Brian Eno is MORE DARK THAN SHARK

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Mojo NOVEMBER 2012 - by Mark Paytress

NICO: THE END

Third and final instalment of Velvet's gothic trilogy.

Andrew Oldham protégé, then a Warhol superstar in The Velvet Underground, Nico found her calling in 1969 with The Marble Index, accompanying herself on harmonium, with John Cale on hair-raising viola. For 1974's The End, where Cale was joined by Roxy renegades Eno and Phil Manzanera, the upbeat and shimmering opener It Has Not Taken Long hinted at daylight. It didn't always suit. The granite purity of Nico's work was notably disrupted on the hammy, funked-up take on The Doors' The End, which pales beside two unadorned bonus versions here. But Secret Side, a hymn to exile and a highlight, plus a provocative version of the German anthem confirm that, regardless of guests and hype ("Why bother committing suicide when you could be buying this album?" ran the promo), this iron lady was certainly not for turning.