The End...
| The End... | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Nico | ||||
| Released | November 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1973 at Sound Techniques, London, England | |||
| Genre | Avant-garde | |||
| Length | 42:02 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | John Cale | |||
| Nico chronology | ||||
| ||||
The End... is the fourth studio album by German musician Nico. It was recorded in 1973 and produced by John Cale. It was released in November 1974, on record label Island.
Background
Nico had performed two songs from the album in concert several years prior to the album release: "Secret Side" had been performed at a John Peel session for the BBC on February 2, 1971 and she had also performed "You Forget to Answer" on TV in France and the Netherlands in early 1972.
Content
The End... is her fifth collaboration with John Cale and second with him as producer. It carries the same harmonium-based sound heard on The Marble Index (1969) and Desertshore (1970), with the addition of Brian Eno's synthesizers and electronic instruments.
The song "You Forget to Answer" tells of the misery felt by Nico when she failed to reach ex-lover Jim Morrison by phone only to find out later that he had died. All but two of the songs on the album were written by Nico: the cover of the Doors' "The End" and a version of the German national anthem "Das Lied der Deutschen". Brian Eno plays synthesizer on "It Has Not Taken Long", "You Forgot to Answer" and "Innocent and Vain".[1]
The front and back covers feature stills from the Philippe Garrel film Les hautes solitudes (1974) in which Nico appears.
Release
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau | C[3] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[4] |
| Head Heritage | favorable[5] |
The End... was released in November 1974, on record label Island, her only album on the label. Despite strong reviews, like its predecessors, it was not a commercial success and Nico's partnership with Island ended.
It was her last studio album until she found a deal with Aura to release Drama of Exile in 1981.
Track listing
All tracks written by Nico, except as noted.
| Side A | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "It Has Not Taken Long" | 4:12 |
| 2. | "Secret Side" | 4:08 |
| 3. | "You Forget to Answer" | 5:08 |
| 4. | "Innocent and Vain" | 3:52 |
| 5. | "Valley of the Kings" | 3:57 |
| Side B | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 6. | "We've Got the Gold" | 5:44 | |
| 7. | "The End" | John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, Jim Morrison | 9:37 |
| 8. | "Das Lied der Deutschen" | Hoffmann von Fallersleben, Joseph Haydn | 5:29 |
| 2012 re-issue bonus disc | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Secret Side (John Peel Session, February 20, 1971)" | 4:04 |
| 2. | "We've Got the Gold (John Peel Session, December 3, 1974)" | 3:58 |
| 3. | "Janitor of Lunacy (John Peel Session, December 3, 1974)" | 4:34 |
| 4. | "You Forget to Answer (John Peel Session, December 3, 1974)" | 4:30 |
| 5. | "The End (John Peel Session, December 3, 1974)" | 9:07 |
| 6. | "Secret Side (The Old Grey Whistle Test, February 7, 1975)" | 4:07 |
| 7. | "Valley of the Kings (The Old Grey Whistle Test, February 7, 1975)" | 3:35 |
| 8. | "Das Lied der Deutschen (Rainbow Theatre live version, June 1, 1974)" | 5:36 |
| 9. | "The End (Rainbow Theatre live version, June 1, 1974)" | 9:18 |
- Note: The original CD edition of the album erroneously cuts off the song 'You Forget To Answer' about ten seconds early. The deluxe 2CD remastered edition corrects this error.
Personnel
- Nico – lead vocals, harmonium
- Additional personnel
- John Cale – bass guitar, xylophone, acoustic guitar, synthesizers, organ, marimba, triangles, cabaça, boobams, glockenspiel, percussion, piano, electric piano, production
- Phil Manzanera – electric guitar ("The End")
- Brian Eno – synthesizers
- Vicki Wood – backing vocals
- Annagh Wood – backing vocals
References
- ↑ Sheppard, David (2015). On Some Faraway Beach: The Life and Times of Brian Eno. London: Orion. p. 179. ISBN 1409157628.
- ↑ Thompson, Dave. "The End – Nico : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. AllRovi. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Nico". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ↑ Ashman, Neil (1 October 2012). "Nico – The End (Expanded Remaster) / Releases / Releases // Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ↑ "Julian Cope Presents Head Heritage | Unsung | Reviews | Nico – The End". Head Heritage. June 15, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
External links
- The End... at Discogs (list of releases)