Helen of Troy is the sixth solo studio album by Welsh musician John Cale, released in November 1975 by Island Records, his last of three albums for the label. During the sessions Cale cut three other songs: the unreleased covers "Willow Weep for Me" and "God Only Knows". Another unused track, "Mary Lou", was released on the compilation album Guts. The album features a cover of "Pablo Picasso" originally by the Modern Lovers, a song which Cale had produced for the band's debut album. Cale re-recorded "I Keep a Close Watch" in 1982 for his album Music for a New Society. The cover has a photograph of Cale by Keith Morris. Cale's trousers were given to him by Judy Nylon who acquired them from fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. Helen of Troy was released in November 1975 by Island. Even though the other Island albums were issued in the US (June 1, 1974, Fear, Slow Dazzle, Guts), Helen of Troy was not. It was commonly sold as a UK import all over the US. No singles were released from the album. The album as originally released contained "Leaving It Up to You" as the ninth track. However, due to its reference to the 1969 murder of Sharon Tate by members of the Manson Family, Island replaced it on subsequent pressings with the song "Coral Moon". "Leaving it Up to You" later appeared on the 1977 Guts compilation album. The original sequence would be restored in the 1978 repress and when the album was released on CD, with "Coral Moon" appearing as a bonus track. During the sessio