Thursday 6 October 2022

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)

2 comments:

  1. I'm wondering if you've heard this too, Khayem? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQv0iH586Lg
    Apparently everything in the lyrics is true, what a lovely claim to fame!

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    1. Ah, C, I hadn't heard of the song or the band and I love it! You've sent me down another rabbit hole...I've spent the last hour listening to their other songs. An added layer of interest in discovering that the half of HANN is Edward Barton, writer of "It's A Fine Day" by Jane plus many other wondrous musical oddities over the years. Another one for the Bandcamp Friday shopping list!

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