Nico

Do Or Die, a collection of live tracks from Nico's concerts in Europe and London, was originally released in 1982 on cassette only. Even though half the material consists of her originals, it's the covers that standout and will be of the most interest. It's ironically appropriate that the woman whose professional name is an anagram for icon will always be better defined by the people that she associated with - Warhol and the Velvet Underground - than by any of her own accomplishments. The sound is relatively thin and distant, somehow like the lady herself, and the band is minimal and almost ambient, dominated by haunting keyboards. We get two takes of "All Tomorrow's Parties," with the second, an a cappella version, being vastly superior and one of the disc's highlights. Almost as good is "Femme Fatale." "Waiting For My Man," however, was a very ill-advised choice. A version of Bowie's "Heroes" is oddly affecting while the Door's "The End" is just odd, despite, or maybe because of it being a long-time staple of Nico's live sets.