NICO
To many people, the name Nico sounds naked or incomplete without the prefix “The Velvet Underground &... Over the years the image of the tall blonde model—one-time consort of Jim Morrison and Jackson Browne—has become inextricably linked with the Velvets’ legend, and her part in the Warhol circus has cast a shadow over everything she has done since.
NICO
John Neilson
To many people, the name Nico sounds naked or incomplete without the prefix “The Velvet Underground &...
Over the years the image of the tall blonde model—one-time consort of Jim Morrison and Jackson Browne—has become inextricably linked with the Velvets’ legend, and her part in the Warhol circus has cast a shadow over everything she has done since. While this connection has guaranteed her an audience for her own idiosynchratic solo career, it has also dogged her with comparisons.
Of all her solo albums, only the first, Chelsea Girls, bears any real resemblance to the Velvets (it should—they provided much of the music for her on it). From there, Nico and her long-time producer/arranger John Cale struck out into a parched musical landscape that is totally her own, defining it with a trio of albums entitled Marble Index, Desertshore, and The End. Combining intricate and abstract arrangements with a moaning, wailing voice that hints of her part-German/ part-Turkish background, these LPs sound timeless and instantly recognizable.