Reviews (page 5 of 8)
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.
Not really for me, too samey over and over - probably ok for 1 or 2 songs but not a whole album
peut être l’album le pllus surcote de la liste 2+/5
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.
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.
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
i want tim buckley as my bard
It was ok.
Not for me. I actually hated this.
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.
Most of us was pretty done and good, but don't of it was just a bit too out there for me.
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.
Not my thing. I’ve tried and tried. The Velvets are one of my favourite bands but Nico solo, sorry!!
Not my favorite album but there are a few songs i kinda like
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.
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
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.
Musical arrangements are nice, not crazy for the droll, nasally voice, doesn't help that the songs are very long.
There is some interesting stuff here, but I can't say I found it enjoyable to listen to.
This would be better without Nico
The music was good. Shame about, what can only be loosely described as, singing.
De instrumentale muziek is heel mooi, maar de manier waarop gezongen wordt irriteert me enorm
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!
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.
Instrumentally it all sounds a bit messy and I'm not a fan of her voice
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.
This is a bit of a weird one. Some sort of difficult songs, which is interesting, but didn't really hit with me either.
Started well, the music on the first 2 tracks was actually pretty decent, lo-fi guitars punctuated by pretty orchestration but I’m afraid Nico’s voice and delivery ground me down early. The rest of the album just grated even when the underlying tracks may have had some merit I can’t take her singing. 1.9
Als gäbe sie sich mühe beim Singen keine Miene zu verziehen
Really different sound.
I've been curious to hear her with Velvet Underground, but this came first on the generator. I suppose the instrumental side of this project is easy to appreciate. Her vocals, less so, and they're definitely the reason one would be listening to this, a strong protagonist. We can appreciate that she's German, she sounds like it, but I've heard people sound German and also have a lovely voice so I'm a bit confused with the necessity of this listen. To think she was upset about the winds and strings, I think they make the effort listenable. I feel like with another vocalist this might be built for my folk tastes, not an easy genre for me, but this is really well produced. I find it highly listenable and slightly hard to tolerate at the same time. 2.5/5
Artsy and odd. The cover art is gorgeous. Eulogy to Lenny Bruce is slightly bonkers. I wanted to be wow’d but I think it would take drugs I’m not willing to mess with.
Art world darling
It was passable, but not something I'll ever listen to again.
While strong vocal technique isn’t essential, her vocals often feel like an unpolished karaoke performance. The only real highlight is the impressive list of songwriters involved.
I like how original the album is but I don't like the singing very much. Made me think of Phoebe from Friends all the time...
Droney voice, not a pleasant listen. I got through the whole thing, but one listen is enough. Just about gets a 2 for a couple of songs.
When the artist themselves can’t listen to the album because they hate the arrangements, it feels like maybe it shouldn’t be on the list. Maybe influential, but not that enjoyable.
Man, I basically only ever heard These Days and was looking forward to this album. Really bland experience. It's like it's hunting for depth and meaning but in a glass of water. The strongest parts of this album are all of the instrumental choices trying to offset her lack of skill as a singer. Interesting album to have heard but it's not great. These Days is a captivating song in a strange way.
When this started I thought maybe her voice is interesting in it's oddness. When These Days hit I thought okay this works, maybe I would like to hear it with just vocals and guitar. The guitar really got me on that track. From there though over all this is a mess.
Not only quite boring, but also badly sung in an annoying German accent
Wasn't really taken by this one, it's moody and the lyrics are interesting in parts but the vocals just really didn't appeal to me throughout most of the album.
This one was tough. Because this album has all the ingredients for me to fall in love. But there's a line in Men in Black 3 where Bill Hader as Andy Warhol says "...I'm filming this man eating a hamburger. It's.... transcendent." I think this album would be the soundtrack to that film. If you want to lose me throw me an album full of string and woodwind arrangements. "I didn't like [the strings], 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." Straight up quote from Nico herself (I got it off the Wikipedia page) I feel vindicated.
No. 154 The songs were mostly melancholy and the melodies, such as they were, fell flat.
Don't like Velvet Underground or Nico as a collab so went in thinking I was doomed to more artsy BS. But solo Neeks is better. She got a not so appealing voice but somehow works with the musical backing. Basically no rhythm section so her singing comes on like monotone percussion. Good thing Tom Wilson added flute and strings to tracks against her wishes. Makes Chelsea Girl much better. It would be a bore without his influence. Can't say I hated this as much as I thought I would but still don't like it much. I'll "Wrap My Troubles in Dreams" tonight and give her 1.6 stars.
I thought I liked Nico’s singing. Maybe I don’t. ⭐️⭐️
Props to Nico for not giving up on the entertainment business altogether after having... THIS kind of botched production job on her work. This is a very good lesson on how vital it is to find the right producer!
There was something about this that I really didn't like. Not passive dislike either, I couldn't concentrate on anything whilst this was playing like it's actually irking. I'd only heard of this woman through the Velvet Underground but didn't realise quite how dreadful she was whilst they were accompanying her.
Baroque pop?? Seriously?? Was there a single moment when she was on key in this entire album?
Like a bad karaoke singer but not quite bad enough to be funny
NIco was goed met de Velvet Underground... deze plaat is gewoon niet goed
I'm a huge Velvet Underground fan, and also like Andy Warhol quite a bit, but their fascination with Nico baffles me. Her pronunciations of English are so bizarre, and while she has a reasonably nice voice, it ends up sounding stilted.
Not totally down with singing that’s almost in tune. Nonetheless, the album started strong but was a slog by the end
I didn’t care for this at all - no ma’am! The songs were mostly melancholy and the melodies, such as they were, fell flat. Boring and joyless and not for me.
Tough listen
Bon, honnêtement album très moyen avec très peu de surprise passé la tonalité du premier son. Pour ma part je n'ai vraiment retenu que "Chelsea Girl" que je trouve plutôt bien et plus travaillé dans l'atmosphère, et "It was a pleasure then" que je trouve absolument terrifiant dans ses sonorités qui mélange une voix quelque peu angélique opposée à un vacarme absolument abominable. Cela marche néanmoins plutôt bien puis que ça évite de perdre l'auditeur en lui offrant un élément qui dénote entièrement de tout le projet. Toujours est il que je trouve l'album assez générique avec peu de surprises. Moyen par rapport à ce qu'à fait Nico plus tard
Hmmm Another of those probably historically vaguely important albums then. Maybe this needs to be on this list. But… I’ve come to realise that I generally dislike over orchestrated songs, and this is rather unfortunately full of them. And I’m not overly a fan of her voice on this either. These Days I’d obviously a great song, but this version with the elongated vocal and string quartet turn me off it. Jackson Browne’s versions are better; the one on Solo Acoustic 1 even talks about this version. Well worth a listen. There are some vaguely pleasant folky moments in places, but the production really ruins this. It seems Nico also disliked it. It’s not a 1, but it’s not much better.
2.0 Extremely poor. Boring beyond reproach. Firstly, I can't get the vocals at all. I know many artists I like can't technically sing, but they all sound tonnes better than this. Music so dull. Not sure why, but I now understand people who say they don't like Nick Drake, I think this is what it must sound like to their ears. Titular track the only album highlight, but even then at seven and a half minutes it's not even worth adding to any playlist, I'll just get bored eventually.
Pretty but forgettable
Not as bad as I had expected, still not super great.
singer songwriter, 1967 -> 2
I found her voice dreary and the songs unremarkable. I tried twice through and didnt find merit. Its not bad, it just doesnt stand up
I don’t get the Nico fascination. I guess you needed to be there. With Andy Warhol and The Velvet Underground and that whole scene to get it.
I could see how the aesthetic here, especially the string arrangements, came to influence the sound of Wed Andersonian indie rock. The first two tracks are amazing. I just didn't find the overall thrust of the album very engaging.
This is a great album for everyone who listens to The Velvet Underground & Nico and thinks there is too much Velvet Underground.
6.5 me gustó pero sé me hizo denso escucharlo
1.5
the wes anderson tune is good and some of the instrumentation is nice but the whole things too fuckin twee for hipster sake…
Her voice is just so dreadfully grating I found it awful to listen to
Nej alltså, kändes som att någonting liknande hade kunnat vara bra, men det här var inte min grej.
Fucking maudlin over-fluted droning.
This is a difficult one for me, there are some really good bits and some really naff bits. Good vocals and naff ones. It really is one or the other. On the whole, its just not my bag. I sort of want it to be, but it just isn't. Can only give it a 2. Sorry.
Elements of this album are great. I like some of the haunting, ethereal tracks and Nico’s deep vocal style. But there are other elements that become really jarring, notably the artsy, over the top instrumentals that almost seems like they're trying too hard to be clever and different. It's not a terrible album by any stretch but for me it doesn't quite work.
I have These Days favorited but can't remember when or why. The album reminds me of the drunk girl at the RenFaire trying to sing along with the minstrels.
Fairly dull 60s acoustic album. Not exactly bad, just rather forgettable and didn't do much for me.
Ngl, this album wasn't good. It somehow felt like it dragged on forever despite only being 45 minutes, and each song sounded exactly the same. The singing was technically competent but boring, and the arrangements felt like they didn't do anything interesting. Some of the songwriting seemed decent, but it was hard to appreciate due to everything else, and the songs weren't even by Nico anyway. Favorite Track: I'll Keep It With Mine
This is just literally the type of music I don't care for or about, it's not bad but just not for me
Mediocre at best. The vocals are pretty annoying in my opinion and it's really just a snoozefest. Favorites: The Fairest Of The Seasons, Winter Song Least favorites: It Was A Pleasure Then, Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams Rating (out of 10): 5.5/10
A little boring. She seems uninterested in making the album, which is a stylistic choice. Some of the music was okay. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again
it was slow and sometimes repetitive
It kinda feels like a joke right? Like this is so fucking dull and her voice isn’t good enough to carry a full 45 minutes, I’m sorry but she sounds mentally challenged and I hate it, this sucks and it’s boring. Winter Song was actually ok and maybe I’ll play it the next time I host a fucking medieval dinner party, I don’t know. What a rough patch I’ve had with this generator lately. 2 stars
a solo album which was written, produced, performed by everyone except Nico. She just turned up to sing like a fuckin french horn Actually such a shame cos some of the music is really nice but it's wasted on an unpleasant racist who can't sing. Why is this in the list?? 4 / 10 Best track: Little Sister because of the Velvet Underground documentary
An artist who is infinitely more interesting than her music, but this album has some Lou Reed magic. 1. The Fairest Of The Seasons 2. Chelsea Girls 3. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams
This is a pretty odd album. You can kind of tell that the producer added in a bunch of additional tracks after the fact, but even those aside, I don't think I really like Nico's voice or singing style much. You can really hear Lou Reed's influence on It Was a Pleasure Then, but overall this isn't one I'll revisit. 2/5
A bit samey for me, but I get why this was influential and important for music as a whole back in the day.
This will always just remind me of The Royal Tenenbaums. ‘These Days’ is such an amazing song. ‘The Fairest Season’ is a great track one as well. I wonder if Nico is the key to me liking The Velvet Underground songs I do or if it’s the other way around. There’s some Dylan and Jackson Browne on here too? Makes sense that Browne does a great version of ‘These Days’. Not a perfect album by any means but there are a few standouts. Her voice is so distinctive and works in places and not in others. Some songs drag, I had to really force myself to stay in it. The guitar forward songs are much better I think. A lot of it could have worked better without the strings and flute, maybe?
Yeah, this really isn't very good - I think her voice grated me less in the Velvet Underground context, but a whole album's worth is too much. 1 star added for decent string arrangements in parts, but not much else going on here. Also apparently she's not a very good person.
Indulgent and one note but somehow listenable.
She's a better singer than Lou Reed, though to be fair that's a pretty low bar, and she doesn't clear it by a lot. Very nice baroque-folk instrumental arrangements (Jackson Browne on guitar will do that for you), accompanying vocals and lyrics that are...fine? The slow and portentous lyrics tend to bring out Nico's German accent at inopportune moments, and sometimes her voice goes just a little TOO low and gets pitchy. Overall, it's not particularly my cuppa, but certainly not terrible. (Well, to be fair, "It Was a Pleasure Then" IS absolutely terrible, but the rest is okay.)
Some kind of medieval ballads
I don't mind chamber folk, but found most of this album somewhat tedious. I'm mildly curious how it came to be made (what were those involved thinking, phenomenon of producer changing tracks without involvement from nominal artiste) and why/how did it get more famous over time. Track 3 would be more interesting if no strings/flutes, just guitar organ vox. Track 5 is already more interesting than others - sparse, folk with noise, much better dynamic range. In some other tracks I was somewhat engaged by Larry Fallon's string/flute arrangements - while feeling bit repelled at betrayal of artiste whose album it supposedly was. Overall 3/10.
2.5/5. I think this album actually starts out pretty strong. the opener “the faintest of the seasons” and “these days” are both great songs, and I also enjoyed the title track. But much of the rest of the album is just pretty forgettable. Also bogged down at points by some unnecessary orchestration. I love Nico’s contributions to the first velvet underground record but I was left underwhelmed by this solo album.
These Days saved it from a 1.
This bitch again? I like These Days, but it's probably more nostalgia from The Royal Tenenbaums. She's just a walking cautionary tale for heroin use.
Chamber Folk Rock notable only for Nico's connection to Velvet Underground. I don't like her droning voice, it sounds like she's depressed and is in desperate need of cheering up.
Got through it… pretty painful…
Fairly forgettable folk/baroque pop. Flute is a nice touch and singing is somewhat pleasant/soothing but overall not super into it.
My knowledge of Nico doesn't go much further than her time with the Velvet Underground and some stories from books. This is the only album of hers I know by name, and I didn't realize she had a lengthy discography. This doesn't do much for me, even with all the talented people who helped make it happen. While she isn't a great vocalist, a) she was partially deaf, which affected her singing, and b) my record collection is full of people who aren't good vocalists. Maybe something else in her discography will grab me, but in the meantime, I'll stick with "All Tomorrow's Parties."
Some people had a Bob Marley Phase; I had a Velvet Underground and Lou Reed phase. Which provides some sentimentality for Nico, but not enough to make this entertaining. Was surprised at the Jackson Browne connection. According to Wikipedia: "Nico was dissatisfied with the album. In 1981, she said she could not listen to it. According to Nico, her requests for drums and more guitar were refused, and she disliked the orchestrations: "I didn't like [the strings], 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."[8]" Nico was right.
Very pretentious, with a flute in the background so jarring that I had to Google if it was a parody album. Not as bad as others have made it out, but definitely a skip. Another one of the albums that makes me think 1001 is too many
An album where you hope you discover the rest of the genius who sang with the Velvet Underground. What you discover is the singer who was very lucky to be on that album as there is no other reason for this to exist.
Didn’t care for this.
2, like a some of it but hate her voice
Vite fait hein
Ok. But her voice is still annoying.
Soft and sultry 2 - a good album but not my thing
Sounds like a ghoul
not terrible but didn't do much for me
I enjoyed the instrumentation but this really felt like it was included because of who she knew and how she got there. Not because the music was any advancement or achievement. Unless most depressing was a criteria for this list. The most enjoyable moment was when wrap your troubles in dreams started and I discovered danger doom sampled that for their song korn dogz.
This is an album I should really have had some years ago, after hearing her on the velvet underground record, but I never did, so played it out yesterday, a couple of decent tunes here, but I won’t be buying it.
Orchestra gets the vote for this one. Don't love the voice, but the simple pure lyrics are interesting for the most part. Listened before? N Saved any tracks? N ⭐️⭐️ Didn't hate it, Liked it OK.
Meh
Her voice is beautiful, but the album's pacing is a little too slow, almost boring.
A flute players dream. This was boring as all get out.
This is an amazingly dull album, considering how many talented individuals were involved in the making of it. I'm thinking the problem is that the LEAST talented artist involved is the one named in the album's title. Perhaps she was simply responding to a producer's instructions to remove as much actual beauty or emotion from her voice as she possibly could?
It Was a Pleasure Then and Chelsea Girls are the only two songs worth listening to (honorable mention for Eulogy For Lenny Bruce)
I can't deal with Nico's voice. Don't like it here, and never cared for it in Velvet Underground. No chance I'll revisit this. "Winter Song" is a troubadour song? So much flute. Did not like, but at the very least succeeds in making me feel like I might be hanging out in some kind of aggressively-artsy club in the 60s.
My knowledge of Nico doesn't go much further than her time with the Velvet Underground and some stories from books. This is the only album of hers I know by name, and I didn't realize she had a lengthy discography. This doesn't do much for me, even with all the talented people who helped make it happen. While she isn't a great vocalist, a) she was partially deaf, which affected her singing, and b) my record collection is full of people who aren't good vocalists. Maybe something else in her discography will grab me, but in the meantime, I'll stick with "All Tomorrow's Parties."
I appreciated this and would give it another listen, but I feel like this just isn't my vibe.
Little bit beat neck-y for me. Didn’t listen to the whole thing.
Albums like this remind me that anyone can make music. Shitty music. Inspirational
The instrumentals are the best part, everything else is not worth it, and the instrumentals are bad.
En oo oikein ikinä ymmärtäny mikä tässä daamissa on ollut niin hienoa. No hengaili aikalaiskuuluisuuksien kanssa ja oli Velvetlevyillä. Ei edes osaa juuri laulaa ja biisitkin aika paskoja toisin kuin vaikka Joni Mitchellillä
Tää oli tuhnu. ⭐️⭐️
Osassa biiseistä oli vähän jotain ideaakin mutta laulamisesta en niin välittänyt.
I liked the beginning of this but lost interest as it went on. Enjoyed These Days and I'll Keep It With Mine. Otherwise, wouldn't revisit.
I just really can't stand her voice. Songs where terribly samey, instrumentals where just fine. Pretty Boring Favorite Track: I'll Keep it With Mine
No private session used for Spotify. I once did a deep dive on The Velvet Underground and learned about Nico...wasn't impressed with her voice so this will be interesting. While I was listening to this I was taking note of the music, maybe my mind was blocking out the voice, but I thought that had to be John Cale and a lot of it was. A lot of production time went into the music only to have eclipsed by Nico's voice. Someday I will do a deep dive on manufactured music stars.
Sounds disjointed and noisy in not the best way. Proximity to the velvet underground does not make you the velvet underground.
It just wasn’t good.
She disliked her own album. She wanted drums and more guitar but instead got strings which she disliked and flute which she hated. Her partial deafness makes her off key sometimes which the rest of the Velvet Underground ridiculed. Maybe drums and more guitar would balance her voice more than soft music? Myself neither love nor hate this album.
Nope
I like Nicos voice but she's better off in a group than going solo, the wee nazi
Her voice is instantly recognisable - and quite the acquired taste. Honestly... Her work with Velvet Underground is on this list, and very rightly so. But this album just doesn't match that quality at all.
The flat tone and delivery works only for a few tracks before it started to grate on me.
Meh.
Back then, they gave anyone a microphone who wanted one. At least Nico with the Velvet Underground has... the Velvet Underground. As far as her solo stuff is concerned, I think it's mostly just sad listening to a drug addict either glamorizing or reminiscing about their own transgressions.
Album 969 of 1089 Nico - Chelsea Girl (1967) Rating : 2 / 5 Today’s album was Chelsea Girl from Nico. I didn’t enjoy this one, plain and simple. I can appreciate what it represents - the era, the scene, the artistic angle - and I understand why it holds a special place for a lot of listeners, especially fans of that late-60s British/European art-folk mood. But for me, it just didn’t connect. I often love British music from this period, but this one felt a little too detached, too cold, and a bit too droning to ever really pull me in. Nico’s voice is definitely unique, but it sat so heavy over the arrangements that instead of drawing me in, it pushed me back a bit. The songwriting, the strings, the whole presentation - I get what it’s going for, I just didn’t find anything here that made me want to come back for another listen. Some albums you respect more than you enjoy. This is one of those. I’m glad to have heard it as part of the project, but it’s not one I’ll be revisiting.
I do not care for her voice.
A seriously monotonous album. 2 stars or D.
That was all right
Meh
From the first notes plucked on the guitar at the start of the album, I was sure this was going to be right up my alley. But instead, I found a plodding album, that does too little and too much all at once. The string and flute overdubs are too saccharine and Nico sounds detached from the songs she sings. I feel like the bones of this album are alright, but the whole is worse than the sum of its parts.
I'm just not a fan of her voice. The production is beautiful, though.
#760. I first listened to the Velvet Underground album with Nico on it. I thought it sucked. Not the end of the world, I guess, maybe just a pairing that doesn't really work. But then I listened to two more Velvet Underground albums, and nope they both sucked too. And now I'm here listening to this and it sucks as well. It's just a trifecta of suck that I personally could do without. 2/5: have I said the word sucks enough yet?
Ik vind de instrumenten leuk, de productie aardig en het sfeertje wel geinig. Ik vind het vandaag niet zo'n ramp dat het een tikkie vals en daardoor een beetje donker is. Dat viezige Duitse accent maakt het helemaal af. Ik weet niet precies wat dit op deze lijst te zoeken heeft, maar ik vind dit niet erg om een keer te luisteren. Al moet ik zeggen dat ik hier op een slechte dag mezelf ook wel weer compleet los op zie gaan met een dikke rant over vals zingende Duitse wijven die geen letter of noot zelf hebben geschreven, die ook geen heel geweldige controle hebben over de toonhoogte die ze produceren, maar dan blijkbaar toch worden geselecteerd om zo'n project in te zingen. Ik ben zeer benieuwd wat m'n favoriete Joni hater hierbij neerpent te zijner tijd, want ik neem aan dat daar een mooi stukje irritatie om de hoek zal komen kijken. Dit is voor mij 2,5 ster. Na even intern overleg met mezelf te hebben gevoerd moet ik toegeven dat drie sterren waanzin zou zijn. 2 sterren dus.
Flutey and a bit mad
La voix me gosse
wenns nöd langwiilig isch denn ischs lärmig…
I did not like this album at all
Not super into Nazi Folk Flute music.
Started off somewhat strong and interesting but fell off quickly for me before becoming a bit cacophonous.
One of the positive reviews mention her "raw and untrained voice" as something that makes the overall experience better. I could not agree less. The one thing I find interesting about her performance is that the lyrics have several rhymes that only work in a german accent.
4/10… singer songwriter/ folk
Mouais
Nein. Nein. This is a collection of music that plays during a montage from an episode of The Wonder Years. It’s dated, not interesting at all, and isn’t worth the time spent listening to it.
OK.
I liked the Velvet underground songs where Nico sang. The band's raw sound and Nico's monotonous singing fit together perfectly, but maybe this kind of songs would benefit of a more versatile singer
I like the music but I’m sorry I barely stand her voice she seems constantly in pain
At first I thought, oh good. Nico, outside of Velvet Underground, the only place I know her voice from. Now, I'm thinking Lou got it right. Use this voice for a particular sound without making it part of the larger whole. I did not like this. Flat delivery and dull musical accompaniment to my ear.
these days is a great song but the rest i could do without
Just flutes and bullshit. Couldn't really get past her voice. DNF.
I didn’t care for this one much
Immediately no. But then I didn’t hate it, but I think Yoko might owe her some money because that one song was wack like Ono and her voice is aaaalmost like nails on a chalkboard, but not quite. 5 stahs
Nico’s Chelsea Girl is one of those albums I respect more than I enjoy. Her voice is unique, and I can see why it holds a place in music history, but the sugary strings and delicate orchestration clash with her stark delivery for me. By the third track I already knew it wasn’t clicking, and the vibe doesn’t shift much across the record. Interesting as a document of its time, but not one I’d return to.
Ugh! Too bleak of a delivery.
2/5
A little too slow for me
Very much not for me. Dreary, long-winded, performative.
Hmm. The music was alright, maybe a bit too fairytale-y at times and a bit too abstract at others but okay I guess. But the vocals didn’t really help, just not a vocal style I liked. 2 stars
Jaysus. Nearly fell asleep. Just sounded whiney and disinterested.
I struggled a bit with the tone of this, I suspect I'm just not appreciating it and her influence in general!
These days is one of my favourite songs. I also enjoyed some of her additions to velvet underground. She’s the OG goth. But it’s better in doses
Initially thought this was interesting but it got a bit old. She's a bit flat.
I know this is an important album but holy shit was I bored (and I also think she was super racist?)
Really thought this album has some solid song writing with melody and lyrics, but can’t get past Nico’s dead voice. Give this album to Taylor Swift and let her redo it and I bet it would be amazing.
As far as Nico's material goes, I feel that she struck gold with her contributions towards The Velvet Underground's debut, however her solo work hasn't ever clicked with me in quite the same way as that album has. On the rare occasions that I feel up for the challenge, The Marble Index is the album of hers that I'm most likely to reach for. Chelsea Girl is quite low down in the pile for me as I just find it a bit empty, drawling and boring. It's very easy to tire of her vocals when there isn't much going on around them to distract you from them, or much variety in her approach, and unfortunately that's the case here. It's a "weird", but very surface level "weird" album that kind of becomes musical mush before too long.
I couldn't really get into this, even after listening to it a second time.
Not sure why this feels like a contradiction. Perhaps the low vocals make it feel like a woman pantomiming a man. Try as I did, could not take this seriously.
Can’t do the voice. Cannot do the voice
She's got a unique sound - that is not for me.
just not good
I didn't hate this, though I honestly can't tell if I liked it or not. It had a weird way about it that I enjoyed. That said, I really didn't think much of it was very good. I really don't even know what to say about it. Maybe that's why it's on the list? Overall: 2.3/5
That was exhausting.
2-3
The wiki said Nico cried when she heard the flutes on this album. Me too, Nico. 2/5
Interesting
After listening to this, I'm convinced boomers are weird...and not in a good way.
Cool sounds on the album. Nico sings ok but the tonal quality of the notes is kind of distracting. Maybe some Germans sound a bit more gutteral because the speech is towards the back of the throat? A linguist probably has a term for this.
I don’t like the production nor the arrangements. Most of the songs are quite forgettable as well, and Nico’s voice is an acquired taste. However, I really like the two first tracks + Chelsea Girls.
Nah
i dont want to listen to this
I do NOT know about this one, chief. There are some genuinely good moments in this album, but for the most part... mehhhhh... I don't know. Not my thing. Fave song: These Days
Every song sounded roughly the same. She has a good voice but just not really my style. Favourite Song: The Fairest of The Seasons
Should've quit when she was ahead after The Velvet Underground & Nico
Could've been a pretty good album but the vocals just kinda break it for me.
I think as a pretentious music major I’m supposed to be in love with this but I really can’t find it. The title track is the first one where I sort of got it, then I’ll keep it with mine is a great song. I want a strokes cover of I’ll keep it with mine. Otherwise, Lou reed and co are holding it down for some terrible terrible vocal Melodies. The production is great, instrumentals are pretty good, but this is one I can not get behind.
Conan The Barbarian sings Parsley Sage Rosemary & Thyme but the songs are all listless and dirge like. Halfway through a strong gust of some kind blows away all the string section’s sheet music and they do the most scratchy, waily, droney free form for about 8 minutes. Not for me, Clive.
Better than expected but my expectations were really low.
Her voice is dreadful. Maybe it could grow but not for me
When I first heard her voice I thought this could be something very interesting but as the songs passed nothing really jumped out at me as something special.
Hui - findi schwierig... Singt sie nüd immer ächli schräg?
It's alright
Tom Wilson is one of the more interesting NPCs of the sixties. (NPC in quotation marks. Anything but) Nico…odd to hear a voice so strong, yet so resolutely stuck within a narrow register. It’s like listening to drone music with lyrics.
It's depressing to me that Jackson Browne is only represented in this book through songs he had written and performed by another artist. I realize in 1967 Jackson Browne wasn't really "a thing" and it was nice to have his songs recorded by other artists. It's a bit of a bummer this is his only good representation in this book. Nico was also my least favorite part of the Velvet Underground's debut album. I simply don't find her as interesting as I am supposed to. She doesn't even have that good of a voice and she only co-writes one song on here. So, what's the draw? I spent most of The Fairest of the Seasons wishing I could hear Jackson Browne's version of the song. Nico didn't love the instrumentation that was added, but I have to believe upon hearing the song the producer(s) realized they needed to add more to this because there isn't much else to go on here. For me, this is another example of the curators of this list putting an album they have great nostalgia for on this list at the expense of the music actually being good. At best, I guess this album influenced other artists to play music. This seems to be the same reasoning for putting everything the Velvet Underground laid to tape in the book as well. Both artists were very influential in their own way, but at what point do we acknowledge the influence while leaving out the inferior music? The point is right here. I just don't love this one and take away the flute and strings, what the hell else is going on to enjoy?
I can appreciate this but it’s just a bit boring.
2.5
nico “tolerable in small doses on the VU debut” warhol hisses and hoots her way through a whole album of orchestral folk. “these days” is all right; the orchestral freakout on “it was a pleasure then” is cool; and “chelsea girls” hits that “all tomorrows parties” sadness, but it’s too long. can’t say i totally understand nico. something tells me if she looked like mama cass, nico wouldn’t have happened. which is no shade on mama cass—if anything, it speaks to her greatness. i guess there’s a certain tragic beauty to this, but i’m not sure it’s for the reasons those involved intended. apparently she didn’t like the flute. listen, nico, the flute ain’t the problem.
i liked the first two tracks, turns out its because the fellas from velvet underground wrote them. she sings with the energy of my 8 year when I'm trying to get him to school on time. meh
Flirting with one-star territory. If we only graded precociousness, this is a five-hit wonder for sure. Tell Zamfir to calm down on the flute.
Tend to agree with the artist’s own assessment: “I still cannot listen to it….The first time I heard the album, I cried and it was all because of the flute.”
my sleep paralysis demon is Nico's voice
The first two songs are great, then it devolves into a Velvet Underground album.
Honestly a miserable listen and put me right to sleep
Great songs, but I can’t take more than 15 minutes of bad Nico singing.
I hate the way she sings.
As a fan of the Velvet Underground, I wanted to like this album. However, I just couldn’t.
this was good but i can't give it more then a 2... i just didn't vibe with it at all, but it was good music. the 60's singer songwriter stuff i just don't like.
I love women on the list however this was just boring. No soul at all but I understand why I listened to it.
Not my cup of tea at all.
Not my kind of music
This album has some haunting moments. Some are haunting in a good way, some not.
..
Not for me seems like she isn’t a great person
While there are some great songs, this is overall a tough listen. The production is a bit too minimalist and rough around the edges.
I've said before that I have a hard time with Nico's voice. On 'Chelsea Girl' she is often completely buried in strings or orchestral flourishes that don't do her or the songs any favors. Jackson Browne's writing and guitar playing are my favorite parts of the album. "These Days" is devastating regardless of who's performing it. (I did go listen to Browne's version of the song after the album was over as a palette cleanser.) Again, too bad about the singing and the strings. Unbelievable as it seems to me, the eight-minute "It Was A Pleasure Then" was my favorite track. Her vocals worked with the sonic freakout and her high-pitched "ooo"s were effective.
It sounds medieval and boring. In addition to being grating, the singer's voice doesn't fit the backing instruments at all, and the audio tracks sound like they were unmixed or at the very least mixed extremely poorly.
Its everything I thought it would be and less
No Velvet Underground, no fun!
2.1
Love/hate on this one. An entire album of Nico’s singing is usually too much, but there are moments where it really works, almost ironically. Which can also be annoying. That said, she somehow made a James Taylor song enjoyable, so points for that.
Not really the same without the velvet underground 2/5
I've never heard Nico's solo music before. I read the "Personal life" section of her Wikipedia page once and now I roll my eyes whenever I see Nico anywhere. It's a good thing that I don't really like her music either, a match made in heaven 2/5
Pretty much only because of the music itself, this is a 2.
The usual two star. First heard of Nico through Velvet Underground.
es raro, me gusta lo que escucho pero me aburre un poco
Hadde dessverre ikke noe til overs for denne stemmen. Tok veldig mye fokus i lydbildet. Fungert bedre med litt lysere stemme, tenker JEG. Ellers smått kjedelig.
Mooie liedjes, waarom die lelijke geluiden tussendoor?
something something Warhol something something The Velvet Underground something something blah blah blahhhhh Only salvageable song is These Days
I wanted to like this more, and waffled between a 2 or 3 star, but Nico herself gave me the permission structure to give it the lower grade since she claimed the album was unlistenable because of the instrumentation... which ironically was what held the album together at times.
too sleepy
Irgendwie irritierte mich das Ganze...
Very different voice, not exactly beautiful. German singer debut. Collaboration with Velvet Underground and Dylan. Some disonance. Some pretty songs. Hate the German accent.
Downbeat and rueful chansons with New York folk twist - I'd love to hear it without the additional strings/wings that were added by the producer, they rob the album of some much-needed darkness. Monotonous but sadly not in a fun droney way, most of the time. Favourite tracks: It Was A Pleasure Then (good drone!), Chelsea Girls, Eulogy to Lenny Bruce
Sounds like the emperor's new clothes looks... Unless Lou Reed makes an appearance.
heard before
Someone who wanted to be a singer and had money / connections to make an album happen.
I like these one at a time - a whole album het voice starts to annoy me
Not my thing, didn't care for it. It's a lyrics album I suppose, and I don't always have the attention span to dive into them, but the music was quite meh.
Her singing is pretty bad
This is the start of her Spotify bio...One of the most fascinating figures of rock's fringes, Nico hobnobbed, worked, and was romantically linked with an incredible assortment of the most legendary entertainers of the '60s. I include that because I feel like that explains this album and her ability to create a musical career. This wasn't good, her vocals are not great, the lyrcis are okay, and the musical arrangements don't do anything to help her voice. But she knew people that had money, she was pretty and they needed something to do with her (wikipedia says she lived with a music producer for 3 years and noticed her singing and said let's connect you with a band). For this album specifically, she didn't write multiple songs on this album and other people produced the songs in ways she didn't approve of (adding flutes and strings, she wanted drums). Which adds to the mess in this album. Too many hands were in it and nobody agreed on what it should be. To me this album is flawed because she wanted to be a musician and others around her just wanted to put a pretty face on an album. Leaving a mess of sound that feels like an amateur high schooler on an open mic night.
wow... can we get Joni Mitchell back?
If this album were released today, it would be violently ignored. It’s quite boring. I don’t think I care for Nico’s voice. She sounds like a little girl looking in the mirror playing dress up and pretending to be a proper adult in her game of make believe…oh, and she’s wearing a RIDICULOUS amount of makeup. Or it just sounds like she is just desperate to enunciate every single syllable properly in an effort to be completely understood. Aside that, the music is lovingly orchestrated in parts but all very insignificant and non-threatening.
If music was a raincloud, it would be this album. I'd be interested to hear it the way she wanted it, with drums and more guitar. It sucks she didn't want strings and flute, but the producer added them anyway. I generally like the sound of those instruments, but that wasn't her vision, and they didn't help make this any better. It's very drab and a bit of a downer. Even Nico didn't like it! It's also just her singing other people's songs, and her voice isn't even that great. This wasn't my thing.
Interessante Frau mit interessantem Lebenslauf. Aber Singen war keine gute Idee. Wobei so eine herbe, düstere, unperfekte Stimme schon einen eigenen Reiz hat.
It was ok at best, I'm familiar with Nico from her work with the Velvet Underground, I quite like the sound of her voice even though she isn't a great singer, I just think the album is a little repetitive and lacks a bit on the production side of things.
I tried to like it, but her voice is just too monotone for me and the songs are too melancholy and not beautiful melancholy either. It almost sounds like she's tone deaf. The only thing interesting about this album is her accent.
meh
Interesting back story on her. "Jack of all trades, master of none" seems to apply here.
This sounds like music that would be in a Wes Anderson movie. (one web search later) Yep. I like Wes Anderson movies... I don't really dig this music. Props to Nico getting on this list with that voice. I don't even have words for "It Was A Pleasure Then"
Boring!
Very boring. Sparse sounding. Monotone vocal singing sad songs.
Not for me at all. I can see how this was influential on many others though.
pretty solemn rock album, see the appeal, but not my style 2/5
Despite this being a style of music I often like, this album is boring as hell and Nico can’t sing.
boring music with vocals from a woman who can’t really sing. it was a struggle to get through this one, to be honest.
Pretty yet sparse tunes Forgettable poetry Delivered flatly
I don't like the vocals, some guitar parts and melodies were nice but I couldn't really get into it. 3/10
What if medieval bards were on the smack? Nico's voice is the saddest voice I've ever heard.
Very unengaging and I am not a fan of her voice. It Was A Pleasure Then has one of roughest stretches in a song I've heard on this list. A couple of tolerable tunes, but overall, I just can't get into the monotone, one-note delivery set to a medieval flute.
I’m one of the few people who really can’t stand the Velvet Underground, so seeing a Nico album initially filled me with dread. And indeed, it turned out to be some hippy-dippy music with a dark edge that I couldn’t really connect with. The whole performance feels like something I’d accidentally stumble upon at a small club or at a house show in someone’s basement - something I’d sit in and listen to a couple songs but would head out early. I’ll admit I enjoyed Nico’s performance, set against the minimal instrumentation, more on her own record than her collab with VU. That said, it still feels pretentious and unfinished, and it felt more and more like pulling teeth getting through the last few songs. I probably wouldn’t give it another listen unless I found myself in a pretty dark place mentally. Even then, there are better, sadder songs to listen to when depressed lol
# Playlist track - The Fairest of The Seasons # Notes - I was excited to get to know this, since I really really like Velvet Underground. - Major disappointment. - Album starts out OK but drags on and on in an insufferable parade of boring and uninspired tracks. - Do not recommend.
Pretentious, experimental cock-and-bull. It's always the avant-garde bitches who are a little sick up in the head.
Imagine taking the worst part of velvet underground, isolating it, and making an album. Case in point
Nope
Not for me
Well Nico hates this album and so do I! what a dull album.
There are isolated moments where I vibe to this. But an entire album is a bit much. 2/5
Oh. Honey. No.
Didn't much like this, despite my expectations. Her voice is actually hard to take. I enjoyed it on "The Velvet Undergound and Nico", but a full album is too much. She's not terribly tuneful.
Kind of cool for a few songs but all similar sounding.
I usually like folk albums, but this just didn't click with me. Some songs like 'Chelsea girls', 'The fairest of the seasons' or 'Wrap your troubles in dreams' were okay for the genre. However, the rest of the album bordered between boring and unlistenable. It was nicely produced at times, but her voice was far too monotone to make it an enjoyable experience for me. 2/5 stars
Meh. Next.
Meh. Not very good.
Dull and austere, very samey
If she didn't like it, why would I?
Nico’s voice is special, so haunting and ethereal. Chelsea Girl is very baroque sounding. Loses points for not writing any of the songs 5.3/10
Her voice is low. I found it and the music boring.
These Days is a banger, though.
it sounds like she has a lot of ice cubes in her mouth and the words are pouring out between them
4/10