Frozen Borderline: 1968-1970 (Hk) (Reis) [Import, Original recording remastered]

Nico | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 12, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Rhino/Wea UK
• ASIN: B000M06SV8
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,174 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Prelude

2. Lawns Of Dawns

3. No One Is There

4. Ari's Song

5. Facing The Wind

6. Julius Caesar (Memento Hodie)

7. Frozen Warnings

8. Evening Of Light

9. Sagen Die Gelehren (Previously Unreleased Track)

10. Reve Reveiller (Previously Unreleased Track)

11. Roses In The Snow

12. Nibelungen (Harmonium Version) (Previously Unreleased Track)

13. Lawns Of Dawns (Alternate Version) (Previously Unreleased Track)

14. No One Is There (Alternate Version) (Previously Unreleased Track)

15. Ari's Song (Alternate Version) (Previously Unreleased Track)

16. Facing The Wind (Alternate Version) (Previously Unreleased Track)

17. Julius Caesar (Memento Hodie) (Alternate Version) (Previously Unreleased Track)

18. Frozen Warnings (Alternate Version) (Previously Unreleased Track)

19. Evening Of Light (Alternate Version) (Previously Unreleased Track)

20. Janitor Of Lunacy

See all 33 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

2007 digitally remastered two CD set that combines the late rock singer's albums The Marble Index (1969) and Desert Shore (1970) plus 17 previously unreleased tracks. The Marble Index, produced by Velvet Underground's John Cale, features an array of bonus tracks as does Desert Shore, which was also produced by Cale with Joe Boyd.. Features in depth liner notes, rare photos and memorabilia. 34 tracks. WEA

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless, March 17, 2007

By 

Charles Miller "objective clarity" (Baltimore, Maryland U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Frozen Borderline: 1968-1970 (Hk) (Reis) (Audio CD)

Nico had three distinct phases in her musical career:

- The Velvet Underground and her first solo effort, featuring many of the musicians from the former;

- the three albums from the late 60s through early 70s (two of which are featured here) along with 1974's The End; and

- everything that came thereafter (many of which were live albums and products of her relentlessly touring).

Briefly, there's not much I can say about the early period that readers aren't already familiar with (or you probably wouldn't be reading this). The later material generally has not garnered much in the way of critical acclaim, but this was due to the fact that many were "unofficial" releases and not really meant to be heard.

The Frozen Borderline: 1968 - 1970 not only re-releases two of her best three albums, but with a plentitude of additional material from these recording sessions. At the time of their original release, they basically went unheard (as unfortunately will probably still be the case now). Critics were quite harsh with these Gothic and what they called "depressing" tunes, not realizing then that they had a timelessness about them that holds up all these years. Whereas many albums from the 60s sound horribly dated, Nico wrote music that not only defied the time period from which they came, but all that were to come thereafter.

Interestly, liner notes indicate that four additional tracks were written and recorded for the first of the two albums, The Marble Index, but were deleted because the producers thought that no one could stand listening to more than 30 minutes of this kind of music. How fortunate we are to have the complete album now. And beyond that, 8 of the 9 original tracks are "repeated" via different versions that bring an interesting study to the development of the album.

The second album is Desertshore, the perfect follow-up to The Marble Index, and in many respects, a continuation of the same. The bonus tracks are invaluable... Nico, unaccompanied on demo versions. How rare it is to hear Nico this way... just her voice and the mysterious harmonium that she played! This gives a genuine insight to what she had intended. This isn't to say that John Cale's incredible instrumentation and his presence overall are not great additions to the final products, because indeed they are. In many respects, these albums represent a collaboration between the two, which in part made these albums as great as they are. However, the inclusion of the Nico-only demos serve to show that the original critics were wrong... that Cale didn't write these albums, Nico did, while he enhanced them by adding his magic.

Rounding out the package is an exceptionally informative booklet, although the "rare" photographs certainly would have been better served with additional pages so that they could have been larger. Another quibble is the placement of the "hidden track" at the end of the second disc. One has endure over 5 minutes of silence before this outtake from The Marble Index is finally heard.

Actually, these are probably the most difficult albums to review as there is nothing to compare them to. They are so utterly unique. In fact, this is one of the reasons why they are so timeless. There is nothing like them at this point in time and probably never will be. The best one can do is assure those considering purchasing this set that your money will not be wasted. Also, any "complete" collection of Nico's best work would also have to include The End, where she is backed by the likes of John Cale, Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera... certainly a forgotten masterpiece.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sepulchral, sublime..., April 25, 2007

By 

Ferrara Brain Pan (San Francisco CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Frozen Borderline: 1968-1970 (Hk) (Reis) (Audio CD)

The review by Charles is fairly informative and accurate, so I won't attempt to say much beyond the fact that it is great that a label has seen fit to give the grand remastered reissue treatment with bonus tracks galore to these classic albums. I have bought both of these albums at least three times each over the course of my life: wearing out the original US pressings in the 70s, replacing them with the import vinyl reissues in the 80s, and then the CD versions in the 90s. But this is such a lovely package I don't mind spending the money again on this great music. The added alternate tracks are well worth owning if you already know the original albums: the Marble Index outtakes are first-rate and the Desertshore demos provide a new perspective on that material. The Marble Index still measures up as one of the spookiest records ever recorded. The liner notes and booklet are lovingly and intelligently put together. My single complaint is that I dearly wish they had made one of these discs a CD-ROM or included a DVD so that they could have included the video for the song "Evening Of Light". That video is dizzyingly brilliant, and seldom seen (there was a clip of it in NICO ICON which you can find on YouTube, but it would be great to see the whole video)...

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars be very careful because this music will change your life., August 21, 2007

By 

derf "a nightmare in chintz" (My living room, Maui HI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frozen Borderline: 1968-1970 (Hk) (Reis) (Audio CD)

I got this two cd set and listened to it the way you are supposed to; with powerful speakers, in the dark, alone.
they moved me.
i don't really know what to say... her voice is so clear, so provocative, like some war goddess speaking to you. her lyrics seem like ancient poetry; my favorites are Julius Caesar, which sounds like classical music - - the way the viola soars and scratches, the see-sawing of the harmonium, her voice. they combine to form a picture of a timeless landscape and a myth... and nibelungen, some of the most chilling poetry. the first line: "since the first of you and me/asleep/in a nibelungen land/ titanic curses trap me in/ a banishment of state"; i made the mistake of listening to this during a hard time romantically, and it just about split me in two. the unreleased demos are beautiful in their purity, just Nico and her harmonium making beautiful music together.
desertshore i did not really get at first, but after listening to it a whole lot, it crept in too... her songs in german, Abscheid and Mutterlein (which was played by her friends on a cassette player at her funeral) are incredible. the whole album is like being trapped in someone elses fantasy, or nightmare. the only one that stood apart i felt was "Afraid", a piano ode. Every review i read seems to think it's trite and out of place - - and i agree it is out of place, but it works. it seems like a nod to a joni-mitchell-esque piano ballad, with nico taking over as the song moves on.
Culturally, nico's work should be considered a clarion call to artistic purity and integrity - - in the vein of Bjork, Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell and Tori Amos, Nico is a true artist whose place in the pantheon of great musicians is sorrowfully, shamefully overlooked. She is an iconoclast, groundbreaking and death-defying; her work remains pure and challenging nearly four decades later.
i was talking to a few indie friends a while back, having those conversations about music you will have had if you talk about music with your indie friends: "have you heard of blank? oh, wow, have you heard of blank? have you heard of blank?", each person trying to top the last with the level of unknown-ness and uniqueness of their music. i jumped in talking about nico, and hardly anyone knew about her, but those who did, their eyes got wide and we all knew. we had all had the same experience. she changed us. she changed music for us.
For anyone who knows of Nico through the velvet underground and her first solo album, these albums will shock you. they are spare, brooding, with this kind of organic authenticity about them in definite contrast to most of the music that was being made during the late sixties and early seventies. when i listen to them, i see durer, dore, blake; heroin, germany, skulls, angels, the bible, tombs, roman myths... this music gives you visions.
it is useless to classify this music with stars... a million stars. all the stars. these are not records. to paraphrase the quote from the liner notes, this is not a commodity. it is an artefact. it is a priceless relic. it is art.