Nico first became known in the music world as a singer on the first Velvet Underground album, and her later solo records would plumb even darker depths than that famed New York band of iconoclasts. Her first solo album, CHELSEA GIRL, however, is another matter entirely. It's a delicate collection of orchestral pop and chamber folk, with Nico's deep, Teutonic voice adding a subtle sense of discord. Like many interpreters of the time, Nico took on tunes by some of the era's most respected folk-rock songpoets (Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Tim Hardin). Even more impressive, though, are the compositional and instrumental contributions from Nico's VU bandmates John Cale and Lou Reed (Cale would go on to produce some of Nico's finest, most forward-looking albums). Unique in Nico's solo catalogue for its fragility and gentility, CHELSEA GIRL is both a poignant period artifact and a perennially affecting piece of work.
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