All Tomorrow's Parties

As she spiraled deeper into addiction, fans of the troubled German chanteuse continued to collect her work because they could always count on a few good performances cutting through the rest. This 2003 compilation plays as though those very fans culled the cream of her late harvests to build a patchwork of Nico’s better moments. All Tomorrow’s Parties curiously contains three title tracks. The opening version was recorded live in Tokyo in 1986 with an unknown band that sounds like it studied The Velvet Underground right down to its vintage instruments and nod-out timing. The second version features an extended psychedelic jam that stretches the song to nearly twice its length, while the third version is a remix by Norwegian industrial band Apoptygma Bezerk (which actually sounds more inspired by early-'90s Madchester than anything from the industrial canon). The seven-inch version of “Saeta” and “Vegas” are worth the price of admission, as is her Moog-heavy account of “The End.”