Tripping Through the Past

JOHN CALE
Vintage Violence
(Columbia/Legacy)
Fresh from his stint in the Velvet Underground and landmark productions for Nico and the Stooges, John Cale did something unexpected for an artist with serious avant-garde credentials. For his first solo project, he made a singer/songwriter pop record, and a damn good one at that. Backed by the band Grinderswitch, Cale explores more traditionally melodic forms of songwriting than his past work would indicate he would even be interested in, moving through country rock, folk and pop forms in much the same way James Taylor and his ilk were in the same time period. The difference, of course, is that the classically-trained, improvisation-weaned Cale would never write a batch of simple pop songs without giving them teeth The lyrics sneak in little barbs and razor blade slashes that will float right by if you're not paying attention, especially coming from Cale's beautifully dulcet Welsh diction. Ultimately, however, what makes the album succeed isn't Cale's crafty wit but his durable melodies—"Gideon's Bible" and "Charlemagne" would sound great even if they sported nonsense syllables. The best song is the gorgeous, poetic "Amsterdam," an emotional statement so pure it couldn't be any more confessional if it named names.

Cale would delve into pop again in the future on albums like 1973's Paris 1919 and 1996's Walking On Locusts, in between stints of avant garde and contemporary composition. He would find his best mode of expression by splitting the difference on 1974's Fear and Slow Dazzle, but Vintage Violence remains his most shimmering melodic moment. Michael Toland

For fans of: Randy Newman, Warren Zevon, Alejandro Escovedo

JOE MAPHIS
Fire On the Strings
(Columbia/Legacy)
Originally released in 1956, Fire On the Strings had a huge influence on American roots guitarists. One of the first to pick 'n' grin old-time fiddle tunes on the electric six-string, Maphis blazed a trail of broken strings, worn fretboards and stolen spotlights for nearly 15 years before recording this landmark album. Equally proficient on guitar, banjo, mandolin and fiddle, Maphis burns through string band tunes and like-minded originals with an impossibly speedy but clean-toned technique that would stun most pickers today. Yngwie Malmsteen would be impressed. Fortunately Maphis always kept the melody first and foremost on his mind, so "Tennessee Two-Step," "Town Hall Shuffle," "Floggin' the Banjo" (on which he flatpicks a banjo with startling speed) and the mind-boggling "Flying Fingers" are more than just showcases for his skill—you can hum them too. The title track, his signature tune, is the quintessential Joe Maphis song. Every guitarist in bluegrass, country, rockabilly and surf owes Maphis at least a nod of thanks.

This reissue includes seven bonus tracks, including four from an EP he recorded with his protégé Larry Collins of the Collins Kids. Michael Toland

For fans of: Jimmy Bryant & Speedy West, Deke Dickerson, Roy Clark

CHARLIE RICH
Behind Closed Doors
(Epic/Legacy)
Let's just be honest here: you have to be a true ogre to dislike Charlie Rich. Really heartless. The type of person who gets kicks out of giving uncut heroin to children. There's no other way you'd be able to resist him. No matter how overblown an arrangement (strings, choirs, the works) in which producer Billy Sherrill drops him on 1973's Behind Closed Doors, no matter how cheesy the song ("If You Wouldn't Be My Lady," "We Love Each Other" and the megahit "The Most Beautiful Girl" all sport copious amounts of the requisite congealed dairy product), Rich's talent remains the dominant force. A living conduit through which streams of blues, jazz, country and gospel flowed to merge into one mighty river, he could make the most banal lyric resonate with feeling and dignity. Given a truly fine song, like "A Sunday Kind of Woman," "Peace on You," the heartbreaking "You Never Really Wanted Me," the bluesy "I Take It on Home" and the title track, the results are stirring, even moving. Behind Closed Doors, now containing four bonus tracks drawn from lesser albums, is that rare record whose commercial fortunes matched its artistic ones. Charlie Rich had beaucoup soul, and it always showed. Michael Toland

For fans of: George Jones, Dusty Springfield, Arthur Alexander