andy7 2008-03-09

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Nico's biggest fans swear by "The Marble Index" but in my opinion "The End" far surpasses it. My favorite tracks are "Innocent And Vain", "Secret Side" and of course her amazing reading of the Doors' "The End".
John Cale does his best production work ever and the Brian Eno electronics have to be heard to be believed. They're far from ambient! Everyone's at the top of their game on this album.

derf 2007-08-21

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

after the marble index and desertshore, i was eager for more Nico, and all the reviews promised this to be some of her darkest, most caustic work.
when i got it, i was surprised. if you aren't a big fan of synthesizers, this is SO not for you - - Nico must be lauded for her use of them, tho, years before they came into prominence with New Wave.
she's brave to do it, but it made me miss the sparseness and timeless sounds of her second two solos. toward the end of the album it got to where i wanted it to be: gone were the fairy-tale-theatre synth flourishes, and it was dark, jarring, abrasive, raw. i loved it.
four stars because i felt it was not her best work, but a powerful album by virtue of the last few songs.

Pieter 2007-03-28

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Nico on voice and harmonium is assisted by Phil Manzanera on guitar, Eno on synths and producer John Cale on a range of instruments including bass, xylophone, organ, glockenspiel and piano. Together they create a bleak and chilling musical landscape for Nico's funereal vocals.

All compositions are by Nico, except The End by The Doors and Das Lied Der Deutschen by German romantic composer August Heinrich von Fallersleben. If her contributions to the Velvet Underground were melancholy, this music is way beyond lugubrious, but quite listenable on account of the great arrangements.

Of her own songs, the atmospheric You Forget To Answer, the frightening Innocent And Vain with its terrifying sound efects and the morbid Valley Of The Kings stand out; they all fall within the realm of the art song. Nico's accented pronunciation contributes to the almost classical feel.

The End and Das Lied Der Deutschen are something else. The first is well-produced, as awesome as the original and serves as a suitable introduction to the second, which is the highlight, or lowlight, of the album. Scary stuff, not for the faint of heart. To hear Nico rocking out, I recommend the album Drama Of Exile.

Nico, Songs They Never Play on the Radio

Drama of Exile (Remixed)

The Velvet Underground & Nico

André Ming 2006-01-18

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

One of Nico's best albums to date, ''The End'' was again produced by Cale, with help from mate Brian Eno and Roxy Music's Manzanera. Nico's music is still minimal, cold, full of fine synth textures and her spectral harmonica sounding in the middle of it all. The songwriting is among her strongest (''Secret Side'', ''You Forget The Answer''), and her take on the German anthem is a true reconstruction of the song, scary yet beautiful. Her cover version of the Doors-penned title track is a little bit too long, but the overall results of the record are impressive. Among the best and most innovative things I've heard in pop music, ever.

Spiritof67 2005-10-08

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

This isn't a CD: it's an experience. I actually saw and met the Mk. 1 Nico (blonde Velvet Underground days) and I can give you some depressing news: she was even more beautiful in person than any picture I have ever seen. She was stunning. And this is, without question, the top of her career...and it was also the beginning of a fall she began years before. The material on this CD isn't by any description "rock and roll"; I don't know what kind of music it is, unless that would be German Music. There's a Teutonic part of this I think only us traditionally morose Germans get. The lyrics are metaphorical, psychedelic, ancient. Her voice is perfect for each one, including a Doors song (a tribute to her short stand with Jim?)and Das Lied der Deutchen, which for you young kids was the German national anthem when Hitler led the country. Nuff said? Some people don't like her voice; some say she has no voice. To me, this is a masterpiece which shows what she, John Cale and Eno could do when there truly was no agenda. May Christa Paffgen (her real name) live on more happily now than when she existed on this earth. And for a real trip, listen to "The Valley of the Kings" with headphones on a dark , quiet night.