John Cale - Circus (Live) (EMI)

With a career spanning five decades it should come as no surprise that a live album from someone such as John Cale should yield such intriguing promise as this. New versions of classic solo and Velvet Underground songs sit with reworked covers of Jonathan Richman and Elvis and at no point do any of these feel out of place.

Beginning with a beautifully haunting rendition of the Velvets' song 'Venus In Furs', the bar is set incredibly high indeed. Where Lou Reed's vocals in the original were as synonymous as with almost any Velvets song, here Cale's are more whispered, allowing the flow of the droning viola to dance and weave with his rolling voice.

There are some eclectic choices of songs here and probably most startling is an emotional version of 'Heartbreak Hotel'. Where the original was a straight up rock 'n' roll classic, here Cale laces his interpretation with a lone harmonica and keyboards dreamily drifting through the speakers to create a vision that effortlessly makes the tune his own.

Of his own compositions, 'Gun' and 'Helen of Troy' improve on the album versions - it seems that the live arena has allowed Cale to explore facets of the songs that were perhaps downplayed in the studio. Whatever the reason, this is a stunning record and it should serve as proof that live albums can be as essential as studio releases. Although, as Cale recently remarked to The Skinny, "It's a serious piece of work," he considered, "certainly not easy listening." [Garry Thomson]