"Connelly, with his beautiful timbre and artistic candour, delivers a haunting and touching rendition of Nico’s music. Nobody performs quite like this masterful musical chameleon and here, he channels her fabulously, honouring her with depth and personability... impeccable delivery and smoothness" ~ The Spill Magazine

"Chris Connelly has never been an artist of convention... a thematic mirror, Connelly’s songs follow her story – adventurous, controversial, and misunderstood"~ Regen Magazine

"Gently stroking ears with its guitar cast melody, the song simultaneously looms up in tension and anxiety... a moment of intense beauty. Connelly’s tones as the music are emotion and tension personified, leaving his own mark on the song whilst equally bringing forth an evocative and haunting reverberation of its original creators" ~ Ringmaster Review

Alternative music legend Chris Connelly presents his new album 'Eulogy to Christa: A Tribute to the Music & Mystique of Nico', a colossal 24-track offering released by Shipwrecked Industries in the USA and Easy Action in the UK, paying tribute to Nico - iconic muse of The Velvet Underground and one of the most unique, tragic and misunderstood female artists in the history of music.

Along with this, Connelly presents a new video for 'Femme Fatale' created by Iain W. Mutch / Walkerandwilliam in Scotland. Originally performed to perfection by Nico with The Velvet Underground, this iconic song was penned by Lou Reed.

'Eulogy to Christa' is a labour of love, empathy, sadness, acting and channeling, along with Chris’s adoration of the dark corner of rock inhabited by the Velvets and their peers. Now based in Chicago, this album from the Scottish counter-culture icon sees Connelly purposefully adopt the personas of Nico, Lou Reed and John Cale – even Andy Warhol makes a cameo!

Chris Connelly has been creating for circa 40 years. Since his days with Fini Tribein Edinburgh, Chris Connelly has over 20 solo releases. He frequently collaborates with other musicians, including notable projects like Ministry, The Revolting Cocks and Pigface, while contributing to newer ones such as Cocksure and The Joy Thieves. He has also published four books (poetry, autobiographical and fictional narrative).

Initially planned as an album of 10 Nico covers, Connelly ultimately decided to write some additional compositions, spanning her life. The Nico material spans from her first Jimmy Page-composed single and her time with The Velvet Underground to her intense and unique solo recordings up until her death. In song, Connelly follows her from Berlin to New York via Paris, Ibiza, and Rome, then back through Paris, London, Edinburgh, Manchester and up to her tragic and needless death in Ibiza.

This follows 'Ripcord, Ripcord', which Connelly wrote surrounding a little known detail about Nico's life - her rape by a military officer while she was a teenager holding an administrative position for the US Army. This incident and the trauma of being in the rubble of post-war Berlin would inform the rest of her volatile life and create the haunted spirit of Nico.

The album's lead track 'Eulogy to Lenny Bruce', heralded by some as Connelly's finest vocal performance, appeared on Nico's 1967 album 'Chelsea Girl'. Penned by the tragic Tim Hardin about the equally tragic Lenny Bruce but with slightly altered lyrics, Nico's sorrowful delivery is laced with anger at Bruce's death.

On this album, Connelly worked with producer and long-time collaborator Chris Bruce, who is a band member of Meshell Ndegeocello and also worked with Seal, Aaron Neville, Bob Dylan, The Waterboys, My Brightest Diamond, Cheryl Crow and Sam Phillips.

The album was, in part, inspired by the book 'You Are Beautiful and Your Are Alone' by Jennifer Otter Bickerdicke, who contributed to album liner notes, noting “This is a record to be played at full blast, all the way through, as a commemoration not just to Nico the person, the musician, but to art for art’s sake, for making something because it is important and needs to be done – an idea that is as rare and precious as Nico herself.”

As of November 11, this 'Eulogy to Christa' album will be available via Bandcamp, as well as Apple Music and Amazon, coinciding with Connelly's birthday. The CD version will be released on December 4.

CREDITS
Recorded at The Rock Noir July 2021 / January 2022
Mastered by James Scott at Populist Recording and Mastering
Produced by Chris Bruce
Chris Connelly: Vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, harmonium, harmonica, keyboards, bass
Chris Bruce: Additional instruments and guitar solo on 'Ripcord'
Sleeve design by Greg Rolfes. Layout by Kimberly Blessing
Nico cover photo by Alastair MacKay (Edinburgh Nite Club, August 1981)
Inside photo of Nico taken by Howard Goldblatt (Tuts, Chicago 1982)
Tray photo of harmonium by Jonah Rubash
Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 23 by Chris Connelly
Tracks 9, 11,13, 18, 21, 22, 24 written by Nico (Christa Päffgen)
Track 3 'The Last Mile' written by Oldham / Page
Track 19 'Vegas' written by Nico / Quilichini
Track 6 'Femme Fatale' written by Lou Reed
Track 7 'Eulogy to Lenny Bruce' written by Tim Hardin

Publicity by Shauna McLarnon @ Shameless Promotion PR
Management: Kimberly Blessing @ Shipwrecked Industries
Chris Connelly is published by Bicycle Music/Concord BMI
Dedicated to Nico (Christa Päffgen) 1938 - 1988
For the lovers on St. Stephen’s