A Haunting Live Recording
telco | California | 08/05/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
""Janitor of Lunacy" is the newest release of a live Nico show. I think the performance takes place in Berlin, but I'm not totally sure. What I do know is that this CD is fantastic in some parts and not in others. The best moments on this CD are when Nico is backed by her band The Faction. Vegas and Saeta are awesome. Ghengis Khan has fantastic instrmentation except for the fact that Nico's voice fade's in and out due to the slip shod recording. Janitor of Lunacy is good, but nothing spectacular. Tananore is excellent. Afraid is still beautiful. The jazz version of Femme Fatal is terrible (worst on here). A voice only version of All Tomorrows Parties is still powerful. No One is There is a pleasant surprise; powerful and nice harmonium sound. Frozen Warnings is always good. Orley Flights was misnamed Closing the Door; it's ok, but still a weak song. An finally, Heroes is great as usual. The studio versions of Vegas and Saeta are the same ones that were on the Icon album; her best 80's songs aside from My Heart is Empty and the entire Fata Morgana recording. The live video feed of her performing Heroes is a ... version of the performance from Underground Experience. Forget this one cause it's just terrible, go buy the Underground DVD. Nico newbies would do best to buy one of her studio recordings first (or Do or Die if you want a live recording); collectors must own this as it is cool to hear Nico talk every once and a while, and the Faction sounds awesome."
Live at MANCHESTER England 1982
W. T. Hoffman | Pennsylvania, United States | 12/31/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Here is NICO, playing a set that dovetails nicely, as far as material goes, with the music from the other LIVE MANCHESTER SHOW, Heroine. (the same show that is available on DVD, of the same name.) I have played both shows next to each other, and I find the sound from the two MANCHESTER LIBRARY shows to be so close, as to qualify for sequencial nights, of the same concert run. Maybe it is. If not, then three years MAY have elapsed between these two live Manchester shows, but you cant hear it, in her singing, or in most of the songs' arangements. For sound quality, JANITORY OF LUNACY is very clear. Some of NICO's live material suffers from poor recording, or a bad audience response. She seemed to be comfortable, and well liked at these shows. Aparently, NICO liked Manchester too, because it reminded her of BERLIN. She says this in her interview, altho WHY the two towns are similar, who knows. Maybe you could score smack easily at both cities, or they were both bombed out in WWII, whatever. This is NICO, singing in her hometown. If you want to find out about NICO's music, naturally you start with her studio albums. Nico and John Cale (her producer/Velvet Underground alumni) had a chemistry that is remarkable. MARBLE INDEX defined GOTH ROCK, way before it even had a name. HOWEVER, if you really want to know NICO the person, listen to her LIVE. This is a great start for that, cos you get the interviews, the little bit of video with "heros", etc. Also, you DO get to hear a couple of studio tracks, to compair, with her live sound. Bow down to beautiful ice queen FEMME FATALE, and give her a fix. She will sing for you, the fables of GENGHIS KHAN, THE SPHINX and other HEROS. She will BE YOUR MIRROR, and do her siren's wail thru ALL TOMORROWS PARTIES, then kiss you with PURPLE LIPS. When you turn to her, you see that NO ONE IS THERE. Nico had reached THE END, leaving you with a last FROZEN WARNING: Never forget the FATA MORGANA. Nobody can."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1