released in 1997 from MERCURY RECORDS

Choosing 50 songs from a career that spawned hundreds of memorable and influential tunes is no easy task. But Anyway The Wind Blows does it well, capturing enough classic Cale to both satisfy the diehards and educate newcomers to the range of his legendary musical vision...

J.J. Cale has attained the status of a legend in spite of, or perhaps to a degree because of, his best efforts to remain outside of the spotlight. While his talents have been recognized by an incredibly wide range of fellow musicians, a much narrower segment of the popular audience has tuned in to Cale as a recording artist in his own right. As a result, he has thrived as a notoriously reclusive cult musician. More comfortable in an album's credits than on its cover, Cale crossed the threshold to self-sufficiency when Eric Clapton's version of his "After Midnight" was released and became a hit. What would frustrate attention-seeking artists suited Cale just fine, and he began a career of steady music-making in which others consistently covered his original material, a phenomenon Cale found not only flattering but lucrative enough to feed his uncompromising musical vision.

These artists had plenty to pick from -- Cale amassed a wealth of timeless gems in his past quarter-century of performing and recording. Gathering material that ranges from Naturally, his 1972 debut release, to 1994's Closer To You, Anyway The Wind Blows: The Anthology chronicles the work of a consistent creator. Containing 50 selections of songs that are generally two to three minutes in length -- Cale rarely lingered -- the double-CD set provides a heavy dose of Cale that includes a half dozen previously-unreleased songs. This highly-anticipated collection is a treat for both veterans and newer recruits of the Cale faithful.

Cale's recordings register his musical ideas pure and simply. While he has no pretensions to being anything more than a man making music, Cale is nevertheless not content to merely set up a microphone and roll tape. An endless tinkerer, he uses his innate ingenuity and the expertise that he honed in his early years as a studio engineer to create carefully-orchestrated recordings of his songs, ironically investing a lot of sweat to produce his characteristically laid-back sound. Cale has been persistently innovative over the years. Beginning with his introduction of the drum machine on his 1972 hit "Crazy Mama," he has consistently mixed cutting-edge recording techniques and instruments with traditional song forms and narratives, producing powerful results.

Typically, Cale's lyrics touch on everyday matters ranging from simple pleasures to complex mysteries and much of his music matches his straight-ahead perspective with its relaxed, no-frills character. A quick perusal of the titles of the songs on Anyway The Wind Blows reveals a few recurring themes in his commentaries. Cale appraises human nature, especially in the city setting, in the frank tales of "Money Talks," "Hard Times," "People Lie" and "Trouble In The City." Relationships run the gamut from "Runaround" to "Ever Lovin' Woman," and Cale plays tour guide on "If You're Ever In Oklahoma," "Midnight In Memphis", "Downtown L.A.," "Santa Cruz" and "New Orleans."

A native Oklahoman and originator of what became known as the "Tulsa sound," a blend of rock-n-roll, country, blues and jazz, Cale brings different musical elements to the forefront in each of his tunes. The blues is in charge on "Call Me The Breeze," the nomad's anthem that features electrifying riffs from Cale's wah-wah pedaled guitar ( Lynyrd Skynyrd later brought it to the masses). "Don't Cry Sister" has a country feel yet also a disco-like beat behind its unforgettable refrain. Caribbean rhythms creep in on cuts like "Crying," which moves to a reggae beat, and songs like the previously-unreleased "Durango" contain extended jam sessions and percolating percussion. Of course, Cale's bread-and-butter remains his understated, almost hypnotic, straight-ahead rock-n-roll. Anyway The Wind Blows holds plenty of that.

J. J. Cale is a cult figure whose artistry transcends generational boundaries. High-profile cover versions of his songs often attract casual visitors to his music who, in turn, become fans. And Cale's unique guitar-playing and vocal style has influenced several fellow artists. As a result, his impact has been felt in every decade since the 1970s. Two of the biggest artists of the '70s and '80s -- Clapton and Dire Straits -- have direct connections to Cale. Clapton is clearly indebted to Cale for his songwriting talents but also, throughout a significant period in the British star's career, for influencing Clapton's laid-back style. And millions of Dire Straits fans were undoubtedly unaware that much of the group's appeal came from a sound that is trademark Cale. The wide range of Cale's appeal is also evidenced by the fact that last year alone, R & B vocalist Randy Crawford had her version of "Cajun Moon" on the charts at the same time that Hollywood had included his "A Thing Going On" (both included on Anyway The Wind Blows) on the soundtrack to the film Phenomenon. Despite his more well-known status as scribe to the stars, Cale is clearly not without his own fan base. And while he shuns the attention, he amasses followers who are drawn to his music with an almost religious fervor.

The development of Cale's musical persona is rooted in his native Tulsa, OK, where he began playing in clubs at age 17 and was soon leading his own band, Johnny Cale and the Valentines. In 1964, he headed to Los Angeles where the mid- to late-60's found him working as a studio engineer and playing live with a variety of musicians including fellow Tulsa emigre Leon Russell and Delaney & Bonnie's soon-to-be-famous entourage. He returned home in 1969, working locally until Clapton's cover of "After Midnight" opened the door to a solo career. He moved to Nashville in 1970 and began recording his debut, Naturally. The record spawned a number of long-time favorites for Cale's fans and also for a plethora of fellow artists who recorded versions of songs such as "Bringin' It Back," "Clyde," "Magnolia," "After Midnight" and "Call Me The Breeze." Cale followed up his debut with Really, also released in 1972. He remained in Nashville throughout the 1970s where he recorded three more albums, Okie, Troubadour and #5, which yielded, respectively, the stand-outs "Cajun Moon," "Cocaine," and "I'll Make Love To You Anytime." A permanent move in 1980 to Southern California was followed by the release, in steady succession, of Shades, Grasshopper, and #8. The mid-'80s marked a brief respite from new releases. In 1989, Cale again began to put out original material with regularity beginning with Travel-Log and continuing with 1992's #10, Closer To You in 1994, and his most recent, Guitar Man, in 1996.

Choosing 50 songs from a career that spawned hundreds of memorable and influential tunes is no easy task. But Anyway The Wind Blows does it well, capturing enough classic Cale to both satisfy the diehards and educate newcomers to the range of his legendary musical vision.

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