Nico – Classic Years (1998)

2011-12-20T09:11:31Z

Nico – Classic Years (1998)


1. I'm Not Saying 
2. The Last Mile 
3. I'll Be Your Mirror				play 
4. Femme Fatale 
5. All Tomorrow's Parties 
6. The Fairest of the Seasons 
7. These Days 
8. Little Sister 
9. Chelsea Girls 
10. No One Is There 
11. Ari's Song 
12. Frozen Warnings 
13. Nibelungen						play 
14. Janitor of Lunacy 
15. Abschied 
16. Afraid 
17. Secret Side 
18. You Forgot to Answer 
19. The End 

Personnel: 
John Cale (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric viola, brass, piano, celesta, organ, synthesizer, xylophone, background vocals); 
Lou Reed, Phil Manzanera (guitar); 
Maureen Tucker (percussion); 
Vicki Wood, Annagh Wood, Sterling Morrison (background vocals).

As the golden-haired, frog-throated chanteuse of the Velvet Underground, the German born Nico cast a decadent spell. Her cool, detached performances, in direct opposition with the feel-good hippie vibe of the 1960s, influenced the punk scene of the 1970s. This collection serves as an excellent sampler of Nico's work, beginning with her first single for Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham's then-new Immediate label (a 1965 cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "I'm Not Sayin'") and spanning her Velvet Underground contributions and her stunning first four solo albums. Her ethereal cover of the Doors' "The End" matched with material by producer John Cale, Lou Reed, and Jackson Browne, as well as her own doomy compositions, illuminate her unusual sense of style. The silent hero here, however, is Cale, who served as the perfect collaborator, elevating Nico's worldview with his often gorgeous, always sympathetic musical backing. ---Rob O'Connor, Editorial Reviews

The late Nico (nee Christa Paffgen) was the German model and Fellini bit player who added a touch of Euro glamour to the early Velvet Underground and went on to a startingly original solo career performing a neo-medieval plainsong strictly of her own devise. THE CLASSIC YEARS opens with a rare 1965 pre-Velvets single "I'm Not Saying" which proved that this heavy-voiced "chanteuse" could carry a folk-rock tune as well as any at the time. Likewise, her lilting vocals on Velvet favorites "Femme Fatale" and "I'll Be Your Mirror" account in part for the enduring pop appeal of the Andy Warhol-produced debut THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO.

1967's CHELSEA GIRL -- with contributions from Jackson Browne, Lou Reed, Tim Hardin and Bob Dylan -- introduced Nico as a durable New York folk-rock songstress. But it was the sphinx-like THE MARBLE INDEX and DESERTSHORE -- both imaginatively arranged by fellow Velvets alumni John Cale -- that established Nico as an underground solo artist in her own right. Accompanying herself on harmonium with help from Cale's electric viola and keyboards, she carried forth like a 20th century Hildegard, drawing a simple ascending line in the sand of a timeless and unforgiving landscape. ---cduniverse.com

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Nico – Heroine (1994)

2011-12-14T19:05:14Z

Nico – Heroine (1994)


1. My Heart Is Empty 	4:19 
2. Procession 	4:03 
3. All Tomorrow's Parties 	3:10 			play
4. Valley Of The Kings 	3:24 				play
5. The Sphinx 	3:31 
6. We've Got The Gold 	4:21 	
7. Mutterlein 	4:16 	
8. Afraid 	4:07 
9. Innocent And Vain 	2:53 
10. Frozen Warnings 	4:46 
11. Fearfully In Danger 	3:58
12. Tananore 	4:11 
13. Femme Fatale 	3:42

There is a plethora of live recordings by Nico from the last decade of her life, enough to discourage even fans from investing a lot of time and effort in acquiring each one. Heroine, however, must rank not only among the best of those recordings, but among her best 1980s work. Recorded at the Library Theatre in Manchester around 1980 (an exact date is not available), it immediately has a leg up on her studio work of the era (as heard on her Drama of Exile album) in its minimal, at times almost-bare arrangements. Nico was not made to be a rock star, as some of her production seemed to insist on trying to make her. She was best as a lonely voice peering out of the darkness, and though she's backed by a band (the exact musicians are unidentified) on this set, the accompaniment's spare and spooky, as it should be. The repertoire's a good cross selection of material, spanning the Velvet Underground to her then-current songs, including "All Tomorrow's Parties," "We've Got the Gold," "Frozen Warnings," "Valley of the Kings," and "Femme Fatale." Vocally she's pretty focused and cutting, though in a somber fashion, on this recording. It has pretty good sound too, though you'll sometimes need to crank the volume a bit, so spacious and subdued is the instrumentation, which leans heavily on synth and harmonium. The 2002 CD edition on Anagram has an enhanced track/video of her singing "My Heart Is Empty," presumably from around the same time or from the exact performance documented on the album, as well as a remix of "Reich Der Traume," with vintage and remix doctors unspecified in the notes. --- Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

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Rock, Metal

Nico – Classic Years (1998)

Nico – Heroine (1994)