Thursday, August 27, 2020

Pablo Picasso - John Cale



I love a good cover. This is a nice version of a very good song that brings subtle touches of its own to a well produced original. I like it. 

I also love the way it illustrates the wheel of influences in music. The Velvet Underground heavily influenced the Modern Lovers, Jonathan Richman's early 1970s punkish band. Their version of Richman's Pablo Picasso, produced by John Cale in 1972, appeared on a Modern Lovers LP. John Cale, of the Velvet Underground, thought enough of the song to include his own version of it on his Helen of Troy LP. 

Music is a highly creative endeavor, but with a lot of borrowing involved. 

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