I'm not at all surprised by the occasional negative reviews of this release. Nico tends to polarize people. Even people who would never use the "can't sing a lick" argument against such contemporaries (and friends) of Nico such as Dylan, Leonard Cohen and (the maybe less than friendly) Lou Reed feel free to use it against her.

Ah, you say, but THEY wrote their own material. Well, so did Nico (almost exclusively after this album). And contrary to what some have written, Nico actually began writing on this record (forgive me for using old-fashioned terms like "record" and "album"). "It Was A Pleasure Then" was authored by Nico, John Cale and Lou Reed. Lyrically, it's a patent Nico song; the feedback accompaniment is classic Reed/Cale.

People can argue about the merits of Nico as a chanteuse, but that was only a role she played for a very short time. I happen to like her Sprechstimme vocals and do not consider them Warhol-esque camp (since she sounded the same on her earliest, pre-Velvets recordings "The Last Mile," and "I'm Not Sayin'"--yes the Gordon Lightfoot song--long before she ever met Andy and Co.)

The songs on this record, as well as the occasional cabaret-style foray into Dietrich territory in her later career ("My Funny Valentine" from "Camera Obscura") suggest that Nico could have been the heir to a German (not French) tradition previously represented by Lotte Lenya, Marlene Dietrich and Hildegard Knef (aka Hildegarde Neff). She embraced that tradition only briefly and somewhat ironically, and then moved beyond it, crossing the "frozen borderline" represented by her second solo lp "The Marble Index." That record is a world beyond "Chelsea Girl" and as far removed from Warhol campiness as is humanly possible.

Regardless of whether you find "Chelsea Girl" charming or whether you wonder how this "non-singer" ever landed a recording contract, you should realize that Nico went on to compose and perform (in collaboration with John Cale) some of the most provocative and downright scary music of the 60s, 70s and early 80s.

If you're intrigued at all by Nico, you may want to check out the video "Nico Icon" or one of the two books about her "Nico: the Life and Lies of an Icon" (the author's name escapes me at the moment) and/or "Nico: the End" by James Young.

Okay, its a sad fact that most people in this world are not musically knowledgable or appreciative on a deep level. This is illustrated by the fact that, as reviewers have noted before, not nearly enough people have ever heard of Nico.

I will state this very plainly:

This album is the classic Nico album. It also contains the single most beautiful set of songs I have ever heard in my life. And this comes from someone who prides themself on having a broad and obscure musical taste. There is a certain Zen in this album that I just can't express. Especially on the understated "These Days". This song gives you the feeling that Nico is singing to you the exhausted lament of someone who has come back from the dead. Its haunting and priceless. As for Nico's voice being unusual, I would have to protest. People devour the albums of artists like Bjork and PJ Harvey, and to me their voices have a much more unnatural tonal quality.

I urge you to at least listen to this album. I know the Royal Tenenbaums really got Nico's music back out there, so I hope a lot of people can share in this rare experience.

This CD contains many lovely songs, Somewhere There's a Feather, Little Sister and many more. Sung by Nico whose distinctive and quite low voice is bliss to the ears.

Her style of music being unique and quite brilliant.

i always thought nico was just a beautiful babe andy warhol had stuck the velvet underground with. as a marketing ploy, too spice them up with some sex appeal. that is, until i heard this album (cd) recently. it's a great, unique record. something very different. she sings contempoaray songs circa 1967 in a heavy german accent. songs by jackson browne, lou reed and bob dylan among others. strangely it works. brilliantly. it's sexy, mysterious, melancholy and timeless. it lingers in the mind. the haunting sense of both sadness and timelessness. almost mournful. quite an achievement for the beautiful babe andy stuck the velvets with. this is one of the best generally unknown great albums of the 1960s. i wasn't familiar with it and i grew up in the 60s and was a big velvet underground fan. check it out. you wont be sorry you did.

I simply cannot imagine another record with a similar intense sad atmosphere that is equally beautiful at the same time. For me this first Nico album always works best in autumn or winter. Whenever I hear this music, I see images of lonely foggy country landscapes, gently falling leaves and drizzling rain. In a way it makes me incredibly happy to listen to this music. If you like Tim Buckley, Nick Drake, Fred Neil, Sandy Denny, then you will want to have this one. One of the ultimate melancholic masterpieces.