John Cale Helen of Troy 180g Import LP

Recorded quickly between John Cale producing Patti Smith's Horses and his going out on an Italian tour, Helen of Troy became Cale's third and final studio album for Island Records. This reissue faithfully replicates the original 1975 Island Records UK release and is pressed onto high-quality 180g vinyl.

Helen of Troy is a raw, fascinating listen. The title track with its horns and spoken word is one of Cale's best: after the sweet bubblegum of "China Sea," the album gets increasingly stripped down – the acoustic guitar and piano of "Cable Hogue" and the punkish cover of The Modern Lovers' "Pablo Picasso" have long been favorites on the album. "Leaving It All Up to You" – in which Cale becomes increasingly disturbed – garnered controversy at the time and was actually removed from later pressings of the album because of its references to the Manson murders. Cale never lost his ability to shock. Taking its title from the opening line of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line," "I Keep a Close Watch," a track Cale would record again several years later, with its Robert Kirby-arranged strings and horns, is the closest Cale has veered toward a power ballad.

It is a work of great beauty among all the jagged edges of Helen of Troy.

Overall, Helen of Troy finds Cale at his edgiest, with fascinating results.