Desertshore
Encyclopedia
Desertshore is Nico
's third solo album, recorded and released in 1970. It was co-produced by John Cale
and Joe Boyd
. Like its predecessor The Marble Index
, it is an avant-garde
album with neoclassical
elements.
The back and front covers feature stills from the film La cicatrice interieure by Philippe Garrel
, which starred Nico, Garrel and her son Ari Boulogne. A few of the songs from the album were included on the soundtrack of the film.
Of the album, critic Todd Totale writes:
A few friends did indeed play a tape of Mütterlein, a song from the album, at Nico's funeral in Berlin in July 1988.
Side one
Side two
group Throbbing Gristle
went into the studio to record a reinterpretation of Desertshore for a 2008 release. The studio session was made open to the public and the entirety of the 3-day, 12-hour-long session was recorded, given a limited press, and released as The Desertshore Installation
.
Nico
Nico was a German singer, lyricist, composer, musician, fashion model, and actress, who initially rose to fame as a Warhol Superstar in the 1960s...
's third solo album, recorded and released in 1970. It was co-produced by John Cale
John Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
and Joe Boyd
Joe Boyd
Joe Boyd is an American record producer and former owner of the Witchseason production company. Boyd was instrumental in launching the careers of Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, and The Incredible String Band.-Career:...
. Like its predecessor The Marble Index
The Marble Index (album)
The Marble Index is the second solo album by Nico, recorded in 1968 and released in 1969. The album featured long-term associate John Cale, who had worked briefly with Nico during her stint with The Velvet Underground...
, it is an avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
album with neoclassical
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
elements.
The back and front covers feature stills from the film La cicatrice interieure by Philippe Garrel
Philippe Garrel
Philippe Garrel is a French director, cinematographer, screenwriter, editor and producer. His movies have won him awards at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival...
, which starred Nico, Garrel and her son Ari Boulogne. A few of the songs from the album were included on the soundtrack of the film.
Of the album, critic Todd Totale writes:
A few friends did indeed play a tape of Mütterlein, a song from the album, at Nico's funeral in Berlin in July 1988.
Track listing
All tracks written by NicoSide one
- "Janitor of Lunacy" - 4:01
- "The Falconer" - 5:39
- "My Only Child" - 3:27
- "Le Petit Chevalier" - 1:12
Side two
- "Abschied" - 3:02
- "Afraid" - 3:27
- "Mütterlein" - 4:38
- "All That is My Own" - 3:54
Personnel
- Nico: vocals, harmoniumHarmoniumA harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
- John CaleJohn CaleJohn Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
: all other instruments except trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - John Cale and Adam Miller: harmony voices
- Ari Boulogne: vocals on "Le petit chevalier"
Throbbing Gristle cover
Industrial musicIndustrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
group Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle were an English industrial, avant-garde music and visual arts group that evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions...
went into the studio to record a reinterpretation of Desertshore for a 2008 release. The studio session was made open to the public and the entirety of the 3-day, 12-hour-long session was recorded, given a limited press, and released as The Desertshore Installation
The Desertshore Installation
The Desertshore Installation is a box set that was released by Throbbing Gristle. The 12-CDr set documents recording sessions for the Desertshore album . These sessions were open to the public and a short question and answer session is included in the recordings...
.