Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timeless, March 17, 2007
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.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sepulchral, sublime..., April 25, 2007
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)...
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nico Icon, August 10, 2007
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.
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