Reviews (page 2 of 9)
I honestly think this deserves more of a 3,5 but that's not possible so I'm giving it a 4 because I do really love the instrumentals, her voice just kind of sounds awkward on some songs
Lekker
Hoge hoogtes, lage laagtes
Since i first heard the banana album i’ve really liked Nicos voice, and this is just 46 minutes of that! Hell yeah! I sincerely hope there’s no truth to the allegations of her being a horrible racist! Boo Nico!
Going off menu.
Man that was boring. Could have been a decent EP.
This isn't a Nico album. She's the singer, but ultimately she's talentless. John Cale, Lou Reed, Larry Fallon, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne are responsible for the most part. Her voice is fine, for a short while, but her upper class twit of the year delivery is tiresome.
Sympa
All of these sound like one song and that one song is very annoying
Good album that I have never heard before today. Kind of folkish story telling music. The vocals are very interesting sort of deep register and well articulated. Music is pretty typical folk stuff but not in a bad way. Overall I enjoyed it and listened to it a couple of times.
Quite nice!
Vibe.
Crazy polarizing—either loved or hated every track
Cozy, interesting...get why it's on here even if it's not fully my thing
Lovely, transcendent, annoying
Favorite Song: Somewhere There’s A Feather Least Favorite: It Was A Pleasure Then
I really liked one song, the most popular one on the album. The rest was not really good
The ultimate Nico album for Vibe and Mood.
Why didn't anybody ever tell Nico that she's bad at singing? Oh and to make it worse, someone added some flute onto her bellowing?
An odd, beguiling album - the sound shouldn’t work but the charms outweigh the flaws
This is just the same song 10 times. Musical backing by the Ren Faire house band... this was a boring slog. I would normally give it 2 stars because I didn't like it, but it wasn't completely unlistenable. However, with the quality of names helping out on this album... it NEEDS to be better.
Warhol and all his weirdo drug-addled friends were the Kardashians of their day. Bunch of pretentious drug-addled hacks, famous for being famous. Nico couldn't sing on key to save her life, and the instrumentation backing her stilted vocals is muddy and clanging. The songs themselves are good, and would be enjoyable if performed by anyone musically competent, but everyone involved here from conception to production to release was too stoned out of their gourd to realize they were making a novelty album that people only pretended to like as a joke.
For lack of a better word, interesting and unique elements in this album. Not something I’d normally listen to and some cool songs here.
Anyone who says Nico can't carry a tune obviously hasn't listened to this album. She absolutely nails that one note time and time and time and time again.
I get her viewpoint. What the fuck was that guy thinking adding a flute. But also, there was nothing that was going to fix this trash pile of nonsense.
too bad shes a nazi cuz this album is great
Nico without VU isn’t right
Interesting
enjoyed, prob won't listen again
too monotonous. it's not a bad combination of strings and whatever there was but it's all literally one song. someone in review mentioned that there's something medieval and probably I agree. It's ok singing for me but the manner of performance is the same on all songs in row.
Nothing worth listening to here
not a great voice and whoever wrote this music should be exiled to an island to avoid inflicting this crap on others.
Parts of this are nice but for some reason this just doesn’t sound anywhere close to when Nico is signing in front of the Velvet Underground
This album is such a dream. It is romantic, poetic, and melancholic... It is really good art-rock and you cannot miss the connection with the Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan. Reading about this, I learned that Nio did not love it (she especially disliked the flute). I remain in love despite of her opinion.
Only knew nico from velvet. Thought id find this grating and did in parts but really enjoyed how ambient it is throughout. These days, fairest highlights
How in the fuck did this make the list?
Very intriguing album. Nico's phenomenally unique voice with sparse accompaniment make the album stand out in a very artistic way. I wasn't as engaged with the more abstract long-form songs, but there's something very cool going on here. Would probably benefit from multiple listens. Top tracks: The Fairest of the Seasons, These Days, Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams
I want to be someone who appreciates avant-Garde music but it really just has to make sense for me to enjoy it. “It Was A Pleasure Then” fully lost me and the album was a bit un-redeemable from there. I wish I liked it more because she is formative to the rest of the music I consider my favorite. Unrelated to the music is her Nazi leaning which sucks Playlist add: “The Fairest of the Seasons”
By her own admission, Nico couldn't stand listening to this album, so why on earth is it on this list? After forcing myself through it, I understand why she felt that way. The whole thing feels like an album that was imposed on her rather than something she actually wanted to make. She wanted more drums and guitar, but was denied them, while the orchestration was forced onto the songs. She even said she disliked the flute so much that hearing it on the finished record made her cry. The more you learn about how this album was made, the less it feels like Nico was given a chance to make the record she wanted. More than anything, it sounds like an artist who was taken advantage of and had her vision pushed aside.
I didn’t think Nico added too much to The Velvet Underground & Nico, and I don’t think she adds that much here either. Likes: I’ll Keep It With Mine; Somewhere There’s A Feather
I started off thinking the music wasn’t bad I just didn’t like her voice. Then midway through were a couple of tracks where I didn’t like the music or her voice. Then by the second half I was just bored. Was she on downers while making this?
Apparently the story goes that flutes and violins were added to the album without Nico knowing, and that she then hated the album. That alone proves she wasn’t very smart, given that without the flutes and violins this album would not be very good. In fact, without Nico this album would be better. That says a lot. I only knew I'll Keep It With Mine going into this album, via the vastly superior Susannah Hoffs cover. It's bizarre and off-putting hearing the original when you already know the Hoffs version. It's a crime that Hoffs does not appear anywhere on the list. The same could be said for any of these songs - a warmer, more melodic singer would have transformed these songs into, well, songs, rather than have them drone on in a monotone fashion with affected pronunciation. But it was the 60s - you could get away with any old shit. So the songs are fine, the delivery isn't great while being somewhat unique.
The string instruments were a crazy choice and really start to drown everything out near the end. Enjoyed the slow, melancholic sound though. Really conflicted on this, but I can at least appreciate it for being different Favorite Song: Chelsea Girl, Eulogy to Lenny Bruce
9.3/10
Found this to be pretty one-note and a little boring.
Не моё (
The instrumentals were very pretty but The tone of her voice was unpleasant
Not feeling it. My people pleasing tendencies prevent a 1 though.
Charming, if a little deranged. I heard this as a Joni Mitchell album on acid. Liked it.
Ahh that’s where Belle and Sebastian nicked the melody for If You’re Feeling Sinister... This is a nice set of songs written by better musical talents than the singer but some folks really like The Royal Tenenbaums so it hits different v-a-v appreciating this Nazi jackass.
beautiful voice. Velvet underground but more delicate
It's cute
For this album, It Was A Pleasure Then
Dit soort muziek valt of staat een beetje met de kracht/kwaliteit van de zangeres. En dit is niet een hele bijzondere zangeres als je het mij vraagt. Beetje een bizar album om op de lijst te hebben, maar als je wat verder leest is een nummer geschreven door Bob Dylan. Dus het maakt niet uit hoe middelmatig de muziek verder is, als Bob Dylan toevallig heeft zitten poepen in je studio dan sta je toch wel op de lijst van 1001 albums die je SOWIESO moet horen voor je doodgaat!!!!! Het is niet zo bijzonder, eigenlijk zelfs best wel saai. De productie is een beetje middeleeuws achtig? Maar mijn god, alles wat ik hierover lees zou dit nooit in de buurt moeten komen van de lijst. Oh jezus, rond It was a pleasure then begint het ook nog eens een experimenteel album te worden in plaats van een dodelijk saai folk album. Nico. Je bent echt absoluut niet goed genoeg om dit te doen. Wat een drama is dit zeg. Verschrikkelijk album. Als ik het nooit had gehoord was mn leven net een stukje beter. Mijn grootste probleem is niet zozeer dat het slecht is, het brengt vooral echt helemaal niets wat ook maar een beetje interessant is. Blijkbaar dan omdat ze heel veel bekendere artiesten kent of die mee hebben gewerkt hieraan. Ik denk oprecht dat ik liever een 30e Bob Dylan album zou luisteren dan nog een keer dit. FAVO:
Jesus snooze
I had only known Nico from the tracks she recorder with the Velvet Underground. This is basically what I expected based on that. I can understand not liking her voice but for me it has a kind of captivating dream-like quality. Songbirds are rarely "in tune". The dawn chorus doesn't have a key. I like weird stuff. What can I say?
I see a lot of funny one star reviews. Is having perfect pitch really all it takes for them to like a record? I enjoy when artists are really reaching for something interesting be it beautiful or ugly or simple or complex. Just make art with feeling. Do those one star reviewers ever get anything out of being challenged by artists? High production cost and auto-tune can only get you so far.
de fluit is echt leuk in chelsea girls t is echt mooi t is gwn betere velvet underground
muziek was heel goed, haar stem vind ik toch wat minder
Mostly it sounded nice I just wasn't very captured by it. Standouts Chelsea Girls 3/5
Her voice is amazing and it's very melancholic. I think some of the production choices are a bit odd, especially in the stereo mix, and it can drag a little, but definitely worthy of the time it was made.
Blesk. Disperate. She has a different vocal but I would have preferred her fronting a regular guitar/bass/drum group and not the strings and horns. She's also deeply problematic as a person 😬😬😬
this hits for me for some reason. it's weird and beautiful, her voice is SO odd it sort of feels like art itself? and "these days" has always been a favorite of mine. sad and lovely
Absolute torture. Nico may be the worst singer on this list. The saddest part is that is that she’s serious and is trying hard. It’s like the band gave the hot girl in school a chance to sing because she’s hot. They probably regretted it immediately. So bad. I’d rather listen to a dying cat.
an ok folk album. Her about the artist called it the original goth music and I sort of agree with that. overall not bad, I would not listen again but wouldn't turn it off it came up
отвратительный тембр голоса. Не мог дослушать. Невыносимо.
splendid amazing superfragilisticexpialidocious
Who isn't mentioned in connection with this debut album? Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Lou Reed, John Cale, Andy Warhol. It's a chamber music legacy, lots of strings, quiet songs, and Nico's brittle and deep voice. Shortly before this, she had recorded a debut album with The Velvet Underground. The album took its title from Andy Warhol’s provocative film *Chelsea Girls*, in which Nico played a leading role. I find the music difficult, not something to listen to every day.
This was good for a genre that I don’t tend to enjoy greatly. Reminded me a lot of Joni Mitchell. Don’t think I’ll come back to this (or really any folksy singer/songwriter entries) but still 3/5
No.
Yep. Liked it. Is she an acquired taste? Yeah. I do want to know if Bridget can uncoil from the foil. 1967 was a vibe, man.
It starts with two good songs. The rest is not very inspiring. The constant is the limited voice and singing. No. It's two singles, not an album.
A baritone sounding lady singing songs to make you sadder = hard pass
3.5ish
doesnt sound like she knows how to sing and she sounds too bored to even be singing so why am i here... also nico was a self-proclaimed nazi so i dont really like her anyway, even if this WAS good
Day 359 Pleasant enough and she was as fit as a butchers dog, just not an album I’d return to Highlights These days Chelsea girls
I love her voice
I thought it was boring the first time I listened to it, and I still do. "The Fairest of the Seasons", "These Days", and "I'll Keep It with Mine" are pretty good though.
M’ouais
Pas convaincu
Sla, não curto tanto ela, nem quando ela tava em Thé Velvet Underground. Escutando mais vezes, vai ficando melhor. uai o começo de the fairest of the season e these days é o mesmo, só muda o tom.
Not easy to listen to. The instrumental is ok except for the wailing in It was a Pleasure then. I don't find the vocals easy to listen to.
OK, I get it. This is actually a high concept artpop album entitled “Brunhilde Ruins an Otherwise Perfectly Passable Joan Baez Album”. ESL stiltedness aside, Nico’s flat, vibratoless, toneless, colorless alto is hard to take for a whole album. This is a musical house of horrors, where each new room is scarier than the last. It was reported that Nico cried when she heard the playback of her album; I fully understand why. I have yet to fail to listen to an album completely in this exercise, but 170 albums in, this one takes over the top spot on my list of most difficult albums to sit through in its entirety.
I listened to the Velvets for decades before getting into Nico's stuff. She was never my favorite VU member. At first, many of the reviewers on the sites found it discordant, perhaps painful even. Over time, these songs have worn their way into my brain, and I will not let go. They are delicate, beautiful, discordant, abrasive, and wonderful.
Det stenet stemning Nico bidrager med. Det er ikke dårligt, men bare lidt tungt.
Det starter ud som et fint album, men mister mig undervejs
Chelsea Girl is a fine song but the album is dated and Nico's sound does not hold up.
Ugh, her voice just irks me.
Not my type of music
A voz de Nico é o destaque. Os elementos instrumentais são bons. Atmosfera melancólica bem construída. QoA Cloudscape.
Голос у неё есть, но петь она не умеет. Всё в одном тоне и ритме, скучно и уныло. иногда даже ужасно
Definitely not for me, wasn't a fan. All sounded about the same throughout the album honestly. Nothing stood out or grabbed my attention to listen.
I really like her voice, it has a mysterious quality. I love listening to this and imagining what it would have sounded like without Tom Wilson's additions. I will say I am not a fan of all of his ideas, some of it goes well but he didn't need to change every song! He gave it a very baroque sound that for me gets a bit tedious for a 45 minute listen. I wish we could hear this the way Nico envisioned it.
Eh. I didn’t really like the velvet underground album she was on either. Something feels incongruous between her voice and the music. It’s kind of like worse, sadder Joni Mitchell.
This is one of the most dull and flat albums i have ever heard. The whole thing feels overlong and Nico’s vocals sre terrible
As I listened to this, I thought the worst thing about it was how monotonous and dull it was. And then I got halfway through “It Was a Pleasure Then”, and never has a song been so poorly named. Nails scraping down a chalkboard would have been more pleasant than the last half of that song. This is just a style of music I can’t get on board with, produced by musicians I generally cannot stand (except Jackson Browne, who I expected better of), and sung by an artist who I think has incredibly poor vocal ability.
This lady seems nice enough, but she doesn't appear to understand the limits of her vocal range at all. Her low notes are fairly regularly flat and sound like they take far too much effort meaning they are difficult to listen to. Her high notes aren't much better. I'm not completely against artists who objectively can't sing (Hello John Darnielle!) but there has to be something else to grab you. This sounds like a worse version of a ton of the folk my parents listened to when I was a kid. And every song blended into each other after a while, except during the unpleasantly screeching feedback parts. Given that I found this really hard to get through, it's getting a: 1/5
If my voice sounded like this, I wouldn’t have aspired to be a singer. Respectfully. Also, she didn’t seem to have the best understanding of how to use her the vocal range she had. I sorta like what she did with Bob Dylan’s “I’ll Keep It with Mine.” 2.5?
Honestly, Nico might be the weakest part of this album. The arrangement, composition, and production are all great.
Chelsea Girl sounds like a less intense Amanda Palmer/Dresden Dolls, which I prefer for a multitude of reasons. I can see myself listening to Nico again in the future.
Good lord, this lady is tone deaf or something.
The concept of the album was to take songs written by some of the most talented songwriters at the time, pair the words up with some really excellent music, and get one of the worst singers in the world to perform over it. This Velvet Underground spin off album sucks.
Not my favorite.
1967!!! This would go hard with the sad girls resurgence recently… but didn’t do much for me. But props for relevant music in 1967. 2.8
I hated every moment of this. It alternated between extremely boring and actively annoying/awful. Like what the hell were they thinking with all the toneless feedback screeching? 1/10 Sucko Barfo
Interesting, but I think Nico's best sound is with VE.
Nico without the Velvet Underground is meh. 2⭐️
At first, I was slightly confused how poorly this album rates on this website. I've loved this record since college, and in my memory it is GORGEOUS and mellifluous and easy to love and popular (at least among friends). Upon relisten, I also remembered how jarring Nico's voice is, and how some of the songs are like bizarre abstract paintings of noise -- it's maybe not as friendly as I thought. Personally, I adore these songs completely and think it is some of the most moving pop music ever recorded. It really feels like a lost VU album, with some strangely orchestrated folk tunes added. Recommend frequent relistens.
no lyrics or song stands out to me, but the atmosphere as a whole does and it's pretty neat
Many thought Nico didn't get the following she deserves. I disagree. This album was boring and sounded flat
I like these days. I really likr her voice.. Not a bug fan of the slow songs like Little Sister and Winter Song. I did not really like It Was A Pleasure Then. Chelsea girls was very sad . I think its a 3 star album I like the violins in I'll Keep It With Mine. I like the violins in SomeWhere There's a feather. I like the flute in wrap your troubles in Dreams
Meh
This is a really interesting album. The song writing is actually really good. Each of the parts has a place and filled something within the song. What's interesting is that you could hear some of the instruments falling out of time so this actually helps the album feels more raw and almost spur of the moment. Perhaps it was the nature of the recordings from the 60s. There are 2 longer songs in the album and "It was a pleasure then" is the first of them. It's a bit more out-there compared to the more regular first 4 songs, I guess this is the Art-Rock inclusion. It wasn't terrible but it did feel odd compared to the rest of the album, by then it did shake it up making the more "regular" outings more agreeable rather than samey. I have to say the flute playing is refreshing and is actually quite good even though the phrases are pretty basic at times. I think that putting this all together it could have been a landmark at the time but these days it's a nice general folk album. Overall, a pretty good album. Is it enough for a 4*? Toughie that... I think not. It's not bad, don't get me wrong but did I think it would go in my library? No.
A soft and gentle album with vintage vocals, not quite my speed but plenty to like!
climinha de merda tenho um certo carinho por esse álbum, me acompanhou em momentos tenebrosos do passado
novamente, tinha tudo pra eu odiar. ignorando as opiniões HORRÍVEIS dessa aqui, nao achei o album ruim nao, me pegou num dia bom. bem cru e experimental, simples e efetivo. um climinha péssimo e a produção ruim eh o charme. achei bacaninha…
For many listeners, Nico is best known for the three songs she sings on 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘵 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 & 𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘰. 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭 shows that there was far more to her than that. Her unmistakably deep voice and distinctive accent give the album a haunting beauty that sets it apart from the folk-pop records of its time. The orchestral arrangements make the album surprisingly accessible, even if Nico herself famously disliked the added strings and flutes. Their lush sound contrasts beautifully with her detached, almost statuesque vocal delivery, creating an atmosphere that is both elegant and melancholic. In hindsight, 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭 feels like the closest Nico ever came to becoming a mainstream pop star. Instead, she chose a radically different path, embracing darker and far more experimental music on her later albums. Ironically, it was that uncompromising artistic direction that eventually made her an icon of alternative and art pop, with her influence growing significantly during the 1980s and even more after her death. Looking back, it’s hard not to see Nico as one of the most fascinating figures in the history of pop and rock music.
Everything sounded the same
Very very nice!!! I don’t do too much thinkin these days. Gentle vibe. Mmm lovely
Nope. Her voice grates on my nerves
Wow. Just wow. Didn't realize I could hate an album so much. Wish I could give 0 stars. I'm not even a singer and I'm pretty sure I could make my voice sound better than this. Also found out she is a far right racist. Double no.
sorry but much too long. not bad but too long and uniform.
It’s alright, I like some of the instrumentation, some track are enjoyable, but not exactly my cup of tea. 2 stars
2 voor het matige album, -1 voor het zijn van een nazi
Eigenlijk vond ik dit wel een vibe voor de eerste paar nummers, totdat 'It Was A Pleasure Then' begon, dat als een slechte Velvet Underground track klinkt. Helaas is dat een beetje het thema op deze plaat: hoe meer Reed en Cale zich bemoeien met de track, hoe vervelender deze is om naar te luisteren. Had het lekker bij mooie, atmosferische chamber pop gehouden. Blijkbaar was deze vrouw een ongelooflijke racist, dus bij deze: sla je lokale racist.
I don't know that I'll make it through this one. I liked it even less when I learned that Nico did not approve of the final product.
-at first I thought I would be underwhelmed by this in comparison to how much i liked The Marble Index and Desertshore, but it very quickly grew on me -Nico was probably a godawful person but damn she made great music. not every song here hits but it’s a lovely album -Favorites: These Days, Chelsea Girls, Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams
chata
She doesn't have a voice as nice as someone like Whitney Houston but I find her voice very captivating. It fits her music so well and is so german.
poco variado y no muy original, probablemente muchas de estas canciones sonarían mejor sampleadas en una cancion de trip hop 3.3
Oof Best Song: These Days Rating: 2/10 Stars: 1
I have heard and liked Janitor of Lunacy from Nico. It's utterly bizarre, which I like. I see a lot of other reviewers don't like this album. I do, but I don't love it. It's strange, and that kind of novelty goes a long way for me on this list, I'm sick of listening to mediocre rock'n'roll and Britpop. This kind of mediocre avant-garde folk music is certainly more interesting, although I do have to agree it's a bunch of pretentious claptrap. Also, did they only do one take of It Was A Pleasure Then? I don't mind the odd bit of guitar feedback in a live recording or a lofi garage band, but here it was like the guitarist was having real trouble and the audio engineer didn't call cut. It's so noticeably bad I have to assume it was deliberate, Jesus.
A slog to get through, tested every aspect of my patience.
These days is one of my all time favourite Velvet and Nico related tracks. However, I know Nico hated the orchestral arrangements when it came out and I agree. Production is overdone on this record. Would have been better if it was more stripped back. The songs would be more poignant.
this is like if BCNR only made songs about killing themselves and i mean that as an insult.
nao é um album pra mim, mas algo sobre ouvir ele foi relaxante. nao teve muitos instrumentos, foi mais cantado, senti uma vibe meio medieval (meio the witcher, nao sei pq, acho que me lembra o jogo the witcher 3). a unica que gostei mesmo foi somewhere theres a feather. nota 3,5
Не знаю що це. Виглядає нудно. These days дуже популярний її трек, але мені так собі, нічого особливого. It Was A Pleasure Then не погано, медитативний трохи навіть абстрактний трек.
I enjoyed this. Her voice was gorgeously haunting and the music was an expressive, impressive sound. It sounded quite similar throughout but the sound is quite distinct from anything else that I thought it worked and was refreshing. I did already know these days so was nice to hear it where it originally existed.
Curious record, I enjoyed the melancholy and mood of this but wasn't completely blown away by it. Unlikely to listen again, and doesn't really stack up against her work with the Velvet Underground.
Strangely beautiful, lighter than with VU but still alien at times
It was almost like she was daring my to hate her voice. And I did. I liked Velvet Underground and she was on that, but I did not like this.
Melancholy throughout. Nico's unique voice and the folk foundation create a one of a kind experience. Approaches a '5', maybe could be if the mood is right.
You really need to be in the mood for this. Cool voice and this probably was the inspiration for many great things but it’s a bit of a snoozefest.
I like These Days. The rest are a bit too rambling experimental folk for me. 6/10
Very pretty minimalist songs, a couple of really outstanding ones
It's comforting yet it feels alien somehow, like OG minecraft. It sounds like you'd hear it in an empty sunlit meadow in the British countryside or in the harsh landscapes of some desert world. It's comforting in it's unbiasedness and sounds like a lullaby sometimes.
Keep it with mine
Not really for me, too samey over and over - probably ok for 1 or 2 songs but not a whole album
When my daughters were 6 and 8 years old, they formed a 'band' with a friend of theirs. One on the violin, one on the piano, and one singing. They were objectively better than anything on this album. Listening to this lady butcher Jackson Browne's tune made me mad.
Why? This should not be on the list.. awful
I’m very curious to see other people’s reviews of this album. I’m sure it’s not for everyone. But I personally think Nico is great. I just don’t think you’ll ever hear another album that sounds like this one.
shitty music from a shitty person
Dour, herion-soaked Teutonic supermodel with no discernible musical talent atonally warbles depressing lyrics written by others in broken English accompanied by increasingly bizarre instrumentation. 5 stars.
Pleasant but I found some tracks quite forgettable and not very inspiring.
peut être l’album le pllus surcote de la liste 2+/5
Beautifully melancholic. I really enjoyed listening to this today.
Although I had heard her with the Velvet Underground (and knew about her from reading books about them, Dylan, and The Doors,) I was properly introduced to this album through the fantastic Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack. This really takes me back about 25 years.
Best Track - "These Days"
No.
This is actively bad btw
Thursday, 2 July, 2026 Great vibe of ‘67 NYC. “These Days” is obviously famous and for good reason. I enjoyed much of this album and would re listen.
Is this album bad? Yes. Is it also good and important? Maybe also yes. In isolation, it’s easy to call Nico a bad singer and dismiss this record, but we have plenty of albums on this list from men who can’t sing so let’s set that metric aside. I've recently been served albums by Astrud Gilberto and Patti Smith, and I'll be damned if this record doesn't feel like it falls directly in the middle of those two. As an incremental step to whatever version of Punk Rock that Patti Smith was working on. In that sense, I guess Nico is doing double duty in Punk Rock origin story. Still, all that context still only does enough to earn her a "meh" rating.
Yeah this is pretty fucking bad. I mean it's not remotely fun, good, engaging or cool. Hard pass and why the hell is this on the list? Because Lou Reed and Jackson Browne were involved?
To those people who think this is good, your music taste sucks, just no one has ever told you.
I’m not alone I thinking that Nico’s voice just isn’t good enough to carry an entire album. It’s hard to pay attention to her lyrics or delivery with how monotone and uninteresting her singing is. The instruments of the album are actually quite polished and nice to listen to, and I often found myself focusing on them more than the singer. Maybe it was the use of flute and traditional strings, but the whole album felt folky with a European twist. Still, not one I’d likely choose to revisit.
I like her voice but the songs were often repetitious
"Chelsea Girl" sounds like two albums playing at once. Nico was so good when she collaborated with the Velvet Underground on their self-titled album. It's a shame she didn't retain anything that made "The Velvet Underground & Nico" good. "Eulogy to Lenny Bruce" was the closest thing to a good song on "Chelsea Girl" 2 bloody horrible albums in one week; that must be a record. 1 star for "Chelsea Girl".
This is a pretty chill album and it was alright having it in the background while I was doing stuff. Nothing too exciting, but it is a fairly old album, so I shouldn't really expect too much from it.
I liked the music, but Nico’s monotone voice was not my thing.
Kind of a strange record that grew on me as the tracklist went on. Good instrumentation with a unique voice. 3.2/5.0
Sounds like a female Lou Reed alright. This is by no means an album I'd like to hear more often, but it's still interesting and not half as bad as a lot of people here make it out to be.
this album got worse the more I listened to it, after the first 2 tracks I thought I had found a folk album I didn't hate, but no it's shite, saved from 1 star by The Fairest Of The Seasons
Folky, raw, imperfect, with great instrumental support. “These days” is timeless.
She's cool for sure. I;d like to be her. She has a deep voice. and i like those songs what I know but the other stuff went on a bit.
All-timer
For 1967, she was so ahead of her time. These days is a timeless classic. So bloody cool
Liked this a lot!
not the first racist folker to write some (one and a half note) heaters. definitely not the last. 3.4-4.3.
eh
I’m not the biggest Nico fan but have always loved this album. Such a unique voice with haunting pretty melodies to accompany. These Days especially is one of my favorites of the decade. What a talented cast of songwriters as well. Rating: 4.5
After some great albums recently, this was refreshingly shit
This one was just dreadful. There were definitely some strange choices in production. Even Nico didn't like it. Regarding this album, she said, "I still cannot listen to it, because everything I wanted for that record, they took it away. I asked for drums, they said no. I asked for more guitars, they said no. And I asked for simplicity, and they covered it in flutes! They added strings, and— I didn't like them, but I could live with them. But the flute! The first time I heard the album, I cried and it was all because of the flute." I know flutes were popular in the 60s and 70s, but I definitely agree with Nico that it was too much. The backing music would have been much better had there been more guitars and some drums. As it was created, it's almost unlistenable. I would love to have it remastered with different backing tracks to hear her original vision of the album, but she died in 1988, so we'll never be able to hear what she hoped for this album.
Cozy. 7/10
Not for me.
Interesting, dark, dischordant. Should probably actually listen to VU some time
i want tim buckley as my bard
It was ok.
Snoozer
Det känns som en produkt. Den kända modellen/skådespelerskan som varit gäst på Velvet Underground, men utan att kännas som en musikalisk artist av eget intresse. Och runt henne en massa karlar som skriver låtar, spelar instrument och producerar. Det kanske är dumt men jag har svårt att tab det på allvar. Stundtals bra singer songwriting, men utan en tydlig avsändare. En trea.
Not for me. I actually hated this.
I liked this album more than I expected to. It's very calming to me. Her voice is not amazing, but it never got annoying to me. Definitely nothing epic here, but I wouldn't mind another listen.
Nick Drake vibes. I wonder if he took any inspiration from her.
Never thought she was that much of a talent and only had a solo career because she was in the Velvet Underground. A so-so voice, kinda monotone and detached — so is Lou Reed’s at times, but Lou is a more emotional singer. Still a nice selection of songs. 2.5 rounded up.
Voices really matter to me, and I love a unique one—I think that’s why I like Tom Waits and Joanna Newsom more than others. But Nico’s does not work for me.
Альбом начинается как фолк-баллады, довольно типичные для своей эпохи, но к середине постепенно уходит в сложные, авангардные аранжировки, с флейтами, саксофонами и фуззовыми шумами, а к концу переходит в меланхоличные, кинематографичные мелодии. Все это сопровождается чарующим вокалом Нико. Я точно переслушаю это все еще раз.
Most of us was pretty done and good, but don't of it was just a bit too out there for me.
She's got an interesting voice and I love "These Days", but the rest doesn't do much for me
Really interesting. Moments where I thought this was a 2 and moments where I thought it was a 4. Closer to 4
First two tracks are really beautiful, but the rest will probably need a little while to grow on me. I love the voice and the strings - sounds fantastic. Favourites: The Fairest Of The Seasons These Days Chelsea Girls
I like this album although Neek herself was apalled by the production. It was the flutes apparently. I'm hoping that Desertshore and The Marble Index will be on this list though, in my view they're far more interestiing albums. Thought by some to be difficult however, which Chelsea Girl certainly isn't.
Sweet album cover. That black-and-white photograph looks pretty good. Anyways, I assume this is the same Nico that appears in the Velvet Underground's debut album. It seems a little strange for Nico to have a solo inclusion on this list given that I've heard absolutely nothing about her solo career, though in all fairness she does have her name plastered on one of the more historically significant albums. I listened to The Velvet Underground & Nico a long time ago and haven't pulled it through the list yet, though I recall Nico's voice well enough. It's very gothic-sounding, if I'm not mistaken. Honestly, I have no fucking clue what a solo album from Nico could sound like. She'd be well ahead of the curb if this was a gothic rock album, though I'm not sure if she even belongs to rock. The only possible throughline I can draw is between her and Dagmar Krause. The vocal style of Krause's "Tank Battles" is quite similar to that of Nico's. That album had a bit of a strange, avant-garde, folky theming to it. Folk seems about right for a solo career, so fuck it. Folk it is. I am a fucking genius with the genre predictions once again. I appreciate this album as much as I don't. As far as the positives are concerned, Nico's vocals are solid. Her voice has an interesting, almost macabre sound to it which carries much of the material, though it isn't without its faults. I didn't feel like there were any moments on this album where Nico was really put to good use, with the songs largely being devoid of any strong vocal hooks, intricate songwriting or satisfying climaxes. The sections where she holds the same vocal chord (like on the title track) are also horrific. They piss me off in a way which kind of defies all reason. It sounds like that shitty woodwind instrument. The name escapes me at this point, though I'm sure someone in this cold, desolate world knows what I'm referring to. The instrumentation is tolerable with some occasionally decent moments. The twee, meek sound is generally likeable, with the acoustic and electric guitars generally being the more competent offerings. The plucky strings and elegant flutes also add a nice sound to the music. In total, the instrumentation of this album sounds like a summery spring's day, which is one of the better weather conditions, in my humble opinion. Definitely an A-tier time of the year. Overall, I respect this album aesthetically and I am somewhat interested in revisiting it. The music sounds a little empty at points and the material a little lacklustre, though the album is unique and I enjoy Nico's voice. Book time. Nico was apparently in relationships with Jim Morrison, Iggy Pop and Brian Jones throughout her career. The album was named after her appearance in Andy Warhol's Chelsea Girls film. Notable songwriters on this album include Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin, three members of the Velvet Underground and Jackson Browne, who was Nico's lover during the recording of this album at the ripe age of 19 (whereas Nico was 29). A little weird, but aight. All Nico contributed to this album was a co-writing credit for "It Was a Pleasure Then". There's also a lot of variety in the instrumentation. It wasn't successful at the time, but the album has since been cited as an influence by Patti Smith and Siouxsie Sioux. Wikipedia says that the handful of critic reviews for this album have been favourable, though Nico was dissatisfied with the finished product - partly because the album's producer added string and flute sections against her wishes. I'll be honest: Nico seems to be coasting by on her floozy cred given that she contributed very little to the creation of this album in addition to it not being successful. That being said, I am somewhat favourable to this album as a bit of a time capsule. It is strange just how many connections Nico had with significant people, and I suppose this music is distinctive enough. I cosign this inclusion.
This one's just such a lonely folk album; Nico famously hated the strings and flutes but as a fan of orchestrated folk, I think they're what make this album good. Her voice isn't the traditionally beautiful kind you'd expect on an album like this, but it really works well here (and dare I say, better than with the Velvet Underground?) Hearing her vision for the album could be an interesting change of pace in the future if anyone ever does that, but it's certainly not going to be a better album than what we've got.
Definitelt a must listen its very good
These days is classic and the woodwinds on the record are great but it's a bit tedious if a listen at time
To everyone complaining about Nico’s voice have you listened to the Bob Dylan live album yet? Yeah, her voice is not technically great but it works for some of the songs here, though at times you can tell there is a great song struggling to emerge. John Cale rescues this somewhat. I don’t hate it but I’ll not be rushing to listen again
ho fatto un ascolto un po’ superficiale, però che bell’album e che bella voce
I'd be curious to hear an 'un-produced' version of this album that lacks the strings and flutes that peeved Nico so. It'd be an even starker vision of an already spare record. Although I've also heard she wanted more guitars and drums still while maintaining simplicity — as if the entire album was closer in its approach to instrumentation like the song It Was a Pleasure Then. I guess in 1967 many ears and minds, like that of Tom Wilson, desired to fill space with flowery flourishes here and there (with flutes!) to ease an impatient sensibility that's unable to appreciate a deliberate and intentional coldness/flatness. It's that compression to a simple surface that, to me, is a hallmark of the Nico I'm familiar with. While many tend to attribute things like this to Warhol & the Velvet Underground — and I don't know enough to argue it's different — I think doing so undermines Nico's agency and artistic instincts in all of this. In my rating system a 3 star record can still be quite good and a 2 star album might have moments of transcendence but be overshadowed by other choices made that affect my ability to give it 3 stars, or the record can also just be a clunker but not terrible. Chelsea Girl is definitely more the former than the latter when it comes to its 2 stars. And who knows, maybe if the producers had been able to really *listen to her* and pursued Nico's vision it would've pushed the record to a 4 star experience.
Might have been a 2 if she wasn't a racist.
These Days is a great track and a few other good ones too. Overall I'll give a high three
What a fascinating album. The strings and flute on many tracks sound terribly incongruous, especially with Nico's odd, flat vocals. Especially when you recall how her delivery seems to work on other records. And then you read wikipedia, and realise they were added in post-production, and that Nico was so upset by their addition that she cried. And *then* you come to It Was A Pleasure Then and Eulogy to Lenny Bruce which are preserved in their original, haunting, format where the guitars and the reverb creaks and groan beneat Nico's baroque stylings and you feel like crying yourself for what might have been.
Not my thing. I’ve tried and tried. The Velvets are one of my favourite bands but Nico solo, sorry!!
Not for me, but I didn't like her when she sang with the velvet underground
2,6 Highlights: These Days, Chelsea Girls
The music is dreary and very samey, especially samey in those first few songs. And by god Nico cannot sing. Very long 45 minutes
those vocals definitely aren't for me... ehhhhhh
I really want to complain about how awful this album is, and how it should be on this list, but I'm not really sure I even know how. Like, I want to say "how did this album get made?", or "why is this album on this list?". But I know the answer to both of those: Nico banged Andy Warhol, and then Andy Warhol gave Lou Reed a bunch of money for heroin. Anyway, this album sucks, and I hate that I had to listen to it.
Not my favorite album but there are a few songs i kinda like
Very beautiful tbh. Would Belle and Sebastian exist without this?
the lenny bruce song makes me laugh everytime but goddamn it I love this psycho nazi and her astoundingly beautiful music
I guess ok
Voice not inviting. Sound is weak.
she can't sing, which makes her flat, toneless droning profoundly unpleasant to listen to (despite the beautiful background instrumentals). the internet is also telling me she was apparently an incredibly racist person who still upheld many nazi beliefs and introduced her own son to heroin so ... i don't feel bad about rating this 1 star.
“I can’t help it if you might think I am odd…” Well, I do. This album is full of strange poetry and pretentious verse. It’s very pretty in places, some lovely strings and inventive melodies but her voice is grating, especially after 45 minutes. It’s not something I really see myself coming back to regularly.
Det va omtrent som forventa, men æ like stemmen til Nico, den e fin.
This album is like your parents going out to dinner and having to take you because they couldn't find a babysitter. While you can hear the sound of your parents and their friends having fun downstairs, you have been told to relax in the spare bedroom and watch TV. It is a small TV and the bunny ears aren't providing a very clear picture. This TV doesn't get Sky TV, so you just have to watch informercials. The windows haven't been opened in this room for a long time, so the air is stagnant and the furniture is dusty. You're hungry but your parents friends hadn't accounted for you coming, so there isn't enough meat for your dinner. You are just left with a green salad with no dressing and some broccoli that has been left to boil for approximately 45 minutes.
Ranges from boring to outright unlistenable. Im not sure who the target audience for this is.
My new favorite album
I know the name, I know the Velvet Underground. Fact is, she can't sing. This sounds like an Eastern European girl who's a novice sing and her friends aren't cool enough to tell her is isn't really a singer. She's tone deaf and full of gloom. She's got a few tracks with decent listener counts, "The Fairest Of The Seasons" (18M), "These Days" with 144M & "I'll Keep It With Mine" at 8M. The lowlight is "It Was A Pleasure Then", wow, the complete opposite of pleasure and an agonizingly long 8 minutes. There is nothing compelling on this entire album. I don't care who wrote the songs (Jackson Browne, Lou Reed, John Cale), they all sound the same & she can't deliver them. 1 star, this should not be on this list. It's a real shame a great album got bumped for this crap.
Really nice vocal and instrumentals. The imperfections of Nico's vocals add this extremely human and relatable quality to it. Quite a nice listen overall.
Tough to get through. We all know Nico can't sing from the VU, but this solo effort is also monotonous and boring, with overwrought arrangements even Nico hated.
I liked the music, but Nico's vocals didn't do much for me. I did enjoy "It Was a Pleasure For Me Then" - her voice worked well with the more experimental sound of that one. The rest of the time, I just kept thinking of Madeline Kahn in Blazing Saddles. Maybe if Nico sang in her native language I would have found it more interesting? But then it wasn't just the pronunciation that bugged me, her voice just seemed mediocre.
Why am I listening to this!?!
Nico. Her name conjures up NY, heroin, the Factory, Velvet Underground. I hear her bored voice in my head, along with a faint idea of a bunch of folks hanging at some after hours cafe. Maybe Andy is in the corner. Smoke everywhere and each person, by their interest, talks about what they have been doing. Maybe they take to an open mike. This is the age of folk, drugs and experimentation. Somehow I think of Laura Nyro. This is what I bring unbidden to the listening of this album. I have heard some of the stuff with the Velvet Underground. So, the voice isn't a surprise. The sparse recording could be more sparse in places. It was a pleasure then - could be a Magnetic Fields song and should have a better arrangement. Chelsea Girls is a standout. I can see how some Stereolab singing got its influences from the delivery here. I keep trying to find a connection between Ute Lemper, Nina Hagen and Nico. This is the problem with listening to these randomly. This is definitely an album that is part of a scene and I would love to understand what it is in conversation with. Not that Ute and Nina were part of that but there is a kind of cabaret element and humour that tie those two together that is missing from here. I just wonder who is in the conversation. Or maybe I am trying to hard. This is a great album that could definitely be improved but I'm not sure that disqualifies it from being a 5. It may end up being a 4. I am not sure that I will listen very often. And I think I am saving those 5s. This does come close...
The voice is tough to listen to but overall not unlistenable. This has got the typical 60's psychedelic sound to it.
Interesting sound and vocalist, but a pretty average album
quite nice but i like nico when shes scarier 4/5
Ugh, I dislike her voice so much. These Days is a decent song, if someone else were singing it.
A little NiCo goes a long way. I found the album inconsistent, but not unenjoyable. Very mellow. I doubt it'll be one I listen to regularly, but I think if I were in the right mood I would be more into it. I wouldn't skip one of the songs if they popped up organically.
01) The Fairest of the Seasons - 6,0 02) These Days - 6,5 03) Little Sister - 5,5 04) Winter Song - 5,0 05) It Was a Pleasure Then - 4,0 06) Chelsea Girls - 5,0 07) I'll Keep It with Mine - 5,5 08) Somewhere There's a Feather - 5,0 09) Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams - 4,5 10) Eulogy to Lenny Bruce - 5,0 TOTAL: 5,20 (52/100) Current ranking: 835/921
This album is mellow, but difficult to listen to. The music and vocal deliveries create a tension that put me on edge while listening to it. It turned a 45 minute record into something that felt longer.
Imagine if there hadn’t even been any strings and flutes!
This album has grown on me, very “muse”, I know her work from the VU time, I read up about her too
This album feels so delicate and beautiful.
Nah. Couldn’t make it all the way through this slog.
Just say no, to Nico.
The only reason this even gets considered here is because of her association with Warhol and Velvet Underground. This was one of the more painful listens so far, and not because of the music really (there’s some good players in here). It’s the insufferable vocal delivery…oh, and way too much flute. Even Ron Burgundy couldn’t pull this much flute off. Rating up a notch solely on unintentional comedic value.
Did not realize Nico is a woman. Was thinking that was just some blonde on the cover. Interesting. But yeah, I did not like this. Not sure it’s as egregious as ones I actually rated 1 but this is close. 1.5
I didn't really like this very much. Winter Song kinda sounds like something that could have been in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. 2/5
Ok
ngl espere que me gustara más, these days me encanta, top songs ever la verdad
What a piece of crap
she sings like she's speaking to someone hard of hearing. I'm not sure if I like it or not.
I don’t like the singer’s voice and the album is really boring
This must be one of the worst performances I've heard in recent years. How did she manage to find someone to record and publish that crap?
incredible bad. like someone who really should not sing but does it anyway
The German accent was really distracting for me. Generally nice music, reading up on Nico it seems she was not someone who's art I want to spend time with, though.
Honestly the first half I kinda enjoyed and then “It Was A Pleasure Then” kinda killed it for me and the rest became annoying to listen to
This sounds like you made the most average singer in a Protestant church perform Medieval Catholic folk music translated into English by an overzealous but well meaning intern.
I'm guessing this one isn't for me. I'm finding it boring. Not like sleepy boring, like I'd rather listen to anything other than this. Technically it's fine. Doesn't sound bad at all. I'm just not a fan of her I guess. Loved when she was with Velvet Underground though.
какта ні оч
Soy de los progres a los que este disco les mola, pese a la voz de Nico y resultar en algunos momentos aburrido.
Meh, just about a 3 as I couldn’t care enough to hate it.
This is the second consecutive year I've generated a Nico album on May 16th, and I'd hardly call myself a fan of either of them. This album does fall into a category I made for this generator, titled "This album isn't great, but still gets too much hate". In my head, I was listening to a medieval concert, which was at least different. It had a charm to it, at points. The singing wasn't good, but fit the genre, if that makes sense. Favorite Track: "Chelsea Girl".
Actually bad. I think this is music from that time where if you moaned and made enough dissonant noises critics would glaze you to no end. We have since learned that dissonant music still requires musicality and knowledge of keys and notes and stuff.
Better than I expected
When i visit germany i will piss on her grave. 1 star is too many.
Вот это я понимаю заунывный скулёж - не из бархатного подземелья, а прямо из холодной могилы
Я вообще не знал, что Нико после бананового альбома с velvet underground еще что-то записывала для более широкой аудитории, чем тусовки Энди Уорхола. А судя по прослушиваниям там даже хиты были. Но если честно, мне сложно всерьез воспринимать ее голос. Звучит как будто позвали обычную модель из соседнего подъезда спеть несколько песенок, и она, как ребенок на детском утреннике, поет старательно и громко, но слышно, что без техники и нормального контроля. Аранжировки норм, где-то даже интересный психодел начался, и под кислоту это наверно норм заходило, но у меня из запасов в квартире только липоевая кислота в аптечке.
Найс
Нормикс, дальше у нее хуже и муторнее будет
Как же К Р А С И В О
приятно звучит, такое люблю, 4
Seems like she had a pretty bad life and was a pretty messed up person. I think her voice can be very compelling but I did not particularly enjoy this album. But, I don’t know. I think there might be something to the whole 60’s, European, Andy Warhol, French cinema, Bohemian, avant garde, New York, dressing in all black and doing heroin thing. But I wonder how much of that was just a media creation to sell copies of Time magazine by writing articles about people who hated Time magazine? I don’t think I am qualified to judge whether that scene had value or not. It’s kind of cool to get glimpses of it but I wouldn’t want to get within 1,000 miles of it in real life or give it any more of my money than whatever I have spent on Velvet Underground albums over the years. I think an album can be kind of bad and something you never intend to listen to again and still have been worth hearing once. Personally, I’d rather listen to music made for people to enjoy without needing to feel artistic and nihilistic and existential at the same time but I guess I am glad that the Nico’s of the world were out there avant garde-ing for us squares.
Really lovely and nice and good! :) Maybe too much syrup added by the strings, but the songs and vibe was great! I wonder if there's a version of it how Nico wanted it to sound?
Musical arrangements are nice, not crazy for the droll, nasally voice, doesn't help that the songs are very long.
Nice and cozy.
There is some interesting stuff here, but I can't say I found it enjoyable to listen to.
I like this one! I knew that one song from somewhere. Wasn't so aweinspiring I could give it a 5 though
This would be better without Nico
Who knew Nico had other albums? I sure wish I still didn’t.
4/5
The music was good. Shame about, what can only be loosely described as, singing.
Very out there and dreamlike. What you expect from Nico. 6/10
been a minute since i last heard this one. it's fine. prefer my nico with the velvet underground vs solo.
Un solido 4. Canciones lentas pero muy buenas. Me agregue casi todas
Meh. Not my jam.
beautiful.
Nico’s voice is very beautiful to me
De instrumentale muziek is heel mooi, maar de manier waarop gezongen wordt irriteert me enorm
Ik vond het heel tof!! Rustgevend en mooi
A very smooth and sultry album
A singer who can't sing, and flutes that don't fit anything. I guess the connection to the Velvet Underground is the reason this album is on the list.
Who is this Chelsea girl? She is boring as fuck!
I couldn't finish it. I don't like Nico at all. This album really solidifys it. Just so boring.
Tank Battles yesterday, this today. Making me reevaluate my opinion on Tank Battles
Uggghhh! Nico’s The Velvet Underground & Jim Morrison connection wasn’t enough to sway me ….. this was an awful listening experience. If you are looking for a way to bring you down and go into a funk, take on this 45 minutes of morose torture.
I hate to say it, but her voice was a little grating.
Instrumentally it all sounds a bit messy and I'm not a fan of her voice
There’s a haunting, melancholic beauty in this baroquey art avant-folk type thing. Nico’s deep, semi-monotone, cold emotion German-tinged English vocals over somewhat jovial and hopefully fingerpicked guitars, along with some string and flute arrangements to fill it out. It almost doesn’t fit together, but at the same time it works. Hints at her experimental future directions with the drony feedbacky moments. I could see why people would hate this, but I find a lot of beauty and originality here. Hard to find anything that scratches the same itch.
As a concept album all the songs sound the same for a unifying experience. All the songs sound the same and her voice is just not up to the task of carrying a solo act.