Like a bolt from heaven, Nico cast off the understated pace of her work as chanteuse of the Velvet Underground -- and the heavily orchestrated folk-rock of her solo debut, Chelsea Girl -- for the relentlessly bleak and cobalt-blue cool avant-garde stylings of The Marble Index. Produced by former Velvets' John Cale, and employing the harmonium as a lead instrument, The Marble Index is revered now more than it ever was when released in 1969, as the gurgling headwaters source of Goth Rock.
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