Under the Needle

SEPTEMBER 1981-HIGH GEAR Page 11

Voice of doom meets new wave

By Steve DelNero

in the States, it can be found in NICO: Drama in Exile (U K. Aura those stores that keep a current AUL 715)

In 1975, after Nico and TangeMine Dream had played their bpaque, bleak music in France's Rheims Cathedral, the bishop had to rededicate it because the Jocal townspeople felt it had been desecrated.

Any rock artist who can raise such public hostility in this hohum age must be someone powerful. Nico is powerful. Her stark, haunting songs have been accompanied by a heavy-handed harmonium, and they are all dirges of death, destruction and gloom.

After moving to New York in 1965 from Europe (she had been a model and an actress, notably in Fellini's La Dolce Vita), Nico became a member of Andy Warhol's entourage and performed in about a half-dozen of his films. She eventually became "guest chanteuse" of the Velvet Underground, a group featuring Lou Reed and John Cale. Although Nico was tall, blonde and very beautiful, and might have been expected to seem sunny and cheerful, the songs Lou Reed gave her to sing were slow, sad and introspective. Who can forget "Femme Fatale" and "All Tomorrow's Parties?"

Shortly after the first Velvets' album was released, Nico left Warhol's factory to pursue a solo career. Her first three albums, Chelsea Girl, The Marble Index, and Desertshore, all feature John Cale's gnarling orchestra of noise. Nico's heavy German accent and low-registered voice has fitted right in with her tales of medieval-like suffering -the gloomiest you can imagine.

punk/new wave import rack.

Drama in Exile carries Nico's Gothic style into punk -but without the anger and hate. Her band (notably her guitarist Mahammad Hari and bassist-

producer Philippe Quilchini) consists of European unknowns -but what a band! Hari is influenced by Lou Reed's work with the Velvets, and once or twice tries to pull off Robert Fripp (needless to say, attempts at the latter don't work at all). Nico had said in a 1979 interview in Trouser Press that she wanted to use a punk band for this new album, for which she already had the current title. A few of the songs were previewed on last year's tour.

The album's opening cut, "Genghis Khan," is one of the better cuts. I put on the record, expecting to hear a harmonium --and up pops a guitar wailing with a strong drummer -and what's this? She has a whole rock band backing her! Her first words are "I have come to die with you."

Nico sings slowly and carefully no matter what amphetaminelike rush is of the band. Her enunciation has suffered a bit through the years -her heavy German accent and a nagging "chest cold" sound have never helped much, either but she manages to affect us just by the texture of her voice.

"Genghis Khan" will have you up and dancing before the song ends. Another quite danceable song is "One More Chance." With Hari on guitar, the song bounces.

When she sings "You can give me one more chance. Forget that it is me who must fight," you know that she's probably writing from experience.

Nico's last album, The End (1974), found her with Cale again. They had invited Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera of Roxy Another of the better songs on Music to help them. Eno's otherthe album is "The Sphinx." It world synthesizer and Manzanecombines best the "old" Nico and ra's grinding guitar added a new the "new" Nico. Lines like "my dimension to her music. One loneliness remains attending" critic at the time said that it was and "it's been hours since I saw "music to jump off a cliff by." you last / that left me in an Besides her own excellent selfunknown past" show that Nico penned material, she recorded hasn't changed her perception of rather controverial cover verthe world much -complete with sions of the Doors' "The End" minor chords falling strongly and and the Nazi anthem, "Das Lied adamantly, one at a time. The der Deutschen." music is Indian/raga/reggae -really rather funky in places. Odd, but it works!

After not being in the public eye since 1974, she toured America briefly last year, and played Cleveland's The Mistake (downstairs at the Agora). She appeared overweight--and ill with a cold. After being escorted onto the stage, she set up her own equipment, and stunned the entire room. Though she sounded despondent, her voice was still strong.

At one point in the show, after starting a song from one of her earliest albums, some fans started applauding to let Nico know that her song was recognized. She stopped in mid-song and said, "Thank You, but I don't deserve it."

Nico's new album, Drama in Exile, is quite different. She has abandoned her harmonium in favor of a New Wave-type band. It's her first album in seven years, and it's well worth the wait. Although it may not be released

Most of the other original songs on the album are slower, more reflective, and often just as intense as the rockers.

The album's production is excellent -even better than most of Cale's work in the past. If Nico considers this to be her "comeback" album, she has come back in full force. I hope she doesn't wait another seven years to release her next album.

Along with Nico's original songs there are two versions of songs by others on the album. I'm afraid that Nico only recorded them for the publicity. Her attempt at Lou Reed's classic, "Waiting for the Man' sounds horribly dated, even though Nico probably attended the original sessions in 1967. The neoRomantic world of Lou Reed has been turned into an up beat Gothic nightmare. The other

remake of David Bowie's "Heroes" (sung in English), is a dreadful disco rendition and why Nico wanted to record it in the first place is a mystery to me, especially since Bowie had refused her years ago when

asked to produce this record. Maybe she's getting back at him. Her band might be good, but it's not that good. Nico can't use Fripp and Eno like Bowie did!

If you are a Nico fan, you will want to search out this album.

You will see that she hasn't changed all that much-what you have liked about her is still there. Drama in Exile is easily the most accessible Nico album to date. It has never felt comfortable to call Nico a "rock" artist until now.

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