Fear is the fourth solo studio album by the Welsh rock musician John Cale, released on 1 October 1974 by Island Records.

In addition to his lead vocals on Fear, Cale also played keyboards, guitars, viola, violin and bass, and was joined by Fairport Convention's Richard Thompson, Roxy Music's Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera, and other artists who were signed to Island at the time.

His motif, as defined on Paris 1919, remains clean, compact, clever melodies, written and produced with a clear understanding of the subtle nuances of mood the simplest of chord structures and breaks can evoke.

But the extravagant orchestration which characterized the last solo album has been largely abandoned in favor of a sparser, more barren sound, with just the barest backing essentials augmenting Cale's vocals.

"[9] Trouser Press called Fear "a brilliant record full of neat surprises and great, unsettling songs.