Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Formed after the breakup of the Birthday Party in 1983, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds became one of the most original and celebrated bands of the post-punk and alternative rock eras in the 80s and onward. Playing music that meshed with the dark, multi-layered narratives of Caves lyrics, the Bad Seeds created sounds that were physically and emotionally powerful, but with a sense of dynamics and drama that set them apart from their peers. While plenty of musicians would move in and out of the Bad Seeds lineup over the years, throughout their history they were always a musical force as powerful as their leader. The earliest edition of the Bad Seeds came together in late 1983, as Cave began work on his first post-Birthday Party album, From Her to Eternity. Joining Cave in the studio were Barry Adamson, formerly of Magazine, on guitar and bass; Blixa Bargeld, of German noise ensemble Einstürzende Neubauten, on guitar; and Mick Harvey, who had previously worked with Cave in the Birthday Party and the Boys Next Door, on drums. Jim Thirlwell, best known for his many projects under the moniker Foetus, also played guitar on the sessions, though he never became a formal member. When Cave and the Bad Seeds launched their first tour in December 1983, the lineup featured Adamson, Harvey, guitarist Hugo Race (whose résumé included stints with the bands Dum Dum Fit and Plays with Marionettes), and bassist Tracy Pew, another Birthday Party alumnus. Pews run with the Bad Seeds was short, and for 1984 and the first half of 1985, the core Bad Seeds lineup was Cave, Adamson, Bargeld, Harvey, and Race. This edition recorded the majority of From Her to Eternity (1984) and its blues-accented follow-up, The Firstborn Is Dead (1985). In mid-1985, Hugo Race dropped out, and Mick Harvey moved from drums to guitar and keyboards; Thomas Wydler, formerly of Die Haut, became the Bad Seeds new percussionist. This version of the Bad Seeds recorded Caves all-covers album Kicking Against the Pricks (1986); the same lineup minus Adamson cut the two-LP set Your Funeral... My Trial, also issued in 1986. As Nick Cave kicked an addiction to heroin and accepted an invitation from filmmaker Wim Wenders to appear in his film Wings of Desire, the Bad Seeds lineup continued to evolve. In 1997, Kid Congo Powers, who had worked with the Gun Club and the Cramps, joined the group on guitar, as did Roland Wolf on keyboards. This version of the band appeared on 1988s Tender Prey, and the same band minus Wolf accompanied Cave for 1990s The Good Son. By the end of 1990, Kid Congo had left the Bad Seeds, and the group expanded to a six-piece when Conway Savage (keyboards) and Martyn P. Casey (bass) joined Cave, Bargeld, Harvey, and Wydler. This version of the group appeared on the studio albums Henrys Dream (1992) and Let Love In (1994), as well as the live set Live Seeds (1993). In 1994, the group added a second drummer, Jim Sclavunos, who had stints with Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, the Cramps, and Sonic Youth to his credit. With Sclavunos on board, Cave and the Bad Seeds toured as part of the 1994 Lollapalooza Festival; James Johnston of Gallon Drunk tagged along for the tour, contributing on guitar and keys. After Lollapalooza, Johnston returned to Gallon Drunk, and the seven-piece Bad Seeds recorded 1996s Murder Ballads. In 1997, Cave and the band issued The Boatmans Call, which introduced Warren Ellis, formerly of the Dirty Three, on violin, mandolin, and guitar. The same lineup also recorded No More Shall We Part (2001) and Nocturama (2003). March 2003 brought the surprising news that Blixa Bargeld had parted ways with the Bad Seeds; James Johnston rejoined the group in his place, and this version of the Bad Seeds issued a pair of studio albums, Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus (2004) and Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (2008, without Savage), as well as the concert recording Abattoir Blues Tour (2007). As Cave and the Bad Seeds took to the road to tour in support of Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, Johnston was absent from the touring party, and for a 2009 summer tour, the band was joined on-stage by guitarist Ed Kuepper, formerly of Australian punk legends the Saints. When the Bad Seeds regrouped to record 2013s Push the Sky Away, the ensemble featured Cave, Casey, Ellis, Savage, Sclavunos, and Wydler. As the band set out on tour in support, Wydler was sidelined by illness, and for the first leg of live dates, Barry Adamson returned to the group, as did Ed Kuepper. By the time the tour had reached the United States, Kuepper was out, and George Vjestica stepped in on guitar. A stripped-down version of the Bad Seeds, minus Savage and Vjestica, recorded a performance for radio broadcast that was later released as 2014s Live from KCRW. In September 2016, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds returned with a new album, Skeleton Tree, which marked the return of Thomas Wydler to the band, joined by Casey, Ellis, Sclavunos, and Vjestica. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 22 Title: From Her to Eternity Released: 1984-06-01 Tracks: 7 Duration: 43:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Avalanche (05:13) 2 Cabin Fever! (06:12) 3 Well of Misery (05:25) 4 From Her to Eternity (05:33) 5 Saint Huck (07:22) 6 Wings Off Flies (04:06) 7 A Box for Black Paul (09:42) |
| From Her to Eternity : Allmusic album Review : Nick Cave launched his solo career in style with From Her to Eternity, an accomplished album mixing the frenzy and power of his Birthday Party days with a dank, moody atmosphere that showed he was not interested in simply continuing what the older group had done. To be sure, Mick Harvey joined him from the Party days, as ever playing a variety of instruments, while one-time Party guest Blixa Bargeld now became a permanent Cave partner, splitting his time between the Bad Seeds and Einsturzende Neubaten ever since. The group took wing with a harrowing version of Leonard Cohens "Avalanche," Caves wracked, buried tones suiting the Canadian legends words perfectly, and never looked back. From Her to Eternity is crammed with any number of doom-laden songs, with Cave the understandable center of attention, his commanding vocals turning the blues and rural music into theatrical exhibitionism unmatched since Jim Morrison stalked stages. Songs like "Cabin Fever," with its steadily paced drumming and relentless piano line, and the more restrained and moody "The Moon Is in the Gutter" sound like cabarets in hell. "In the Ghetto," already perfectly suited to such a treatment, shows the underlying sense of beauty that defines the Seeds as much as drama. Even though its a Presley cover, the sense of Scott Walkers influence isnt far away at all. The title track is and remains a Bad Seeds classic, played at shows up through the present, a tense piano/organ beginning then accompanied by the edgy build of the band, pounding drums, stabbing feedback and keyboard parts and more. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 22 Title: The Firstborn Is Dead Released: 1985-06-03 Tracks: 9 Duration: 50:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Tupelo (07:18) 2 Say Goodbye to the Little Girl Tree (05:10) 3 Train Long‐Suffering (03:48) 4 Black Crow King (05:05) 5 Knockin’ on Joe (07:38) 6 Wanted Man (05:26) 7 Blind Lemon Jefferson (06:08) 8 The Six Strings That Drew Blood (04:50) 9 Tupelo (05:02) |
| The Firstborn Is Dead : Allmusic album Review : The blues had long been a potent undercurrent in the Birthday Partys music, so it wasnt all that surprising that Nick Cave embraced the sound and feeling of rural blues on his second album with the Bad Seeds, The Firstborn Is Dead. What was startling was how well Cave and his bandmates -- Barry Adamson, Mick Harvey, and Blixa Bargeld -- were able to absorb and honor the influences of artists like Skip James and Charley Patton while creating a sound that was unmistakably their own. The moody obsessions of rural blues -- trains, floods, imprisonment, sin, fear, and death -- seemed made to order for Cave, and he was able to tap into the doomy iconography of this music with potent emotional force; on "Tupelo," he makes a sweeping and disturbing epic of the rain-swept night when Elvis Presley was born, and "Knocking on Joe" is a tale of life on the work gang that communicates the pain of the spirit as clearly as the ache of the body. Also, the blues helped transform Caves music as well as his lyrics; the brutal sonic pummel of the Birthday Party here gave way to a more subtle and dynamic approach that still made effective use of dissonance and bare-wired electric guitar noise while proving the balance of loud and soft only made each side deeper and more resonant. (The stark, barely there guitar and drums of "Blind Lemon Jefferson" are as startling and malignantly fascinating as anything in the Birthday Partys catalog.) The Firstborn Is Dead proved Nick Caves musical palate was significantly broader than his debut album suggested and pointed to a path (channeling the sounds and emotions of American roots music) he would return to on many of his albums that followed. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 22 Title: Kicking Against the Pricks Released: 1986-08-18 Tracks: 12 Duration: 45:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Muddy Water (05:15) 2 I’m Gonna Kill That Woman (03:44) 3 Sleeping Annaleah (03:18) 4 Long Black Veil (03:46) 5 Hey Joe (03:56) 6 The Singer (03:09) 7 All Tomorrow’s Parties (05:52) 8 By the Time I Get to Phoenix (03:39) 9 The Hammer Song (03:50) 10 Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart (03:44) 11 Jesus Met the Woman at the Well (02:00) 12 The Carnival Is Over (03:16) |
| Kicking Against the Pricks : Allmusic album Review : Besides being noteworthy as an astonishingly good all-covers album, Kicking Against the Pricks is notable for the arrival of a new key member for the Seeds, drummer Thomas Wydler. Besides being a fine percussionist, able to perform at both the explosive and restrained levels Cave requires, Wydler also allowed Harvey to concentrate on adding guitar and keyboards live as well as in the studio, a notable bonus. Race reappears briefly to add some guitar while former Birthday Party cohorts Rowland Howard and Tracy Pew guest as well, the latter on some of his last tracks before his untimely death. The selection of songs is quite impressive, ranging from old standards like "Long Black Veil" to everything from John Lee Hookers "Im Gonna Kill That Woman" and Gene Pitneys pop aria "Somethings Gotten Hold of My Heart." Matching the range of material, the Seeds are well on their way to becoming the rock/cabaret/blues showband of Caves dreams, able to conjure up haunting, winsome atmospheres ("Sleeping Annaleah") as much as higher-volume takes (Roy Orbisons "Running Scared," the Velvet Undergrounds "All Tomorrows Parties"). The version of Leadbellys "Black Betty" is particularly grand, Harveys drumming driving the track with ominous power. This said, often holding everything back is the key, as the creepout build of "Hey Joe" demonstrates. Even more striking is how Caves own vocals rebut the charges that all he ever does is overdramatize everything he sings -- consider the husky, purring delivery on Johnny Cashs "The Singer." Other winners include a masterful version of Jimmy Webbs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and the stately, album-closing "The Carnival Is Over," originally a mid-60s hit for the Seekers. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 22 Title: Your Funeral… My Trial Released: 1986-11-03 Tracks: 8 Duration: 43:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Sad Waters (05:02) 2 The Carny (08:02) 3 Your Funeral, My Trial (03:57) 4 Stranger Than Kindness (04:47) 1 Jack’s Shadow (05:43) 2 Hard on for Love (05:21) 3 She Fell Away (04:33) 4 Long Time Man (05:48) |
| Your Funeral… My Trial : Allmusic album Review : Reduced to a quartet for the most part, with Barry Adamson joining Nick Cave, Blixa Bargeld, Mick Harvey and Thomas Wydler on only a couple of tracks, the Bad Seeds turn from the interpretive triumph of Kicking Against the Pricks to another strong high, the mostly-original Your Funeral...My Trial. The one cover is a sharp, unsurprisingly dramatic version of Tim Roses "Long Time Man." As for the rest of the album, Trial shows the Seeds working as, again, a remarkably accomplished and varied act, ever available and ready to explore a wide range of musics distilled into Caves often dark, always passionate vision. Arguably Cave and company have by now so clearly established their overall style that Your Funeral...My Trial is much more a refinement of the past than anything else, but so good is their work that resistance is near impossible. If anything, the brooding power of the Seeds is more restrained than ever, suggesting destructive endings and overwhelming love without directly playing it. Songs like "Jacks Shadow" and the gentler but still melancholy moods of "Sad Waters," detailing a riverside scene between a couple, are simply grand. The opening title track sets the mood well, Cave handling not merely vocals but Hammond organ, adding a strangely sweet air to the late-night atmosphere of the piece. "The Carny" is a definite highlight, the cracked music-box/carnival accompaniment courtesy of Harvey utterly appropriate for Caves tale of a circus gone horribly wrong in ways Edward Gorey would appreciate. "Hard On for Love," as the title pretty clearly gives away, is at once sensual and blunt right down to the lyrics, Biblical references and all, as the feverish music rises in a tide of emotion. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 22 Title: Tender Prey Released: 1988-04-25 Tracks: 10 Duration: 49:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Mercy Seat (07:17) 2 Up Jumped the Devil (05:16) 3 Deanna (03:45) 4 Watching Alice (04:01) 5 Mercy (06:22) 6 City of Refuge (04:48) 7 Slowly Goes the Night (05:24) 8 Sundays Slave (03:41) 9 Sugar Sugar Sugar (05:01) 10 New Morning (03:46) |
| Tender Prey : Allmusic album Review : With guitarist/keyboardist Roland Wolf and Cramps/Gun Club veteran Kid Congo Powers on guitar added to the ranks, along with guest appearances from old member Hugo Race, the Seeds reached 1988 with their strongest album yet, the insanely powerful, gripping Tender Prey. Rather than simply redoing what theyd already done, Nick Cave and company took their striking musical fusions to deeper and higher levels all around, with fantastic consequences. The album boldly starts out with an undisputed Cave masterpiece -- "The Mercy Seat," a chilling self-portrait of a prisoner about to be executed that compares the electric chair with the throne of God. Queasy strings from a Gini Ball-led trio and Mick Harveys spectral piano snake through a rising roar of electric sound -- a common musical approach from many earlier Seeds songs, but never so gut-wrenching as here. Caves own performance is the perfect icing on the cake, commanding and powerful, excellently capturing the blend of crazed fear and righteousness in the lyrics. Matching that high point turns out to be impossible for anything else on Tender Prey, but more than enough highlights take a bow that demonstrates the albums general quality. "Deanna" is another great blast from the Seeds, a garage rock-style rave-up that lyrically is everything Natural Born Killers tried to be, but failed at -- killing sprees, Cadillacs, and carrying out the work of the Lord, however atypically. The echoing, gentle-yet-rough sonics on the Blind Willie Johnson-inspired "City of Refuge" and the gentler drama of "Sugar Sugar Sugar" also do well in keeping the energy level up. On the quieter side, Cave indulges his penchant for gloomy piano-led ballads throughout, and quite well at that, with such songs as "Watching Alice," "Mercy," and the end-of-the-evening singalong "New Morning." "Sundays Slave" has a beautifully brooding feeling to it thanks to the combination of acoustic guitar and piano, making it a bit of a cousin of Scott Walkers "Seventh Seal." | ||
 | Album: 6 of 22 Title: The Good Son Released: 1990-04-10 Tracks: 9 Duration: 45:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Foi na cruz (05:39) 2 The Good Son (06:03) 3 Sorrows Child (04:39) 4 The Weeping Song (04:24) 5 The Ship Song (05:14) 6 The Hammer Song (04:17) 7 Lament (04:54) 8 The Witness Song (05:57) 9 Lucy (04:20) |
| The Good Son : Allmusic album Review : Losing Wolf, aside from the final reprise of "Lucy," but otherwise making no changes in the line-up, the Seeds followed up Tender Prey with the equally brilliant but generally calmer Good Son. At the time of its release there were more than a few comments that Cave had somehow softened or sold out, given how he was more intent on exploring his dark, cabaret pop stylings than his thrashy, explosive side. This not only ignored the constant examples of such quieter material all the way back to From Her to Eternity, but Caves own constant threads of lyrical darkness, whether in terms of romance or something all the more distressing. This said, the softly crooning group vocals and sweet strings on the opening "Foi Na Cruz" certainly would catch some off guard. The title track itself captured the overall mood of the album, a retelling of the Bibles prodigal son story from the other son, the one who stayed at home and did what he was meant to do. The elegant, reflective "Lucy" and the staccato then sweeping "Lament" are two further high points, but the flat-out winners come dead center. "The Weeping Song," a magnificent duet between Cave and Bargeld, starts out sounding a bit like Gene Pitneys "Somethings Gotta Hold of My Heart," which the Seeds covered on Pricks, before shading into its own powerful, blasted drama. "The Ship Song," meanwhile, equals if not overtakes the Scott Walker ballads Cave so clearly is inspired by, a soaring, tearjerking declaration of intense love thats simply amazing. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 22 Title: Henry’s Dream Released: 1992-04-27 Tracks: 9 Duration: 41:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry (05:55) 2 I Had a Dream, Joe (03:42) 3 Straight to You (04:35) 4 Brother, My Cup Is Empty (03:02) 5 Christina the Astonishing (04:51) 6 When I First Came to Town (05:21) 7 John Finn’s Wife (05:13) 8 Loom of the Land (05:07) 9 Jack the Ripper (03:45) |
| Henry’s Dream : Allmusic album Review : Continuing the creative roll of Tender Prey and The Good Son, Henrys Dream showed the band in fierce and fine fettle once more. The biggest change was with the choice of producer -- David Briggs, famed for his work on some of Neil Youngs strongest albums. While Cave later thought the experiment didnt work as well as he might have hoped, Briggs does a fine enough job, perhaps not letting the groups full intensity through but still capturing a live feel nonetheless. Cave himself offers up another series of striking, compelling lyrics again exploring love, lust and death. Here, though, some of his images are the strongest hes yet delivered, especially with the near apocalyptic "Papa Wont Leave You, Henry," which begins the album brilliantly as the narrator lurches through a landscape of storms, brothels and urban decay. Equally powerful, if slower and calmer, is Dreams lead single, "Straight to You," with Cave delivering a forceful declaration of love. Its the near equal of "The Ship Song," the same sense of beautiful sweep running free. Other numbers like "Brother, My Cup is Empty" and "I Had a Dream, Joe" showcase the Seeds peerless abilities at fusing older styles with noisy aggression and tension. The former is especially strong, almost dripping with soft then loud musical drama. The quieter numbers arent to be ignored, though, such as the string-laden "Christina the Astonishing" and especially "Loom of the Land." One of Caves best songs ever, his portrait of a nighttime walk with a lover is Romantic with a capital R, with a sweet passion that matches the soothing performance from the Seeds, topped off with a particularly fine chorus. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 22 Title: Live Seeds Released: 1993-09-06 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:01:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Mercy Seat (04:48) 2 Deanna (04:42) 3 The Ship Song (04:20) 4 Papa Wont Leave You Henry (06:30) 5 Plain Gold Ring (05:06) 6 John Finns Wife (05:44) 7 Tupelo (06:06) 8 Brother My Cup Is Empty (03:15) 9 The Weeping Song (04:01) 10 Jack the Ripper (03:50) 11 The Good Son (04:29) 12 From Her to Eternity (04:55) 13 New Morning (03:21) |
| Live Seeds : Allmusic album Review : Exactly what it says it is, and quite good at that -- some fans consider many of the songs on Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Live Seeds to be superior to their studio equivalent -- a testament to its overall quality. Recorded at various spots on the Henrys Dream tour and originally sold with a small picture book documenting said tour, Live features the same sextet that performed on Dream bringing the noise with commanding authority. Cave himself is unsurprisingly in excelsis, his declamatory and quieter sides both showcased with skill. Mick Harvey and Blixa Bargelds guitar exploits, sometimes snarling with fire and other times strumming with deceptive calm, lead the charge from the rest, with the Thomas Wydler and Martyn P. Casey rhythm section ratcheting up the intensity, and Conway Savages piano and organ work shading everything out. Three of the thirteen songs are from Dream, with the rest drawn from throughout Caves solo career, including a dramatic version of "From Her to Eternity" that takes the 1987 re-recording as its start and gets an even more punishing makeover. Few cuts differ drastically from the more familiar album versions, but generally everything is crisper, at times much more brusque, perhaps exchanging texture for force. The opening performance of "The Mercy Seat" doesnt achieve the melodramatic power of the Tender Prey performance, but still makes for a fiery start, Caves lyric of dues-paying via death delivered with the appropriate power. The Dream cuts arguably are the most different from their studio takes, given a more punchy approach all around, especially on "Brother, My Cup Is Empty." Other highlights include the beautiful passion of "The Ship Song," its tearjerking appeal fully intact, and the doom-laden "The Weeping Song," Bargeld and Caves duet once again a striking fusion of voices. An end-of-the-night singalong take on "New Morning" concludes this striking record, definitely one of Caves best. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 22 Title: Let Love In Released: 1994-04-15 Tracks: 10 Duration: 48:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Do You Love Me? (05:56) 2 Nobodyʼs Baby Now (03:52) 3 Loverman (06:21) 4 Jangling Jack (02:47) 5 Red Right Hand (06:10) 6 I Let Love In (04:14) 7 Thirsty Dog (03:48) 8 Ainʼt Gonna Rain Anymore (03:46) 9 Lay Me Low (05:08) 10 Do You Love Me? Part 2 (06:12) |
| Let Love In : Allmusic album Review : Keeping the same line-up from Henrys Dream, Nick Cave and company turn in yet another winner with Let Love In. Compared to Henrys Dream, Let Love In is something of a more produced effort -- longtime Cave boardsman Tony Cohen oversees things, and from the first track, one can hear the subtle arrangements and carefully constructed performances. Love, unsurprisingly, takes center stage of the album. Besides concluding with a second part to "Do You Love Me?," two of its stronger cuts are the (almost) title track "I Let Love In," and "Loverman," an even creepier depiction of lusts throttling power so gripping that Metallica ended up covering it. On the full-on explosive front, "Jangling Jack" sounds like it wants to do nothing but destroy sound systems, strange noises and overmodulations ripping throughout the song. The Seeds can always turn in almost deceptively peaceful performances as well, of course -- standouts here are "Nobodys Baby Now," with a particularly lovely guitar/piano line, and the brooding drama of "Aint Gonna Rain Anymore." The highlight of the album, though, has little to do with love and everything to do with the groups abilities at music noir. "Red Right Hand" depicts a nightmarish figure emerging on "the edge of town," maybe a criminal and maybe something more demonic. Caves vicious lyric combines fear and black humor perfectly, while the Seeds performance redefines "cinematic," a disturbing organ figure leading the subtle but crisp arrangement and Harveys addition of a sharp bell ratcheting up the feeling of doom and judgment. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 22 Title: Murder Ballads Released: 1996-02-02 Tracks: 10 Duration: 59:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Song of Joy (06:51) 2 Stagger Lee (05:19) 3 Henry Lee (03:58) 4 Lovely Creature (04:17) 5 Where the Wild Roses Grow (03:57) 6 The Curse of Millhaven (06:59) 7 The Kindness of Strangers (04:43) 8 Crow Jane (04:18) 9 O’Malley’s Bar (14:32) 10 Death Is Not the End (04:27) |
| Murder Ballads : Allmusic album Review : In some ways, Murder Ballads is the record Nick Cave was waiting to make his entire career. Death and violence have always haunted his music, even when he wasnt explicitly singing about the subject. On Murder Ballads, he sings about nothing but death in the most gruesome, shocking fashion. Divided between originals and covers, the record is awash in both morbid humor and sobering horror, as the Bad Seeds provide an appropriate backdrop for the carnage, alternating between blues, country, and lounge-jazz. Opening the affair is "Song for Joy," a tale from a father who has witnessed his familys death at the hands of serial killer. It is the most disturbing number on the record, lacking any of the gallows humor that balances out the other songs. Caves duets with Kylie Minogue ("Where the Wild Roses Grow") and PJ Harvey ("Henry Lee") are intriguing, but the true tours de force of the album are "Stagger Lee" and "OMalleys Bar." Working from an obscure, vulgar variation on "Stagger Lee," Cave increases the sordidness of the song, making Stagger an utterly irredeemable character. The original "OMalleys Bar" is even stronger, as he spins a bizarrely funny epic of one mans slaughter of an entire bar. During "OMalleys Bar," Cave and the Bad Seeds are at the height of their powers and the performances rank among the best they have ever recorded. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 22 Title: The Boatman’s Call Released: 1997-03-02 Tracks: 12 Duration: 52:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Into My Arms (04:13) 2 Lime Tree Arbour (02:56) 3 People Ain’t No Good (05:42) 4 Brompton Oratory (04:06) 5 There Is a Kingdom (04:52) 6 (Are You) The One That I’ve Been Waiting For? (04:05) 7 Where Do We Go Now but Nowhere? (05:46) 8 West Country Girl (02:45) 9 Black Hair (04:14) 10 Idiot Prayer (04:21) 11 Far From Me (05:33) 12 Green Eyes (03:32) |
| The Boatman’s Call : Allmusic album Review : Murder Ballads brought Nick Caves morbidity to near-parodic levels, which makes the disarmingly frank and introspective songs of The Boatmans Call all the more startling. A song cycle equally inspired by Caves failed romantic affairs and religious doubts, The Boatmans Call captures him at his most honest and despairing -- while he retains a fascination for gothic, Biblical imagery, it has little of the grand theatricality and self-conscious poetics that made his albums emotionally distant in the past. This time, theres no posturing, either from Cave or the Bad Seeds. The music is direct, yet it has many textures, from blues to jazz, which offer a revealing and sympathetic bed for Caves best, most affecting songs. The Boatmans Call is one of his finest albums and arguably the masterpiece he has been promising throughout his career. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 22 Title: Live at the Royal Albert Hall Released: 1998 Tracks: 12 Duration: 56:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Lime Tree Arbour (03:42) 2 Stranger Than Kindness (05:02) 3 Red Right Hand (05:18) 4 I Let Love In (04:12) 5 Brompton Oratory (03:47) 6 Henry Lee (04:03) 7 The Ship Song (04:12) 8 Where the Wild Roses Grow (04:12) 9 People Aint No Good (06:11) 10 Do You Love Me? (04:31) 11 Far From Me (06:12) 12 The Mercy Seat (05:12) |
 | Album: 13 of 22 Title: The Best Of Released: 1998-05-11 Tracks: 25 Duration: 1:54:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Deanna (03:45) 2 Red Right Hand (04:47) 3 Straight to You (04:35) 4 Tupelo (05:12) 5 Nobodyʼs Baby Now (03:52) 6 Stranger Than Kindness (04:42) 7 Into My Arms (04:13) 8 (Are You) The One That I’ve Been Waiting For? (04:05) 9 The Carny (08:02) 10 Do You Love Me? (04:39) 11 The Mercy Seat (05:08) 12 Henry Lee (03:58) 13 The Weeping Song (04:24) 14 The Ship Song (04:42) 15 Where the Wild Roses Grow (03:57) 16 From Her to Eternity (05:34) 1 Lime Tree Arbour (03:42) 2 Stranger Than Kindness (05:02) 3 Red Right Hand (05:18) 4 I Let Love In (04:12) 5 Brompton Oratory (03:47) 6 Henry Lee (04:00) 7 The Weeping Song (04:38) 8 The Ship Song (04:12) 9 Where the Wild Roses Grow (04:01) |
| The Best Of : Allmusic album Review : Nick Cave is unquestionably an album artist. Each of his records has a specific mood and theme, standing as an individual work. That said, his albums have also been notoriously uneven. Sometimes, as on From Her to Eternity or The Boatmans Call, he has delivered near-masterpieces, while on other albums, only a handful of songs have hit the mark accurately, which is why The Best of Nick Cave is a welcome addition to his catalog. Granted, the title is a bit odd (its better than Greatest Hits, however), but the compilation itself is as good as it could possibly be. All the major songs -- "Red Right Hand," "Straight to You," "Nobodys Baby Now," "Into My Arms," "Do You Love Me?," "Henry Lee," "Where the Wild Roses Grow," "From Her to Eternity" -- are on this 16-track collection, along with several strong album cuts. Some hardcore fans will find a couple of favorites missing, and the disc should have been sequenced in chronological order, but The Best of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds is nevertheless a terrific single-disc overview of his rewarding, occasionally inaccessible work with the Bad Seeds; its ideal for both the curious and the casual fan. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 22 Title: No More Shall We Part Released: 2001-04-02 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:16:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 As I Sat Sadly by Her Side (06:14) 2 And No More Shall We Part (04:00) 3 Hallelujah (07:48) 4 Love Letter (04:08) 5 Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow (05:36) 6 God Is in the House (05:44) 7 Oh My Lord (07:30) 8 Sweetheart Come (04:58) 1 The Sorrowful Wife (05:18) 2 We Came Along This Road (06:08) 3 Gates to the Garden (04:09) 4 Darker With the Day (06:05) 5 Grief Came Riding (05:08) 6 Bless His Ever Loving Heart (04:00) |
| No More Shall We Part : Allmusic album Review : No More Shall We Part ended a four-year silence from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. A best-of was issued in 2000, but no new material had appeared since 1997s landmark album, The Boatmans Call. With that record, Cave had finally delivered what everyone knew he was capable of: an entire album of deeply tragic and beautiful love songs without irony, sarcasm, or violent resolution. It appears that The Boatmans Call altered the manner in which Cave writes songs, and the Bad Seeds illustrate it. Two musical directors -- the ubiquitous Mick Harvey and Dirty Three violinist Warren Ellis -- craft a sonic atmosphere whose textures deepen and widen Caves most profound and beautiful lyrics to date. The ballads have the wide, spacious, sobering ambience one has come to expect from the Bad Seeds. There is an ethereal change in sound in the uptempo numbers which are, for lack of better terminology, musical novellas. They plumb the depths of blues, yet contain glissando and crescendos from the orchestral music of composers such as Fartein Valen and Olivier Messiaen. There are places, such as in "Oh My Lord," where rock & roll is evoked as a device, but this isnt rock music. A listen to "As I Sat Sadly by Her Side," "Hallelujah," and the aforementioned track (the most "rock" song here) will attest that it is merely one color on a musical palette that is more expansive now than at any time in the bands history. Also in the bands musical treasure trove is the addition of the McGarrigle sisters on backing vocals -- nowhere is their contribution more poignant than on the tenderly daunting, haunted house that is "Love Letter." Lyrically and as a vocalist, Cave has undergone a startling, profound metamorphosis. Gone is the angry, humorous cynic whose venom and bile touched even his lighter moments. His deep, taunting ambivalence about Christ and Christianity in general is gone, vanished into a maturity that ponders spiritual things contemplatively. Humor that pokes fun at "churchianity" remains, but not as a source of inspiration. Over these 12 tracks, Cave has taken the broken heart -- so openly exhibited on The Boatmans Call -- and elevated it to the place where he has learned to live, and to speak from as both an artist and a human being. Leonard Cohen stated in the song "Anthem" that "there is a crack in everything/thats where the light gets in." No More Shall We Part is a mosaic of those cracks. If this album is about anything, it is about loves ability to survive in the world. It is examined concretely and abstractly; to the point where it meditates on this theme even cinematically. In this way, Cave touches the heart in the same way Andrei Tarkovskys films Stalker and The Sacrifice, and Wim Wenders Wings of Desire do. There is powerful emotion here, spiritual, psychological, and romantic, without a hint of the sentimentality that would make it false. As both a singer and a songwriter, Caves work has been transformed into something so full of depth, color, and dimension that there is simply no one except his mentors working on this level in popular music. In the opening moments of "As I Sat Sadly by Her Side," theres a tenderly, softly sung vocal. The title track is a ballad that could have been lifted from The Boatmans Call, except it lacks the reaching tragedy. And Cave sings in a tenor no one thought him capable of -- "And all the birds will sing to your beautiful heart/Up on the bell/And no more shall we part." The chaos of earlier Bad Seeds outings does kick up on "The Sorrowful Wife," where violins and Blixa Bargelds guitars duel with Jim Sclavunos drums for domination of the sonic torrent. The record closes with two of Caves most beautiful songs: a near country gospel waltz called "Gates to the Garden," with the McGarrigles sweetening an already lovely tome to redemptive love, and finally, "Darker with the Day," illustrated by Harveys striking pianistic ballad framework touched by Bill Evans technique. This is as strikingly autobiographical as Cave has ever been, highlighting the extremes of good and evils that inform and torment the protagonists inner emotional life in a single day. There is loss and the seeking of deliverance and, in a statement not so much of recognition but simply fate, he also acknowledges hope: "All these streets are frozen now/I come and go/Full of a longing for something I do not know." As he calls to a lover gone seemingly forever, he comes to the conclusion that for him, redemption is in love itself, whether divine or profane; the only hope is that love depends on ones openness to receiving it. Who can argue with him? No More Shall We Part leaves listeners in awe, full of complex emotions, and pondering the notion that theyve been in the presence of great redemptive art, which Henry James calls "the thing that can never be repeated." | ||
 | Album: 15 of 22 Title: Nocturama Released: 2003-02-03 Tracks: 10 Duration: 56:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Wonderful Life (06:49) 2 He Wants You (03:31) 3 Right Out of Your Hand (05:14) 4 Bring It On (05:23) 5 Dead Man in My Bed (04:40) 6 Still in Love (04:44) 7 There Is a Town (04:58) 8 Rock of Gibraltar (03:00) 9 She Passed by My Window (03:20) 10 Babe, I’m on Fire (14:46) |
| Nocturama : Allmusic album Review : It is truly sad when artists with great vision and imagination, whose work is filled with power and beauty, just kind of lose it all at once. This could be the first record Nick Cave has made that feels like he is just doing it because it is his job to make records and be Nick Cave. Everything is predictable and sounds like something Cave has done before. The Bad Seeds edges are smoothed over by the too-slick production; Caves lyrics are not provocative or funny or much of anything worth hearing. "He Wants You" is a smooth and tired-sounding love song, "Still in Love" is a gothic love song with cheesy lyrics and some sickly singing, and "Wonderful Life" has a nice, slinky beat and a memorable melody that is ruined by generic lyrics. There are also a few surprises of an unpleasant nature on Nocturama: "Bring It On" sounds like alternative rock by-the-numbers; without Caves vocals it could be the Wallflowers. This could be the first Bad Seeds track to sport a depressingly standard guitar solo over the fade. Longtime Cave fans may need to reach for the smelling salts after hearing it. There are also a couple of songs that revisit the old storm-and-bang days of the Birthday Party and early Bad Seeds. One might say these forays into noisy, aggressive post-punk are commendable or one could say he is treading water he puked out 20 years ago. Add to that the fact that the racing tempos, jagged guitars, and shouted vocals of "Dead Man in My Bed" and the seemingly endless "Babe, Im on Fire" break up the somnambulant mood of the rest of the record. Actually, while it may be derivative of his glorious past, "Babe, Im on Fire" is a welcome blast of energy; he should have made it 30 minutes long instead of ten and called it his new record. Apart from that track, Cave sounds like a writer on his 15th book with nothing much left to say, nothing left to do but go through the motions, phoning his performance in with a yawn. His fans should send him a message by leaving Nocturama (his worst record title ever) to gather dust on record store and warehouse shelves. His laziness and weak effort should not be rewarded with your hard-earned cash. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 22 Title: Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus Released: 2004-09-20 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:22:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Get Ready for Love (05:05) 2 Cannibal’s Hymn (04:54) 3 Hiding All Away (06:31) 4 Messiah Ward (05:14) 5 There She Goes, My Beautiful World (05:17) 6 Nature Boy (04:54) 7 Abattoir Blues (03:58) 8 Let the Bells Ring (04:26) 9 Fable of the Brown Ape (02:42) 1 The Lyre of Orpheus (05:36) 2 Breathless (03:13) 3 Babe, You Turn Me On (04:21) 4 Easy Money (06:43) 5 Supernaturally (04:37) 6 Spell (04:25) 7 Carry Me (03:37) 8 O Children (06:49) |
| Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus : Allmusic album Review : When Blixa Bargeld left Nick Caves Bad Seeds, who would have predicted his departure would result in one of the finest offerings in the bands catalog? Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus is a double CD or, rather, two completely different albums packaged in one very handsome box with a stylish lyric booklet and subtly colored pastel sleeves. They were recorded in a total of 16 days by producer Nick Launay (Kate Bush, Midnight Oil, Girls Against Boys, Silverchair, INXS, Virgin Prunes, et al.). Abbatoir Blues, the first disc in the set (packaged in pink, of course), is a rock & roll record. Yeah, the same guy who released the Boatmans Call, No More Shall We Part, and Nocturama albums has turned in a pathos-drenched, volume-cranked rocker, full of crunch, punishment -- and taste. Drummer Jim Sclavunos aggressive, propulsive kit work is the bedrock of this set. It and Mick Harveys storm-squall guitar playing shake things loose on "Get Ready for Love," which opens the album. As Cave goes right for God in the refrain -- "get ready for love" -- in the maelstrom, a gospel choir roaring "praise Him" responds. His tense, ambivalent obsession with theology is pervasive; he mocks the Western perception of God in the heavens yet seeks the mystery of His nature. That he does so while careening through a wall of noisy rock damage is simply stunning. It leaves the listener revved up and off-center for what comes next. The chorus -- members of the London Community Gospel Choir -- is prevalent on both records; the Bad Seeds arrangement utilizes them wisely as counterpoint and mirror for Caves own baritone. "Cannibals Hymn" begins as a love song musically; its chocked with Caves dark wit and irony and ends far more aggressively while retaining its melody. The single, "Nature Boy," finds itself on Scalvunos big beat. Cave and his piano use loves irony in contrast with cheap innuendo as underlined by the choir in their best soul croon. "Let Them Bells Ring" is a most dignified and emotionally honest tribute to Johnny Cash and the world he witnessed. The Western wrangle of "There She Goes, My Beautiful World" references Morricones desert cowboy groove against a swirling cacophony of drums, bashing piano, and the chorus swelling on the refrain, while Cave name drops Johnny Thunders and poet Philip Larkin. The pace is fantastic; its drama and musical dynamics are pitched taut, with lulls in all the right places. The Lyre of Orpheus, by contrast, is a much quieter, more elegant affair. It is more consciously restrained, its attention to craft and theatrical flair more prevalent. But that doesnt make it any less satisfying. It is a bit of a shock after Abbatoir Blues, but it isnt meant for playing immediately afterward; it is a separate listening experience. The title track tells the myths tale in Caves ironical fashion, where God eventually throws a hammer at the subject and Eurydyce threatens to shove his lyre up his nether orifice. Warren Ellis swampy bouzouki and Thomas Wydlers more stylized drumming move the band in the tense, skeletal swirl where chorus and Cave meet the music in a loopy dance. But in "Breathless," the bard of the love song emerges unfettered at the top of his poetic gift. On "Babe You Turn Me On," he wraps a bawdy yet tender love song in a country music waltz to great effect. But on this album, along with the gentleness, is experimentation with textures and wider dimensions. The sparser sound is freer, less structured; it lets time slip through the songs rather than govern them -- check the wall of Ellis strings married to a loping acoustic guitar on the moving "Carry Me" as an example. Caves nastiness and wit never remains absent for long, however, and on "O Children," the albums closer, it returns with this skin-crawlingly gorgeous ballad of murder and suicide. This set is an aesthetic watermark for Cave, a true high point in a long career that is ever looking forward. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 22 Title: B-Sides & Rarities Released: 2005-03-28 Tracks: 56 Duration: 3:39:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Deanna (02:53) 2 The Mercy Seat (03:46) 3 City of Refuge (02:43) 4 The Moon Is in the Gutter (02:36) 5 The Six Strings That Drew Blood (04:47) 6 Rye Whiskey (03:29) 7 Running Scared (02:07) 8 Black Betty (02:33) 9 Scum (02:53) 10 The Girl at the Bottom of My Glass (04:50) 11 The Train Song (03:28) 12 Cocks n Asses (05:43) 13 Blue Bird (02:46) 14 Helpless (03:51) 15 Gods Hotel (03:08) 16 (Ill Love You) Till the End of the World (03:59) 17 Cassiels Song (03:35) 18 Tower of Song (05:39) 19 What Can I Give You? (03:40) 1 What a Wonderful World (03:02) 2 Rainy Night in Soho (03:57) 3 Lucy (version #2) (02:23) 4 Jack the Ripper (04:45) 5 Sail Away (04:12) 6 Theres No Night Out in the Jail (03:43) 7 Thats What Jazz Is to Me (05:04) 8 The Willow Garden (03:58) 9 The Ballad of Robert Moore and Betty Coltrane (03:34) 10 King Kong Kitchee Kitchee Ki-Mi-O (03:09) 11 Knoxville Girl (03:34) 12 Where the Wild Roses Grow (03:46) 13 OMalleys Bar, Part 1 (05:16) 14 OMalleys Bar, Part 2 (06:38) 15 OMalleys Bar, Part 3 (04:57) 16 Time Jesum Transeuntum et Non Revertentum (06:22) 17 OMalleys Bar (reprise) (01:03) 18 Red Right Hand (06:01) 1 Little Empty Boat (04:26) 2 Right Now Im A-Roaming (04:21) 3 Come Into My Sleep (03:48) 4 Black Hair (04:14) 5 Babe, I Got You Bad (03:49) 6 Sheep May Safely Graze (04:14) 7 Opium Tea (03:49) 8 Grief Came Riding (05:05) 9 Bless His Ever Loving Heart (04:00) 10 Good Good Day (04:04) 11 Little Janeys Gone (02:58) 12 I Feel So Good (01:46) 13 Shoot Me Down (03:33) 14 Swing Low (05:40) 15 Little Ghost Song (03:45) 16 Everything Must Converge (03:18) 17 Nocturama (04:00) 18 Shes Leaving You (04:00) 19 Under This Moon (04:04) |
| B-Sides & Rarities : Allmusic album Review : Nick Cave finally gives the dedicated fans what theyve desired for years (and have probably amassed in various guises in shoddy bootlegs): an official career-spanning cataloging of the various Bad Seeds odds and ends on three CDs. There are 56 tracks compiled here. There are also some soundtrack offerings ranging from "Ill Love You to the End of the World," "Cassiels Song," and "I Feel So Good" from various Wim Wenders films to a previously unreleased alternate version of "Red Right Hand," recorded for Scream 3. There are the Bad Seeds contributions to tribute albums such as Caves rendition of Neil Youngs "Helpless" from the Bridge benefit, and "Tower of Song" from the Leonard Cohen tribute Im Your Fan. There are familiar covers such as the Cave/Shane MacGowan "collaboration" on "Wonderful World" and the awesome version of Roy Orbisons "Running Scared" that appeared as one of the B-sides of "The Singer" (and yes, "Black Betty" is here, too). (But why is Caves read of "In the Ghetto" absent?) Real rarities include versions of the traditional "Rye Whiskey" from a flexidisc in Reflex magazine and "Scum," which was only sold at concerts. There is an unreleased version of "Where the Wild Roses Grow" with former Bad Seed Blixa Bargeld on vocals, as well as studio outtakes of "Opium Tea" and "Sheep May Safely Graze." And this is just a smattering. One of the true treasures here is "Theres No Night Out in the Jail," recorded for an Australian country music compilation that was never issued. And of course, virtually every B-side is here, including the take of "Nocturama" that was included on the limited-edition 7" single. For Cave fans who have been patiently and exhaustively compiling this stuff in all sorts of dodgy ways, this set is a righteous archivists gift. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 22 Title: The Abattoir Blues Tour Released: 2007-01-29 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:31:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 O Children (06:59) 2 Hiding All Away (06:23) 3 Breathless (03:36) 4 Get Ready for Love (04:59) 5 Red Right Hand (05:24) 6 The Ship Song (04:09) 7 The Weeping Song (04:39) 8 Stagger Lee (08:44) 1 Carry Me (04:49) 2 Let the Bells Ring (04:55) 3 Easy Money (07:08) 4 Supernaturally (05:13) 5 Babe, You Turn Me On (05:08) 6 There She Goes, My Beautiful World (05:29) 7 God Is in the House (04:46) 8 Deanna (03:43) 9 Lay Me Low (05:48) |
| The Abattoir Blues Tour : Allmusic album Review : Its got all the look of "deluxe" written on it, the thick, book-like black cover with an inset photo of frontman Nick Cave doing his flip to wig city dance -- Bad Seeds fans dont need much encouragement to rush out and pick up something by St. Nick and his motley crew of bent ministers of melody, and theres good reason. This double-DVD/double-CD package assembled from the Abattoir Blues Tour in 2003 and 2004 is quite a thing. The 17 tracks that cover the CDs are taken from dates throughout the tour. Sound is wonderful -- particularly with the new ambient, noisier aspect of the Bad Seeds put into place by Warren Ellis violin. Opening with "O Children" in Dusseldorf backed by a quartet of female backing singers and the sheer drama the Bad Seeds put into backing their boss baritone harangue, the Seeds are in prime form. The proof of this is underscored in the freaky-deaky Aussie funk blues of "Hiding All Away," where Mick Harveys guitars sting and spark. And so it goes. The lions share of the material comes from the Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus double, but there are some choice moments from the back catalog as well as nuggets such as "Red Right Hand," "The Ship Song," "The Weeping Song," and "Stagger Lee" rounding out disc one, and "God Is in the House" (which could have been left off and made this a single disc!), "Deanna," and "Lay Me Low." The DVDs contain a pair of shows. The first is live at the Brixton Academy in November of 2004, and the material is simply woven together so tightly that its hard to believe not every gesture is rehearsed. Cave engages his audience in front of a band so utterly in sync with one another theyve become the complete evil twin version of the E Street Band. The material is obviously similar to the material on the CDs, but being one show, it flows better and there are some different track selections (on the second DVD anyway). There is, after all, a large palette of backlog for the Bad Seeds to draw from at this point and the Brixton show is full of chaotic energy and humor as well as drama. The second DVD contains seven performances taken from the Hammersmith gig in June of 2003, nearly a year-and-a-half before Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus was released. The material comes from various earlier Cave recordings and includes a deeply moving reading of "Sad Waters." Also here are "Wonderful Life," "Bring It On" (with Chris Bailey of the Saints guesting on vocals), "Nobodys Baby Now," "Watching Alice," "Christina the Astonishing," and "Wild World." All of these tunes are performed with variation and real inspiration. In addition to the live performance on the second DVD, there are some extras including a short film on Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus and promotional videos for all the tunes from the album and Nocturama which includes "Breathless," "Nature Boy," "Get Ready for Love," "Babe Im on Fire," and "Bring It On." Finally, there is an intimate film shot by Mick Harvey about the "Bring It On" shoot. In other words, its a rather exhaustive document of perhaps the most significant album and tour in Cave & the Bad Seeds tenure together. It may be too much for some, but for those who get that Cave is an ever changing, always evolving entity and his band has become a supergroup, this is more than a snapshots worth of documentation, and its worth every dime. | ||
 | Album: 19 of 22 Title: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! Released: 2008-02-29 Tracks: 11 Duration: 53:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (04:11) 2 Todays Lesson (04:41) 3 Moonland (03:53) 4 Night of the Lotus Eaters (04:53) 5 Albert Goes West (03:32) 6 We Call Upon the Author (05:11) 7 Hold On to Yourself (05:50) 8 Lie Down Here (& Be My Girl) (04:57) 9 Jesus of the Moon (03:22) 10 Midnight Man (05:06) 11 More News From Nowhere (07:58) |
 | Album: 20 of 22 Title: Push the Sky Away Released: 2013-02-15 Tracks: 9 Duration: 42:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 We No Who U R (04:04) 2 Wide Lovely Eyes (03:40) 3 Water’s Edge (03:49) 4 Jubilee Street (06:35) 5 Mermaids (03:49) 6 We Real Cool (04:18) 7 Finishing Jubilee Street (04:28) 8 Higgs Boson Blues (07:50) 9 Push the Sky Away (04:08) |
| Push the Sky Away : Allmusic album Review : Its been nearly five years since Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds issued the manic, intense rock cabaret that was Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! Since then, the formation and breakup of Grinderman yielded two studio offerings, and Cave and Warren Ellis have composed a few film scores. Push the Sky Away, produced by Nick Launay, is painted with a deliberately limited sonic palette by Ellis. The albums sequencing makes it feel like a long, moody suite. While most of these songs contain simple melodies and arrangements that offer the appearance of vulnerability and tenderness, it is inside this framework that they eventually reveal their sharp fangs and malcontent. Opener -- and first single -- "We No Who U R" is reminiscent of "Your Funeral, My Trial" in its intent, but musically Ellis sparse loops, flute, and a backing vocal chorus lend it an elegiac feel that belies the threat in the lyric. "Waters Edge," with its rumbling bassline, eerie piano, and Ellis droning violin loops, is more overt in its sinister menace. Its protagonist, full of rage at seeing the dance of romance among the young, warns: "Its the will of love/Its the thrill of love/Its the chill of love/Comin on." "We Real Cool" uses that thrumming bassline too. Instantly taut, one awaits an explosion that never arrives -- musically. Here, and elsewhere on this recording, the listener is exhorted to walk an emotional tightrope between the human qualities in Caves characters as speaking subjects and the more distasteful, disgusting traits that make them objects of repulsion. He doesnt judge. "Finishing Jubilee Street" features Ellis electric guitar in bluesy resonance as it drones atop a strummed 12-string acoustic before layered strings begin marching toward a dramatic catharsis. "Higgs Boson Blues," the sets longest cut, uses the drum kit and electric guitars in a similarly long, formless blues that displays Cave in near rant mode; his black humor is evident inside sociological observations with Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana as characters. "Mermaids" employs humor too; from the start nearly obscene, it moves beyond its joke and becomes both a love song and a romantic elegy about the disappearance of the place of myth in Western spiritual life. Caves protagonist believes in them all and laments them like an abandoned lover. The title track rises from the ether, driven by guest (and former Bad Seed) Barry Adamsons bassline and Ellis eerie organ, which takes the foreground. Its a paean of determination in the face of grievous loss. Push the Sky Away is the first Bad Seeds record without Mick Harvey; the inherent lyricism and relative lushness in his musical arrangements are missed here. Despite excellent songs, this album feels more like an extension of Cave and Ellis cinematic work than a classic Bad Seeds record. The sonic sea change is deliberate; but historically, given their vastly musical nature, this more economical approach is jarring, though seductive. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 22 Title: Skeleton Tree Released: 2016-09-09 Tracks: 8 Duration: 39:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Jesus Alone (05:52) 2 Rings of Saturn (03:28) 3 Girl in Amber (04:51) 4 Magneto (05:22) 5 Anthrocene (04:34) 6 I Need You (05:58) 7 Distant Sky (05:36) 8 Skeleton Tree (04:03) |
| Skeleton Tree : Allmusic album Review : Nick Cave is an artist who has never shied away from exploring the darker side of the human experience, often in broadly gothic strokes on his early albums but with a growing degree of nuance and compassion as Cave and his work matured. But a very real and deeply painful tragedy was visited on Cave while he was working on his 16th solo album, Skeleton Tree. His 15-year-old son Arthur Cave died when he fell from a cliff in July 2015, and while the writing and recording was already underway when the youngster suffered his accident, the grief and pain of loss Cave felt is palpable throughout this album. Skeleton Tree is relatively modest in scale -- it runs just 40 minutes, the cover artwork is minimal, and the music lacks the dramatic, grand-scale arrangements of Caves albums of the 21st century. Nearly all of these songs feature spare, minimal melodies and low-key soundscapes that hover over beds of atonal electronic noise and sculpted static. And while the estimable talents of the Bad Seeds are on display here, on many tracks the final effect feels more like an author reading over ambient backing tracks than the sort of evocative sounds one might expect from Cave and his collaborators. The lyrics appear to reference Caves personal loss on occasion -- the very first words in the opening track, "Jesus Alone," are "You fell from the sky/Crash landed in a field," which could hardly be a mere coincidence -- yet Skeleton Tree doesnt feel like an album about the late Arthur Cave. Instead, Skeleton Tree plays like an act of mourning, a set of songs in which Cave makes his acquaintance with grief and struggles to make sense of the pain and emotional devastation that come with outliving your child. As always, Caves songs are both literate and emotionally honest, and though this music is genuinely passionate, he avoids histrionics. Skeleton Tree isnt about exorcizing the agony of being robbed of a loved one. Instead, this music honors the dead by making sense of the pain of the survivors, and the harrowing and beautiful "Distant Sky" (a duet with Else Torp) finds a point where these two sides meet and find peace. Even by Caves dour standards, Skeleton Tree is a tough listen, but its also a powerful and revealing one, and a singular work from a one-of-a-kind artist. | ||
 | Album: 22 of 22 Title: Lovely Creatures: The Best of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds Released: 2017-05-05 Tracks: 21 Duration: 1:49:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Loverman (04:57) 2 Tupelo (05:12) 3 Deanna (03:46) 4 From Her to Eternity (05:35) 5 The Weeping Song (04:25) 6 Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (03:35) 7 People Ain’t No Good (05:42) 8 Higgs Boson Blues (07:50) 9 Straight to You (04:35) 10 Where the Wild Roses Grow (03:57) 1 Into My Arms (04:13) 2 Love Letter (04:05) 3 Red Right Hand (06:10) 4 The Mercy Seat (07:18) 5 O Children (06:45) 6 The Ship Song (05:14) 7 Stranger Than Kindness (04:46) 8 Jubilee Street (06:35) 9 Nature Boy (04:54) 10 We No Who U R (04:04) 11 Stagger Lee (05:15) |