Nico is and has been a personal hero of mine since I discovered VU in my teenage years. Her music is one of a kind, Desertshore has Nico at her creative peak.
It’s such a special record. A friend turned me onto it during the pandemic. Really forcing me to reevaluate Nico. I now approach any album with her name on it with much greater reverence. I almost didn’t even want to show this record. It’s so personal and telling other people about an album this revealing seems inappropriate. Lol. But it’s true. Thank you for watching. Cheers. Shawn
Nice Shawn, will always treasure that period of Nico's solo work. She was truly on her own path. I may prefer Marble Index but both are excellent. The End on Island is a great one too. John Cale's run of production work too during that time is mind blowing. Just about everything he did then has become an influential, celebrated record these days.
Yea, Marble Index really does make an impact. I remember the first time I heard that album. For a period in college I was really into the whole goth scene. And Nico was very popular with my of the hardcore goths. You can picture the scene: a darkened dance floor with lots of people dressed in black. All of them dancing very slow. The room filled with a mix of marijuana and clove cigarettes. The setting was just the right for the Frozen Warnings (from Marble Index) to scare the life out of me 😳. But seriously, I eventually did discover the dark beauty of the album. I chose Desertshore because it gets overlooked and I thought we could turn a few people onto it. Btw…another upside of the goth scene was all the beautiful girls attracted to the goth-style. Lol. Nico, Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, Xmal Deutschland…all made for some great, late nights. Thanks, Dom. Cheers.
I have just recently got the Nico remasters. I have yet to have a really good listen to compare to the originals. I read the John Cooper Clarke book last year and it seems Nico and him had a kind of lovely domestic situation (for junkies anyway) when they shared a flat in the UK. They seemed to have a genuinely great friendship. I love the album after Desertshore too. The End...Beautiful run of albums from the VU and throughout the early 70's. Given the choice I'd much prefer to hang with Nico than Lou. Cheers...Ben
You missed the whole point of John Cale not only producing the album, he arranged the entire thing, as he did for The Marble Index. Cale composed and played all instruments spart from Nico's harmonium. All those sinister and menacing soundscapes are Cale's input. After recording Nico's harmonium and voice, Cale would be in the studio layering different instruments to Nico's previos recordings. After presenting Nico with the finished product, she burst out crying. A perplexed Cale asked her if ge had done something wrong and her reply was no, it's just so beautiful. Cale had perfectly delivered what Nico musically was aiming for. So in fact this is a collaborative album with John Cale and not so much a solo lp by Nico. Together they would lay the foundations for postpunk and goth a decade before those would evolve on a bigger scale.
I don’t think I miss the point at all. My video wasn’t about the role of a producer. My point was that Nico and Yoko were/are serious artists themselves. And that we live in a society which often tries to reduce their contributions. If you have read about the making of Desertshore, then you know that Nico was intimately involved in creating the sound of all of her albums. I wonder if we were discussing Ultravox would we be pointing out the significant role Conny Plank played in the development of their sound? Or Brian Eno with U2? This is my entire point; for some reason, our culture is forever trying to reduce the role of women in art and creative expression. I tell the story of overhearing a conversation between two fans of an (incredibly overrated) band that Yoko Ono was responsible for the early demise of this beloved group. These ridiculous and ugly stereotypes about women have been used again and again to diminish the importance of Ono as an artist in her own right. Perhaps another video can focus on the role of producers in the development of an artist sound. Cale is indeed a talented artist. He production credit would make an excellent video. But here I wanted to move in a different direction. Hey…I appreciate you watching and sharing. Cheers! Shawn
It’s certainly an interesting record. But I think there is a lot going on in the combination of Nico’s powerful voice and the synthetic soundscape created. At first it was a little off putting. In some ways I want to make a comparison to Suicide. Stark, cold and heavy but also beautiful and, somehow, tender at times. I think Nico must have been a very vulnerable woman. Trying so hard to protect herself. Give it a try, my friend. Cheers! Shawn
Ono's first album sounds like no wave years before that scene. A later Nico album worth seeking out is Nico + the faction. She does a great version of my funny valentine.
She was indeed a visionary. Sadly, she paid a high price for her originality and talent. They talk about her addictions but I really believe that people who are addicts over long periods of time are actually self-medicating. That if society treated people realistically we would help people with mental health issues without forcing them into the streets for drugs. I’ve heard that version of My Funny Valentine. She also does a powerful interpretation of The End by the Door. Thank you for watching. Cheers! Shawn
The people that are stuck in the rhetoric that Yoko was/is bad news are likely the same people that still get excited about yet another reissue from “that popular band” while ignoring all the fantastic other music that has been, and still is, being released. It’s a sad thing. As for Nico, I’ve liked almost everything I’ve heard of hers. Mostly familiar with her VU work and Chelsea Girl. Haven’t seeked out much else of hers, but will keep an eye out.
Hello Thijs. How are you? Yea, the conversation between these two guy talking about Yoko Ono so ugly stuff. But I shouldn’t be surprised. This kind of open racist rhetoric is getting more prevalent unfortunately. All I will say was that it was bad enough that I was forced to say something. CG is a great Nico album but I am confident you will connect to the more difficult music she created on the next two records. You have an ear for the more avant-garde. Have you heard her version of The End? Omg. It’s stunning and will leave you ice cold (in a good way). It’s on TH-cam I believe. I’ll see if I can find it. Thank you for watching. Have a great week. Cheers! Shawn.
@@the-vinyl-dreamscape5084 Oh wow I didn't even realize you were implying racial rhetoric, I just thought it was regarding her supposed role in breaking up said band. The End was mentioned by someone else not too long ago, can't remember who, might have even been you, and yes I did listen to it, quite stunning indeed.
Hey Phillippe. Now I recognize your handle. I’m sorry about that. Social media is strange this way. We all get to know each other but it’s bits and pieces of who we are. I appreciate you introducing yourself. Merci. You don’t do videos? You should consider it. I waited and waited before I did. But you have some great music and films to share. More importantly, I don’t see anyone else showing the items you have. Something to think about perhaps. Anyway, thank you for watching. See ya on Friday. Shawn.
Nico is and has been a personal hero of mine since I discovered VU in my teenage years. Her music is one of a kind, Desertshore has Nico at her creative peak.
It’s such a special record. A friend turned me onto it during the pandemic. Really forcing me to reevaluate Nico. I now approach any album with her name on it with much greater reverence. I almost didn’t even want to show this record. It’s so personal and telling other people about an album this revealing seems inappropriate. Lol. But it’s true. Thank you for watching. Cheers. Shawn
Nice Shawn, will always treasure that period of Nico's solo work. She was truly on her own path. I may prefer Marble Index but both are excellent. The End on Island is a great one too. John Cale's run of production work too during that time is mind blowing. Just about everything he did then has become an influential, celebrated record these days.
Yea, Marble Index really does make an impact. I remember the first time I heard that album. For a period in college I was really into the whole goth scene. And Nico was very popular with my of the hardcore goths. You can picture the scene: a darkened dance floor with lots of people dressed in black. All of them dancing very slow. The room filled with a mix of marijuana and clove cigarettes. The setting was just the right for the Frozen Warnings (from Marble Index) to scare the life out of me 😳. But seriously, I eventually did discover the dark beauty of the album. I chose Desertshore because it gets overlooked and I thought we could turn a few people onto it. Btw…another upside of the goth scene was all the beautiful girls attracted to the goth-style. Lol. Nico, Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, Xmal Deutschland…all made for some great, late nights. Thanks, Dom. Cheers.
I have just recently got the Nico remasters. I have yet to have a really good listen to compare to the originals. I read the John Cooper Clarke book last year and it seems Nico and him had a kind of lovely domestic situation (for junkies anyway) when they shared a flat in the UK. They seemed to have a genuinely great friendship. I love the album after Desertshore too. The End...Beautiful run of albums from the VU and throughout the early 70's. Given the choice I'd much prefer to hang with Nico than Lou. Cheers...Ben
You missed the whole point of John Cale not only producing the album, he arranged the entire thing, as he did for The Marble Index. Cale composed and played all instruments spart from Nico's harmonium. All those sinister and menacing soundscapes are Cale's input. After recording Nico's harmonium and voice, Cale would be in the studio layering different instruments to Nico's previos recordings. After presenting Nico with the finished product, she burst out crying. A perplexed Cale asked her if ge had done something wrong and her reply was no, it's just so beautiful. Cale had perfectly delivered what Nico musically was aiming for.
So in fact this is a collaborative album with John Cale and not so much a solo lp by Nico. Together they would lay the foundations for postpunk and goth a decade before those would evolve on a bigger scale.
I don’t think I miss the point at all. My video wasn’t about the role of a producer. My point was that Nico and Yoko were/are serious artists themselves. And that we live in a society which often tries to reduce their contributions. If you have read about the making of Desertshore, then you know that Nico was intimately involved in creating the sound of all of her albums. I wonder if we were discussing Ultravox would we be pointing out the significant role Conny Plank played in the development of their sound? Or Brian Eno with U2? This is my entire point; for some reason, our culture is forever trying to reduce the role of women in art and creative expression. I tell the story of overhearing a conversation between two fans of an (incredibly overrated) band that Yoko Ono was responsible for the early demise of this beloved group. These ridiculous and ugly stereotypes about women have been used again and again to diminish the importance of Ono as an artist in her own right. Perhaps another video can focus on the role of producers in the development of an artist sound. Cale is indeed a talented artist. He production credit would make an excellent video. But here I wanted to move in a different direction. Hey…I appreciate you watching and sharing. Cheers! Shawn
You have made me interested.. I’m now on the hunt for that Nico record. Good info thx Shawn✊🏽
It’s certainly an interesting record. But I think there is a lot going on in the combination of Nico’s powerful voice and the synthetic soundscape created. At first it was a little off putting. In some ways I want to make a comparison to Suicide. Stark, cold and heavy but also beautiful and, somehow, tender at times. I think Nico must have been a very vulnerable woman. Trying so hard to protect herself. Give it a try, my friend. Cheers! Shawn
Ono's first album sounds like no wave years before that scene. A later Nico album worth seeking out is Nico + the faction. She does a great version of my funny valentine.
She was indeed a visionary. Sadly, she paid a high price for her originality and talent. They talk about her addictions but I really believe that people who are addicts over long periods of time are actually self-medicating. That if society treated people realistically we would help people with mental health issues without forcing them into the streets for drugs. I’ve heard that version of My Funny Valentine. She also does a powerful interpretation of The End by the Door. Thank you for watching. Cheers! Shawn
The people that are stuck in the rhetoric that Yoko was/is bad news are likely the same people that still get excited about yet another reissue from “that popular band” while ignoring all the fantastic other music that has been, and still is, being released. It’s a sad thing. As for Nico, I’ve liked almost everything I’ve heard of hers. Mostly familiar with her VU work and Chelsea Girl. Haven’t seeked out much else of hers, but will keep an eye out.
Hello Thijs. How are you? Yea, the conversation between these two guy talking about Yoko Ono so ugly stuff. But I shouldn’t be surprised. This kind of open racist rhetoric is getting more prevalent unfortunately. All I will say was that it was bad enough that I was forced to say something. CG is a great Nico album but I am confident you will connect to the more difficult music she created on the next two records. You have an ear for the more avant-garde. Have you heard her version of The End? Omg. It’s stunning and will leave you ice cold (in a good way). It’s on TH-cam I believe. I’ll see if I can find it. Thank you for watching. Have a great week. Cheers! Shawn.
@@the-vinyl-dreamscape5084 Oh wow I didn't even realize you were implying racial rhetoric, I just thought it was regarding her supposed role in breaking up said band. The End was mentioned by someone else not too long ago, can't remember who, might have even been you, and yes I did listen to it, quite stunning indeed.
@@soundofminder I think Jose mentioned The End by Nico. I went back and listened to it…wow. Till later. Shawn
Hi Shawn! Philippe
Hey Phillippe. Now I recognize your handle. I’m sorry about that. Social media is strange this way. We all get to know each other but it’s bits and pieces of who we are. I appreciate you introducing yourself. Merci. You don’t do videos? You should consider it. I waited and waited before I did. But you have some great music and films to share. More importantly, I don’t see anyone else showing the items you have. Something to think about perhaps. Anyway, thank you for watching. See ya on Friday. Shawn.
You are So kind Shawn!