Nico (album)

TRACKS: The Pusher, Hell, Soup, No Rain (Ripped Away Version), Soul One, John Sinclair, All That I Need, Glitch, Life Ain't so Shitty, Swallowed, Pull, St. Andrews Hall, Letters From a Porcupine

COMMENTS: The album was released after lead singer Shannon Hoons death in 1995. It features unreleased versions of previous songs ('No Rain' and 'St Andrews Hall') cover versions ('The Pusher' (Steppenwolf) and 'John Sinclair' (John Lennon)) as well as 'unfinished' and 'rare' recordings of the band and Shannon alone.

Listening to the album is a treasure for all fans as it confirms the wealth of talent and barely surfaced miracle of a band who really work together in harmony. From the incredible hillbilly harmonica and slide guitar riffs on the track 'Hell' that make the 'Duelling Banjos' scene in Deliverance sound as pure as 'The Sound of Music' to Shannons completely raw recording of the song 'Life Ain't so Shitty' which has the honesty and simplicity that comes across like the kind of track that Kurt Cobain always said he would have 'liked to have recorded' had not the producers and such got in the way.

The album never comes across as an "It's so sad Shannons gone" thing. It speaks up way more like "Check out these really cool songs you've never heard before....and dance!!!"