Fragments of a Rainy Season is one of my favourite John Cale releases. I received this one, the double LP from 2016, as a Christmas present. I would have loved the limited edition triple LP, but that was sold out immediately, and the shipping was extortionate. I have owned a copy of the CD since 1992 and I have kept my eyes open for the DVD, but I have never found one.
The newly remastered version has a different track order, which might make more sense. As much as I love the original versions of these songs, these stripped down, solo versions are extraordinary, managing to capture something more engaging. I suppose this could have been entitled: John Cale Unplugged.
Oh, and by the way, you can forget about all of the other cover versions of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. Cale's arrangement, upon which many later versions were based, is the only one you need. It's here, accompanied by solo piano, and it's fantastic. I'd call this the definitive cover of this tune, and people should just stop recording it, as Leonard himself once suggested.
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