The two hundred and seventy-seventh album: #277 John Cale - Paris 1919

At what point does a wall of sound cross over from big into over the top? While Paris 1919 features some nice, meaningful pop songs, but on a number of them the orchestral score takes over, creating a sound that's over the top and distracting without feeling they make the song better - it's John Cale's voice and lyrics that matter, worked best with an instrumental backing that's simpler, or feels more integrated - Andalucia does the former well, while Paris 1919 manages to walk the balance well enough that the urgent violins work in the context of the song, rather than feeling overbearing.