Nico

The Velvet Underground & Nico is the debut album by American rock band the Velvet Underground, released in March 1967 by Verve Records. It was recorded in 1966 while the band were featured on Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable tour, which gained attention for its experimental performance sensibilities and controversial lyrical topics, including drug abuse, prostitution, sadomasochism and sexual deviancy. Many subgenres of rock music and forms of alternative music were significantly informed by the album, including art rock, punk, garage, shoegazing, goth, and indie. It sold poorly and was mostly ignored by contemporary critics, but later became regarded as one of the most influential albums in the history of popular music.

A 1985 live performance from the Velvet Underground’s cult icon! Nico’s doom-laden contralto voice, the bizarre choice of a harmonium for accompaniment, and the sheer eeriness and other-worldliness of her repertoire mark Nico as one of the most extraordinarily original performers of the rock era. On translucent blue vinyl!

It isn't just that the four credited lead players are together, it's also that Robert Wyatt and (if one is excited by such a thing) Mike Oldfield are helping out as well. The whole result should have been a mind-blowing example of one moment of twisted brilliance after another, captured for the ages. And is it? Well, close enough. The week's rehearsal mentioned in the liner notes seems to have gotten everyone more or less on the same wavelength for the chosen songs, but Ayers, who was the headliner, just sounded too laid-back in the end to match the chilling brilliance of his guests, even with old Soft Machine mate Wyatt along for the ride.

Florian Kohlscheen and Nico Graz combine their instruments guitar and bandoneon on their debut album "La vida breve", opening up impressive insights into the sound world of Spanish and South American concert music. With their program they present a selection of compositions from the late 19th and early 20th centuries (Isaa Albéniz, Manuel de Falla, Heitor Villa-Lobos, among others) as well as works by contemporary composers such as Marco Pereira, Egberto Gismonti and Quique Sinesi.

Go where the action is! Memphis is in the center of the United States and at the crossroads of black American music. And Clarksdale is there, like a ghost town that has never woken up from its past, there, 60 miles further south, in the state of Mississippi, on the road to Louisiana and New Orleans.

The vinyl recording of Nico’s iconic Live Inn performance in Tokyo stands as a cherished gem. It encapsulates the haunting allure of her deep vocals in tracks like “Janitor of Lunacy” and “Tananore”, drawing listeners into her captivating melancholy. Former member of The Velvet Underground – Singer/Songwriter, Model/Actress, Solo Artist/Music Icon. Nico seemed to be at the epicentre of all that was cool in the 60s. And she continued that trend by relocating to Manchester in the 80s for a career renaissance before sadly dying in 1988.

The vinyl recording of Nico’s iconic Live Inn performance in Tokyo stands as a cherished gem. It encapsulates the haunting allure of her deep vocals in tracks like “Janitor of Lunacy” and “Tananore”, drawing listeners into her captivating melancholy. Former member of The Velvet Underground – Singer/Songwriter, Model/Actress, Solo Artist/Music Icon. Nico seemed to be at the epicentre of all that was cool in the 60s. And she continued that trend by relocating to Manchester in the 80s for a career renaissance before sadly dying in 1988.

Florian Kohlscheen and Nico Graz combine their instruments guitar and bandoneon on their debut album "La vida breve", opening up impressive insights into the sound world of Spanish and South American concert music. With their program they present a selection of compositions from the late 19th and early 20th centuries (Isaa Albéniz, Manuel de Falla, Heitor Villa-Lobos, among others) as well as works by contemporary composers such as Marco Pereira, Egberto Gismonti and Quique Sinesi.

Go where the action is! Memphis is in the center of the United States and at the crossroads of black American music. And Clarksdale is there, like a ghost town that has never woken up from its past, there, 60 miles further south, in the state of Mississippi, on the road to Louisiana and New Orleans.