Nico

The lady with that voice. She was a "member" of the Velvet Underground for the first album, then went solo.

Information: Nico Web Site
Suggested first purchase: Chelsea Girl
Suggested best of: The Classic Years

Chelsea Girl (1967) -- A pretty gorgeous album. Nico works even better here than she did on the first Velvet Underground album, since this music seems tailored to her with the creepy strings and guitars. "The Fairest of the Seasons," "These Days," and "I'll Keep It With Mine" are highlights. Another gem from this amazing year. B

Desertshore (1970) -- While Chelsea Girl was a great blend of pop music and Nico's weird voice, making a different sort of beauty in music, this album is simply more bleak. One or two tracks reaches prettiness, but even that has a layer of blandness to it. The music is of course interesting, but that's not enough to keep someone interest-ed. C