KEVIN AYERS, JOHN CALE, NICO, ENO & THE SOPORIFICS June 1, 1974 (Island)

Suggested Subtitle: The Persecution and Assassination of Conventional Musical Approaches by the Inmates of Island Records Under the Supervison of Richard Williams and Brian Eno.

What It Is: John Cale, Nico, Eno and Kevin Ayers, having found themselves together on the same label, decided to present a concert at London’s Rainbow Theatre.

Some First Thoughts: Island Records is now to the Esoterica wing of rock what Bearsville is to the Woodstock People, what Capricorn is to Southern boogie, what Casablanca is to desperate mutations, what Asylum is to the folkie elite. That’s good because it might establish unpredictability as a workable force in music biz (FutureFlash: Island becomes first major label to institute automatic mental-breakdown clause in all artist contracts. ..) Culturally, the concert was analogous to a major Dada exhibition back in its heyday; the Academy, in peril, will ignore or scoff, but time will inevitably mold it into an Event...