Nico - Chelsea Girl

 

Obviously, I never got completely caught up with reviewing the Nico albums that I have, so I am continuing to try to rectify that now.

Chelsea Girl is Nico's first post-Velvets album and although there were contentious issues with her expulsion from that band, almost everyone still came together to help Nico with this release - writing songs and backing her instrumentally. But, this is hardly another Velvets record - this sound on this one harkens back to her 60's folk days with several songs by Jackson Brown (another one of her lovers), Bob Dylan (ditto) and Tim Hardin.

The Jackson Brown songs are actually quite memorable, opening with "The Fairest of the Seasons" and "These Days", both with beautiful melodies and sparse, acoustic backing from Brown himself. Cale and Reed collaborated on "Little Sister" which is somewhat reminiscent of some of Cale's quieter solo work, while Cale's "Winter Song" is positively Baroque. Nico co-wrote "It Was a Pleasure Then" with Reed and Cale and it sounds a bit more like her later work, albeit without her trademark harmonium but with trademark Lou Reed feedback and groovy cacophony! The pluralized title song is a Reed/Sterling Morrison cowrite and while the melody is somewhat sparse, it is quite memorable and highly effective with lyrics describing the various habitants of the famous hotel - although Nico always hated the flute in it! Dylan's "I'll Keep It With Mine" returns to the folkiness (with some strings added, which, supposedly, Nico also cringed at), Brown's "Somewhere There's a Feather" is not as strong as his previous offerings, but Reed's "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" works well with the vocal melody intertwining with a nicely repetitive underlying riff and Hardin's closing "Eulogy to Lenny Bruce" has a delicate acoustic guitar backing (Jackson again?) while Nico's singing again has her later, droney edge to it, which I dig.

Another eclectic release by this chanteuse and while it works for what it is - basically a folk record - and has some classic tunes, it is not truly Nico being Nico - that would come with her next record. Still, I definitely am a fan of this one and it certainly deserves its place in musical history just for the musicians involved!