Artificial Intelligence

John Cale has been a consistently interesting singer/songwriter and avant-garde musician of consequence. His years in The Velvet Underground rightfully established his reputation, while his solo work has proven underrated and very likely to be held in high regard by future generations. The \'80s were a tricky period for Cale, as they were for almost every musician of an earlier vintage. Yet Cale handled the era\'s mechanical drumbeats and icy synths with a mastery far greater than his contemporaries. Songs like \"Every Time the Dogs Bark\" and \"Dying on the Vine\" stand the test of time beautifully. Cale co-wrote the whole album with rock journalist Larry Sloman, author of a fine book on Bob Dylan. The backing group (primarily The Faction, which also worked with Cale on Nico\'s excellent album *Camera Obscura*) comes through with great arrangements for \"The Sleeper,\" \"Chinese Takeaway (Hong Kong 1997),\" and \"Black Rose.\" This 1985 album is very much underrated; these are among the best, yet least known, songs of Cale\'s career.

Though this is still nowhere near prime John Cale, 1985's Artificial Intelligence is a big step up from its predecessor, 1984's weak and sloppy Caribbean Sunset.