Cale and Reed hadn't spoken for years until Andy Warhol's memorial service in 1987, but made enough of a connection to want to work together to celebrate Warhol's life. I bought it at the time, possibly one of the earliest CDs I bought, and haven't listened to it for sometime.
It's a beautifully minimalist album of songs, credited as co-compositions, but in the sleeve notes, Cale suggests that the bulk of the writing was done by Reed. Vocals are shared, and the only accompaniment Red's guitar, and Cale's viola and keyboards. Opening with Smalltown, Reed, backed by just piano sings in a light style (for Reed) of Warhol's upbringing, then into the slower more reflective Open House. Cale handles vocals on the gentle Style It Takes, then it's back to Reed for the loud, fast electric piece Work. Back to a more spoken piece for Cale, in Trouble With Classicists, backed just by Reed's guitar initially, quietly in the verses, then frantically in the chorus. Starlight, another quicker song, doesn't really do much for me, and Faces And Names feels a little ordinary.
The second half of the song cycle opens with Images, a lively Reed vocal, followed by the average Slip Away. But the powerful It Wasn't Me wakes the listener up, a lovely song, and I Believe is equally powerful with some fine guitar, although you wouldn't use the word 'lovely'! Nobody But You is pleasant but unremarkable, while A Dream is a spoken Cale piece over an ambient backing, interesting but struggles to hold the attention. Forever Changed is pleasant enough, and the album ends with Reed's heartfelt Hello, It's Me, his goodbye to Warhol.
The whole thing is a touching tribute to Warhol, and it's a joy to hear Cale and Reed working together after a break. Perhaps the tunes aren't all as strong as they might be, but they're written specifically for the lyrical content and the complexity of the lyrics and their sentiment is the important thing here. It's well worth a listen, and stands up well alongside both Reed's and Cale's solo work, without being a peak for either.
4* - lots of lovely stuff to enjoy, and a fitting tribute to Warhol
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