Customer Reviews

Frozen Borderline: 1968-1970 (Hk) (Reis)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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)...

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.

If you are on the borderline whether or not to buy this CD because you already own "The Mable Index" and "The Desert Shore", the answer is an overwhelming "buy it". The extra tracks are some of the best work Nico has ever done. Most of the additional works are Nico accompanied by her harmonium only; on them, her voice and lyrics are so hauntingly beautiful. What a pity her life was so difficult and her death so tragic.

For many music fans, Nico is best remembered for her work in the Velvet Underground. But there was much more to the artistry of this vastly underrated performer.

In an impressive reissue, The Marble Index (1969) and Desert Shore (1970) are given the treatment they deserve, with the inclusion of 17 bonus tracks, extensive liner notes and numerous photographs.

While the music hardly carries the moniker of being "commercial," it shows a true artist who is seriously tackling a vision of sound through experimentation. Recorded when art actually mattered, the albums and additional tracks are breathtaking in scope.

Nico is sort of an acquired taste. If you've already acquired it and have The Marble Index and The Desert Shore, should you buy this? Yes. First of all, Rhino has done their usual fantastic job making the sound quality as good as possible. I didn't think The Marble Index sounded that good on the previous edition of the CD. It does now. It's just magical. Second, The Marble Index now includes Nico's unadorned original takes that were later treated by John Cale. Freed from additional passes through recording equipment, Nico's vocals sound rich, expansive and wonderful. I don't pretend to compare the 2 versions, as both are great, I just like having version A and version B.

This is best Nico release I have seen to date. The mastering of "Marbel Index" is fantastic. Not only that, but the inclusion of the alternate and unreleased tracks is spectacular... it makes the album come alive! When "Marbel Index" was initially re-released we were treated to "Roses in the Snow" and "Nibelungen." Now we have alternate takes (some of which are better than what was put on the album) and then two more tracks that weren't released.

"Desertshore," sometimes considered Nico's masterpiece, contains demos that consist of Nico simply singing whilst playing her harmonium. They are haunting and melodic, and sometimes sound better than the album versions. The exception would be "On the Desertshore," in which Nico starts singing and then stops, almost bashfully saying "I don't think this is quite what I want..."

I've listened to this reissue compared with the initial 1991 CD issue (as well as the LP) I think the main interest here is the additional alternate versions of the songs which originally appeared on the Marble Index LP and initial CD release. I have significant reservations about the sonic quality of the new issue however. This is not a criticism of the Frozen Borderline producers because I think the problem mainly resides in the source tapes. As noted below from another review, the master tapes seemed to be deteriorating several years ago as evidenced by the sound on the Sundazed LP reissue (Sundazed is usually a good LP remasterer) In comparing the Frozen Borderline mastering with the initial CD release of Marble Index in 1991, there are easily audible differences in midrange tone, definition of transients,low level resolution and to some extent dynamics. All these surprisingly favor the initial CD release. The initial 1991 CD also sounds closer to the original LP while Frozen Borderline sounds closer to the Sundazed LP reissue. A real tragedy if the tapes have gone south. I would recommend someone track down the UK LP source tape/disk to see if it's in better shape.

Postscript: I'm glad someone (gregor von Kallahann) commented on the difference between the LP version of Marble Index and the initial 1991 CD with the 2 songs added at the end (not this Frozen Borderline reissue). I bought the LP when it first came out so it was only after many years that I heard the CD version. This is the only time when I have been astounded by bonus tracks. The reviewer is correct that the album has a totally different effect ending with Evening of Light or with Roses in the Snow and Nibelungen. The first time I heard them it was like a vision beyond Time and the grave. As for the sonic differences, the initial CD is actually not terrible compared to the vinyl. Although the vinyl is clearly superior it was not a great recording to begin with. And sadly the master tape is apparently in poor condition so it would have to be reconstructed from session tapes if those still exist or first generation copies.

probably not everybody's cuppa tea, strange and weird, compelling and irritating, Nico's voice with the German accent and this organ-harpsichord-type instrument she plays...very, very different. you either love it or hate it. negative: why bother with the slightly different versions of the same songs only to fill up cd space?

This is the definition of "challenging music" that makes serious demands on the listener. This is very uncommercial music, so much so that it makes the Velvet Underground (her former band) sound like Elton John. This is Nico wandering around the frozen tundra looking for roses in the snow. It is drug music, specifically, Heroin music. Is it any good? Yes, it is. John Cale makes sure it is. Between his production, piano, viola, guitar etc., he builds Nico a musical cathedral in which she can bemoan her lamentations to her hearts content. In some alternative universe, this probably outsold Michael Jackson's Thriller and won more Grammy's, but the question is , would we want to live in this alternative universe? Listen to these 2 discs before you answer that seemingly obvious question. R.I.P Nico.