"Purple Lips," featured in her solo sets as early as March 1975,[citation needed] was also performed on French television in April 1975.

[citation needed] The lyrics of the song were recited by Nico in the Philippe Garrel film, Le Berceau de Cristal (1976).

[citation needed] By March 1978, after "The Sphinx" was also introduced into her set, Nico titled the album Drama of Exile and attempted a new style at odds with her previous harmonium-based sound.

Recorded at Gooseberry Studios in Tulse Hill, London, with a band composed of Quilichini, French-Iranian guitarist, oriental string instrument expert Muhammad Hadi, drummer Steve Cordonna, Ian Dury's saxophone player Davey Payne, percussionist J.J. Johnson of Wayne County's Electric Chairs, and Andy Clark who previously played keyboards on David Bowie's Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) album.

Duget claimed Nico had not signed the contract which was true, but since Aura had paid out considerable sums in production costs, they owned the recordings.

[citation needed] Duget, Quilichini, and photographer Antoine Giacomoni moved to a Linden Gardens basement flat in Notting Hill Gate, London.

The album cover was a large, black "N" with a white background and a nod to Corsican French emperor Napoleon who ended his life in exile.

Aaron Sixx managed to rescue them with a last minute dash to the studios, but with their plan thwarted the couple severely delayed the release of the album by trying to take him to court.

"And having been a member of The Velvet Underground, rock 'n' roll is something I have to do at some point, even if only for one album"... [Aura label head Aaron] Sixx admitted that Nico "didn't give a shit what happened to the LP, she just wanted the money for drugs."

Yet despite these unconventional circumstances, Drama of Exile would see Nico receive some of the best reviews of her career.The re-recorded album was mixed by the original producer Philippe Quilichini and issued on Invisible Records in the spring of 1982.

This left Aaron Sixx to further release the incomplete first version in the Netherlands and Sweden only with Nico's permission[6] several months after the debacle with the masters.

[9] In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, the author writes, "Drama of Exile pairs [Nico] with a thin new wave band that wouldn't have sounded out-of-place on, say, Rough Trade.