Much much better, I think that trilogy of albums is unique, some of the most truly original music of the late 60s/early 70s. Of course John Cale had an awful lot to do with it as well, in fact it's really a collaboration between the two. "Chelsea Girl" is a good 67/68-ish art/folk rock album, Nico herself is what makes it stand out.
― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 10:08 (twenty years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 10:09 (twenty years ago) link
I fundamentally agree with this, but I see why people like Chelsea Girl (singular or plural, fact fans?).
If you like Chelsea Girl you may also like Nick Drage's "Bryter Layter".
― DV (dirtyvicar), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 10:13 (twenty years ago) link
― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 10:27 (twenty years ago) link
Chelsea Girl (singular or plural, fact fans?)LP title is singular, song title/film title is plural.
― zebedee (zebedee), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 10:37 (twenty years ago) link
― Dave Amos, Tuesday, 11 May 2004 10:47 (twenty years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 10:54 (twenty years ago) link
"i'm not sayin'" and "the longest mile" - they're on the immediate singles collection and a more recent nico best of.
― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 12:03 (twenty years ago) link
no reason really, just acting out the psychodramas in my own head, er i mean joking.. sorry
but i really hate the way nico is misogynistically denigrated by pube headed rock archaeologists like charlie shaar murray and oliver stone as just a groupie... she didn't need anyone's help to shine (except arguably cale's)
― Dave Amos, Tuesday, 11 May 2004 12:24 (twenty years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 12:30 (twenty years ago) link
― queen gnifty, Tuesday, 11 May 2004 13:33 (twenty years ago) link
― David Allen (David Allen), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 13:35 (twenty years ago) link
― David Allen (David Allen), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 13:39 (twenty years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 13:41 (twenty years ago) link
Music for a New Society is great, but it doesn't have the beauty of those Nico records, it frostier, more nihilistic.
― Dave Amos, Tuesday, 11 May 2004 13:46 (twenty years ago) link
Ornette taught her how to play the harmonium, btw.
― D. Strauss (musicmope), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 14:59 (twenty years ago) link
yes, the prelude to a sadly never-realized "nico sings lightfoot" lp
― amateur!st (amateurist), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 15:25 (twenty years ago) link
i like browne's own version of "these days" too--it's a lovely song
― amateur!st (amateurist), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 15:27 (twenty years ago) link
― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 16:27 (twenty years ago) link
― Trever Booth (xjzico), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 18:35 (twenty years ago) link
― Baaderoni (Fabfunk), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 06:22 (twenty years ago) link
― shookout (shookout), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 14:17 (twenty years ago) link
― amateur!st (amateurist), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 15:28 (twenty years ago) link
― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 15:41 (twenty years ago) link
― Paul (scifisoul), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 15:56 (twenty years ago) link
― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 16:04 (twenty years ago) link
you guys probably know this but that's Jimmy Page playing guitar on those songs.
― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 16:15 (twenty years ago) link
nico sort of flattens out the gordon lightfoot melody, ridding it of his bluesy inflections (which i quite like, before the lightfoot hatas come out to make fun). but i still think it's a really cool arrangement--i think andrew loog oldham produced it.
― amateur!st (amateurist), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 18:10 (twenty years ago) link
― amateur!st (amateurist), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 18:12 (twenty years ago) link
― Baaderoni (Fabfunk), Thursday, 13 May 2004 06:10 (twenty years ago) link
my god she had the best song titles ever!
― Dave Amos, Thursday, 13 May 2004 07:19 (twenty years ago) link
― Baaderoni (Fabfunk), Thursday, 13 May 2004 08:04 (twenty years ago) link
― Dave Amos, Thursday, 13 May 2004 08:15 (twenty years ago) link
― Dave Amos, Thursday, 13 May 2004 08:20 (twenty years ago) link
― Baaderoni (Fabfunk), Thursday, 13 May 2004 08:27 (twenty years ago) link
I heard that Ornette bought her the harmonium not that he actually taught her to play it. But, let's be honest, do you believe anything Nico said?
― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 14 May 2004 08:45 (twenty years ago) link
yes
― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 28 May 2004 03:43 (twenty years ago) link
― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 02:32 (eighteen years ago) link
― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 02:45 (eighteen years ago) link
― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 02:55 (eighteen years ago) link
was completely unprepared for the first time I ever heard 'Alone'
― confuse your hunger, capture the fake (Jon L), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 03:03 (eighteen years ago) link
Does she really sing out of tune sometimes? I think she hits notes pretty well overall, no? You might not like the timbre of her voice, but that's different.
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 03:03 (eighteen years ago) link
― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 03:04 (eighteen years ago) link
― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 03:06 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 03:07 (eighteen years ago) link
― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 03:21 (eighteen years ago) link
― Christopher Costello (CGC), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 03:39 (eighteen years ago) link
― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 03:57 (eighteen years ago) link
― Christopher Costello (CGC), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 03:58 (eighteen years ago) link
― Ward Fowler (Ward Fowler), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 04:12 (eighteen years ago) link
― Stuh-du-du-du-du-du-du-denka (jingleberries), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 04:17 (eighteen years ago) link
Chelsea Girls is a film by Andy Warhol that Nico was in. The title refers to the Chelsea Hotel in NY, where the characters were supposed to be (and probably actually were) living.
― Dr Benway (dr benway), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 13:25 (eighteen years ago) link
― N_RQ, Wednesday, 27 July 2005 13:37 (eighteen years ago) link
― milton parker (Jon L), Friday, 5 August 2005 23:19 (eighteen years ago) link
― don, Saturday, 6 August 2005 00:27 (eighteen years ago) link
― Hurting (Hurting), Saturday, 6 August 2005 04:49 (eighteen years ago) link
maybe yr thinking of the bonus tracks on the Peel Slowly and See box set? I know it includes It Was a Pleasure and Melody Laughter...
― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Saturday, 6 August 2005 18:29 (eighteen years ago) link
― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 10 December 2005 11:28 (eighteen years ago) link
― Special Agent Gene Krupa (orion), Sunday, 11 December 2005 02:57 (eighteen years ago) link
― Funky New Order Jazz Farts (Bimble...), Sunday, 11 December 2005 03:00 (eighteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgdZFnZ6M0k
I can't stop listening to this song
― the Whiney G. Weingarten Memorial 77 Clique (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 5 November 2010 18:00 (thirteen years ago) link
so weird i just put on these days today
― plax (ico), Friday, 5 November 2010 18:00 (thirteen years ago) link
well i guess not that weird
i like this album a lot
― plax (ico), Friday, 5 November 2010 18:01 (thirteen years ago) link
shakey mo, here's the original (w/o jimmy page on 12-string unlike Nico's):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Af5d1FeJn4
― i love you but i have chosen snarkness (Steve Shasta), Friday, 5 November 2010 18:17 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah I know. prefer Nico's version with the cavernous percussion
― the Whiney G. Weingarten Memorial 77 Clique (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 5 November 2010 18:21 (thirteen years ago) link
I heard the Nico version on the radio a couple of years ago and had the same obsession, Shakey. Shame the sound quality's so ratty on that clip.
― The baby boomers have defined everything once and for all (Dorianlynskey), Friday, 5 November 2010 18:39 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah doesn't really do it justice, it's a beautiful production
― the Whiney G. Weingarten Memorial 77 Clique (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 5 November 2010 18:47 (thirteen years ago) link
nico had a weird life, didn't she.
― tylerw, Friday, 5 November 2010 18:51 (thirteen years ago) link
and not a very happy one afaict
it's funny but I don't really care for any of the rest of her solo work - I really dig her in baroque folk-pop mode but the End and Marble Index are like soundtracks to silly German movies I don't really have any interest in watching
― the Whiney G. Weingarten Memorial 77 Clique (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 5 November 2010 19:03 (thirteen years ago) link
I only knew Chelsea Girls and Marble Index but I fell head over heels in love with "Janitor of Lunacy" after hearing it earlier this year. What a vocal performance.
― willem, Friday, 5 November 2010 23:24 (thirteen years ago) link
More than once I've put "It Was a Pleasure Then" on repeat for an hour or so. It was, in fact, a pleasure.
― Hideous Lump, Saturday, 6 November 2010 06:02 (thirteen years ago) link
Somewhere There's a Feather always causes me to mist up.
― thirdalternative, Saturday, 6 November 2010 14:59 (thirteen years ago) link
Royal Tennenbaums almost ruined "These Days" for me
― Paul (scifisoul), Wednesday, May 12, 2004 4:56 PM (6 years ago) Bookmark
This is your own fault.
― thirdalternative, Saturday, 6 November 2010 15:02 (thirteen years ago) link
You can't ruin "These Days." It even survived a Zellers commercial.
― clemenza, Saturday, 6 November 2010 15:35 (thirteen years ago) link
If you let a good song get fuined by a movie or a commercial, it's the fault of your own lack of imagination, it's a sentiment that really irks me, that a good song can be killed by a commercial or film.
― thirdalternative, Saturday, 6 November 2010 17:00 (thirteen years ago) link
"I'm Not Saying" > pretty much everything else Nico has ever sang on
― Telephoneface (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 6 November 2010 19:18 (thirteen years ago) link
― tylerw, Friday, November 5, 2010 7:51 PM (2 years ago)
― the Whiney G. Weingarten Memorial 77 Clique (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, November 5, 2010 8:03 PM (2 years ago)
These guys OTM. Watched Nico: Icon last night. What a bleak and harrowing fucking story. The contrasts between beauty and ugliness in her life is striking. Sadly, the beauty usually relates to her art, and the ugliness to her life.
Never really listened much to this record, btw. Went straight to Marble Index. It's very nice, though.
― Mule, Monday, 4 November 2013 13:57 (ten years ago) link
she sang out of tune because she was deaf in one ear, and the velvets used to mock her for it. happy life, I believe she shared her heroin with her child.
― OutdoorFish, Monday, 4 November 2013 14:19 (ten years ago) link
According to the movie, she did. The guy from Ash Ra Tempel, whom she lived with in the 70s said so. I think maybe her son Ari says so himself, too.
It's a sordid story.
― Mule, Monday, 4 November 2013 14:21 (ten years ago) link
I didn't know about this:http://www.audiospace.vn/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/the-bill-evans-trio-moon-beams-3.jpg
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Monday, 4 November 2013 17:13 (ten years ago) link
Not finding a general Nico thread...This just opened here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38RBdHtWkWo
Not sure if I'll see it. I saw the poster a few weeks and assumed it was a documentary--that I'd see. It's not, and it looks like it might be an ordeal from the trailer.
― clemenza, Sunday, 12 August 2018 00:14 (five years ago) link
It Was A Pleasure Then was definately the Velvet Underground song i always wished they had done.
― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Tuesday, May 11, 2004 5:27 PM (fourteen years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Haven't read all of the thread but this wasn't responded to at the time it was posted. I heard that the backing of the song was based on Melody Laughter the improvisation the VU did live I think regularly and definitely on the Columbus Ohio set that's now available with the larger box set of the first lp and in edited form on the Peel Slowly and See box set.Columbus, Ohio version is 28 minutes long as is The Nothing Song which they also did in the same set. I think both were done live with wordless vocal improvisations by Nico.
I would heavily recommend the frozen Borderline set that mops up the recordings from marble Index and Desertshore plus out takes.Also the 2cd version of The End. Don't like the title track of that '70s lp though seems too close to the original. But tracks on the first side are long term favourites as they have been for the last 35 odd years.Are those lps labeled proto-goth these days? Hope not, seem pretty original to me. & maybe Goth has faded into the distant past already.
― Stevolende, Sunday, 12 August 2018 14:14 (five years ago) link
Co-sign on The Frozen Borderline, it sounds great and the outtakes are wonderful.
― lbi's life of limitless european glamour (Le Bateau Ivre), Sunday, 12 August 2018 14:16 (five years ago) link
I didn't know about this:― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Monday, November 4, 2013 9:13 AM (four years ago)
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Monday, November 4, 2013 9:13 AM (four years ago)
Link broke, fixed:
https://i.imgur.com/oIbalp8.jpg
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Sunday, 12 August 2018 15:05 (five years ago) link
This album just got a mention on Coronation Street!
― I Can't See Gervais In My Mind (Tom D.), Friday, 31 December 2021 20:10 (two years ago) link
What was said about it?!
― dow, Friday, 31 December 2021 22:37 (two years ago) link
There was a conversation between two characters about the name for a hairdressers or something, the dialogue went something like:
"What about Elsie's Girls? You know like Chelsea Girls...""What? What's that?" "You know, the album by Nico, the woman who sang with the Velvet Underground?"
... something like that.
― I Can't See Gervais In My Mind (Tom D.), Friday, 31 December 2021 22:46 (two years ago) link
"What about Elsie's Girls? You know like Chelsea Girls...""What? What's that?""You know how in 1955 Lewis Separates was rebranded Chelsea Girl and became one of the UK's first female fashion chains, before being subsumed under the River Island umbrella in the 90s? Like that, but plural!"
^^ more realistic
― Alba, Saturday, 1 January 2022 09:14 (two years ago) link
Well, Mico did live in Weatherfield Manchester for a while.
― I Can't See Gervais In My Mind (Tom D.), Saturday, 1 January 2022 10:09 (two years ago) link
... Nico (flaming phone!)
Manco
― Alba, Saturday, 1 January 2022 10:14 (two years ago) link
Lol I wondered if this was a Corrie-related revive
God that dialogue was clumsy
― Khafre's clown (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 1 January 2022 10:25 (two years ago) link