Bottom/ Rock icon and Velvet Underground chanteuse Nico employed images of power, cold, fear, dreams, terror, resignation, and loss (among others) on The Marble Index (Elektra, 1969). A gothic-folk album with neoclassical and avant-garde elements, the album, featuring long-term associate John Cale, has been described as a "nightmare in sound". It has influenced a wide array of genres in contemporary independent music. Nico (born Christa Päffgen, 16 October 1938 – 18 July 1988) was a German singer-songwriter, fashion model, actress, and Warhol Superstar. She is renowned for both her tenure in The Velvet Underground and for her work as a solo artist. Nico sang lead vocals on three songs ("Femme Fatale", "All Tomorrow's Parties" and "I'll Be Your Mirror") and backing vocals on another ("Sunday Morning") on the band's debut record, The Velvet Underground & Nico. Released in 1967, the album went on to prove influential to many future genres, including punk rock and New Wave. Nico had a short-lived romantic relationship with the main singer and songwriter, Lou Reed. Around this period she was also romantically involved with prominent musicians including Cale, Jim Morrison of The Doors, Jackson Browne, Brian Jones, Tim Buckley, Bob Dylan and Iggy Pop. While she is most prominently known for her musical work, she also had a small handful of film roles, including a bit part in Federico Fellini's acclaimed 1960 film La Dolce Vita. A close friend and artistic collaborator with Andy Warhol, she also starred in various roles in his experimental art films, most notably in 1966's Chelsea Girls, after which she named her solo debut album. Artists such as Coil, Jocelyn Pook and Dead Can Dance, as well as numerous contemporary goth bands have all cited Nico as a seminal influence. Top/ Lou Reed (RCA, 1972) is Lou Reed's highly anticipated debut solo album, released two years after he left The Velvet Underground, but the result was a commercial and critical disappointment.
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