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Apr 11, 2024 Web Exclusive By Matthew Berlyant

One can only imagine what it was like hearing Nico’s sophomore album, The Marble Index, in 1968, given how different it was, and still is, from anything else in the “pop” music landscape. It also would’ve been a shock to hear coming off of Nico’s relatively straightforward (especially by comparison) 1967 debut solo LP, Chelsea Girl. As such, the orchestral pop and baroque flourishes of that beautiful LP were eliminated here, replaced by a stark, minimalist, foreboding sense of doom carried out by Nico’s harmonium, her utterly unique voice, and former Velvet Underground bandmate John Cale’s also unique arrangements and production (for which he wasn’t credited).

The result is an album that owes more to minimalist early 20th-century classical music and European art songs, but filtered through a late ’60s lens, than perhaps anything that ever came out on a major label before or since.

While perhaps this isn’t the best place to start for Nico neophytes and not “easy” music, its rewards are ceaseless. This is also the start of a series of albums now considered a trilogy (the others being 1970’s Desertshore, also newly reissued by Domino at the same time as this one, and 1974’s The End), both also collaborations with Cale.

Sonically, this is a marked improvement from previous reissues, as like the Desertshore reissue, it was cut from the original tapes by legendary mastering engineer Barry Grint. Also, just like the Desertshore reissue, the liner notes are from legendary writer Peter Doggett of Record Collector magazine and part of a beautiful booklet insert included as well, and the reissue also includes a download code. The labels on the vinyl itself also replicate the original Elektra light brown labels but with Domino written on it instead. A splendid reissue! (www.dominomusic.com)

Author rating: 9/10