John Cale was never very kind to his solo debut, Vintage Violence. When it was released in early 1970, Cale had been out of The Velvet Underground for less than two years. He wanted to prove he could be the songwriter, the person penning the words and melodies behind which a band could work. I was masked on Vintage Violence, he wrote much later. Youre not really seeing the personality. Indeed, Cales personality as a polyglot seemingly interested in everything emerged more and more on his next two solo albums, his only two for Reprise: 1972s bracing and exploratory classical sojourn, The Academy in Peril, and 1973s masterclass in anxious but accessible songcraft, Paris 1919. By reissuing both records in tandem, DominoCales home now for a dozen yearsaffirms the artistic fearlessness Cale then fostered at the edge of 30, when all of music seemed like one inviting playpen.

This artist-sanctioned Deluxe Edition of Paris 1919 is remastered from the original tapes and includes previously unreleased outtakes. Liner notes written by Grayson Haver Currin.