Desertshore was co-produced by John Cale and Joe Boyd. Unlike its predecessor The Marble Index it incorporates elements from Western traditional pop."Janitor of Lunacy" was composed as a tribute to her friend Brian Jones who died the previous year. The back and front covers feature stills from the film The Inner Scar by Philippe Garrel which starred Nico, Garrel and her son Ari Boulogne. A few of the songs from the album were included on the film's soundtrack. Like The Marble Index, Desertshore obtained a small cult following upon its release but was overlooked by most large publications and the public in general. However it has received mainstream praise from critics in subsequent years with AllMusic and The New Rolling Stone Album Guide in particular providing a strong and positive reception.