German TV's long-running Rockpalast series broadcast these performances live in 1983 and 1984. The sets are reversed here; the Oct. 13, 1984 show, with a small band, is presented first, while the earlier concert, recorded solo on March 16, 1983, ends the collection. Cale had been a seminal member of The Velvet Underground, bringing an avant-classical sensibility to a newly minted underground rock movement, and then became one of the most underrated singer/songwriters of the '70s. In these shows, Cale brings an intensity to live performance second to none. Whether he sits alone at his piano or tears it up with a band, Cale commits to the material. Whether it's a stroll through the old cowboy classic "Streets of Laredo" or a breakdown of Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel," he's out to make his audience feel every note of his music. A medley of Jonathan Richman's "Pablo Picasso" into The Doors' "Love Me Two Times" is brutal. "A Child's Christmas in Wales," with Cale alone at the piano, is heartbreaking. "Fear Is a Man's Best Friend" kills with the band and as a solo piece. At nearly two and a half hours, this is a draining, cathartic experience.