David Kubinec

In 1976 Lou Reed put on the producer's hat and recorded an album by his friend Nelson Slater. The trouble with the album is that Slater had none of the charm or intuitive skills possessed by an artist of Reed's stature, and he should have sang on the entire Wild Angel disc. That being said, why John Cale didn't get to sing on this album as well as produce it is another mystery for the ages. The only reason to own this recording is because Cale's formidable talents and name are all over it. "Tear Myself Away" doesn't break any new ground, but in the hands of a Robert Gordon or a John Cale it would have an audience. Chris Spedding's guitar is really something to be cherished, and it's another reason to buy the disc, but that doesn't mean you'll want to play it and listen to Kubinec interfere with great chops. "Love in the First Degree" just falls flat, and the blame has to be put on the performer, not his excellent sidemen, and not his producer. This chap, David Kubinec, was managed by Trevor Beeton of Knightsbridge, London, and, at his best, he cops David Bowie's riffs, as on "The Elf Sires," which features elegant musicianship and the most creativity on this record. The title track doesn't merely cop the artist, it idolizes him -- "some things are pre-ordained/some things are pre-arranged" -- it's some weird amalgam of Bowie's "Starman," "The Supermen," "Changes" -- there's a half a dozen Bowie tune nicks in here. Since Bowie spent so much time copping Cale and Reed, why didn't David Kubinec just go for the first generation and ask Cale to co-write with him? The artist puts on the black garb on the front and back covers, but, if a picture's worth a thousand words, the lack of image projected says it all. Oh well. At least Chris Spedding and John Cale got some money out of A&M, so this record supported the arts in a roundabout way. To hear John Cale producing records that matter, just compare this to his recordings with Nico, the Modern Lovers, or the sublime Jennifer album he crafted for Jennifer Warnes. ~ Joe Viglione, Rovi