I saw Nico in 1977 or 1978 in London at the Marquee Club. She was awesome, I loved her performance, although people who came that night for a rock concert were disappointed and voiced their displeasure. She responded with some version of "Go f yourself!" in German, and the crowd rallied to her, which spurred to a very spirited performance of cool gothic trance music like these and The End, sprinkled with some Velvet numbers as well as a few from her first solo album. For me, an experience i will always remember, because her music and voice somehow resonate with the soul.
@Philip Groves wow, well that's what happens when those on the edge or just being themselves that has is a new lane though others are on that lane also, most people fear differences?? This may not be something I would want to listen to a whole cd or albumn, still I love and am drawn to an experience that takes me out of my lane. Your last line is the most important, guess that's what happens to me enough I wouldn't reject the expression of another who is being authentic. Cool experience you had all in all ~ love light peace
[28 March 2022] People say such horrible things about Nico...that she was an ego-mad diva, a psycho(!), a Nazi(!!!)...but somehow I don't care. I love her. "Secret Side" and "Valley Of The Kings" (indeed, all of Nico's songs) are peerless examples of *ANTI-POP* music: archaic and mythic, and Germanically detached; totally out of step with '70's-era pop-song conventions, and irresistibly suggestive of ancient crumbing Gothic castles and sinister Black Forests and mystical Romantic things like that.
Those "bad" things that people say of her simply fail at grasping her profound sorrow. She survived the destruction of Berlin, her father killed in the war,
@@user-qn6dn1ht4j Some of it may be profound sorrow, but many of her failings were due to her addiction. So much of her creativity and ability to finish things were taken from her by a needle. Drama of Exile will forever be nothing more than 2 half completed works. I've spent over 30 years marveling at how much she achieved despite the drugs; I will always miss could have and should have been. It feels disrespectful to romanticize it as some do.
That strange keyboard Nico's playing is a pedal harmonium. Regular harmoniums are mostly played with one hand because the other hand has to pump the air in the back. But with the pedal doing the air-pumping, you can use 2 hands. Very cool instrument. King Crimson's "Islands" also features a pedal harmomium, played by Robert Fripp.
It's indian. I even know her brand, "Bina", i sent them lots of pics of Nico playing and they told me that they don't manufacture her model (the pedal harmonium) since 60s/early 70s, it seems. Only the portable model now.
Can you imagine industrial, avant-garde, goth, or classical music without the influence of Nico? Genre be damned! Nico could do it all at the same time.
@@michaelchudanski8126 I included Nico here because of the experimental aspect of her art that has undoubtedly influenced some of today's artists that have incorporated classical structure to various degrees in such diverse music as ambient, noise, world, etc. To compare Nico's work with that of say, Mozart or even the divine Madame Callas would be redundant.
La música y la voz de nico tienen un extraño misterio que nos conmueve Ella se anticipó a muchos movimientos musicales posteriores ( dark music, música gotica) . Era mucho más que una bella mujer. Lástima que hubiera emprendido una senda ❤alento musical
Her music sounded so ancient and modern at the same time. It’s theatrical well suited for some scary haunting movie. Her beauty is overwhelming and you just need to look at her I. A performance where it’s hard to not look. I Now looking back at this time if you saw her live it must have been quite the experience. I listen to her often a sit and think of strangeness and contemplate what was going on in her life to write such music. It’s a beautiful tragedy.
Daybreak. Having freshly brewed coffee in my rocking chair on my front porch, Nico's voice filling the air. Her aloneness comes through her songs unafraid to show itself now. Now that comfort, peace, oneness, and relief are realized and accepted with love.
What...you mean old Whispering Bob Harris as we used to call him? Yes, a poster boy for the soothing 70s (I wish I could take you all back there to feel it, it was rather good) and Nico was just fantastic. Rare treat.
I can’t believe people Paned Her I had the opportunity to see her 78 or 79 it still haunts me to this day literally had tears in my eyes at certain parts of her show
Ari, que cet au delà vous soit lumière et paix .Vous ressemblier à un ange tant votre beauté irradié.J'ai découvert Nico votre maman adorée .Quelle voix , quelle beauté et si mystique .Deux êtres réunis .❤
Nico is forever the artist peripherally connected to “rock” music (pop? gothic?) who “can’t sing,” is always “out of tune.” WHY? Why did this start. She’s the artist who COULD sing. Her pitch was uncannily accurate. She sustained and supported the voice, she had legato, and expression. Truth, she sang and wrote) like the better classical musicians.
I was listening to this and my son said, "This makes me want to slit my wrists." I said, "Well, you need to listen and get beyond all that." Thank you, Nico, for helping us work on our shadow selves.
Wisdom is the gift of age, a young one hasn't seen enough of the way the world really works....never had to count sorrows. Just put It on his youth. As Mojo said, "smug in the woolly cotton brains of infancy"
IMO Nico was the only former member of the Velvet Underground who had a consistently great solo career. Reed and Cale had their ups and down but Nico was always up.
Seems like nico was thought of as a pretty face and having star qualities in the velvet underground but not taken as seriously as she should have been. Her solo works are arguably more important than Lou reeds.
I don't think there's any doubt that Nico - and John Cale- were much more interesting musicians than Lou Reed. He was too keen on being a rock star. They were true originals.
@@matthewscreech7058 yeah that’s kind of his cross to bear. Being a pop artist, or being artistically impactful. But that’s a lot of artists’ decision they often feel they have to make.
She wasnt as successful but i doubt nico wasnt taken seriously , cale colaborated in her more important albums , reed colaborated in her first album and he loved her version of ill be your mirror , and the record label owner knew he would lost money with nico albums as they were hard to sell but he produced it anyway because of the artistic value , i think she wasnt as popular as reed or cale only becauae even her new wave albums arent pop music. What i find funny is that nico sounds more cale than the cale solo albums
His music and his voice strongly remind me of the sacred music of Hidegar von Bingen. It is also a forerunner of the Dead Can Dance sound for me. All this happened somewhere in the west at the end of the twentieth century
How could I have missed this video before? Nico in full flight, opening the door to her bleak, seductive underworld. As a homeless kid back in 1969, I carried her Marble Index among my few indispensible possessions.
I saw her in NY in the summer with Joe Bidewell on keyboards the indoor temperature upper 90’s without AC. Nico was wrapped up in many layers with shawls and heavy boots, she stood against the wall staring no one approached to speak to her
I was first exposed to Nico's work through a solo album (I believe) from the 70's. It had exactly the feel of the songs in this video, but I don't think they were included in it. It had a strange beauty and originality about it. That album must be pretty rare by now, and I doubt that it will ever appear on YT.
@@mickeythompson9537 Thanks, Mickey. Well, after I realized that this very good album you posted was not the one I was referring to in my comment, I finally took the effort to do a search on RU-vid. It's the 1968 release The Marble Index", which I'd bought in the early 70's. I guess one should never underestimate YT's treasure trove of stuff, including the rarities.
Это холодная красота. Она такая утончённая и воздушная и легкая. Её называли Ледяной Королевой, и кстати если заметить её черты лица с возрастом будто тают от героина.
Skeeter NYC she was using heroin very regularly at this point, or at least methadone. This is well after Marble index and that album was made under The direct influence of smack, Imo
Skeeter NYC sorry if I came across like an asshole, but Ive read things to that made me come to this conclusion. Btw, love The pic of Lou and Nico for your thumbnail. Im a very big Lou fan. Peace
To quell any speculation about if/when Nico was strung out, I can confidently say from firsthand knowledge that pre Lou, she was already a casual user...of needles. There is a great story in Lou Reeds book about her shooting him up for the first time. "MY feelings for her and the opiate bliss are deeply entangled" Her heroin habit was in full effect before these recordings. These songs SOUND like heroin music. Um.. if you have an ear for that sort of thing. Anyway, Her and Lou fueled each other's addiction issues to the point of...well..death. Nico is overlooked and underrated.
I often wonder how much her mother's death affected her. Her mother died in 1970, and shortly after which she started taking heroin on a regular basis, which no doubt accelerated her decline - both mental and physical. She was such a talented songwriter, it's a shame she had to seek solace in heroin.
Liebes kleines Mütterlein Nun darf ich endlich bei Dir Sein Die Sehnsucht und die Einsamkeit Erlösen sich in Seligkeit The Song "Mütterlein" from Desert Shore (1970) says everything. But i guess those bombs destroyed cologne mostly during night time, bombs her early childhood too. It's said that the trauma of war linger on till the fourth generation. She was a member of the first.
Die Wiege ist dein Heimatkleid ein Schweben deine Herrlichkeit in Wonne wandelt dein Herzeleid und greift in die siegende Flut hinein. I hope you don't mind my adding the second verse . I found both your and Mr Mogwali 1's notes very touching. Thankyou.
FWIW, Frasier Mohawk claimed he and Nico were using heroin during the making of "The Marble Index" in 1968 (this is chronicled in the Uncut story from 2015). If he was being honest, her use of hard drugs started before her mother's death.
I like Desertshore better. "The End" I love You Forget to Answer and It Has Not Taken Long. Actually from that harmonium trilogy, I would say 1. Desertshore, 2. The Marble Index 3. The End, but the record that made me love her: Drama of Exile.
@@SuperMarioJamesSMJ She didn't like the album at all. I like the album except the over the top synth of "Innocent and Vain". That's a wonderful song, but destroyed with that synth effects.
