Let Love In, the 1996 album by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds will always be one of my all-time favourites. I placed it at #16 in the 60 albums@60 rundown a couple of years back, which was probably lower than I would have anticipated, but then again, many of the reasons as to why I have grown a bit less enamoured with Red Right Hand can be applied to why the album’s appeal has slightly diminished.
It dates from an era when Bad Seeds albums were greeted, in the main, by shrugs of indifference and accompanying tours were played in regular sized venues with tickets very much at the affordable end of the scale. I’ll repeat what I said two years ago – it’s not for me to say that the old days were the best, or that I begrudge the success that has come Nick Cave’s way in more recent times. But it all feels as if there’s a huge cash-in taking place, albeit there’s plenty out there willing to pay the big prices for tickets and to purchase all sorts of things direct from the man himself, such as a Red Hand charm (pictured above) with necklace for just £75.
The album is a masterpiece. Songs of menace, songs of mystery and songs of love over which Nick Cave delivers imaginative gothic poetry. An album of great beauty but also dotted with self-deprecating humour in many places. Red Right Hand has, from the outset, been its cornerstone. Played on most tours since the mid 90s, it was always met with rapturous applause.
And then came Peaky Blinders, the first-rate BBC TV show that ran from 2013-2022, and which had Red Right Hand (or extracts of it at least), as its theme tune. The use of the song, and other Bad Seeds material, made the public way more aware of the band than anyone could ever have contemplated.
The clock cannot be turned back. It is painful to accept that the nights at the Barrowlands and other similar types of venues will never be repeated, and as the blame for this, to some degree lies with Red Right Hand, then I have no issue by declaring that the songs means a lot less to me nowadays than it did almost thirty years ago.
I know it’s a twisted sort of logic. But that’s just the way I feel.
The post featuring the new chart hits from June 1984 was a bit of a mixed bag. Thankfully, top of the flops proved to be a bit better.
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – In The Ghetto
Yup….it’s now 41 years since the debut single of the band that had emerged from the implosion of The Birthday Party. This 45 had in fact been preceded by an album, From Her To Eternity, that can best be described as post-punk goth. It was less abrasive than the Birthday Party material, but it was still a long way from being what could be called commercially accessible. None of the seven songs on the album were thought of as being suitable for a single release, and so the band’s take on the Elvis Presley #1 hit from 1969 was put on sale in the shops, with a video made to help boost sales:-
It’s a mighty long way from the Nick Cave of 2025 who is such a darling of the chattering classes.
mp3: East Bay Ray – Trouble In Town
This is one I heard for the first time maybe seven or eight years ago, and it was via a blog or music aggregator site. East Bay Ray‘s guitar work was very much at the heart of what, musically, defined Dead Kennedys. This solo single from 1984, is a long way removed from that sound, It’s akin to the soundtrack of a cowboy movie and great fun to listen to. The lead vocal is courtesy of the frontman of Steve One & The Shades, a San Francisco-based power pop band back in the 80s.
mp3: The Fall – Oh! Brother
The band’s 13th single, but the first for new label Beggars Banquet and the first of what we can now define as the Brix-era. As I wrote when looking at this single in detail back in September 2021, it was The Fall, but not as we, or indeed anyone, knew them. It was a pop song, one which would have sat easily alongside those that were being released on a regular basis by Rough Trade. I’m sure that Geoff Travis would have been scratching his head and wondering just what he had ever done to upset MES to the extent that the thrawn bastard continuously refused to contemplate anything akin to radio friendly songs, while he was on his label, only for him to come up with this absolute monster once he’d moved to a major label.
mp3: The Brilliant Corners – Big Hip
The second 45 from Davey Woodward & co. Still leaning a bit on the rockabilly sound that had been at the heart of January 1984 debut She’s Got Fever rather than the indie-pop C86 sounds that they would swerve into a few years later, but more than listenable across its two minutes duration.
mp3: Microdisney – Dolly
The band’s move from Cork to London eventually led to a deal with Rough Trade, with the album Everybody Is Fantastic being released in May 1984 to not a lot of fanfare beyond those who had long been championing the band in Ireland. The following month saw the release of Dolly, a lovely acoustic-led track from the album, became their debut 45 on the label.
mp3: The Hit Parade – Forever
This features on the 5xCD box set, Scared To Get Happy: A Story of Indie-Pop 1980-1989. Here’s the blurb from the booklet:-
In 2011, The Guardian’s Alex Petridis interviewed Julian Henry about his dual life as a successful PR executive by day and his twilight world as guitarist and singer in an indie band. Back in the 80s, Henry had created The Hit Parade with Matthew Moffat and Raymond Watts, issuing beautifully crafted and overtly 60s-styled singles on their own JSH Records. It began with ‘Forever’, a Bacharach & David homage sans guitars in 1984…..
mp3: The June Brides – In The Rain
mp3: The June Brides – Sunday To Saturday
Another debut single, this time on the newly established Pink Records, from a band who would eventually be lumped in with the C86 movement but whose best songs long pre-dated that genre. Indeed, by 1986, The June Brides had more or less imploded. They are a band I knew nothing of back in 1984, but when, a few years later, I finally came across them, it was instant love, primarily as they had an unusual and distinctive sound, making use of viola and trumpet as well as the standard guitars, bass and drums, and in Phil Wilson they had a very talented songwriter albeit his vocal delivery was a bit of an acquired taste. It was a real thrill to finally see them play live at the Glas-Goes-Pop festival of 2022.
mp3: Biff Bang Pow! – There Must Be A Better Life
Back in February, I mentioned this lot’s debut single, 50 Years Of Fun, the third 45 to be issued by Creation Records, which was part-owned and run by the group’s vocalist and guitarist, Alan McGee. This was their second offering, and there’s more than a nod to the 60s mod-era.
mp3: Red Guitars – Steeltown
So much was expected of Red Guitars in 1984. Debut single, Good Technology (one of Dirk’s 111 selections) was, and remains, a bona-fide classic. A tour a support to The Smiths had raised their profile, and the press coverage in the UK music papers was almost universally positive. But they never clicked with the record-buying public, and this, their second single, was a flop.
mp3: R.E.M – (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville
The fourth single from the beat-combo out of Athens, Georgia. They didn’t, over their extensive career, really make too many songs that sounded as ‘countrified’ as this. It’s not to everyone’s taste, but it’s long been one of my favourites of theirs, and it inspired a train ride out to the town when I was over in Washington D.C. attending a conference back in the early 00s.
mp3: Section 25 – Looking From A Hilltop (restructure)
One of the lesser acclaimed acts on Factory Records, the band had been formed by brothers Vincent and Larry Cassidy. Their debut single for the label had been back in July 1980, and while there was a degree of critical acclaim for their post-punk sound, there was rarely much in the way of sales. By 1984, they had been through a few changes in personnel, and by now the brothers had been joined by two female vocalists and keyboardists, Jenny Ross and Angela Flowers, (Jenny was Larry’s wife, while Angela was their sister). The band’s third album, From The Hip, saw a shift in direction, being very much aimed at the dance floor. Produced by Bernard Sumner of New Order, it was released in March 1984, and the best received of its tracks, was remixed and issued as a 12″ single (FAC 108) a few months later.
mp3: The Stockholm Monsters – All At Once
mp3: The Stockholm Monsters – National Pastime (link fixed)
My big book of indie music tells a different story from wikipedia. The latter states that Stockholm Monsters formed in 1981 in Burnage, a suburb of Manchester. My big book suggests (and I have no every reason to doubt it thanks to a clarification from Swiss Adam) that the four-piece of Tony France, Karl France, John Rhodes and Shan Hira were from New York and only moved to Manchester after being ‘discovered’ by Factory Records supremo, Tony Wilson. A debut single for the label emerged in 1981 and there were further singles in each of 1982 and 1983, prior to debut album Alma Mater, produced by Peter Hook of New Order, was released in March 1984. The album, like all the three previous singles, was ignored by the record-buying public. Undeterred, and still championed by Wilson, two more tracks were issued as a single in Jun 1984 (FAC 107) and which was the subject of this post on the blog back in March 2023.
mp3: Violent Femmes – Gone Daddy Gone
A re-release of the band’s debut single came out on 12″ in June 1984, accompanied by Add It Up, another of the tracks to be found on the rather wonderful eponymous debut album, along with Jesus Walking On The Water, a track that would be found on the forthcoming second album, Hallowed Ground. It kind of says a lot that instead of issuing the new song as the lead track on a single, it was relegated to a b-side, with the record labels in the USA and UK trying hard to get the world to take notice of the brilliance of Gone Daddy Gone.
So there you have it. June 1984’s flop singles, many of which were far better than the ones which charted.
In 1989, Nick Cave was living in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He was looking to turn his life around after a long period of drug addiction. The move had come after he had fallen in love with Brazilian journalist Viviane Carneiro. They would, in 1991, get married and have a son.
It all meant that his mind was in a completely different place than it had been during the writing, recording and touring of the first three Bad Seeds albums. Instead of heading back to Europe, and running the risk of falling back into bad habits, he summoned The Bad Seeds along with Victor Van Hugt, his producer of choice, to Sao Paulo to begin work on what would become The Good Son, released in April 1990.
Nick Cave would later say that the album was a reflection of how he was feeling at the time. He was happy in Brazil, and he was in love. The dark and often despairing nature of the previous albums was replaced by a sound that was more gentle in nature. History shows that this feeling of contentment didn’t last too long. The relationship was over by 1993 and the couple divorced in 1996. The music would take different turns again through the 90s….until the next time he fell madly in love. But let’s leave Polly Harvey out of today’s story.
The first of the new songs to emerge from the sessions on Brazil was greeted with a sense of disbelief among Cave devotees, particularly those whose fandom went all the way back to The Boys Next Door and The Birthday Party. A soppy ballad? What was the world coming to??
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Ship Song
These days, it is regarded, and rightly so, as one of his finest compositions. It is also testament to the skills of the Bad Seeds, who in this instance were Kid Congo Powers (guitars), Blixa Bargeld (guitars), Mick Harvey (bass) and Thomas Wydler (drums), that they could magnificently deliver a song, and indeed an entire album, which was so far removed from what they were used to.
The b-side to the single, which was issued on 7″, 12″ and CD, was perhaps an early indication that Nick Cave would, in the fullness of time, get involved in composing music for films:-
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Train Song
The Ship Song didn’t reach the Top 75 on its release. The Good Son spent one week in the album chart at #47. It would still take a few more years before Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds enjoyed the commercial success that many contemporary critics believed was their due.
As usual, I’m (kind of) closing the blog down over the festive period.
Every day, weekends and holidays included, up to Monday 6 January 2025, you will find an hour-long mix featuring one particular band.
mp3: One Hour of……Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Dig, Lazarus Dig!!!
Stagger Lee
Deanna
Do You Love Me?
Nature Boy
The Curse Of Millhaven
Abattoir Blues
The Weeping Song
Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry
Red Right Hand
Tupelo (single version)
The Ship Song
A playlist that’s been on my hard drive for about 15 years, which is why none of its tunes come from any of the past four studio albums
#066: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds– ‘In The Ghetto’ (Mute Records ’84)
Good morning friends,
I am rather ashamed to say that I never really had too much time for Nick Cave. I mean, these days he is considered as one of the great artists of our time, and rightly so, I suppose. But I am probably the last person on earth who should write a detailed essay about him, I would get it hopelessly wrong because I missed so much of his output – and also everything has already been written before, much better than I could ever do it.
Therefore let’s keep it short and sweet, shall we? My favorite album by Mr. Cave (did you know that’s his real name? Astonishing, I always thought he had chosen it by himself in order to sound cooler …) in its entirety is ‘Kicking Against The Pricks’, although my favorite songs are ‘Watching Alice’ and ‘Slowly Goes The Night’ from ‘Tender Prey’. None of those two ever appeared on 7” though, therefore they out ruled themselves, obviously.
So I had to choose a different 7”, and in order not having to end this post here and now, I will tell you why it is that I like this song so much:
I started my apprenticeship in 1987, the workplace was some 35 kilometers away from my village. So I was lucky that some chap I vaguely knew from school had also been recruited as an apprentice boy there: Burkhard aka the mighty Fatman (we’re still in touch today, mainly drinking a bit in our old bar two or three times a year, but believe me: I am the fat man these days, no longer him – but in 1987 it was the other way round, hence his nickname). Now, obviously the Fatman would pick me up in the morning and we’d drive together to work, either in my shabby Renault 5 or in his car, an even more shabby Citroen 2CV. And of course we would listen to music on our way to and back from work, 2 x 40 minutes or so per day.
When it was my turn to drive, I would put in cassettes from recent Peel shows on BFBS, much to the dismay of the Fatman, because he listened to NOTHING else but Elvis (Presley, not Costello) back then: so you can imagine how much I disliked work when it was his turn to drive – Elvis on heavy (cassette) rotation in the bloody 2CV! I learned that Elvis, apart from two (unsuccessful) numbers never wrote a song by himself, being a decent singer was fair enough for him to gain fame, apparently.
Obviously I couldn’t cope with this as a true indie kid, still the Fatman constantly tried to convince me of Elvis’ greatness. Elvis being God or being just useless certainly was the biggest musical dispute arising between the two us within the years, but not the only one, to be sure. All of this was pre-internet, of course, so occasionally a British authority, no longer with us alas, had to be contacted by post in order to settle our disputes:
There was one song though that never ended in a dispute whatsoever, one that as well The Fatman as me could easily identify with … this one:
From the days when Nick Cave albums were greeted, in the main, by shrugs of indifference and the accompanying tours were played in regular sized venues with tickets very much at the affordable end of the scale.
I’m not going to use this occasion to say that the old days were the best, or that I begrudge the success that has come his way in more recent times. I’ve had a few chats with Adam from Bagging Area about Nick Cave, and I really understand why the releases of the past few albums have been so meaningful in terms of dealing with loss and grief in ways very few of us will ever experience, but my own preferences date back to the days before TheGuardian and other broadsheet papers discovered there was lots to look into and analyse every time a Bad Seeds album was released. The tide began to turn with The Boatman’s Call in 1997, but the use of much of his music in the TV series Peaky Blinders (2013-2022) took it to a level none of us who had followed him from way back could ever have imagined.
This whole 60 albums thing has been an exercise in nostalgia and has provoked all sorts of memories of the different occasions when records were bought, videos/performances were watched on TV (and often recorded onto VHS tapes), shapes were thrown on dance floors and sweat was worked up at gigs. The Bad Seeds have brought immense amounts of pleasure at various halls in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London over an extended period of time, as their collective musicianship, no matter who happens to have been asked to come along for the ride on any particular tour, has been second to none. But I can’t ever see myself going to the 12,000 capacity or outdoor venues to see them….if it does turn out that the Usher Hall, Edinburgh gig in November 2013 was the last time, then it will have been one of the best, thanks in part to the great Barry Adamson being part of the Bad Seeds on the Push The Sky Away tour.
This was another band in which a number of releases were considered for inclusion in the rundown. But I’ve always edged towards thinking that Let Love In is his true masterpiece.
In some places, it delivers a very menacing sound, over which Cave delivers some of his best gothic poetry. At other times, there are love songs, some of which are straight forward, while others are downright creepy. There’s a lot of dark and self-deprecating humour on the album, the sort that really only becomes apparent after a few listens. It also has this:-
mp3: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Red Right Hand
For decades, one of the most loved songs in the entire back catalogue. It was played on most tours and, without exception, rapturously received. One of the hidden gems, so to speak. These days, thanks to its association with the antics of the fictional Shelby family, it is now, without any shadow of a doubt, the best known of all his songs. It is one of many highlights of an outstanding album.
I remember reading a review of Let Love In at the time, and one particular phrase jumped out at me. I’ve done a bit of digging, and it turns out it was penned/typed by Phil Sutcliffe for Q Magazine in May 1994.
“If Leonard Cohen made Iggy Pop pregnant, he’d give birth to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.”
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds got to appear on Top of The Pops back in 1995, thanks, in the main, to the Kylie Minogue effect.
Where The Wild Roses Grow got as high as #11 in the singles chart. One of the two extra tracks on the CD single is a wonderful short story set to music.
There was a thick set man with frog eyes Who was standing at the door And a little bald man with wing-nut ears Was waiting in the car Well Robert Moore passed the frog-eyed man As he walked into the bar And Betty Coltrane, she jumped under her table
“What’s your pleasure?” asked the barman He had a face like boiled meat “There’s a girl called Betty Coltrane That I have come to see” “But I ain’t seen that girl ’round here For more than a week” And Betty Coltrane, she hid beneath the table
Well, then in came a sailor with Mermaids tattooed on his arms Followed by the man with the wing-nut ears Who was waitin’ in the car Well, Robert Moore sensed trouble He’d seen it comin’ from afar And Betty Coltrane she gasped beneath the table
Well, the sailor said “I’m looking for my wife They call her Betty Coltrane!” The frog-eyed man said “That can’t be; That’s my wife’s maiden name.” And the man with the wing-nut ears said “Hey, I married her back in Spain!” And Betty Coltrane crossed herself beneath the table
Well, Robert Moore stepped up and said
“That woman is my wife.”
And he drew a silver pistol
And a wicked bowie knife;
And he shot the man with the wing-nut ears
Straight between the eyes
And Betty Coltrane, she moaned under the table
Well, the frog-eyed man jumped at Robert Moore
Who stabbed him in the chest
And as Mr Frog Eyes died he said
“Betty, you’re the girl that I loved best”
The sailor pulled a razor
Robert blasted it to bits
“And Betty, I know you’re under the table”
“Well have no fear,” said Robert Moore “I do not want to hurt you!” “Never a woman did I love near Half as much as you You are the blessed sun, girl And you are the sacred moon.” And Betty shot his legs out from under the table!
Well, Robert Moore went down heavy With a crash upon the floor And over to his thrashin’ body Betty Coltrane she did crawl She put the gun to the back of his head And pulled the trigger once more And blew his brains out all over the table
Well Betty stood up and shook her head And waved the smoke away Said, “I’m sorry, Mr barman To leave your place this way.” As she emptied out their wallets she said “I’ll collect my severance pay.” And then she winked and threw a dollar on the table
mp3: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Ballad of Robert Moore and Betty Coltrane
Still scratching my head with the decision to leave if off the Murder Ballads album
Nick Cave was a truly creative force in the first decade of the 21st Century, releasing an album every 18 months or so with the backing of The Bad Seeds or with the Grinderman offshoot. It is a body of work that, due to its volume, doesn’t always quite hit the mark in comparison to the material from the 80s and 90s but it is never less than fascinating to listen to, especially in the live setting where he and his band established themselves as one of the must-see acts with every tour bringing something different thanks to the revolving door policy of band and tour members.
One of my favourite songs of his is the lead-off single from the 2008 LP:
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Dig Lazarus Dig!!!
It bounces along a right old pace, paying homage to the sort of more direct tunes that Grinderman had been performing in the previous couple of years – in particular the call and chant nature of the vocal – and has a chorus that was tailor-made for A-listing on daytime radio. Except, this is Nick Cave and unless he duets with Kylie or Polly Jean then there’s no chance of ever hearing him outside of Radio 6….
Ever wondered what the hell this crazy cut-up vocal is all about? The great man explained all at the time of its release:-
Ever since I can remember hearing the Lazarus story, when I was a kid, you know, back in church, I was disturbed and worried by it. Traumatized, actually. We are all, of course, in awe of the greatest of Christ’s miracles – raising a man from the dead – but I couldn’t help but wonder how Lazarus felt about it. As a child it gave me the creeps, to be honest.
I’ve taken Lazarus and stuck him in New York City, in order to give the song, a hip, contemporary feel. I was also thinking about Harry Houdini who spent a lot of his life trying to debunk the spiritualists who were cashing in on the bereaved. He believed there was nothing going on beyond the grave. He was the second greatest escapologist, Harry was, Lazarus, of course, being the greatest.
I wanted to create a kind of vehicle, a medium, for Houdini to speak to us if he so desires, you know, from beyond the grave. Sometimes, late at night, if you listen to the song hard enough, you can hear his voice and the sad clanking of his chains. “I don’t know what it is but there is definitely something going on upstairs”, he seems to be saying. It is, most of all, an elegy to the New York City of the 70’s.
So there you have it…………..
Incidentally, the version of the song put on the blog is the limited edition 7″ single version, which comes in at some 32 seconds shorter than the album version (that’s the anorak in me coming to the fore I’m sad to say).
Here’s yer b-side:-
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Accidents Will Happen
NOT a cover of the Elvis Costello classic, although that didn’t stop EC’s folk a few years back issuing me with a dmca notice (over the old blog where these things were a regular occurrence) demanding that the Nick song be taken down – I knew it was from EC’s folk as the other three songs the notice referred to were all from a posting to do with him!!
Album : Let Love In by Mick Cave & The Bad Seeds Review : Rolling Stone, 16 June 1994 Author : Rob O’Connor
Nick Cave used to be strictly postmodern, stringing together word associations in spasmodic whelps for his band the Birthday Party. Then he used to be sort of postmodern, weaving together folk tales based on American blues myths and a quick read of Faulkner’s twisted South. Not bad for a kid from Australia.
Then Cave cut The Good Son (1990), an album that curtailed his self-consciousness by stripping his sound down to bare essentials. It forced him to reassess his affectations and sing straight from the heart. In the process, he lost his signature sound – the wayward rhythms and screeching dissonance that created the dramatic soundstage needed to weave his longer tales. Henry’s Dream (1992) attempted to stretch out; however, the effort was reined in by David Briggs‘ measured production.
This time, Cave pulled out the stops. The Bad Seeds are back, mixing haunted house organ, creaky-floorboard guitar and voodoo drumming for maximum effect. In turn, Cave is both singing with maturity and ranting and raving like the lunatic he often becomes in performance.
By combining the stately arrangements of The Good Son with his early work’s literary richness, Let Love In, Cave’s eighth studio album with the Bad Seeds (the second with this incarnation), works the balance between prudence (a sympathetic reading of “Nobody’s Baby Now”) and wild-man fervor (“Jangling Jack”).
Cave’s ecstatic love epistles are often derailed by the hellhound on his trail. “He’s coming through your door,”Cave sings during the album’s centerpiece, “Loverman,” “with his straining sex in his jumping paw/There’s a devil crawling along your floor.” He explains what each letter stands for (“L is for love, baby”), adding relish as the insights get sicker (“R is for rape me/M is for murder me”).
Cave’s still not shying away from hyperbolic moments; he loves the drama music can produce. With Let Love In, Cave has regained the frenzy of his early work and fused it with his more recently found focus. The result is pain and pleasure transformed into rhythm, sex and death.
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Nobody’s Baby Now
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Jangling Jack
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Loverman
JC adds : The astonishing thing is this review completely bypasses Red Right Hand, without question, the most enduring and popular track from the album.
This was the album which began the gradual move towards the mainstream – not that I think that’s been a bad thing – but the downside is that Nick Cave has very much nowadays become the rock god for the chattering classes, many of whom have only discovered him since the news coverage of the personal tragedies and the fact that his music has been used to incredible effect in the hit TV show Peaky Blinders.
I say downside as I never imagined that he would be able to undertake tours of 10,000+ capacity venues, selling them out in a matter of minutes, and charging the best part of £100 a ticket for the best seats in the house…so I doubt he sees it that way. It’s not, however, for me….I’ll stick to my memories of shows from this era and the subsequent 20-odd years.
It’s been a while since this irregular series last appeared.
The song being featured today is most closely associated with Elvis Presley, but has been covered quite extensively since its first airing in 1969.
As the snow flies On a cold and grey Chicago mornin’ A poor little baby child is born In the ghetto
And his mama cries ‘cos if there’s one thing that she don’t need It’s another hungry mouth to feed In the ghetto
People, don’t you understand The child needs a helping hand Or he’ll grow to be an angry young man some day Take a look at you and me Are we too blind to see Do we simply turn our head and look the other way?
Well the world turns And a hungry little boy with a runny nose Plays in the street as the cold wind blows In the ghetto
And his hunger burns So he starts to roam the streets at night And he learns how to steal and he learns how to fight In the ghetto
Then one night in desperation The young man breaks away He buys a gun, steals a car Tries to run, but he don’t get far And his mama cries
As a crowd gathers ’round an angry young man Face down on the street with a gun in his hand In the ghetto
As her young man dies On a cold and gray Chicago mornin’ Another little baby child is born In the ghetto
And his mama cries In the ghetto
The song’s composer was Mac Davis, a Texas-born songwriter who got his first break working with Nancy Sinatra before gaining fame for his work with the king of rock’n’roll. The original title of the songs was The Vicious Circle, reflecting its narrative of grinding and continuing poverty that inevitable escalates into violence. It’s a heart breaking tale that has come true on far too many occasions in towns and cities across the world, and not merely Chicago.
In The Ghetto provided Elvis Presley with his first hit single in the UK in three years, and likewise in many other parts of the world and, as mentioned earlier, has been recorded by numerous singers over the year and also spawned a number of parody versions.
I have to say that when I first heard the Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds take on it, I wasn’t quite sure it was a tribute or a parody, but given that it was recorded at a time when the singer and his acolytes were almost permanently is a state of substance dependency, it’s hardly a surprise that it turned out the way it did:-
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – In The Ghetto
The single seemingly hit the shops on 18 June 1984, the very day that I celebrated by 21st birthday by getting drunk and playing all the early Smiths songs at full blast in my flat, with Girl Afraid being on very heavy rotation! Who’d have thought back then that Nick Cave would still be alive in 2019 and reaching the level of popularity he is currently enjoying while the lead singer of the Mancunians would be held in such contempt for his statements and political leanings?
“Young Hunting” is a traditional folk song that has its origin in Scotland. It can be traced back as far as the 18th century, being the tale of the eponymous protagonist, Young Hunting, who tells a woman, who may have borne him a child, that he is in love with another, more beautiful woman. Despite this, she persuades him to drink until he is drunk, then to come to her bedroom, or at least kiss her farewell. The woman then stabs him to death.
The tormented murderer then throws the body in the river but in doing so is taunted by a bird. She tries to lure the bird down from the tree but it tells her that she will kill it if it comes within reach. When the search for Young Hunting starts, she either denies seeing him or claims that he left earlier, but when Hunting’s remains are found, in order to revoke her guilt, she reveals that she murdered him and is later burned at the stake.
Like most traditional songs, numerous variants of the song exist worldwide, notably under the title of “Henry Lee” and “Love Henry” in the United States.
Nick Cave decided that he’d like to record a version of Henry Lee for inclusion as part of the Bad Seeds‘ ambitious 1996 album Murder Ballads, being a work (almost) entirely devoted to asongs of violent death, most often in tragic circumstances. He recorded a vocal in Australia and brought on board PJ Harvey who recorded her vocal separately in England.
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Henry Lee
The results were astonishing and led to Mute Records demanding it be released as a single, for which this promo was shot:-
The couple, having met, embarked on a short relationship (seemingly just four months in length), the aftermath of which led to Cave composing a number of break-up songs that would appear on his next album The Boatman’s Call – it should be noted, however, that most of the album’s material, including the haunting Into My Arms, deals with the six-year marriage he had enjoyed with Brazilian journalist Viviane Carneiro.
Today’s offering tells the story of a birth taking place in the middle of one almighty thunderstorm. The date is 8 January 1935 and the location is a small house in a town in Mississippi.
Looka yonder! Looka yonder! Looka yonder! A big black cloud come! O comes to Tupelo. Comes to Tupelo
Yonder on the horizon. Stopped at the mighty river and. Sucked the damn thing dry. Tupelo-o-o, O Tupelo. In a valley hides a town called Tupelo.
Distant thunder rumble. Rumble hungry like the Beast. The Beast it cometh, cometh down. Wo wo wo-o-o. Tupelo bound. Tupelo-o-o. Yeah Tupelo. The Beast it cometh, Tupelo bound.
Why the hen won’t lay no egg. Can’t get that cock to crow. The nag is spooked and crazy. O God help Tupelo! O God help Tupelo!
Ya can say these streets are rivers. Ya can call these rivers streets. Ya can tell ya self ya dreaming buddy. But no sleep runs this deep. No! No sleep runs this deep. No sleep runs this deep. Women at their windows. Rain crashing on the pane. Writing in the frost. Tupelos’ shame. Tupelo’s shame. O God help Tupelo! O God help Tupelo!
O go to sleep lil children. The sandmans on his way. O go to sleep lil children. The sandmans on his way. But the lil children know. They listen to the beating of their blood.
They listen to the beating of their blood. The sandman’s mud! The sandman’s mud! And the black rain come down. Water water everywhere. Where no bird can fly no fish can swim. Where no bird can fly no fish can swim. No fish can swim. Until The King is born! Until The King is born! In Tupelo! Tupelo-o-o! Til The King is born in Tupelo!
In a clap-board shack with a roof of tin. Where the rain came down and leaked within. A young mother frozen on a concrete floor. With a bottle and a box and a cradle of straw. Tupelo-o-o! O Tupelo! With a bundle and a box and a cradle of straw.
Well Saturday gives what Sunday steals. And a child is born on his brothers heels. Come Sunday morn the first-born dead. In a shoe-box tied with a ribbon of red. Tupelo-o-o! Hey Tupelo! In a shoe-box buried with a ribbon of red.
O ma-ma rock you lil’ one slow. O ma-ma rock your baby. O ma-ma rock your lil’ one slow. O God help Tupelo! O God help Tupelo! Mama rock your lil’ one slow. The lil one will walk on Tupelo. Tupelo-o-o! Yeah Tupelo! And carry the burden of Tupelo. Tupelo-o-o! O Tupelo! Yeah! The King will walk on Tupelo! Tupelo-o-o! O Tupelo! He carried the burden outa Tupelo! Tupelo-o-o! Hey Tupelo! You will reap just what you sow.
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Tupelo
I wasn’t sure whether to include this in this series given that the lyric is very much based on an actual event, namely that of the stillborn birth of Jesse Garon Presley, the elder twin, by 35 minutes, of the later to be crowned king of rock’n’roll. But there is a huge amount of imagination in the lyric given that the thunderstorm which engulfed Tupelo wasn’t until April 1936 when more than 200 people died after a deadly tornado tore through the city.
Nick Cave’s brilliance in forging these two events creates a tale of gothic horror, one which is made all the more spine-chilling thanks to the rollicking and memorable music, written by Mick Harvey and Barry Adamson, in which the sound effects of claps thunder and lightning bolts are fully justified.
This is from when Nick Cave was more Birthday Party than latter day Bad Seed. There is more than a nod to the blues with the opening line referencing Black Betty by Leadbelly (which itself would later be covered by The Bad Seeds) and the wider lyric being based on an old number by John Lee Hooker, who himself had written and recorded a song entitled Tupelo all about the deadly storm and the havoc it had reaped.
Again, it was only a matter of when, and which song, that Nick Cave would feature in this series. I’ve gone for Mrs Villain’s all-time favourite:-
I live in a town called Millhaven And it’s small and it’s mean and it’s cold But if you come around just as the sun goes down You can watch the whole town turn to gold It’s around about then that I used to go a-roaming Singing La la la la La la la lie All God’s children they all gotta die
My name is Loretta but I prefer Lottie I’m closing in on my fifteenth year And if you think you have seen a pair of eyes more green Then you sure didn’t see them around here My hair is yellow and I’m always a-combing La la la la La la la lie Mama often told me we all got to die
You must have heard about The Curse Of Millhaven How last Christmas Bill Blake’s little boy didn’t come home They found him next week in One Mile Creek His head bashed in and his pockets full of stones Well, just imagine all the wailing and moaning La la la la La la la lie Even little Billy Blake’s boy, he had to die
Then Professor O’Rye from Millhaven High Found nailed to his door his prize-winning terrier Then next day the old fool brought little Biko to school And we all had to watch as he buried her His eulogy to Biko had all the tears a-flowing La la la la La la la lie Even God’s little creatures, they have to die
Our little town fell into a state of shock A lot of people were saying things that made little sense Then the next thing you know the head of Handyman Joe Was found in the fountain of the Mayor’s residence Foul play can really get a small town going La la la la La la la lie Even God’s children all have to die
Then, in a cruel twist of fate, old Mrs Colgate Was stabbed but the job was not complete The last thing she said before the cops pronounced her dead Was, “My killer is Loretta and she lives across the street!” Twenty cops burst through my door without even phoning La la la la La la la lie The young ones, the old ones, they all gotta die
Yes, it is I, Lottie. The Curse Of Millhaven I’ve struck horror in the heart of this town Like my eyes ain’t green and my hair ain’t yellow It’s more like the other way around I gotta pretty little mouth underneath all the foaming La la la la La la la lie Sooner or later we all gotta die
Since I was no bigger than a weavil they’ve been saying I was evil That if “bad” was a boot that I’d fit it That I’m a wicked young lady, but I’ve been trying hard lately O fuck it! I’m a monster! I admit it! It makes me so mad my blood really starts a-going La la la la La la la lie Mama always told me that we all gotta die
Yeah, I drowned the Blakey kid, stabbed Mrs. Colgate, I admit Did the handyman with his circular saw in his garden shed But I never crucified little Biko, that was two junior high school psychos Stinky Bohoon and his friend with the pumpkin-sized head I’ll sing to the lot, now you got me going La la la la La la la lie All God’s children have all gotta die
There were all the others, all our sisters and brothers You assumed were accidents, best forgotten Recall the children who broke through the ice on Lake Tahoo? Everyone assumed the “Warning” signs had followed them to the bottom Well, they’re underneath the house where I do quite a bit of stowing La la la la La la la lie Even twenty little children, they had to die
And the fire of ’91 that razed the Bella Vista slum There was the biggest shit-fight this country’s ever seen Insurance companies ruined, land lords getting sued All cause of wee girl with a can of gasoline Those flames really roared when the wind started blowing La la la la La la la lie Rich man, poor man, all got to die
Well I confessed to all these crimes and they put me on trial I was laughing when they took me away Off to the asylum in an old black Mariah It ain’t home, but you know, it’s fucking better than jail It ain’t such bad old place to have a home in La la la la La la la lie All God’s children they all gotta die
Now I got shrinks that will not rest with their endless Rorschach tests I keep telling them they’re out to get me They ask me if I feel remorse and I answer, “Why of course! There is so much more I could have done if they’d let me!” So it’s Rorschach and Prozac and everything is groovy
Singing La la la la La la la lie All God’s children they all have to die La la la la La la la lie I’m happy as a lark and everything is fine Singing La la la la La la la lie Yeah, everything is groovy and everything is fine Singing La la la la La la la lie All God’s children they gotta die.
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Curse of Millhaven
Up until March 1990, Nick Cave was best known for fierce and uncompromising music. There had been the occasional ballad but never an all-out soppy love song. His new 45 was as far removed from the goth-rock, dark- as-night singles such as Tupelo, The Mercy Seat and Deanna as you could imagine. It was the first sign of a singer-songwriter maturing as he aged and not being afraid to put his feelings down on paper.
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Ship Song
It’s still, all these years on, seen as one one his finest ever moments, always getting a huge cheer and prolonged applause whenever he plays it in the live setting.
The b-side also had a mode of transport referenced:-
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Train Song
Another stripped-back effort that took long-standing fans by surprise. It’s maybe not one of Nick’s greatest lyrics or tunes but it is still a sign of him looking to do things a bit differently than in the past.
All the greats eventually get the full-blooded cover version treatment with singers and bands queing up to pay tribute to those who greatly influenced them. The late Leonard Cohen has had his songs covered more than most, including various compilation LPs over the years which have been commercially released or given away free with music magazines. There’s even been specially curated gigs at which some of the great and good have appeared on stage to pay tribute.
So many tracks to choose from, but I’ve gone for one which, in its original recording, is not much more than a gravelled voice and some backing oohs and aahs over a toy synthesiser with its cheap drum pattern:-
mp3 : Leonard Cohen – Tower of Song
The opposite tack was taken by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds who, in a drink and drug fuelled frenzy one day in a studio, eventually cut what became an infamous 33 minute version of the track in which all sorts of musical genres are eventually thrown in. It’s not for the faint hearted:-
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Tower of Song (full length)
An edited version was made available for inclusion of the tribute/compilation album I’m Your Fan, released in 1991:-
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Tower of Song (album version)
Here’s two more versions worth giving a listen:-
mp3 : Lloyd Cole – Tower of Song
mp3 : Martha Wainwright – Tower of Song
And finally, the daddy of them all in which Lenny C is given the shoegaze treatment:-
Those of you who are fans of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds will know today marks the release of the new album, Skeleton Tree. You’ll also know that the release was preceded by the one-off showing last night in more than 650 cinemas worldwide of One More Time With Feeling, a documentary about the making of the record in which fans had the first opportunity to hear the new material.
Album launches tend to be happy and joyous affairs – indeed just a mile or so at the other end of the city centre of Glasgow from the cinema I was sitting in, such an event involving the wonderful and exciting Teen Canteen was taking place (with early reports from friends who were there indicating it was one of the gigs of the year). After such launches, the singer or band tends to take to the road and promote the new material via the live setting (such as Teenage Fanclub did earlier this week).
Neither of these options would have been appropriate for the launch of Skeleton Tree.
For those of you who don’t know, work was already underway on the new record when Nick Cave and his family were hit with the most unimaginable personal tragedy.
The subsequent inquest, in November 2015, found that Arthur had taken some form of hallucinogenic drug, most likely for the first ever time, shortly before he fell to his death.
At some point in time, and I’m sure as part of the grieving process, Nick Cave returned to the studio to finish work on the new record. He knew that at some point when work was complete that he would need to promote the record but he could not, understandably, bring himself to be subject to widespread media attention nor go on stage not knowing just how he would react.
In December 2016, he called up his film-making friend Andrew Dominik and floated the idea of a documentary to capture the band performing the new album. Work began in February 2016 at a time when the band came together again to mix the record but it soon became clear that the bond between the two men, and the trust placed in the film-maker by the Cave family and circle of friends, would allow something much more substantial to emerge from the process.
The finished work, shot almost exclusively in black and white and 3D, has long sections in which Nick Cave tries to talk and muse on what has happened to him over the past year and a bit. It also has some of the most astounding performances of some of the most astounding songs that the Bad Seeds have ever recorded.
It is an extraordinary, powerful and moving piece of film. It goes beyond belief that Nick and his wife Susie should so openly share their feelings about their sense of loss and grief in such a bold and frank fashion without ever looking for the man behind the camera, and by extension the audience, to offer up any pity.
The other thing that was most striking was watching a man whose very strength has always been his lyrics and prose at such a loss to find the words to adequately articulate the pain he feels every waking day.
One More Time With Feeling wasn’t something to be enjoyed in the same way as other music documentaries. It was haunting and sad and yet it was full of beauty and dignity. It’ll stay with me a long long time and I’ll recall many of its scenes any time I play the new album.
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds were near the top of those for my stab at an ICA but they were also one of the first to be offered up by a guest contributor, courtesy of The Robster back in May 2015. Click here for a reminder.
However, I think there’s now enough time passed since to come up with a second volume on the proviso that I don’t include any of the ten actual songs selected by The Robster (and there’s a few that would have been certainties!!). It also acts an introduction to what, over the coming weeks, will be a run of ICAs that have been submitted by guest contributors, new and old alike, that I haven’t had the capacity to pull together into the standard shape and style or do the really time-consuming bit which is get the files into a shape and form that you can listen to via the links.
There’s some great stuff coming your way, but for now, back to Nick Cave….and the different thing I’ve done this time is match the tracks on this ICA with their position on the album on which they were released. This means that I’ve also looked at everything as a CD as the albums had different numbers of songs. Thus, having gone for Track 1 from a particular album, then no other opening song was eligible. It also ruled out b-sides…..
Despite such restrictions, it still makes for a cracking listen.
1. Do You Love Me? (Track 1 on Let Love In, 1994)
This was included within the 45 45s at 45 rundown but it wasn’t a stick-on to open up the ICA. Indeed, this was an instance when Robster’s choices prevented me going for my real preference but then again I’d probably have fretted about not including what is one of the best examples of the Bad Seeds being such a great foil for Nick’s incredible brand of lyrics.
2. Deanna (live) (Track 2 on Live Seeds, 1993)
There have been few, if any, better examples of a band that have been consistently brilliant in the live setting for what is now over 30 years. Every tour offers something different, whether that be an altered line-up from last time out, the use of additional backing singers or a well-known and much-loved song being given a completely new interpretation (The Mercy Seat in particular has experienced this over time) and as such a Bad Seeds show is never dull or predictable. There’s been four live releases in addition to the fifteen studio albums. This frantic and chaotic rendition of an infamously raucous number on 1988’s Tender Prey appears on the first of the live releases.
3. People Ain’t No Good (Track 3 on The Boatman’s Call, 1997)
From the album that took everyone by surprise thanks to its minimalist approach and heavy reliance on the piano. It’s the album when Nick Cave began to feature very heavily in the UK broadsheets as he finally had made an album that middle-aged people could listen to without any fear or dread. It’s his album of love and regret and at times his vocal delivery is as fragile as his mood was during its recording. I know why so many folk love it and rate it among his best but at best I’m only able to listen to it right through about every 2-3 years nowadays. It’s just too sad and morose in places. The selected track is as sad and morose as any of them but has a certain transcending charm that indeed led to it being included for a sad moment in a family movie – Shrek 2 – as well as being beautifully covered by Lloyd Cole.
4. Jubilee Street (Track 4 from Push The Sky Away, 2013)
There was a five year gap between Push The Sky Away and its predecessor during which time Mick Harvey, who was widely regarded as having long been at the forefront of the actual sound of the band, had taken his leave. The Bad Seeds had always been an evolving and interchangeable group of musicians but Mick Harvey had always seemed the perfect foil for the mercurial frontman, although there had been increasing signs through the Grinderman side project, the soundtrack work and the changes in sounds on the albums of the 21st century that Warren Ellis was now key to everything. Long-time fans were nervous about the first non-Harvey album but such fears were unfounded as it proved to be outstanding and with a staggering range of subject matters.
This slow tempo number with its surreal and imaginative lyric is the centrepiece of the album. And it’s the first of two cheats on this ICA – it was part of The Robster’s selection but he went for a live version which sort of opens the door for me to include the studio version.
5. Red Right Hand (Track 5 on Let Love In, 1994)
One of the most popular and enduring tracks in the entire back catalogue. And thanks to its extensive use in movie and TV, probably among the best-known Nick Cave songs. Not only a lyric which is psychotically disturbing and humorous in equal measures, it’s a tune that brings out the multiple talents of its players.
6. The Singer (Track 6 on Kicking Against The Pricks, 1986)
Nick Cave has never been shy to take a stab at cover versions and indeed in 1986 he released an entire album’s worth. Let’s put aside the fact that, (a) there was a bit of a contractual obligation for a new record at the time and the singer’s addiction issues were causing problems in coming up with new material, and (b) some of the versions on Kicking Against The Pricks border on the unlistenable, and rejoice in the crazy fucked up take on The Folk Singer, co-written by the C&W legends that are Johnny Cash and Charlie Daniels.
7. Into My Arms (Track 7 on The Best Of…., 1998)
This is my second and final sleight of hand. The track that opens The Boatman’s Call is also the seventh song on the 1998 compilation of which initial copies came with a live CD. It’s very much a classic love song and I’m surprised that nobody has ever attempted to give it the full band/orchestra treatment via a cover version. Surprised but glad as it’s the very simplicity of piano, bass and heartfelt but understated vocal that make it so memorable and special. Interesting to read that Nick Cave, while appreciating the visual beauty of the video that was made to accompany its release as a single thought the depressing and sad shots are at odds with the optimism at the heart of the song.
8. Stagger Lee (live) (Track 8 on The Abattoir Blues Tour CD 1, 2007)
Along with Red Right Hand, a perennial favourite when aired live, which it has been on just about every tour since it originally appeared on Murder Ballads in 1996.
This particular version is all that more special thanks to the contribution of soul/gospel backing vocals and the addition of a new verse in which the protagonist, having been executed for his crimes, finds himself on judgement day where he faces up to Lucifer himself. The end result is bloody, violent and, given Stag’s history, somewhat predictable.
9. Jack The Ripper (Track 9 on Henry’s Dream, 1992)
Sing-a-long with St Nick. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.
Some say this is a macho and wholly misogynist number but they’re wrong.
10. God Is In The House (live) (Track 10 on Live from KCRW, 2013)
Given the personal tragedy that Nick Cave and his family have had to deal with over the past two years, I had thought he may at some point announced his retirement from writing and performing; if so, this double live album, recorded at a concert for a Los Angeles radio station, would have been a fine and somehow appropriate way to quietly take leave; but it does seem as if new material is coming our way later in 2016.
The album displays a rarely seen side to the Bad Seeds in the live setting with the emphasis on slower songs, which are given a different arrangement from when first released. As is the case with this track from 2001’s No More Shall We Part. What is really worth noting is that four of the five musicians who made this wonderfully understated LP were the members of Grinderman, the side project which is better known for grimy and sweaty material rather than this sort of ballad. It’s a demonstration of the diverse talent required if you want to be a Bad Seed.
Oh and the fifth musician is none other than Barry Adamson – he first came to prominence as the bassist with Magazine before linking up with the Bad Seeds and playing on their first four albums. He left in 1986 and carved out a successful solo career, particularly as a score composer. But it’s really the case that nobody ever leaves the Bad Seeds and he came back in 2013 to play on Push The Sky Away and to be part of the touring band but this time on keyboards which is the role he plays on the KCRW album, which was very impressively recorded live in one take.
11. More News From Nowhere (Track 11 from Dig, Lazarus Dig!!!, 2008)
Just as about all the Bad Seed albums tend to open with show stoppers, so they inevitably end with songs that make you want to either turn the vinyl over or push the CD back to Track 1. I’ve extended this ICA out by one more tune as this is one of my personal favourite LP closers – it’s an epic tale that extends out to almost eight minutes in length over a tune which is eminently danceable, although an edited version was later cut for release as a 7” vinyl single. The band are, as ever in fine form here, also adding the perfect level of backing vocals on this occasion, as Nick chirps away quite contentedly about past loves and muses, real and imaginary alike, in a way that is diametrically opposite that from the songs on The Boatman’s Call.
There’s not many occasions when the word ‘delightful’ can be applied to a Nick Cave song. Indeed, this may be the only genuine time when you can. And it seems a perfect way with which to close this ICA.
Sometime towards the end of last year, one of you kind readers dropped me an e-mail in which reference was made to the rare art of the 10″ single. I’ve misplaced the e-mail (probably deleted it in error if the truth be told) and so I’m unable to give you the credit for inspiring what will be an occasional series – but please feel free to identify yourself in the comments so that I can turn sorry into thank you.
I only have eighteen bits of vinyl that are 10″ in size, with the majority being singles/EPs. I’ll try to get them all on the blog over the course of time, but for now here’s the list:-
Adult Net – Where Were You? Aloha Hawaii – Towns On The Moon/I’ve Been Bad For Years and Years Arctic Monkeys – Brianstorm Arctic Monkeys – My Propeller Arctic Monkeys – Don’t Sit Down Cos I’ve Moved Your Chair Aztec Camera – The Crying Scene Breeders – Head To Toe Curve – Clipped Dave House/Jenny Owen Youngs – Split EP Gil Scott-Heron – Winter In America Joe Jackson – One More Time Lemonheads – Confetti/My Drug Buddy Madder Rose – Car Song Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Bring It On OMD – Messages Sultans Of Ping FC – Where’s Me Jumper Tom Robinson – Still Loving You The Wedding Present – Ukrainski Vistupi V Johna Peela / Українські Виступи В Івана Піла
First one to feature is this 2003 single, an edited version of a track on the mostly underwhelming LP Nocturama
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Bring It On
Bring It On features a co-vocal from Chris Bailey whose most famous song is this punky effort from 1977:-
mp3 : The Saints – (I’m) Stranded
The two b-sides are typical of the sort of ballads and slower-tempo numbers the band was mostly churning out at the time. It was a period of real transition as the sound became ever more reliant on Nick Cave‘s piano/organ playing and the violin contributions from Warren Ellis. It’s not the most fondly remembered period in the band’s long and illustrious history.
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Shoot Me Down
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Swing Low
When I was the new wave kid on the block, I used to snigger behind the backs of the guys at school who were fans of bands like Pink Floyd, Genesis, Led Zeppelin and Yes. (I didn’t do it to their faces as they were bigger than me and would have giving me a right good kicking).
I did so because, unlike them, I got to hear the songs that I liked getting played on the radio, and sometimes I even got to see the bands that were my favourites appearing on the telly. I was of a very impressionable age, and my attitude was that you were a nobody if you didn’t get played on Radio 1 or Radio Clyde this side of midnight. And an even bigger nobody if Noel Edmonds, Jimmy Saville, Tony Blackburn or Dave Lee Travis didn’t read out your name in a rundown during Top Of The Pops.
In my wee world, it wasn’t relevant that the sorts of bands – the ones that so excited the guys with long hair, the combat jackets and the patchouli oil – could sell LPs in their millions and play concerts that recreated all the albums note-for-note in shows lasting three hours in length – mainstream recognition was the be-all and end-all.
So, it’s just as well that as I’ve got older my attitude has softened –for I would never have found a place in my heart and mind for the greatest act to ever come out of Australia.
In a career that now goes back more than 30 years, Nick Cave, whether with The Birthday Party, The Bad Seeds or Grinderman has had one commercial hit that got him on TOTP. And even then, that was because fans of Kylie Minogue bought the single….
He has released one great LP after another throughout his career. Each LP has spawned two or three singles, some of which have been astonishing in their ambition. Some have been tremendously catchy with great tunes and big choruses, while others have been gorgeous yet understated ballads that are poems set to music. He’s even made all sorts of promotional videos, many of them entertaining and eye-catching in an effort to get some mainstream attention.
All to no avail.
Instead his fame and career is now so similar to the dinosaurs of the 70s in being based entirely on critical acclaim album sales and live performances that leave you panting for more without ever troubling the compilers of the singles charts.
All this means is that an awful lot of folk who have an interest in music, but no real depth of passion or soul for it (i.e. they’ll maybe buy what they hear on the radio but never take risks) are missing out on his genius and talent. I suppose that’s good in one way as it means Nick Cave will ever get so big and famous that his live shows move to arenas and stadia. But overall, don’t you agree that his music should be in every household?
Yet again, there were a number of singles that I hummed and hawed over before selecting one for this rundown. It goes back to 1994:-
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Do You Love Me? (single version)
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Cassiel’s Song
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Sail Away
A single drum note. The haunting sound of the staccato Hammond organ. Nick mumbling the one line over and over to himself. The bar-room piano that comes crashing in on top of everything. And that’s just the introductory 45 seconds – a sort of overture for all that follows.
Is this a song that is a plea for affection from someone who wants so much to be loved back??
I’m not sure….
I’ve always thought it is something altogether far more creepy and sinister – the song of a dominating control-freak who breaks the soul and spirit and eventually the body of their lover because although she gave him everything, it was never ever enough to satisfy his lust.
In many ways, it’s a bit like The One I Love by REM. If you just catch the most audible part of the song, it all seems innocent enough. But listen closely and you’ll notice that there’s a lot of venom and poison lying within……
Exactly one week ago tonight I sat in the stalls of the Edinburgh Playhouse (Row J : seat 17 with Mrs Villain beside me in seat 16) and witnessed what I reckon must be my 20th or so show by Nick Cave. While every single one of those love shows has been a standout in one way or another, thanks in part to his willingness to rotate the Bad Seeds who go out on tour and thanks in part to each show being about 50% new material and 50% from the now extensive back catalogue, there was something truly wonderful about this latest show. It wasn’t a full Bad Seeds back-up nor was it a solo show – the five-man line-up ensured it pitched itself somewhere in-between. I came away thinking that it may even have been the best show I’ve ever seen from the great man – he was in fine voice, great humour and the arrangements he had made to some of the old classics had to be heard to be believed. I came away determined that he would be next up in the compilation album series but only after I’d recovered from the ordeal of whittling The Clash down to ten songs.
And then, this dropped into my inbox from The Robster – long-time reader, frequent commentator and the brains behind this wonderful space on t’internet. His timing was impeccable…
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I always knew it would be a tough task choosing just ten songs for a best of Nick Cave compilation. It was never what to include, more what to leave out. That’s why I expect so many “you should have included…” and “I would have had…” comments, but that’s the fun of doing it, right?
I’m a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge Cave fan, but I came to him rather late. I’d heard bits and pieces of his work over time, but it wasn’t until ‘Murder Ballads’ in 1996 that I began to engage with his music properly. Now I can’t get enough of the guy.
So for better or worse, here’s my contribution to JC’s excellent series – ten brilliant tunes by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, a studio side and a live side. This was tough and the result is controversial (nothing from Let Love In – set the flame wars alight!) but I don’t regret a single one of these choices.
Side one
1. Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry (from ‘Henry’s Dream’, 1992)
‘Henry’s Dream’ is one of my top 5 Bad Seeds albums, and this is one of the best opening tracks of any record. It’s dark and menacing, but poetic and stirring. Nick’s an amazing storyteller and few songs illustrate this better than Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry. A great way to start.
2. Tupelo (from ‘The Firstborn Is Dead’, 1985)
Talking of dark and menacing, how about the tale of Elvis’ birth delivered Cave-style? A fine example of how a rock band can create an uncomfortable atmosphere and mood. Nick’s growling vocals, Barry Adamson’s ominously brooding bass, Blixa Bargeld’s scratchy guitars and Mick Harvey’s pounding drums combine to create a song that’s blacker than black.
3. He Wants You(from ‘Nocturama’, 2003)
But it’s not all fire and brimstone, sometimes Nick writes the most beautiful and touching ballads. Here’s one of his very best and one of my all-time fave songs of his.
4. The Curse Of Millhaven (from ‘Murder Ballads’, 1996)
‘Murder Ballads’ is equally disturbing and hilarious. It’s also ridiculously misunderstood by people who don’t get what Nick Cave is about. I loved this track on first listen and it still rates as my fave on the album.
5. We Call Upon The Author(from ‘Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!’, 2008)
The Grinderman project undoubtedly had an effect on Nick and his cohorts. ‘Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!’, the first Bad Seeds album following that side-project was altogether rougher, tougher and meaner than anything they’d done in a long time. Really hard to pick a single track from it, but I went for this one because I think it sums up the whole record. And the lyric “I feel like a vacuum cleaner/A complete sucker” cracks me up every time!
Side two
6. The Mercy Seat [live] (from ‘Live Seeds’, 1993; originally from ‘Tender Prey’, 1988]
Cave has done countless versions of this track and each one is absolutely TERRIFYING. It’s the first of his tracks I ever heard and I felt really uneasy on hearing it, but utterly intrigued at the same time. This version, from the ‘Live Seeds’ album, is very probably the best version of all.
7. There She Goes, My Beautiful World[live at Maida Vale] (b-side of ‘Get Ready For Love’, 2005; originally from ‘Abattoir Blues’, 2004)
Ridiculously upbeat song in which our Nick laments the loss of his muse and the onset of writer’s block. Hard to believe Nick Cave made a gospel (or should that be ‘gothpel’) record, but here’s proof that he can turn his hand to anything. I love this track so much.
8. God Is In The House[live] [from ‘Live From KCRW’, 2013; originally from ‘No More Shall We Part’, 2001]
As cutting comments on gated communities and the God-fearing citizens who populate them go, this song has to be the best, doesn’t it? I remember he did a quite extraordinary rendition of this on Jools Holland’s show around the time of its release. At the end of the show, Jools asked a few of his guests who their favourite act on the show was, and a soul singer I’ve forgotten remarked: “Oh, Nick Cave. So spiritual.” She had completely missed the point. But isn’t that Nick all over?
9. Jubilee Street [live at the Sydney Opera House] (b-side of ‘Give Us A Kiss’, 2014; original from ‘Push The Sky Away’, 2013)
‘Push The Sky Away’ was/is an absolutely remarkable album. It’s like Nick has found a new wave of creativity of late, you feel he could go on forever and always remain unique and relevant. Jubilee Street is as good a song as he’s ever written.
10. The Ship Song [live at Brixton Academy] [from ‘Abattoir Blues Tour’ DVD, 2007; originally from ‘The Good Son’, 1990]
I suppose if Nick Cave is going to be remembered for just one song, this will probably be it. It has become like an unofficial Australian National Anthem, but it’s live that it takes on a new life and at times it’s spine-tingling.
The Robster
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Papa Won’t Leave You Henry
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Tupelo
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – He Wants You
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Curse of Millhaven
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – We Call Upon The Author
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Mercy Seat (live)
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – There She Goes, My Beautiful World (live)
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – God Is In The House (live)
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Jubilee Street (live)
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Ship Song (live)
JC adds……
This will, I’m sure spark as lively a debate as last week’s on The Clash. I’m gearing up to make my own contribution to the debate. I’m with The Robster on the particular live version of The Mercy Seat that he has selected….but only until the point when, and I really hope it is a when, the version being played on the current tour is given a release.
Big thanks Robster….and without giving anything away to T(n)VV readers, feel free to throw in that further contribution you mentioned in your e-mail.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 