Reviews (page 7 of 9)
Not my style, but definitely some talent there that kept me engaged.
I don't know much about Nico, other than association with Velvet Underground. Wasn't all that knocked out by this album but apparently she didn't like the outcome all that much either.
bad aged
Nope. The mopey, toneless deep voice and lack of nuance is just a no go from me. Though I do love hearing Jackson Browne's banter about his electric guitar playing on this cover of his song These Days.
so unbelievably good Nico is such a one-of-a-kind artist - 10/10
Strongly dislike her voice. And most of the songs were terrible.
I loved her work with the Velvet Underground, but this really didn’t suit her vocals. Interesting that Jackson Brown played in several of the songs (the ones he wrote).
I like These Days. Not much else.
it's a beautiful album. I've heard the first two songs plenty of times before but never listened so attentively, so I got to appreciate them in a whole new light – the lyrics are so subtle and fragile in a way. this album also has an impressive list of collaborators – Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, and many others. her vocals are unconventional, but rating this album 1 star because her voice doesn't sound like all the autotuned singers who sound exactly the same is crazy. anyway, listening to this just reminds me of the story of her death: she fell off a bike while on her way to buy some weed in Ibiza. both incredibly tragic and iconic
Good example of the influence your mood has on a listen. Heard this record for the first time a few weeks ago and hated it. Today I listened to it again and liked it a lot more. Still, probably unlikely to get a ton of airtime at my house going forward, and I'm not sure this would be on my list of top 1001, though it has some archaeological significance.
I find it hard to get past Nico's voice, unfortunately, so it's hard to appreciate and/or enjoy this as much as I probably should. That aside, this seems a lot more saccharine than the Velvet Underground/Nico collaboration (despite a bunch of Velvet Underground participation in the album), so maybe it's not just her voice that's putting me off this album. The songs *do* get better as the album goes along, particularly those with more Velvet Underground participation and songwriting (I think I enjoyed "It Was a Pleasure Then" the most), but it's still a pretty challenging album to listen to. To be fair to her, the Wikipedia entry makes it pretty clear the flute/string additions were not only *not* her choice, but ruined it for her too (along with the absence of drums or bass). Sorry, Nico--you got robbed! And us too. It seems a shame to include this in the greatest albums collection, given how she was treated and how different this was from what she'd hoped for. A testament to how dictatorial producers and studios were back then. :(
The French have an expression "belle laide" which refers to a woman who is both beautiful and ugly and this is how I feel about her singing. I have no idea why this album is on this list. I bet Lenny Bruce would have laughed his ass off if he'd heard that eulogy.
asdasd
Terrible
2.1 fine for a couple of songs or two but just gets grating after a while faves: these days, i'll keep it with mine
I started to enjoy it, at least I think I enjoyed it, then I slowly got lost in its lack of tone and then it just descended into noise.
Interesting album - I enjoyed listening, would probably never listen again. Would rather listen to her songs on the VU & Nico album
This has to be like the 6th to 7th Renaissance-core album that is on this list. This album really sucked
It's....music. Its a women singing not very well with a slightly German accent. Musically it's quite dull and vocally far from impressive. It's a 2 because its not Serge
3 written by Jackson brown! Enjoyed.
Nico - Chelsea Girl (1967) WHAT I ENJOYED: relatively short run time, some fun string fills, finally being able to say I've listened to Nico GRIPES: really strange monotonous speak-singing style (it does feel distinctly German,) v old sounding recording quality, mostly dull arrangements RECCOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: Cate Le Bon, Cassandra Jenkins, Florence + the Machine (but not fun,) when music is "Important" and "Challenging" #442 revealed / #501 rated
Mooie chord progressions Strijkers voegen goede diepte toe Unieke stem, valt soms té flat Sommige delen slepen lichtjes aan, maar wel mooi gebracht Subtiele mix van instrumentatie, stem die verzacht en versterkt in It was a pleasure then voegt veel toe
Listening to this convinced me that Nico is one of the more authentic singers on this list. She not a diva or a star, nor does she have any pretensions to be. She doesn’t have anything close to the voice of an angel. But when she sings I really feel like she is a real person with real emotions. Nice style of bittersweet melancholy that I enjoy in the right mood. I especially adore the first two songs
I’ve liked ‘These Days’ for a long time so that was nice to hear again and I enjoyed ‘I’ll Keep It With Mine’ but mostly all the songs sound too similar and were a bit weird
I kind of liked this in short bursts but by the end her voice was too much
The folk parts are ok but when it gets weird it fucking ruins it. God awful at times. Never really good enough to make up for it.
Nett.
I’m not impressed unfortunately
I couldn't get into this or connect with it in any way. A good thing I can say about it is that I enjoyed the ethereal quality of the sound. I didn't find it exciting or sobering or thought provoking. Standout Track: Winter Song
Theres probably at least 1001 albums better than this
Just not in the mood tbf
Weird.
Nada destacable, non me gustou
Not a fan of her voice, but there were some other cool things going on in the background.
I mean it pretty nice and all, but the thickness of that German accent is a bit hard to get used to. I feel like I'd rather hear her sing the album in German. Track 5 brought the album down a star
Shit singing. Boring songs.
Lots of flute. Renaissance-like, but not as bad as I expected. I would listen again.
My first reaction to this is that this is terrible. Unmitigated bullshit. Reading up a bit, I see there is a strong Andy Warhol connection, and this very much starts to make sense. Doesn't make it any less bullshit - she can't sing. The downright monotone of her delivery is painful. Turns out she was nobbing half of the music industry at some point or another, and I'm not saying that she fucked her way into a record deal, but it seems very likely that she fucked her way into a record deal. The names that surround her - Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, John Cale, Jim Morrison - all hyper-influential, and "for some reason" contributed to her career. There's some rather dubious claims, here and there, of her antisemitism - but that doesn't quite stack up with her relationships with Lou Reed (whose father changed the family name from Rabinowitz) and Dylan (whose father was a Zimmerman) so I can't really leverage that into a rating, but the story about her stabbing someone in the eye with a broken glass for the heinous crime of "being mixed race" seems pretty well documented and corroborated, so that definitely will be factored in. I only wish I could go lower than 1 star, because that's where the "artistic merit" of this bilge was going to end up anyway.
Probably the worst album I’ve ever heard. Is this a joke? Since I started the 1001 this is the first one I had to take off because I couldn’t take it any more
Whimsical kinda boring folk music, with a terrible singer. No thanks. 1.8.
This album should be on the list '1001 albums that make you wanna die'
There are some very pretty melancholy songs on this album. It’s just a shame that Nico doesn’t quite know how to utilize her limited vocal range to make them soar.
Didn't found anything on it
That's a no for me dawg.
One of the great essential truths of rock music, in my mind, is that you don’t have to be a well-trained, professional musician to make a great and interesting record. Ambition can outweigh ability and it shouldn’t be considered detrimental to the music you create. Chelsea Girls is singular and unique, experimental but ultimately not overly formidable. Sadly, this record seems to have been produced with Nico’s input cast aside and ignored, which is truly unfortunate and one has to wonder what it may have sounded like if she had had her way.
Nico off the walls
Plain voice. Vocals prominent. Mix sounds mediocre and yet the sound is unique and interesting
Mediocre beat poetry over a bad background from a Nick Drake style artist. I may look into future albums to see if there was growth.
I don’t see it.
Lovely stuff. 3.6
First utterance albumen har det samma sångare.. Mutta päinvastoin tuo albumi on teoksena mahtava ja järähtelevä.. Nicos cringy voice just blows my ears away, the beautiful harmonies..
I didn't really care for this album. Looking at the history with Warhol it looks like an experiment in what would become reality television. The Real World Chelsea Hotel, and just as fake.
Who told this woman she could sing? Apparently, Nico was not happy that the producer added some orchestration to the arrangements. Those arrangements are the only saving grace to this album. Without them the album would be entirely unlistenable. I could maybe listen again but only in very small doses.
Never heard of Nico and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Her voice is certainly...um...niche. Not for everyone and certainly not for me. I did find this interesting quote from Nico about this album: "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 guess I’m glad this album is here, there tends to be a severe lack of representation of women artists in these lists. Nico was a pioneering art rock innovator along with the Velvet Underground, and later on a great songwriter. Having said those positive things about Nico, this album feels incredibly dull to me. It’s like a series of VU demos that were too underdeveloped to make the cut for The Velvet Underground & Nico. The songs were almost all written by VU collaborators and Jackson Browne with very little input from Nico herself. I think if this were given the same level of songwriting, production, and engineering as The Velvet Underground & Nico, Chelsea Girl probably could have been something exceptional. But for me this just sounds like a very under-developed VU release that they gave to Nico to sing. Nico’s next two albums The Marble Index and Desertshore are MUCH more developed in their own right and Nico wrote her own songs and really made her own brand of art rock. One or both of those albums are really what should have been included in the 1001 in my opinion.
I’m sure this album is big in artist and 60’s avante garde circles which probably consists of 3 people working in a record store in NYC.
I really enjoy the instrumentation of this album but I’m not a huge fan of the vocals. They’re not bad but I just found myself getting bored fairly often. I can’t believe she didn’t want the strings or flute. Those add some layering and depth. Without them, I think the record would have been pretty boring. I love her record with the Velvet Underground but this one just isn’t doing it for me as much. I had a crazy day at work and I usually listen to a lot of music at work but I didn’t listen to to any because I didn’t want to listen to other music before finishing this record and this record was just so boring that I didn’t want to listen to it. I think I’d give it a 2.5 if I could but I’ll go with 3 because I didn’t necessarily hate it. I just didn’t love it and didn’t want to listen to it during a high energy day at work. Okay I finished the album finally and I realized that the vocal melodies were just so damn boring that I have to give it 2.
I've mainly listened to Nico through the VU, and typically her songs are the ones that I don't really gravitate towards. While this album is artful, its not necessarily my cup of tea. However, there are a lot of elements that I can really respect and enjoy. I love the boldness of this record. To record an avant garde dead pan (is it folk? is it rock? is it pop?) kind of record in 1967 is impressive. I love the soulful musings of "These Days," (though I still prefer Jackson Browne's version). I like the experimental and dullful intensity of "It Was a Pleasure Then." "Chelsea Girls" is a great follow up and kind of brings you back to earth. Again, not my favorite album. I respect the craft and boldness of this record. Its cool to see this influence playout in female artists like Bjork to even Billie Eilish.
I find this album more classic now. I can only listen for a little while.
If melancholy achieved human form, it would be this.
Nico was good on some Velvet Underground songs, not so much on her own.
The 1001 proper loves Velvet Underground, huh? I actually knew the first two tracks quite well. I quite like Nico's voice ... but a lot of it is really meadering nothingness with sporadic strings. Strings which she apparently didn't want on the album.
Thin soundtrack to a Sunday at a museum.
Couple good songs, but overall super weird. Not my thing.
Really undecided if I love or hate her voice on the first track. Upon the second track, I think it's really just when she's singing at the low end of her register that I don't enjoy. Makes it seem like she's doing a voice. Instrumentation is interesting and light; certainly unique to the album. The strings provide a lot of great melody and rhythm throughout the different songs. Do we really need an 8 minute whatever "It Was a Pleasure Then"? Feels gratuitous. The more this goes the less I understand why this is on the list. Not even necessarily because it's bad but it's just not notable and feels like someone taking the piss. There's an underlying element that feels like this would have been transition music in movies from the 50's and 60's epic movies or potentially Disney classics with worse singing. FWIW - This has elicited more reaction from me than the past couple of albums so it has that going for it.
Meh
Nico would soon find her own voice and become a true original, but for now she's making her way from VU by delivering a beautifully sombre chamber folk album. Her friends from her former band are all here to lend a hand, including John Cale who would remain a cherished musical partner. Her Dylan-esque acoustic guitar melodies are often dressed with tasty arrangements, sometimes more daring than others. It Was a Pleasure Then even sounds like what could have happened if VU was fronted by her. But for the most part it's beautiful chamber folk that distinguishes itself by her characteristic voice and presence.
I wouldn't hire Nico as a motivational speaker, but I sure wouldn't mind her writing an album for me!
That's how to craft a great dark and melancholic chamber folk album. Love it!
What?
"These days" and "The Fairest of the Seasons" are the standout tracks.
sorprendido tbh, no pensaba que su carrera solista valiese la pena, seguro xq la eclipsa lo que hizo con the velvet (q entendio su relevancia como alternative music pero zzz). buen disco folk overall, interesante, que pena que haya flopeado aparentemente
(Grand) Mother!! Bastante bueno, Nico estaba haciendo música pop de mujeres melancólicas desde los 60s!!! These Days y The Fairest of the Seasons me acompañarán desde ahora 🫡🫡
This album is devastatingly sad, not only because of the music, but also because of the Greek tragedy that is Nico. In some ways she was in the right place at the right time, but you could also say she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She objectively does not have a good voice. She was cast in a role with the Velvet Underground that Andy Warhol forced upon her due to her beauty, even though she clearly lacked any musical chops. Lou Reed famously wrote Femme Fatale about her, for her to sing, a devilish 60s burn. Who knows if given the production and control she desired for this album, maybe it would have been a hidden gem classic. At the end of the day it’s just an empty shell of an album, with various throwaways from Lou Reed and the other Velvets, a few decent Jackson Browne songs, and one very solid Bob Dylan cover - none of which couldn’t be made better with someone other than Nico singing them.
It broke my heart a little to read the background on this record and how unhappy Nico was with the final version. It sounds like a bunch of dudes wrote songs for her to record and then took control of the record away from her. This explains what felt like a disconnect between her singing and the instrumentals. I liked the music a lot, but her voice not so much. I wonder what Nico's Version™ of this record would sound like...
Perfect? No. Good? No. Mediocore? No. Bad? No. Garbage? Yes.
Loved one song but honestly couldn’t really get into it
Not sure why it's on the list
The dubbed string and flutes are particularly bad, no standouts
I like her with Velvet Underground but her solo stuff doesn't do a lot for me
Começou como um pop despretensioso e acabou com pop irrelevante.
People may not comprehend that certain voices like that of Robert Plant or Brian Johnson, are excruciating to me and yet the gurgling drain that is Nico is far more palatable. Yes, there are conflicts. It would be treacherous to disrespect the person I was named after. She was one of my folks’ first musical loves, and I was taken to one of her gigs when I was but a wee nipper. She’s been in my musical consciousness since before I was born, so my heart is very firmly in her camp. Even though I prefer her album, The End, this is is quirky and wacky and completely lovely. Chelsea Girls is a classic.
Wow. This epitomizes music I just can't relate to on any level. It sounded like 16 sub-par variations on the string arrangement for "Eleanor Rigby" (despite there being only 10 tracks) without the joy, songcraft, or musicality. And "joy" may not be a word used to describe "Eleanor Rigby," but it works by way of comparison to the emotional range of Chelsea Girl.
I'm glad this album is on here, even though I don't think it's great. But it's unique and it will scratch an itch for some listeners that they didn't even know they had. (No wonder Wes Anderson used These Days in one of his films.) Most of the songs on here are merely OK, but the gems are true gems. Plus, I dig the overall vibe, even though I think it overstays its welcome a bit. It's a very autumnal album. I get why people don't like her singing. I dig it, even though I recognize its faults. No, scratch that. I dig it because of those faults. Yes, she doesn't always hit the note, and her affect is flat, which doesn't always serve the material—at least on this album. But it's honest and there's a world-weariness to her approach that I dig. It's no wonder she was such an influence on the goth scene. I wish the authors of this book had also included one of her other albums on this list. Those are much more inline with her vision and more influential and much more interesting than this one. My personal favorite is Desertshore, which not enough people know about, and which is a striking and bold artistic statement that is still quite approachable. Rock on, Nico.
I tried to listen to this in the historical context of Warhol darling It girl and German experimental Kunst post summer of love. It was still tough. Though something about her German enunciation/accent made I'll Keep it With Mine kinda lovely.
The first song started out really good, and I was optimistic about this one! Then the way over pitched synth came on a song. Then a pan flute on the next. I gave up once I heard the equivalent of a rock being drug over a violin. Wildly disappointing. DNF.
3.5/5. Good, but I definitely missed some things on the first listen.
This album is the poster child for pretty privilege art. There's no way in hell that the Velvet Underground boys and Verve Records would have put this much effort into someone who sings like a cartoon parody of a 13-year-old boy if Nico wasn't an attractive woman. And I hate that. She's a garbage singer. There's just no way around it. Everything is over-enunciated and sung with a complete lack of nuance. It was like listening to the Velvet Underground backing a small-town high school Christmas play. Which is to say that the music is actually quite good. That would normally be worth a star, but I'm so pissed that the VU boys made this thing that they also get docked a star. I wish this didn't exist as it dramatically reduces my esteem for the Velvet Underground.
4.0
I liked this a lot, five stars.
Classic but samey
NAzi
It might feel a little underwhelming, even jagged in places, but I love the simplicity. Being very familiar with The Velvet Underground & Nico, I had not heard this but I'm glad I finally did. It feels as though this album will grow with the listener over time.
I can tolerate Nicos vocals on the VU album, but a whole album of her and the flute, string arrangement is awful. Reading she was discontent with the flute added by the producer without her permission makes me respect her a little more. Overall not one I’ll rush back to, but enough not to give the 1 star rating.
Oh look, it's some deep voiced woman Jackson Browne used to fuck. Your opinion of this album is likely based on your tolerance of Nico's vocals. She works better on just a handful of tracks on The Velvet Underground's debut. But an entire album with her vocals can be...a lot. The songs that Jackson wrote are great but there are better versions by other artists. Andy Warhol clearly saw something in Nico for a while. That doesn't necessarily mean anyone else will.
This might be the worst album so far on this list and I seriously question why it is on this list to begin with. I couldn't even get through the whole album, I got halfway through "It Was a Pleasure Then" and had to call it quits. Do yourself a favour and don't listen to this. Would give 0 stars if I could.
Super amusing
Nico's voice - I can't but this album has a nice vibe over all.
Would be great to listen to this while drinking a nice cup of earl grey 3/5
Another classic. I love her voice so much so distinct almost like it could be one of your friends recording themselves. It's maybe why it's resonates so much.
база, но есть сомнения... 4+
Это забавное. Есть очень много прикольных отсылок, чувствуется рука вельветов. Звучит очень однородно, за исключением It Was A Pleasure Then. Но там как бы да, оторвались Рид с Кейлом по полной. Меланхолично, мертвецки холодно и пугающе. Оттого и притягивает.
сказочно-мюзикальные вайбы и оч странное на ит вос э плэжа зен
AJ: this is fucking terrible. Got excited to hear These Days. She manages to ruin one of the most beautiful songs of all time in 20 seconds. What a fucking idiot.
I couldn’t do more than a couple songs, voice was annoying
Strange album, but not bad
Just because she was the velvet underground’s knocking stick doesn’t mean she can sing
The music started, and I thought, "This is really pretty." Then she started singing. She sings half an octave below her range, on purpose I assume, and she has no control of her voice. It sounds as if an emo teenager who didn't give two shits about singing was forced in front of a microphone. I hope the band is doing well.
Dreary and dull, difficult to listen to
it could have been way worse. i liked the more experimental route it took now and then. still can’t say i enjoyed much of it, just tolerated is. a high 2
Fantastic voice, but most of the songs are really sad, and I also find folk in general pretty boring.
General culture. At least I learned that These Days from Nico was the first arrangement from Brown and a lot of artist made covers from this version, St Vincent, Cher, 10,000 maniacs and Drake.
Nico en el seu millor moment artístic, envoltada de les principals figures artístiques de l'época fent el seu millor disc possible. Tot i així, el seu sentit de l'experimentació mai va ser especialment interessant, malgrat la seva veu tan únicament hipnòtica
So so so uninteresting
La production est bonne, mais c'est vraiment pas ma tasse de thé. La flute ne me derange pas. plus la voix bizarre parfois de Nico. 3
Nico can’t sing her way out of a paper bag and that flute can fuck right off. That said, I did somehow enjoy this one more than I thought I would. Haunting and ethereal throughout. 2.5
it's great
WOW???? her voice!! and the lyricism of These Days :')
Horrible. Do not understand why this one is on the list
I thought her voice was interesting but odd and wondered how she got into singing ... found out on Wikipedia that she was a Nazi and racist, so didn't continue listening after that.
This is alright,I like nico I’m the velvet underground but on her own I think her songs are mediocre.
Calm and mellow, almost brooding at times. Just a little sad sounding. 2.5
Couple of these songs have held up very well.
nice album. Nico's voice is unique. Great guitar playing and songwriting on this!
Had super low expectations but really really liked it! Need to listen again
As soon as she started singing, I knew this was going to be a chore. I like folk pop but this is just so dreary, dark, and flat. I couldn't stand her monotone voice, either. Also, those flutes, mein Gott. RIP my ear drums.
I like to think I have eclectic taste in music, but that doesn't include this album. Nico reminds me of Lili Von Shtupp in Blazing Saddles.
I cannot figure out the hype surrounding Nico. She cannot sing. The instrumentation on here was even bland. The best track on here was "These Days" which isn't even her song, the Jackson Browne version is much better.
Not my cup of tea
no way
6 Based on this scale: 1 - 0 to 19 2 - 20 to 39 3 - 40 to 59 4 - 60 to 79 5 - 80 to 100 This is bad. The only thing that made this not get a 0 overall was the instrumentation. The vocals were terrible. Absolute waste of time and this is only an album you should hear before you die if you've been convicted of crimes against humanity and must be punished accordingly.
Well, didn't this one bring out the haters. I liked the title track, the rest is largely a pleasant inoffensive mush so I'm not going to die on a hill for this album but it doesn't come close to justifying the vitriol it's attracted on here. This is album 632 for me & at least 25% of those have been a much tougher listen than this was.
“This sounds like a Saturday Night Live skit” Extra star for the lineup/historical content.
I feel like I'm just listening to the same song over and over again. I like the vocals but the instrumentation is over the top.
Pop. Folk. Muy aburrido.
Not really my style
With editing this could be a pretty good album, but it's long and self-indulgent as it stands, so fails to live up to its full promise.
👍🏼
She cannot sing. She fucked a lot of artists so her numbers prob did well but gdamn I think a deaf person would shut this album off
she can't sing
Longest 46 minutes of my life. I would have to be at gunpoint to listen to this album again.
I knew Nico was quite the tortured soul, but it's through this app that I've learned that she allegedly indulged in racist tirades in private sometimes (and probably even did worse than that at one point!). It's a damn shame, because I have always loved her voice, whether with the Velvet Underground or without. But I understand why some folks would rate her one star because of that. Call that karmic balance. That said, I'm not gonna deny the pleasure I've had listening to Nico's voice for years, even though said pleasure is tinted now. Because that would make me a hypocrite. Few artists can sing out of tune, and in such an idiosyncratic way, while actually *adding* to the songs, and not ruining them. People complaining about her performances in this section should learn that good art doesn't necessarily mean perfection. Frailty and flaws can actually provide a lot of precious emotions to a certain subset of listeners. And dismissing that mere fact as "pretentious snobbery" is quite a paradoxical stance. Snobbery usually pays attention to what's perfect and pristine. And *Chelsea Girl* can't be judged by the usual standards anyway. That's where its peculiar quaint charms lie for some. Also, I can't help but notice that the vast majority of reviewers who gave this album one star never finished this project anyway. A lot of them used quite hateful words to boot--and, karmic balance or not, those accusations had nothing to do with Nico's intermitent racism in the first place. So, in this case, why all the hate? Well, it seems to me that this app was probably a bit of an ordeal for those casual listeners. Because, yeah, the 1001 album app routinely takes you out of your comfort zone. And unfortunately, you have close-minded individuals everywhere, both in the so-called "plebe" and in the elite. That's life. If you keep the debate in purely artistic terms, who are the close-minded, elitist reviewers, really? To be perfectly fair, and if it amounts to be accused of being an "elitist' whatever album by Nico you choose for such a list, I would rather have the 1001 albums book choosing *The Marble Index* and *Desertshore* instead of *Chelsea Girl* while I'm at it. Obviously, that would test the limits of those close-minded listeners even further--those two LPs are such *striking* records, far more personal than *Chelsea Girl*, but also more *prophetic*. Like, Nico was the *OG* in those two seminal LPs, the "Original Goth". A missing link between the first "medieval" meaning of the word and its post-punk reenactment a decade later. And this makes her one-of-a-kind as well, as "difficult" as her persona was. To be clear, I'm not saying that you should "separate the person from the artist" here. You just can't. It's just that sometimes, there's a grey area, especially with relevant performers with a history of mental disorders, and especially when those performers passed away some time ago. I can't listen to Kanye West these days, for instance, it's too much, and probably too soon after the unforgivable horrific words he has repeatedly uttered in public for too long now. But denying the man's impact on popular music in the last twenty years would be nonsensical. Hell, NO, I'm not condoning the dreadful things Ye said, even under the pretext of his supposed mental imbalance. But I'm also stating the facts: if Kanye had never had the impact he has had before, far less people would have noticed the dumb, dangerous "concepts" that spurt forth from his foamy mouth later on. Which means that the man's past artistic accomplishments are part of the sad equation, whether you like it or not. Nico's impact on popular culture as a creator and a perfomer was far more limited than Kanye, in comparison. But it's there. It's undeniable for people with some knowledge of 20th century music history--so-called "elitism" be damned. You can't "unknow" what you know. As a consequence, I"m still giving 5 stars for what this album is, that is to say an incredibly original recording, either for the times it was released or for now--and one that ties in with later important developments for both the artist and for "modern" music in general. That being said, it's highly probable that I won't include *Chelsea Girls* in my own list of "essential albums", in spite of that 5-star grading (a very rare exception to the way I use that rating to select my albums). My grade just represents my personal assessments of this record's merits. It won't change its low "global score" a bit anyway. But more importantly, it's important to undertand that I don't want to force my personal assessment on individuals shocked by some of the things found online about Nico. I respect such individuals' sensibility too much for that. And of course, I'm not gonna die on a hill that no one should ever fight for. Ever. Even if Nico's problematic words and acts were not "public", it seems that most witnesses are clear about what they heard or saw. And music, mental heath issues and possible traumatic experiences aside, those reported events make Christa Pāffgen look like quite a despicable figure. Number of albums left to review: 400 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 271 Albums from the list might* include in mine later on: 144 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 186
a pretty serene album. the instrumentation is nice, but nothing special. nico's vocals are an acquired taste and i don't mind them, i don't shy away from unique singing voices, but i just feel like her voice gives this album a monotonous feel that might have been manageable, except for the two 7+ minute long songs that did not need to be that long. don't get me wrong, there are some nice moments on this album - the fairest of seasons, these days, i'll keep it with mine - i just think there are better folk albums from the era that are more interesting. in my mind, the only reason this album is relevant at all is her connection to the velvet underground/andy warhol, because i don't think its merit is necessarily based on the quality of the album.
It baffles me that Nico had any sort of singing career but if you like lifeless droning, then this is the album for you.
Couldn't get through it, it sounds like it's for kids, or 40 year old women, I don't know
My ears yearned so badly for at least a little vibrato. Hauntingly wonderful tunes.
Alright, bit droney, didn't do much for me altogether
Dull as dishwater.
It's not terrible but not good or something I'd be putting on every day it can be handled in small doses not at album length. Pretty safe to assume this only exists because of Warhoul and the VU not only as an actual album but its inclusion on the list.
Aside from a few gems like These Days, Chelsea Girl is so unbelievably boring. Nico’s peculiar, flat voice would work in some pop music contexts, but not here where there is something elegant and orchestrated in the music. Nico does not live up. It’s just so flat.
Really beautiful. Some of the Nico albums are hidden gems, and this is no exception. It's more folky than her second one which I listened to last year and enjoyed. Probably largely down to the flutes which I understand she hated but I don't mind here. Her voice is somewhat jarring against the backdrop and not typically folky at all, but that's part of what makes it interesting. I did prefer the more Avant Garde offerings of the Marble Index, and oddly was a bit put off by the one here that leaned slightly in that direction (it was a pleasure then).
She has a lovely voice, interesting subject matter, and occasionally cool arrangements. But it does plod at a fairly droney tempo unfortunately. A good album, but more as a piece of context for a brilliant one.
Not bad. Album review focused on the melancholy feel of the music. Melancholy is to my taste, this album felt like an undeveloped version of the media I like, though. It was slow, melodic, exploratory, maybe just a little too basic. And also heavily carried by Nico's voice which was okay, rather than outstanding, for me.
LOVE LOVE LOVE NICO! she’s an icon. i want to live like her
Honestly no idea how this album was ever recommended. Absolute snore fest. So slow, too stripped down and the singer's voice is garbage. Her vibrato sounds like she's holding back tears and her pitch is just slightly off which makes my skin crawl. Made it to the title track and had to shut it down.
There was 0 talent in the development of this album. Boring and pretentious and furthers my hypothesis that sometimes the originator of the 1001 list of albums threw a dart on a board to get him to the 1001 count. 2/10.
good. dreamy, reminds me of belle and sebastian.
This could have been a good folk at album at certain points, but the low, flat singing was just not it at all. Some parts were just incredibly annoying to sit through
The more times I listened to this the less I like it. Stopping it before it drops to a 1.
Moins bien que les beach boys
jaime bien et ca me saoule en même temps 🤠
Not my thing
Forgetable.
Didn't like it much.
Good chamber folk/baroque pop album with hints of avantgarde. Nico's voice (and strong German accent) is very distinctive, instantly recognisable which may not be the cup of tea for many people but undoubtely it brings a lot of character to these songs. I like the arrangements on this album, though the production wasn't that great. Overall it must've been a fresh and different album when it came out in 1967. 3.5/5.
Wow, elle a vraiment réussi à mettre 10 fois la même chanson dans un album. Pis une chanson plate en plus de ça
Uh I’m so sorry but this was diabolical :(
At some point this album made me feel like I was at renaissance fair and at other points it made me feel like I was listening to some hippy star child bullshit but at no point did I really like it all that much. None of these song really do anything or go anywhere. When I saw that Chelsea Girls was a 7 minute song I got my hopes up that maybe there would be some depth to it but it really just meandered the entire 7 minutes. That's pretty much what this entire album did... meander and stick around for far too long. To end this on a high note though I did think this was unique and the psychedelic elements kept me listening but it just wasn't enough. It's a 2 - 2.5 star. In this case a 2. Didn't hate it. Just didn't like it either.
Yeh,nah.dreary not my cuppa.
This does nothing for me. Even as a fan of some Velvet Underground - I either don't have the context required for this or I'm right.
I like the music well enough, a kind of low-key folk rock with some pleasing baroque flourishes. The songs are pretty great. 'These Days', 'It Was a Pleasure Then' and 'Eulogy to Lenny Bruce' stand out in particular as moving, eery numbers. Let's face facts, it's Nico's voice that will divide audiences. I found it winningly and affectedly unmusical about a quarter of the time, utterly bemusing for the rest. It's got character, it is instantly recognisable and occasionally it meets the music at such an angle that it becomes a thing of oblique beauty. Not very often, though.
The sad songs are so good here and the one-two punch in the opening would be impossible for almost any artist to maintain. Such is the case here as the wheels kind of fell off for me with the song "It Was a Pleasure Then," but then I do feel like the album recovers pretty well and finishes strong with the Lenny Bruce eulogy. Great sounding record across the board though! Love the guitar sounds. Random comparison: this album made me think about Jeremy Enigk's "Return of the Frog Queen." Sort of a spin on acoustic/folk music, with a strange voice people either love or hate, and orchestration runs through most of it. Probably shouldn't work, but it does somehow. I dig it.
Never heard of this artist before. The songs all sound very similar, but I like the rawness and weirdness. I like the music, but after looking into Nico, I doubt I'll revisit this. 3/5
It's good for background music and Chelsea Girls was a standout on the album.
Only familiar with Nico by proxy to Velvet Underground. Minimal and folksy compositions through the first three, though I'll be honest, I hardly noticed when one song transitioned to the next. Feels like something I would need to focus on lyrics in order to really appreciate. Winter Song is most interesting thus far. Very folksy with its flute and string elements. I can get down with it, but probably wouldn't by choice. Feels like I should be getting ready for a quest. This one just doesn't do much for me. Nothing straight up offensive, but little for me to care about 2 / 5
Nico sounds a bit like Moira from Schitt's Creek. Jackson Browne was the guitarist on this, that's cool. I think I recognize "Chelsea Girls" and "I'll Keep It With Mine". Overall this album is good musically, I enjoyed the strings and flute. However, it wasn't a very engaging listen to me. I think it's objectively a better album than I am giving it credit for, but it's not really my cuppa tea. Soft 3 here.
The instrumentals were very pleasant. Sounded like I was in Final Fantasy the whole time. Her voice was a bit unnerving though. And the whole album was kind of the same I didn't need 45 minutes of that
Meh this is not very enjoyable but still solid as background listening. The instrumentals were pleasant enough to give it a 2 though. Especially It Was a Pleasure Then with all the guitar feedback.
Seichtes denglisches Singer-Song-Writer Gedudel bis Geschrammel mit Flöte, Streicher, selten Gitarre.
Meh
Mild.
Didn't hit the mark for me. And from reading about it, Nico wasn't happy with it either!!
Prachtige muziek, maar ik vind de stem een beetje vreemd. Best laag voor een vrouw, alsof ze een stemmetje opzet.
I thought this was okay, but doubt I'll really seek the whole album out again. Nico's vocals are fairly haunting and go quite well with the baroque or medieval feel of the album. The whole thing is weird and unclean, overall it feels a bit unfinished, but that's something I sometimes enjoy. I think it suffers a bit from pretentiousness but manages to be unique enough to not bother me too badly. But the whole novelty quickly wears off, I get bored and stop caring. There's nothing here to keep me invested besides the odd jarring noise like a feedback loop or something, an unwelcome pull back into paying attention. I keep feeling like I should make a playlist for the weird and spooky songs I sometimes like to listen to when in certain reflective moods. I think this might have a song or two for that, but the rest is just fodder to me. Despite its avant-garde feel, it's a rather "meh" album to me in the end. Favourite: Winter Song
I got to the flute then gave up
This gets a lot of hate i see. The flutes are a big mistake (and Nico hated them) and once you accept her flat voice it becomes a sad chamber folk album that hits a spot. 3.5
cool
Overrated dirge. Has its moments but don't believe the hype.
Wow. Why would anyone enjoy this album? It's a solo album by a singer who seems to be able to sing in only one single, constant tone and with extremely sparse, yet badly executed instrumentation. The strings and flut make for some of the most bland, tepid and shallow classical instrumentation I have ever heard. The rest of the instrumentation is worse, when it's present at all. The obvious German accent makes Nico's singing even more grating - as if it weren't droning, dragging and moany enough by itself. I understand that Nico herself did not think this is a good album. I absolutely agree with her. To be fair, there are worse-sounding albums on this list. Often that comes down to personal taste though. For this one, I can't hear any redeeming qualities whatsoever.
Some songs were fine and then with others I really wanted it to be over.
Meh, didn't really do much for me.
I spent more time enjoying her voice than the songs
I always start of being completely overwhelmed when listening to Nico's debut and then slowly realize that 'The Fairest of the Seasons' and 'These Days' are pretty much the only songs for me on this one. The rest just feels like more of the same, but of lower quality.
Not only is Nico not from Chelsea … She’s not even British! The first two tracks on Side A is absolutely mesmerizing, but the rest of it falls somewhat flat and grinds long the same minimalistic ideas. Then it’s as if everything opens up with “Chelsea Girls” and from there on, Nico manages to get me fully invested in her baroque beauty and avant vulnerability. It really is a shame that the middle section drags on.
How tf does Nico have 2.4M monthly listeners on Spotify right now? Bizarre. This music reminds me of a Wes Anderson movie. It's got to be on one of his soundtracks. I want to love it because of the Velvet Underground and Nico. But her voice is so flat and boring. The music follows suit. 60s folk-rock... meh
Was geneigd om Nico het voordeel van de twijfel te gunnen, omdat ik het zo vet vind klinken in de Velvet Underground sound, maar zo is het eigenlijk gewoon echt niet te harden.
Leuk weetje is dat ze dus in Velvet Underground zat. Maar dat is het dan ook. Niet om aan te horen.
Ugh.... interessant hoe iemand blijkbaar gehyped kan worden via Lou Reed en Andy Warhol, en dat er dan ineens hordes mensen met dit gedrocht van een album gaan lopen dweepen. Het is gewoon ronduit vals en zo ontzettend saaaaaaai. En dat monotone Duitse accent....werkelijk abominabel.
Ga weg enge vrouw met je verschrikkelijke accent!
6.5/10 agréablement surpris. folk/americana/rock. chansons qui ressemblent a black mountain. beau melange avec flute traversière et violon. doit trouver la chanson 1m18 a 1m25
This started out really interesting, I really liked ‘These days’. Unfortunately it got gradually worse as the album progresses. ‘It was a pleasure then’ was a clear 1 star track with its weird noises, and so was ‘Wrap your troubles in dreams’ where she sounded out of tune.
I was stoked for this one, I think "These days" is a great tune. I was, however quite dissapointed. Sure, some songs are nice such as "The fairest of seasons" and "Chelsea girl" but as a whole it is a bit repetitive. It has a quite annyoing flute as well as one of my least favourite tracks so far. "It was a pleasure then" sounds like a high, untallented band tries a jamming session. Bleh.
I wasn't really into this, but about midway through something clicked and I felt like I got it. Her voice really works for me, and the songs aren't half bad. Best track: I'll Keep It With Mine
The other members of VU help Nico with her own debut, and it's full of beautiful folk tunes with lush classical arrangements, sorrowful retrospective lyrics, and a deep emotional voice. It's dreamy and entrancing with the mesmerizing guitars and bright bursts of flutes and Caleb's viola. We starts with a few emotional pop tracks. Then we reach the avant-garde dissonant "It Was a Pleasure Then" which I actually like, especially Nick's angelic vocals. It's a homage to the VU's debut. Following that is my favorite (after "These Days"), a 7.5 minute depressing story about the lives of her fellow acolytes of Warhol. Great chorus, and the flutes and viola work best here. Next two tracks are vibrant and happy. "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" is mythical. I really like the harp instrument. Flute is excessive here. "Eulogy to Lenny Bruce" is a minimalist finale, probably what Nico wanted for the rest of the tracks, but it is a bit dull and forgettable. Nico wasn't a fan of this album cause the studio replaced the drums and extra guitars for flutes. I'm curious what it'd sound like with percussion, but I think the lack of it adds a mythical sound to it. The flutes do feel over-the-top and take the spotlight too much, feeling unnecessary at times. But there are moments where I felt the flutes do work in her favor. Finally, the production is dated, with bad studio mixing, which makes for a dumb speaker situation. But if you're high and put on headphones or set up your room just right, it could make for an immersive experience. I really like most tracks, with a good variety and each standing out. I could definitely see how they could improve though. Very curious to hear more like this.
A high point in Nico's post-Velvet's output. Perhaps slightly more accessible than The Marble Index, which no doubt pleased the record company.
"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."
Muy melódico y agradable de escuchar. Abundancia de instrumentos de viento. Voz pasable. Estilo un tanto bohemio de la época
Starts much better than it ends. The second half is certainly keeping this for being elite. 3.5/5
Nach dem 5. Song ausgemacht. It was not a pleasure at all. Wott a tärräbl äkksent auch.
Just awful singing, flat untuned garbage.
"These Days": Perfect Comedy Gold! Not my cup!
Nico has a terrific, one-of-a-kind voice. However, I much prefer her with The Velvet Underground. This album just lacks some of the energy, and while I really enjoy her voice for a couple of songs, it was tedious to listen to the whole thing.
A sophisticated and complex 60's pop record. Her voice is challenging and her harmonies are interesting. Hearing the core of the Velvet Underground in an orchestral setting is pretty cool. It is folky and Baroque and brilliant.
Looks European, like something you'd find in a pile of vinyl LPs in an op-shop. You know when you see the CDs/vinyl in a thrift store and it's clear someone's grandmother died and they "donated" all her old records rather than taking them to the dump? This cover is *exactly* that. Ok yes, European lol. I was expecting French for some reason, but I'll take German. Singing is rough, she kept holding these really bum notes - almost like someone picked them out on purpose just to highlight how bad her voice is. Music vaguely folky garbage that is only there to prop up the singing more often than not... which is fucking saying something. I gave yesterday's album a 1 and it was so much better than this. 1/5.
Good god save me and rip out her vocal cords and burn them.
trigger warning velvet underground association. jfc. Starts off deceptively sweet or nice but quickly dissolves into nothingness and then chaos and hey - who allowed Nico into the studio? simply rotten singer. Dreadful. Seems a pattern since that cretin Lou Reed was involved. "It Was A Pleasure Then" is definitely a bad joke played on anyone foolish enough to have purchased this. Burn your records. This one, at least. 1/10 1 star
Not for me.
No. Please God no. Nooooooooooo! Awful
2/5. The songs are sweet and chill, but Nico only has so much uniqueness to listen to for long periods of time. It was nice after the first few songs but it got a little annoying later on. I didn’t even care what the lyrics were to push through.
It is another sing songwriter guitar thingy, but the thankfully the writing is good enough for it to be relatively entertaining
Sad and slow. Nice for a song or two. Very poetic. The voice isn’t necessarily impressive. Very casual and boring. Like this paragraph structure.
Best Song: These Days. The lilting melody of the guitar goes really well with her somewhat husky voice. Worst Song: Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams. Not nearly dynamic enough for a song this long. Basically just the same upwards melody repeated over and over, each time landing on the same sustained note. Overall: Desperately muted. All of the songs tend to blend together as they all exist in the same, relatively monotonous space. Not good enough that I'll imagine ever returning to this.
Sorry, don't know if I needed her on VU, don't know if I need her solo. But not bad either. Slow pitch softball.
Pretty interesting. Her voice is not great but it's very unique. Like a precursor to Belle & Sebastian. 5/10
I like Nico’s contribution to the Velvet Underground album, but I don’t think there’s enough here for a full solo album. I like the mood this evokes, but not all at once.
Tough listen
She can't sing.
She really can't sing, and there's nothing interesting enough in the music or the lyrics that really atones for that, particularly given that it's quite a stripped back album with a lot of focus on the vocals. Actually unpleasant, it's another 1/5.
I feel as though I’m listening to someone brought from the middle ages into a studio. Lyrics are good, but it not original. I can enjoy it if I’m in the mood. Also, personally, I’m not a fan of Nico’s voice. A unique album, but not interesting or original. 2/5
Not an easy album to listen to or like. I had expected to like this album and was so disappointed and probably why no-one had ever recommended it to me. I think with a different singer I would have rated this album much hight
HL: "Somewhere There's a Feather", "These Days", "I'll Keep It with Mine", title track
I thought her voice was a bit odd at first, but it clicked with me pretty quickly. Chamber folk isn’t something I listen to, but I enjoyed this. Fairest of the seasons and title track are both great. 7/10
I enjoy her vocals with the underground but this album.. it get's a bit tedious. Also the strings and flutes are so poorly mixed, drives you mad after a while.
I like the composition and instrumentation of this record. And Nico’s vocals were an acquired taste for me, but once acquired I truly enjoy. The record does drag after a while so it’s not a great listen start to finish, but I do love the first 2 tracks especially. Does anyone else hear the similarity in These Days and the song If You’re Feeling Sinister by Belle & Sebastian?
I'd listen to songs off this again but probably not the whole album.
Didn't connect with this one. Voice isn't for me. She needs Cale/Reed to help her out.
Fairest of the Seasons, These Days, Chelsea Girls, I’ll Keep it With Mine (best song) and Eulogy to Lenny Bruce (other best song). I liked it overall. Her bad voice kind of threw me off in a few songs. Great lyrics. 7/10
I could shit a better album. winter song
Beautiful album, love her voice, the strings and the lyrics. FS: Fairest of Seasons, Winter, Chelsea
Why? Why would this album need to be on the list? I had listened to the Velvet Underground and Nico album a few years ago, and I remember liking it *despite* Nico's vocals. Now I have to listen to a album with *only* her vocals? Anything that the music has going for it, which isn't that much, is ruined by the flat, lifeless, emotionless vocals with a speech impediment (yes, I know it's just a German accent, but still). It reminded me a bit of the vocals from The Shaggs. Oh, and that song with all the annoying feedback, horrible. The Beatles she is not, but you can tell they influenced some of what is here, like the song that sounds like an Eleanor Rigby ripoff. I will say one good things about the album - the lyrics weren't too bad.
Good, not great. 3 1/2, rounding down to 3. I'd be very curious to hear this without the strings and flute.
Melancólico. Voz oscura.
Nice enough
Did not like it at all. Not the voice, instrumentation, lyrics - nothing.
gud vad trist
Lite väl jobbig röst för ett helt album.
The album is very interesting. Reading the Wikipedia page it's sad to know that she didn't like the result and considered the production as a sabotage of her work. It truly affects my rate of the album since it's always better to have the artist's view, especially when it is an artistic album like this one. I enjoy the experience, but it could be better if it was Nico's true work, even thinking that the strings were a very good addition to her raw folk.
Her album with The Velvet Underground is iconic but I haven't listened to much outside of that. I should fix that because this is really great. Her voice is gorgeous and the orchestral instrumentation is epic and hauntingly beautiful.
Couldn't finish it. Awful
A couple ones I’d heard and liked.
показалась смутно знакомой но не понравилась. очень низкие немецкие ноты, не для меня
Meget spesiell stemme. Høres nesten sur ut, men er vel ikke faktisk sur. Litt kult med fløyte i blant, gir det litt Robin Hood-stemning. Ikke noe for meg.
Nico's voice is pretty hard to take. It's much better in small doses, like on Velvet Underground albums, for example. I'm sure she could sing better if she put her mind to it, or took some lessons. I'd say her popularity is due more to her connections than her talent.
I really hate her voice
Interesting to find out this is the Nico from the velvet underground album. This album was exceptionally boring and dragged. These ten songs were all pretty similar with the string instrumentals and slow singing style. The instrumentals were pretty well done but the singer just put me to sleep. 3.8/10
Idk, I think this is awful.
Bit boring if I'm honest
Appreciate the idea but wasn’t a huge fan of the music.
I just can't with Nico. I really want to love it, but between the flute and her voice, I just can't. Honestly, her best work is with Velvet Underground. I've listened to this one several times over my lifetime, and it always leaves me with mild regret.
Wow, just off a Jame Taylor album and the pendulum of authenticity has swung to the other extreme. Chelsea Girl is like slow-driving by a gory accident on the freeway until you see how real it is and quickly look away. This album is incredibly depressing, filled with contented loneliness and despair.
Unlike others, I did not appreciate Nico with Velvet Underground. In fact, I thought she nearly ruined that album. On "Chelsea Girl," despite an all-star cadre of writers and musicians supporting, Nico's voice (along with the flute she never wanted) are free to ruin this whole thing. English is her second language, so maybe she should be cut a break? "These Days" is the only song that's even tolerable for me, and I think that's mainly due to my associating it with perfect placement in "The Royal Tenenbaums."
Nico’s collaboration with the Velvet Underground is fantastic. So I had high hopes for a Nico solo offering. This is the hippy, dippy version of improvisational jazz with Nico’s naked, underwhelming vocals on full display. If I had to think of the worst way to surround Nico in a musical setting, this is it. Her voice is bad when it’s isolated here. It is awesome with the Velvet Underground’s grittiness. The flute is horrible. Credit to Nico for not being on board with it. But still, the album is what it is…unlistenable.
Too slow and monotone for my taste
Heard it before?: Yes Enjoy it?: No, I want to but it’s quite slow and devoid of anything for me Favourite song: Track 9 - Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams
Menudo tostón...(LNB) Tostonazo de señora(PSP)
I liked the music but I've heard better tones coming from people being dragged behind a horse.
3.5. Some bangers but also some very confusing songs.
No me gustó realmente. Desde el primer momento se me hacía un poco extraña su forma de cantar, no es que sea mala, o que lo haga mal, si no más bien su voz en sí. Esta es la segunda vez que me pasa con un álbum y me di cuenta de que es algo que no tolero muy bien. Lamentablemente, no es lo único a resaltar de mala manera, pues, a pesar de que me llamaba mucho la atención el apartado instrumental, me dejó un poco decepcionado, ya que muchas veces termina siendo aburrida y con poco que ofrecer. Por si fuera poco, hay veces en las que me recuerda mucho a Bjork, cosa que no digo de buena manera, pues de los dos álbumes que llevo me parece terrible, y que se asemeje no es un buen indicio. Finalmente, decidí darle 2, pues, además de las razones anteriores, cada vez que lo terminaba, simplemente no encontraba razones para volverlo a escuchar.
Very English style folk, sung with a heavy German accent. The most striking and unique feature of the album are the string and flute parts, which are extremely promiment. This would be a very different album without them, but apparently they were added in production and hated by Nico. Whilst I like the strings and flute a lot, such a big change to an artist's vision against their will is sad to see. It raises questions about ownership of art and what makes an album primarily an artistic or commercial endeavour. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: These Days Date listened: 22/04/23
Don't love her voice, but some good songs
Album ontstaan na de opname van het debuut van The Velvet Underground & Nico. Tracklist bestaat uit contributies van o.a. Lou Reed, Tim Hardin, Jackson Browne en Bob Dylan. Valt desondanks muzikaal tegen; haalt zeker niet het niveau van The Velvet Underground & Nico. leukste nummer: I'll Keep It With Mine "Chelsea Girls" is een verwijzing naar de film met dezelfde naam van Andy Warhol, van wie Nico de protegé was. Nico speelde in de film.
t amo nico
Zero stars. Would not recommend. I imagine this is what life in Soviet East Germany sounded like. Track highlight: Eulogy to Lenny Bruce, because Fuck censorship.
This was the essence of cool back in the day. lol.
Wasn’t my thing, too slow.
nope
Artsy
Music is great but her voice drones.
This album is so strange! Nico's voice is so flat and monotonal, but I think that's cool and interesting. The arrangement of the music with strings and flute is bizarre, but then you find out that Nico actually hated that? Despite that, you can hear why Wes Anderson and other pop culture giants think it drips cool. It's so unlikeable it verges on cool and challenging. It's never going to be a favorite, but can't hate it, even if Nico herself did hate it. I do have a soft spot for dissonance, and this album definitely delivers that in spades! 3.5/5 rounded down because it's just not a 4 for me.
Did not really enjoy her voice. Some interesting arrangements with the guitar and other instruments. I think with a different singer it could have been much better. For a bunch of songs she sang with such a flat voice it was not pleasant at all.
Manic, sad german noises
2.5
Shite
Couldn’t appreciate this album, I didn’t enjoy the singing or the composition.
what the fuck
Jarring and discordant, which I'm sure is the point but it did not gel with me. Vocals were a bit of a sour point as well
this was quite vague, not really my thing
At first I thought this was palatable, but at track 5 I realised that actually, it's not.
Really surprised I liked this, I put it on twice. I heard it a fair bit 15 years ago and hated her mooing voice, it's grown on me a fair bit, nice songs
okay album, wore on me a little with additional plays.
Score: 80 Babies 1st Lingua Ignota album. I disagree with a lot of other reviews on here, I think this album is quite beautiful and honestly ahead of its time. This singer-songwriter, prolonged verse style is something a ton of artists do much better today, but this is still good. The singing and lyricism feel real and heartfelt, and while not exactly the greatest singer, I think that's kind of part of the appeal. Her deeper register works for this kind of music and sets the tone.
There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to to this shit, it's boring and monotonous. All I could think was shut the hell up - with her terrible voice, while the same repetitive guitar and flute play off beat for 45 minutes. "It Was A Pleasure Then" could be used in the third act of an A24 horror film as a character gets tortured. Reading the wiki, I found out she was probably a Nazi, so fuck you.
I like Nico's heavy, monotonous voice and the folk/art rock ambience this album creates. But I'm big into the Velvet Underground, so this is an easy sell for me. Sounds like she was a piece of shit person though; racist and a deadbeat mom. That I have a much harder time getting behind.
I seriously could not tell where one song ended and the next started. Most were extremely similar and boring. Her voice is good and some of the instrumentals were cute, but overall nothing notable. Fave track(s): Chelsea Girls
interesting but slow, and boring to some extent
Comically German. I enjoyed some of the instrumentation, some of it was too much, but it raised it above the 1* her voice deserved.
According to the Wiki she didn't want the string and flute arrangements added to the album. Which is a shame, because they were the best part of it.
Genres: Folk rock, baroque pop, avant-garde Formed: 1967 Run time: 10 songs, 45 min, 8 sec The debut solo album and second studio album by German singer Nico. She was a model, actress and singer. Andy Warhol took her under his wing and insisted she sang on a number of songs by the Velvet Underground. The album has some very popular and influential contributors: Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, John Cale, Bob Dylan, and Jackson Browne. Although Cale and Reed didn’t consider her to be part of Velvet Underground they obviously liked her work and style, hence the contributions they made to her solo work. Many of the songs are very introspective. Her work was generally obscure but influential and musically she remained on the fringes. Her deadpan style and lyrical content gave her music a baroque feel. The arrangement of her song was generally minimalistic, with few instruments and a very gentle style. The result is calm and reflective. You wouldn’t listen to her music to cheer you up! Spotify: Least popular song: over 800k Most popular song: over 88M plays. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***
Hmmmm, this is not what I expected. An awful lot of wailing and screeching. Musically it’s awful. My colleague agrees with me so a lucky two stars. And that’s only because it isn’t absolutely unlistenable.