then in the producer’s chair for adroit New York art-rockers Ambulance Ltd and their second album.

[edit] Track listing

All tracks by John Cale; except where indicated

CD1:

1. "Venus in Furs" (Lou Reed)
2. "Save Us"
3. "Helen of Troy"
4. "Woman"
5. "Buffalo Ballet"
6. "Femme Fatale/Rosegarden Funeral of Sores" (Lou Reed)
7. "Hush"
8. "OuttaTheBag"
9. "Set Me Free"
10. "The Ballad of Cable Hogue"
11. "Look Horizon"
12. "Magritte"
13. "Dirty Ass Rock and Roll"

CD2:

1. "Walking the Dog" (Rufus Thomas Jr.)
2. "Gun"
3. "Hanky Panky Nohow"
4. "Pablo Picasso/Mary Lou" (Jonathan Richman)
5. "Drone - Into Amsterdam Suite"
6. "Zen"
7. "Style It Takes" (Lou Reed/John Cale)
8. "Heartbreak Hotel" (Mae B. Axton/Tommy Durden/Elvis Presley)
9. "Mercenaries (Ready for War)"
10. "Outro Drone"

[edit] Personnel:

• John Cale: lead vocal, electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards, electric viola
• Dustin Boyer: lead guitar, toys, backing vocals
• Joseph Karnes: bass, Nord 3, samples, backing vocals
• Michael Jerome: drums, samples, backing vocals

[edit] Notes