Robert Christgau Word of the Day

par·lay tr.v. par·layed, par·lay·ing, par·lays 1. To bet (an original wager and its winnings) on a subsequent event. 2. To maneuver (an asset) to great advantage: parlayed some small investments into a large fortune. n. A bet comprising the sum of a prior wager plus its winnings or a series of bets made in such a manner. (dictionary.reference.com)

Nico The End [Island, 1974]

I don't know vy she's moaning about unved virgins and vether to betray her hate, and I don't vant to know. The Manzanera-Eno-Cale settings, which I believe is what one calls this sort of elevated sound effect, are suitably morbid and exotic. But funereal irony aside, her parlay of the Doors' "The End" and the Fuehrer's "Das Lied Der Deutschens" contextualizes both tunes more pejoratively than is intended. Nico is what happens when the bloodless wager their minds on the wisdom of the blood and the suicidal make something of their lives. If this be romanticism, give me Matthew Arnold--and gimme shelter. C (www.robertchristgau.com)