Into Numberless Reflections

A slightly premature celebration of the birth of Christa Päffgen aka Nico, who would have been 84 on 18th October. Sadly, Nico passed on 18th July 1988, shy of 50, a bicycle accident bringing an untimely end to a complex, troubled and brilliant life.

 

Today's selection is pretty much all I have by Nico, a mixture of her lead vocals with The Velvet Underground, solo and live tracks from the mid-60s and early 70s, a mid-80s album track from the excellent One Pound Ninety-Nine compilation and a few live covers of David Bowie, the Velvets and The Doors. Pops, crackles and hisses betray the original source material.

The title is a line from Nico's 1968 song Frozen Warnings, here presented as a John Peel session a few years later. The photo is a chance discovery in September of a mythical beast, carved in wood, and seemingly abandoned atop a shipping container in a yard on the outskirts of Gloucester Quays.

 

Oh, and we've got hot water again. Hooray for Clan K.

 

1) All Tomorrow's Parties (Album Version By Andy Warhol): The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

2) Win A Few (Album Version By John Cale): Nico + The Faction (1985)

3) "Heroes" (Live @ Saltlageret, Copenhagen) (Cover of David Bowie): Nico ft. Smarkand (1982)

4) Femme Fatale (Mono Single Version By Andy Warhol): The Velvet Underground & Nico (1966)

5) I'm Not Sayin (Single Version By Andrew Loog Oldham) (Cover of Gordon Lightfoot): Nico (1965)

6) Waiting For The Man (Live @ Fagins, Manchester) (Edit) (Cover of The Velvet Underground): Bauhaus ft. Nico (1981)

7) Frozen Warnings (John Peel Session): Nico (1971)

8) I'll Be Your Mirror (Album Version By Andy Warhol): The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

9) Afraid (Album Version By John Cale): Nico (1970)

10) The End (Live @ The Rainbow Theatre, London) (Cover of The Doors): Kevin Ayers, John Cale, Brian Eno & NIco (1974)

Into Numberless Reflections (50:01)