The End...

The End...
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
Desertshore
(1970)
The End...
(1974)
Drama of Exile
(1981)

The End... is the fourth studio album by Nico. It was released in November 1974, through record label Island.

Background

Nico, playing harmonium, Hyde Park concert, 1974

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 performs 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.

Track listing

All songs written and composed 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. TitleWriter(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
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.

Release

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert ChristgauC[3]
Drowned in Sound8/10[4]

The End... was released in November 1974, through 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.

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.

Personnel

Additional personnel

References

  1. Sheppard, David (2015). On Some Faraway Beach: The Life and Times of Brian Eno. London: Orion. p. 179. ISBN 1409157628.
  2. Thompson, Dave. "The End – Nico : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. AllRovi. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  3. Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Nico". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  4. Ashman, Neil (1 October 2012). "Nico – The End (Expanded Remaster) / Releases / Releases // Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 20 April 2013.

External links

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