Producer: John Cale.

Compilation producer: Bill Levenson.

Recorded at Sound Techniques and Olympic Studios, London, England between 1974 and 1976. Includes liner notes by Ben Edmonds.

Digitally remastered by Steve Fallone (PolyGram Studios).

THE ISLAND YEARS includes songs from the albums FEAR, SLOW DAZZLE and HELEN OF TROY as well as other selections.

This double CD combines all three of John Cale's mid-'70s Island albums (Fear, Slow Dazzle, and Helen of Troy) into one package, with the addition of some interesting bonus tracks: outtakes from Slow Dazzle and Helen of Troy, the B-side "Sylvia Said," "Leaving It up to You" (which only appeared on early copies of Helen of Troy before "Coral Moon" took its place), and "Mary Lou" (from the 1977 Guts compilation). This was undeniably one of Cale's most fertile periods. There is also no other body of work from the mid-'70s with such a confluence of listenable FM radio-ready tunes and sneaky, at times subversive experimentation, its eclecticism encompassing art rock, macabre recitations, and Beach Boy pastiches. ~ Richie Unterberger

John Cale, a founding member of the Velvet Underground, has been an influence on two or more generations of rockers. Cale produced the debut albums by Iggy & The Stooges, Patti Smith and Squeeze, and collaborated with minimalist composer/icon Terry Riley and avant-rock composer/producer Brian Eno, among others. He also managed to put out a unique and singular body of solo work. Many fans and critics consider his albums on the Island label from the mid-1970s to be his best. The albums FEAR, SLOW DAZZLE and HELEN OF TROY (the latter previously available in the USA as an import only) have been collected on a 2-CD set, with six previously unreleased songs.

During his Island tenure, Cale composed and performed some of the most stark, enigmatic, and melodically appealing pop and rock & roll songs ever. The songs cover a wide range of style and tone from the evocative "Buffalo Ballet" to the ominous, Doors-like rocker "Momamma Scuba" to Cale's shimmering tribute to the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, "Mr. Wilson." THE ISLAND YEARS, along with PARIS 1919 and WORDS FOR THE DYING, is a superb representation of Cale's best, most inspired work.