Marble Index, The - Nico

I love this LP, but why the hell I thought it would be possible to find words for what's going on here is totally beyond me.
What I do know is that this LP scares the be-living-Jesus out of me! If you are going to give this album a try,
the best situation in which to absorb it and allow it to chill you to the freaked out bone, is to lie down on your bed, with the lights off, and listen through headphones, to this eerie LP.
...
...the bath.
Running time ( of the LP, not your bath! ) is just under 31 minutes, so allowing yourself the time to undergo this, perhaps, is a little self indulgent. But hey, you wont want to do it again for a while!

Given that this album has been composed by Nico, with her voice sometimes alienating and bordering on cringe-worthy, owing only to her strong Germanic accent.
Her voice however, does have a real sincerity to ... more

I love this LP, but why the hell I thought it would be possible to find words for what's going on here is totally beyond me.
What I do know is that this LP scares the be-living-Jesus out of me! If you are going to give this album a try,
the best situation in which to absorb it and allow it to chill you to the freaked out bone, is to lie down on your bed, with the lights off, and listen through headphones, to this eerie LP.
Alternately, if you've got the set-up, lights out whilst in the bath.
Running time ( of the LP, not your bath! ) is just under 31 minutes, so allowing yourself the time to undergo this, perhaps, is a little self indulgent. But hey, you wont want to do it again for a while!

Given that this album has been composed by Nico, with her voice sometimes alienating and bordering on cringe-worthy, owing only to her strong Germanic accent.
Her voice however, does have a real sincerity to it, bringing a pleasant wholeness to her sound. You just have to listen to her only release before this one, owing for a single,
the sumptuous 'Chelsea Girls'. Proving to all that she is much more than a 'Velvet Underground' stray. Here, she also plays competently with an harmonium.

Add into the mix the understated genius that is John Cale ( Velvet Underground ), always throughout his V.U career, treading in the shadow of his comrade, Lou Reed.
Upon closer inspection of Cales solo work, a bold and beautiful body of work can be found, with a psychedelic edge and a love of amazingly diverse lyrics, his work is tragically overlooked.
Here, we find him, as well as being at the helm of the mixing desk, providing amongst other things, glockenspiel, keyboards, guitar, bass and a wicked bit of viola on an LP that must of knocked Nico fans sideways,
when they heard the direction she took was one of dark, anxious suspense, as opposed to the sometimes chirpy, but always somewhat morose sound.

Right from the outset, images pop into your head, of frost covered forests in the cold night, with a barely moonlit path being intruded by unexplainable shadows,
in a time of monsters and goblins. Nico, doing her thing in a style that weighs heavy on your mind, with her lyrics uncomfortably sung, the jagged and peril filled nature of them probably not helping.
And the constant onslaught of almost randomly played instruments, that are, no matter how deniable it may be, held together in a real ramshackle and unnerving way.
Every Nico written song found here, is indeed original and engaging, just as much as they are bleak and desperate.

Soundtrack to your summer? NO. Soundtrack to a very bad dream, well yes, that, I think, would be fair to say .
And if there's just not enough here for you, look out for the CD re-issue, with a couple of bonus tracks thrown in for good measure.

From the set of 'Federico Fellinis' 'La Dolce Vita' movie, where she was discovered ( carrying a chandelier), onto the magnificent 'Andy Warhol' driven VU and finally a solo career that careered from a more promising path of approachable, avent garde pop tunes to a dirt road,
tread fearfully by the brave few, seduced by Nico and her uncompromisingly individual voice.

If you do check this LP out, drop me a line, because few people these days have experienced this LP,
and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

FOR LP DETAILS, I.E. TRACKLISTING ETC, PLEASE SEE THE PRODUCT INFORMATION TAB. THANKYOU. 

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