Drama of Exile

Album review

 In 1981, Nico released the first version of Drama of Exile, seven years after The End. Two years later, she would release a second edition with a modified track list. Without John Cale, who’d been by her side since her eviction from the Velvet Underground, and without her record company ‘Island’, which dropped her after poor sales, Nico started travelling in a new direction. She met the Corsican producer and bass player Patrice Quilichini and his wife Nadette Duget in London. The former enabled her to sign a contract with Aura Records, and the latter bought her heroin. She collaborated with keyboardist Andy Clark, who played on the last David Bowie album (Scary Movies (and Super Creeps)) and the Franco-Iranian Muhammad Hari, who played the bouzouki and mandolin, to inject some of the tracks with an Arabian flavour, as well as elements of psychedelic rock (The Sphinx, Orly Flight, dedicated to her son Ari). In early May 1981, recording began at Gooseberry Studios in Tulse Hill, known for its ridiculous prices and for being the studio where the Sex Pistols recorded some demos.

Verging on new wave and sometimes experimental in its sound, Drama of Exile is an unusual gem. It starts things off with a bang with the post-punk track Genghis Khan, complete with a surprise saxophone and the famous harmonium that Patti Smith reportedly offered to Nico. It then quickly descends into the depths with Purple Lips, a sort of Gothic Mass that was removed from the 1983 version. They use a lot of synth loops (Henry Hudson) and militant, almost funereal, drums (Sixty Forty). Apart from the almost unrecognisable cover of Waiting for the Man by Velvet and the comparatively more faithful cover of Heroes by Bowie, Nico writes all her own lyrics. She sings like never before, putting her wandering thoughts into poetic lines, brought to life with her powerful, strained voice that sounds a little like that of a haunted priestess. Drama of Exile would become The Drama of Exile two years later and feature two additional songs (Vegas and Saeta). It would also be given a much cleaner cover (the first one displays a photo of Nico looking drugged up in a stairwell). Nonetheless, this album remains a unique addition to the discography of a punk idol in the twilight of her career. Four years later, Nico released her final studio album with the highly experimental Camera Obscura, where, once again, she worked with John Cale. Note that this re-release also features alternative mixes. © Charlotte Saintoin/Qobuz