r/VelvetUnderground • u/Dismal_Brush5229 • 9d ago
Wrong Way Up thoughts?
Hi There
Definitely like this album especially upon what Eno would do a few albums like Nerve Net and Shutov Assembly after this yet the Cale stuff draws me into this album more tbh.Their voices sound heavenly together yet again I love the Cale parts! Wrong Way Up is an good album start to finish but I’ll definitely have to give this another listen plus there’s a expanded version of Wrong Way Up so add that to the collection:)
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u/GhostLemonMusic 9d ago
Ugly cover, great album.
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u/tackycarygrant 9d ago
Amazing cover. So perfectly 90s.
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u/garden_shed 9d ago edited 9d ago
Apparently it was meant to illustrate the often tense atmosphere of the recording sessions. Cale is spontaneous and quick, and Eno tinkers and expands ideas. Drove each other crazy. But the album turned out quite lovely.
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u/tackycarygrant 9d ago
I always thought the daggers were a reference to how badly the got along.
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u/No_Animator_8599 8d ago
It was. Eno actually erased some of Cale’s contributions to songs.
Ironically, Devo did the opposite. They outright rejected Eno’s and Bowie’s additions to their first record. They probably only accepted very few suggestions from Eno. I think clearly the Monkey chant in Jocko Homo is all Eno.
Eno was totally frustrated working with them as they wanted their songs recorded as they original played them.
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u/Excellent-Sale8020 8d ago
Agree, but why has Eno got three and Cale only two daggers? Possibly that's why the albums called Wrong Way Up, as Cale easily is musically on par or even above Eno.
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u/No_Animator_8599 8d ago
I don’t think they ever worked together again. They did a few collaborations in the 70’s.
The fact that Cale was a disciplined musician with classical training and a deep understanding of music theory was the complete opposite of Eno being self taught and not into music theory.
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u/proteanradish 9d ago
We listened to this, Songs for Drella, and My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (Eno/Byrne) constantly in my early 20s. Love this record probably most of the three.
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u/SquidWithBatWings 9d ago
Lay my love and spinning away are both incredible songs. The whole album is good for the most part, but those two are so great it kind makes the rest of the album seem boring by comparison.
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u/total_sound 9d ago
This is my go-to album when I'm not sure what I want to listen to.
I like all of the songs, but Cordoba always puts my brain in an interesting place.
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u/MajMattMason1963 9d ago
Brilliant. It’s as accessible as any album either gentlemen have ever done. Just a lovely listen. “One Word” is probably my favorite track but it’s a really solid album.
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u/Good-Concentrate-260 9d ago
Love it. The second half has some weaker songs but it’s still an interesting collaboration between 2 of the best artists ever
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u/rspunched 9d ago
I absolutely love this album. It’s almost proto- utopian virtual or even chill wave. There are clips on Eno’s recent documentary from the making of this album. It’s cool to see them in a room together. It’s a good doc in general demystifying a genius.
I’d like a remaster though. I love low fidelity old school music like this. But a fuller, modern version would be fun too.
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u/actorsspace 9d ago
One of my favorite records and yes, Spinning Away... good God, what a beautiful song.
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u/andymorphic 8d ago
its my lease favourite eno album and my least favourite cale album
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u/cassy_supernova 7d ago
Cale had far worse. But this is not a strong entry for either.
Cale is much better on Songs For Drella with Lou, and also on Church of Anthrax with Terry Riley. OP should check those out if they haven't already
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u/jgrossnas 8d ago
Always been a fan of this record. It’s a shame they haven’t done a follow up.
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u/FolkSongMule 8d ago
Apparently, they became very combative with each other during the recording. There were plans to do a tour together that were abandoned because they couldn’t stand each other by the end. Funny how the same thing happened with Lou and John just a few years later.
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u/No_Animator_8599 8d ago
I love both Eno’s and Cale’s work.
Although Eno had collaborated with Cale in the 70’s this joint effort didn’t work out well.
Both Cale and Eno had produced work for other bands. The story is Eno
removed a lot of contributions from Cale on the record and the knives in the original cover showed their tense working relationship. I don’t think they ever worked together again.
The highlight on the record for me is the dark humor in the Cale song Crime in the Desert.
The lyric “They didn’t care for her body, they took advantage of her mind”
Is one of my favorite dark humor lyrics of all time. And the music is just wonderful.
Cale is an underrated lyric writer. His lyric writing on Paris 1919 is him at his best and most abstract.
I never quite found out if he had lyric contributions to any Velvet Underground songs. Does anybody know of any?
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u/j0briath 4d ago
I picked it up out of the cutout bins a few years after it came out and really didn't care for it. I came back to it many years later and found I appreciated it more. I've read that both Cale and Eno were each going through their first stable periods in adulthood, enjoying spending time with their families, following soccer on TV, etc., and neither of them really felt like working. I think that attitude comes through on the album and I had to reach middle age myself before I could appreciate where they were coming from.
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u/antiquemule 9d ago
Never heard of this. A quick listen did not excite me.
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u/Excellent-Sale8020 8d ago
It's a slow burner that grows on you, like a good whiskey. But seemingly your taste is the cheap booze. Better stick to that, whatever it is, as here you're in the wrong pub where people have a refined taste.
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u/antiquemule 8d ago
Gratuitous insults, classy!
You have no idea what I like. Stravinsky and Captain Beefheart are hardly cheap booze.
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u/Excellent-Sale8020 8d ago
So you immediately fell in love with Trout Mask Replica, is that what you're trying to tell me? Some music requires repeated and intense listening, especially with the likes of Cale, Eno and Beefheart, so I should expect you to have the knowledge not to judge something by first listening, as these artists have deep layers of musical qualities within them, that don't open up immediately by first encounter. Just sayin...
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u/Ok_Phase_8731 8d ago
You shouldn’t be downvoted for that. But give it another try, maybe it’ll do more the next time
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u/RedditRiverShore 9d ago
Spinning Away is one of my favourite songs ever. Really captures that "feeling the beauty of the universe" vibe