Nico "Live At The Library Theatre '80" (2023 Record Store Day LP)
For Record Store Day 2023, a limited edition LP was issued featuring a 1980 live recording by Nico, the late German chanteuse who was best known for singing on the first Velvet Underground album in 1967. Live At The Library Theatre '80 was limited to 2,000 copies, and pressed in translucent light-blue vinyl.
The LP documents a concert performed by Nico (aka Christa Päffgen) in the small theatre beneath the Manchester Library in England. The sound is very understated, suitably scaled for such a tiny venue, as Nico sings in her eerie, unmelodic voice accompanied mostly by low-volume harmonium. Notably, the recording quality is remarkably clear, in contrast to two other recent Record Store Day live Nico releases. Besides renditions of two of the Velvet Underground songs she was known for (an acappella "All Tomorrows Parties" and a cocktail lounge piano version of "Femme Fatale"), the set list is otherwise drawn from Nico's solo albums from many years earlier, as well as from '80's efforts which were not yet released at the time of this concert. The sound favors the harmonium of the earlier studio albums, as Nico was not yet exploring the post-punk style of her 1981 Drama Of Exile album. The presence of a synthesizer causes "Fearfully In Danger" and the surprisingly accessible ballad "Afraid" to stand apart from the moodier harmonium-based tracks, hinting at the direction Nico would soon pursue in her final works. "Valley Of The Kings" is also a noteworthy standout track. This record is a decent collectible for collectors of all things VU, who will appreciate the better-than-expected recording quality.
Having been previously unaware of the song "Procession", I have now discovered the studio version released on a 1982 U.K. single which Nico recorded with the Invisible Girls, an all-male new wave outfit led by producer Martin Hannett. For the single's A-side, "Procession", Hannett and company basically added a Goth-rock layer to Nico's usual harmonium-based approach, and made her voice sound more distant in the mix. On the other hand, the B-side "All Tomorrow's Parties" gets a full Goth-rock treatment, virtually transforming it from a Velvet Underground song into a Joy Division one. The results are interesting, though imperfect. The 12-inch version of the Procession single contained a live rendition of "Femme Fatale", on which Nico was backed by another post-punk outfit called the Blue Orchids, who were founded by former members of The Fall. It comes across as a fairly logical update of the original, as Nico was backed by musicians who were clearly influenced by the Velvet Underground. Another track on the 12-inch, a live performance of Nico's 1974 solo song "Secret Side", seems out of place among the other three tracks, as it sounds more typical of Nico's early works. The Procession single is a useful accessory to the post-punk Drama Of Exile album; its tracks are currently available on the 2002 U.K. compilation titled Femme Fatale.
Nico "Live At The Library Theatre '80" (Culture Factory/Cherry Red 783 551) 2023
Track Listing:
1. My Heart Is Empty
2. Procession
3. All Tomorrows Parties
4. Valley Of The Kings
5. The Sphinx
6. We've Got The Gold
7. Mütterlein
8. Afraid
9. Innocent And Vain
10. Frozen Warnings
11. Fearfully In Danger
12. Tananore
13. Femme Fatale
Nico "Procession" 12-inch single (1/2 Records 112-A) 1982
Track Listing:
1. Nico and The Invisible Girls - "Procession"
2. Nico and The Invisible Girls - "All Tomorrow's Parties"
3. Nico and Samarkand - "Secret Side" (Copenhagen 14/2/82)
4. Nico and The Blue Orchids - "Femme Fatale" (London 18/1/82)
The LP documents a concert performed by Nico (aka Christa Päffgen) in the small theatre beneath the Manchester Library in England. The sound is very understated, suitably scaled for such a tiny venue, as Nico sings in her eerie, unmelodic voice accompanied mostly by low-volume harmonium. Notably, the recording quality is remarkably clear, in contrast to two other recent Record Store Day live Nico releases. Besides renditions of two of the Velvet Underground songs she was known for (an acappella "All Tomorrows Parties" and a cocktail lounge piano version of "Femme Fatale"), the set list is otherwise drawn from Nico's solo albums from many years earlier, as well as from '80's efforts which were not yet released at the time of this concert. The sound favors the harmonium of the earlier studio albums, as Nico was not yet exploring the post-punk style of her 1981 Drama Of Exile album. The presence of a synthesizer causes "Fearfully In Danger" and the surprisingly accessible ballad "Afraid" to stand apart from the moodier harmonium-based tracks, hinting at the direction Nico would soon pursue in her final works. "Valley Of The Kings" is also a noteworthy standout track. This record is a decent collectible for collectors of all things VU, who will appreciate the better-than-expected recording quality.
Having been previously unaware of the song "Procession", I have now discovered the studio version released on a 1982 U.K. single which Nico recorded with the Invisible Girls, an all-male new wave outfit led by producer Martin Hannett. For the single's A-side, "Procession", Hannett and company basically added a Goth-rock layer to Nico's usual harmonium-based approach, and made her voice sound more distant in the mix. On the other hand, the B-side "All Tomorrow's Parties" gets a full Goth-rock treatment, virtually transforming it from a Velvet Underground song into a Joy Division one. The results are interesting, though imperfect. The 12-inch version of the Procession single contained a live rendition of "Femme Fatale", on which Nico was backed by another post-punk outfit called the Blue Orchids, who were founded by former members of The Fall. It comes across as a fairly logical update of the original, as Nico was backed by musicians who were clearly influenced by the Velvet Underground. Another track on the 12-inch, a live performance of Nico's 1974 solo song "Secret Side", seems out of place among the other three tracks, as it sounds more typical of Nico's early works. The Procession single is a useful accessory to the post-punk Drama Of Exile album; its tracks are currently available on the 2002 U.K. compilation titled Femme Fatale.
Nico "Live At The Library Theatre '80" (Culture Factory/Cherry Red 783 551) 2023
Track Listing:
1. My Heart Is Empty
2. Procession
3. All Tomorrows Parties
4. Valley Of The Kings
5. The Sphinx
6. We've Got The Gold
7. Mütterlein
8. Afraid
9. Innocent And Vain
10. Frozen Warnings
11. Fearfully In Danger
12. Tananore
13. Femme Fatale
Nico "Procession" 12-inch single (1/2 Records 112-A) 1982
Track Listing:
1. Nico and The Invisible Girls - "Procession"
2. Nico and The Invisible Girls - "All Tomorrow's Parties"
3. Nico and Samarkand - "Secret Side" (Copenhagen 14/2/82)
4. Nico and The Blue Orchids - "Femme Fatale" (London 18/1/82)
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