Nico, The End (side A)

While there was a 4 year lapse between 1970's Desertshore and 1974's The End, the two albums feel stylistically contiguous.  Both feature Nico's slow, sparse songs gently arranged by John Cale.  Some songs are built around Nico's voice and droning harmonium, while others feature a slightly more propulsive structure from Cale's piano.  Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera, who both played on Cale's album Fear at roughly the same time, both contribute layers and textures.  Nico's sad, haunting voice remains the focus, and the music barely hints at her past involvement with rock music.  The End includes covers of both the Doors' "The End" and the traditional German song "Das Lied dr Deutschen".  John Wood's engineering captures Nico's voice beautifully, and his mixes flatter the arrangements perfectly.  The blurry front cover image reflects Nico's musical personality, though the film metaphor in the layout feels far more clichéd than anything else about the album.