Drama of Exile is the name of a rock album recorded by Nico in 1981. The album featured a Middle Eastern rhythm section and was produced by Corsican reggae bassist, Philippe Quilichini .

The original album was plagued by suspicious circumstances. The master tapes were either stolen, or sold by Nico for fix money--the truth remains ambiguous. They were incomplete, nevertheless, so Nico returned immediately to the studio and re-recorded the entire album with slightly different personnel and instrumentation. Several musicians who were not on the original recording were employed for the second version.

A version of the original LP recordings was released in Holland only, several months after the debacle with the masters. The re-make was held up for two years, and was finally released in 1983. The original version of the LP was released for the first time in the America by Cleopatra Records in 1993, without the track, Sãeta.

Personnel for Original Release

• Nico: vocals
• Muhammad Hadi: lead guitar, bouzouki, simisha , backing vocals, piano
• Philippe Quilichini: bass, African percussions, rhythm guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals
• Steve Cordona: drums
• Davey Payne: saxophones
• Andy Clarke: organ, piano, synthesizer

remake lineup

For the remake, the lineup was without Davey Payne and with additional help from:

• J.J. Johnson: percussion, trumpet
• Thierry Matiozek: electric violin, backing vocals
• Gary Barnacle: saxophones, drums

Track Listing on Cleopatra CD release (Original version)

1. Genghis Khan (3:52)
2. Purple Lips (4:10)
3. One More Chance (5:38)
4. Henry Hudson (3:54)
5. I'm Waiting for the Man (4:13)
6. Sixty/Forty (4:50)
7. The Sphinx (3:30)
8. Orly Flight (3:55)
9. Heroes (6:06)

• Sãeta--appears on the original, but is not included on the Cleopatra reissue CD
• Re-recorded version
• Original version, with liner notes, lyrics, images