The sun is high up in the sky and I'm in my car
Drifting down into the abattoir
Do you see what I see, dear?

The air grows heavy. I listen to your breath
Entwined together in this culture of death
Do you see what I see, dear?

Slide on over here, let me give you a squeeze
To avert this unholy evolutionary trajectory
Can you hear what I hear, babe?
Does it make you feel afraid?

Everything's dissolving, babe, according to plan
The sky is on fire, the dead are heaped across the land
I went to bed last night and my
moral code got jammed
I woke up this morning with a Frappucino in my hand

I kissed you once. I kissed you again
My heart it tumbled like the stock exchange
Do you feel what I feel, dear?

Mass extinction, darling, hypocrisy
These things are not good for me
Do you see what I see, dear?

The line the God throws down to you and me
Makes a pleasing geometry
Shall we leave this place now, dear?
Is there someway out of here?

I wake with the sparrows and I hurry off to work
The need for validation, babe, gone completely
berserk
I wanted to be your Superman but I turned out such a
jerk
I got the abattoir blues
I got the abattoir blues
I got the abattoir blues
Right down to my shoes

All I can say is, the only thing better than a new Nick Cave album is TWO new Nick Cave albums...packaged in a lurvely cloth slipcover and arranged as an album of rockers and an album of ballads, no less!

After the lackluster results of his last album "Nocturama", I didn't know if he could pull off two discs of good material, but my doubts have been put to bed. The songwriting is intelligent, funny and dark, and the music is all kinds of interesting. Only Nick Cave could use a gospel choir on an album and make it sound sinister. And only Nick Cave could make music that's menacing and beautiful at the same time. "There She Goes, My Beautiful World" is a freaking phenomenal song, and the title song "Lyre of Orpheus" has some of the funniest words I've read since Edward Gorey's finest hour.

Nick Cave fans should already own this, and for those curious as to what this guy's all about, I can't think of a better starting point...not to mention the slipcover looks just plain GORGEOUS on a coffee table (not that I own a coffee table, but still).

Anyone else loving this?

oh, and holy crap, i just found out about this from the NC fan site:

Nick Cave has recently returned from Queensland Australia where his screen play The Proposition is being filmed. A powerfully gripping story that tells of two brothers in conflict. It has attracted a stellar international cast including Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Danny HustoN, John Hurt, David Wenham and Emily Watson. Set in the 1880’s, the film opens in the middle of a frenzied gunfight between the police and a gang of outlaws. Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) and his brother Mikey are captured by Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone). Together with their psychopathic brother Arthur (Danny Huston), they are wanted for a brutal crime. Stanley makes Charlie a seemingly impossible proposition in an attempt to bring an end to the cycle of bloody violence. Emily Watson plays Stanley’s wife Martha Stanley; John Hurt plays the bounty hunter Jellon Lamb and David Wenham plays Eden Fletcher, the powerful local landowner.

The original screenplay was written by Nick Cave and is directed by long time collaborator John Hillcoat.

I think I'm gonna get this.It's been getting alot of positive reviews. I'm embarrased to say I haven't bought a Nick Cave albumn since Tender Prey.Thanks for postin Anx!

PhilG said:

Tender Prey is an awfully good album...it's the one that introduced me to Nick Cave, and to this day it's probably my favorite.

Never been a massive fan but boyfriend is. We're going to see him next Thursday in Brixton, London on the album tour.

Will let you guys have the rundown.

adoreme said:

he puts on a great show - i saw him on the "no more shall we part" tour in chicago a couple of years ago, and he was amazing. hope you enjoy!

Awfully great album, indeed. Don't really know much from him besides, though. Nocturama I also liked but I cannot compare it to his back catalogue.
Would anyone bother to do a discography?

BTW, what do you think of 'Let the Bells Ring' and 'Natural Boy'? Both a little more pop than the rest I guess, but totally addictive.

I just found out that he's playing in Hamburg on Nov 21st. I just started studying and really don't have the money, DAMN!





[Edited 11/5/04 9:29am]

calldapplwondery83 said:

ugh, i dunno about digging up a discography...he's done so much, not just with the bad seeds, but on other albums as well. though i can give a list of albums i'd recommend:

tender prey
murder ballads
the very best of nick cave and the bad seeds
no more shall we part
the boatman's call

and pick up a copy of his novel, "and the ass saw the angel". it's a very good read if you like dark humor.

Don't forget to get the DVD w/ all the promo vids.It's yummy!

This is indeed a great album, same level as The Boatman's call, No More shall we part, Let love in... Cave doesn't disappoint. This month he's playing here in Belgium, looking forward to it!

Anxiety said:

I think many of Cave's new songs sound clinical now - composed as academic exercises rather than creative ones. It's as if he's become one of those pompous, pretentious lectures he gave in 1999/2000 ("The Secret Life Of The Love Song"), trotting out songs which stop and admire their asses on their way out the door.

That said, I like "Abattoir/Lyre". It's a good album, which could have been better as a single. It's a great improvement on "Nocturama", which I hated, and "No More Shall We Part", which I thought almost as dreadful.

Not sure you'll be missing much on the new tour, Anx. He's apparently playing most of the whole of the new album in the main set, then doing about three encores consisting of rearranged versions of older material. He's also got backing vocalists too.

The only time I've seen him live was during Lollapalooza '94. I was there for the Pumpkins, Beasties and Breeders, so I didn't pay much attention. But since then, I've become curious about his work, mostly because of collaborations I've heard with PJ Harvey, Johnny Cash and Kylie Minogue. He's cool. And one of my best friends has been trying to hip me to him for awhile. But I've been reading really mixed things about this newest set, so I've held off. Should I just take the plunge?

I like the second CD a lot but am having trouble with the first on this set. I'll have to spend a little more time with it. LOVE Boatman's Call and The Very Best Of. Also like No More Shall We Part but it makes me incredibly sad.

I love the "Murder Ballads" album. And no..not just because Kylie's on it either.

Chico1 said:

mhm. I am so sure.

GangstaFam said:

Eraserhead said:

Yep!I'll be there!

Shapeshifter said:

I'm not sure "clinical" is a good word for it. He's just a lot more mature, a lot more worn by love and life... I see him as channeling his creativity in more refined ways... its not gone anywhere. I'm friends with an older dutch guy who followed him from the very beginning with the Birthday Party and loves the latter stuff as much as he used to love the wilder, crazier younger catalogue. When I asked him about the changes in Cave's music he told me the same. He said "we're just getting older, our tastes have just changed."

I don't mind the fact that much of Nick Cave's more recent stuff sounds like it was written by an English professor...he's getting older and challenging himself and becoming more refined. I think that's interesting - I also think he loosens up quite a bit on the new album, even if one of the songs is about the myth of Orpheus. Plus when I wanna hear him get stoopid, I can always dig into the old stuff.

When did he start? I mean when was his debut album released?

calldapplwondery83 said:

here's more info than you might have wanted, from nick-cave.com:

Nicholas Edward Cave was born in Warracknabeal, Australia on 22/09/1957. His mother's name is Dawn, a librarian; his father Colin was an English teacher. He has two older brothers, Tim (1952) and Peter (1954) and a sister, Julie (1959). He was raised an Anglican, which explains the apparent influence of The Bible in his work..

His education: Caulfield Grammar School, Melbourne and an Art School (Art department of Caulfield Institute of Technology, now Monash University) which he attended only two years. An example of Nick's art is on the back of the Birthday Party's "Prayers On Fire" album, signed "Nicholas Cave". At Caulfield Nick met Mick Harvey, with whom he founded a high-school band that would become The Boys Next Door. The first recording released by Nick was "These Boots Are Made For Walking" in 1978, a single that was soon followed by the album "Door Door" the next year. The band consisted of Nick, Mick Harvey, Tracy Pew, Phillip Calvert and Rowland S. Howard (from 1979 on).

The Boys Next Door slowly dissolved into "The Birthday Party" in 1980 when the album of the same name came out: some copies stated "The Birthday Party by The Boys Next Door", others only "The Birthday Party". When they changed their name, the band moved from Australia to London. Renegade outsiders, The Birthday Party hit London from Melbourne with a force that still resounds today. Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Rowland S. Howard, Tracy Pew and Phil Calvert blazed through incendiary live shows and a string of albums and EPs of swaggering, raw-boned blues that were at odds with the plastic pop of the early '80s. The Birthday Party had a huge impact on the British rock scene of that time, especially because of the expression of "raw emotion, wit and essential dumbness" (Mute Records' opinion) in their music, though it took some time for them to really break through. The LP "Prayers on Fire" was released in 1981, "Junkyard" in 1982. The band moved to West-Berlin and fell apart in 1983 after releasing 3 studio albums and 2 EP's. Their last EP, "Mutiny", was the ultimate manifestation of the extremity of The Birthday Party's art.

Following the group's breakup in 1983, Cave briefly sojourned in Los Angeles, writing a film script that would later manifest itself as the prison movie Ghosts ... Of The Civil Dead, made with director John Hillcoat and director Evan English. He also assembled the first incarnation of The Bad Seeds. Mick Harvey remained from Birthday Party days. Blixa Bargeld, of Einsturzende Neubauten infamy, had appeared as guest guitarist on The Birthday Party track "Mutiny In Heaven," from their final Mutiny EP. Barry Adamson, who had guested on "Kiss Me Black" from The Birthday Party's seminal Junkyard LP, came from revered Manchester post-punks Magazine. Joined by Anita Lane, Edward Clayton Jones and Hugo Race, they released From Her To Eternity in 1984. This fusion of diverse talent was, if anything, more resourceful in constructing vivid musical backdrops to Cave's song narratives.

Part of the Birthday Party members continued to form The Bad Seeds, recording the first Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album in 1984: "From Her To Eternity". The line-up at this time was: Nick Cave, Blixa Bargeld (guitar), Mick Harvey (drums), Barry Adamson (guitar and piano), Hugo Race (guitar), Tracy Pew (bass, only during the Australian tour), with cooperation of Anita Lane. The name "Bad Seeds" come from the film "Bad Seed" by Mervin LeRoy, 1956, based on a play by Maxwell Anderson and a novel by William March.

Relocated in Berlin, Cave started work on what was to become his debut novel, And The Ass Saw The Angel. The themes he was evoking in this work would fire the next Bad Seeds album, 1985's "The First Born Is Dead", in which Cave, Harvey, Bargeld and Adamson explored the myth-heavy terrain of Delta blues. The epic single "Tupelo," based on John Lee Hooker's song of the same name, encapsulated Cave's Biblical fixation in one go, blending the birth of the King with Old Testament mythology. Recruiting Die Haut's Thomas Wydler as drummer, the 1986 incarnation of The Bad Seeds selected a poignant set of covers for the "Kicking Against The Pricks" album, including Tim Rose's "Hey Joe," Velvet Underground's "All Tomorrow's Parties" and the definitive rework of Gene Pitney's "Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart." They swiftly followed this collection with the "Your Funeral..My Trial" LP. By this time, Barry Adamson had left the band, replaced by ex-Cramps/Gun Club man, Kid Congo Powers, while the lineup expanded with Roland Wolf on keyboards.

This incarnation delivered 1988's "Tender Prey", with its condenmed-man drama "The Mercy Seat" the most outstanding single. That year also saw the publication of Cave's book, "King Ink", a collection of lyrics and plays, and the band appeared in Wim Wender's film "Wings Of Desire", performing "The Carny" and "From Her To Eternity." "Ghosts ... Of The Civil Dead", with a score composed by Cave, Bargeld and Harvey and a central acting performance by Cave, gained its theatrical release, and the singer's film work took on another dimension when he appeared as rock star Freak Storm in Tom DiCillo's Johnny Suede. After this, Cave moved from Berlin to Sao Paolo, Brazil, where he had met Viviane Carneiro during a tour. The influence of Brazil is apparent in "The Good Son", the album released in 1990. The music is much more melodious and friendly than on any other album released before and is often said to express the Brazilian feeling of "saudade". Kid Congo Powers (Cramps, Gun Club) made his appearance as a member of the Bad Seeds on this album, although he already played in the band for a longer period, during the YFMT and KAtP times. In 1989, a film called "Ghosts... of the Civil Dead" was released, co-written by Nick, the soundtrack of which was written by Nick, acted in by Nick. It is a prison movie.

Not until 1992, the seventh album was released: "Henry's Dream", followed by a worldwide tour. Again, the line-up was changed: Nick, Blixa, Mick, Thomas, Martyn P. Casey and Conway Savage. The tour was used to record their only official live CD to be released in 1993: "Live Seeds". The CD was intended as a celebration of the ten years' existence of The Bad Seeds and is sold together with a photobook by Peter Milne. The book contains photographs from the 1992/3 tour.

The Bad Seeds' creativity continued to soar to ever-heightening peaks over their next three releases. 1994's imaginative feast, "Let Love In", was produced by Tony Cohen, whose association with Cave dates back to The Birthday Party days.

With Cave now based in London, The Bad Seeds' impetus continued apace. 1996's "Murder Ballads" was a culmination of Cave's longtime fascination with "the language of violence" and allowed for further bold experimentation in musical style. Collaborations with Kylie Minogue and PJ Harvey on the singles "Where The Wild Roses Grow" and "Henry Lee," respectively, led to mainstream chart success and The Bad Seeds widest exposure ever. This album also saw the addition of two new Bad Seeds: Warren Ellis, of Melbourne's The Dirty Three, added vibrant violin, and New York NoWave troubleshooter Jim Sclavunos pitched in atmospheric percussion.
Apart from this, Nick Cave features on the compilation Album "Songs In The Key Of X", which has songs on it from the TV serial "The X-Files". Nick does "Red Right Hand" and can be found on a "Hidden Track" called "Time Jesum transeuntem et non reverendum" (Dread the passage of Jesus for he will not return) with The Dirty Three.

Meanwhile, Cave, Harvey and Bargeld resumed their cinematic links with John Hillcoat, scoring his second feature film, 1996's To Have And To Hold. Cave's second anthology of lyrics and essays, King Ink II, was also published that year.Nick Cave was shortlisted for "Best Male Artist" of 1996 by MTV Music Awards. He declined the honour, stating that he did not want to compete with other people where Art was concerned."Thank you but no...no thank you".

March 1997 saw the release of The Bad Seeds' tenth studio album, The Boatman's Call. Cave's most intensely personal work to date, the music was pared down to a beautiful simplicity, evoking magical atmospheres, while the singer explored the themes of love, faith and loss in unflinching detail. Just as Murder Ballads piled on the visceral details with evident glee, so The Boatman's Call stripped away all the veils of pretense to the bone of the emotions it evoked. The contrast between the two albums says much about Cave and The Bad Seeds' continual quest for excellence and illumination, as well as displaying all the versatility of the most singular ensemble in contemporary music.

In 1998, the album "The Best of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds" was released, as well as a video compilation of several songs. The album contains selected songs, mainly chosen by Mick Harvey, but the other Bad Seeds contributed as well. Initial copies of the album contain a bonus-disc with live tracks from the concerts in Royal Albert Hall, 1997.

During 1999, Nick Cave performed without The Bad Seeds, usually with Warren Ellis and somethimes with Dirty Three."And The Ass Saw The Angel - Readings and Music" was rereleased.That's a Nick Cave 1988 readings acompanied by Mick, plus the music Mick Harvey and Ed Clayton-Jones recorded for a theatrical adaptation of the book from October 1993.Meanwhile he get married with Susie Bick.

Another reason to love Nick (discovered on another music site):

DISGUSTED CAVE TURNS DOWN GAP AD

NICK CAVE was so appalled when GAP approached him about starring in one of their TV advertisements, he fired off a letter to the clothing store expressing his distaste. The rocker refused to follow in the footsteps of MADONNA, MISSY ELLIOTT and WILLIE NELSON and star in a Gap commercial, and certainly didn't want to be seen wearing any of the shop's clothes. Cave wrote: ''Dear Gap, I might put on a pair of your jeans if you were to pay me $1 billion, but even then I would have serious reservations.''

Anxiety said:

Aka: "I don't need the money so I can turn down this kind of shit." Henry Rollins did a couple of Gap ads, but then he ain't rolling in "Easy Money".

"THE BOATMAN'S CALL"



one of my top 5 albums of all time


I haven't got the new 2cd set yet, but as soon as I've got some more
cash hanging around I will get it.

IstenSzek said:

Boatman is definitely in my top ten or twenty. A classic!

I do like that song Mercy Seat. It fucking rocks!

Shapeshifter said:

it's not nick's first hatchet letter. check out this one, from '96:


TO ALL THOSE AT MTV,

I WOULD LIKE TO START BY THANKING YOU ALL FOR THE SUPPORT YOU HAVE GIVEN ME OVER RECENT YEARS AND I AM BOTH GRATEFUL AND FLATTERED BY THE NOMINATIONS THAT I HAVE RECEIVED FOR BEST MALE ARTIST. THE AIR PLAY GIVEN TO BOTH THE KYLIE MINOGUE AND P. J. HARVEY DUETS FROM MY LATEST ALBUM MURDER BALLADS HAS NOT GONE UNNOTICED AND HAS BEEN GREATLY APPRECIATED. SO AGAIN MY SINCERE THANKS.

HAVING SAID THAT, I FEEL THAT IT'S NECESSARY FOR ME TO REQUEST THAT MY NOMINATION FOR BEST MALE ARTIST BE WITHDRAWN AND FURTHERMORE ANY AWARDS OR NOMINATIONS FOR SUCH AWARDS THAT MAY ARISE IN LATER YEARS BE PRESENTED TO THOSE WHO FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THE COMPETITIVE NATURE OF THESE AWARD CEREMONIES. I MYSELF, DO NOT. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN OF THE OPINION THAT MY MUSIC IS UNIQUE AND INDIVIDUAL AND EXISTS BEYOND THE REALMS INHABITED BY THOSE WHO WOULD REDUCE THINGS TO MERE MEASURING. I AM IN COMPETITION WITH NO-ONE.
MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY MUSE IS A DELICATE ONE AT THE BEST OF TIMES AND I FEEL THAT IT IS MY DUTY TO PROTECT HER FROM INFLUENCES THAT MAY OFFEND HER FRAGILE NATURE.

SHE COMES TO ME WITH THE GIFT OF SONG AND IN RETURN I TREAT HER WITH THE RESPECT I FEEL SHE DESERVES - IN THIS CASE THIS MEANS NOT SUBJECTING HER TO THE INDIGNITIES OF JUDGEMENT AND COMPETITION. MY MUSE IS NOT A HORSE AND I AM IN NO HORSE RACE AND IF INDEED SHE WAS, STILL I WOULD NOT HARNESS HER TO THIS TUMBREL - THIS BLOODY CART OF SEVERED HEADS AND GLITTERING PRIZES. MY MUSE MAY SPOOK! MAY BOLT! MAY ABANDON ME COMPLETELY!

SO ONCE AGAIN, TO THE PEOPLE AT MTV, I APPRECIATE THE ZEAL AND ENERGY THAT WAS PUT BEHIND MY LAST RECORD, I TRULY DO AND SAY THANK YOU AND AGAIN I SAY THANK YOU BUT NO...NO THANK YOU.

YOURS SINCERELY, NICK CAVE 21 OCT 96.

Just ressurrecting this old thread as my post prolly doesn't deserve a new one - but I saw Nick Cave in London last night.

I've never been a fan but dutifully accompanied boyfriend (payback for the Purple Reign party he was dragged to). I must say he was pretty goddam good. The man is so excruciatingly cool it is quite unnerving.

The setlist was great. The first half was all tracks from the new albums (much of which I prefer to his old stuff) and he followed up with some old tracks in a second set.

His Murder Ballads has never been a favourite of mine but the performances he did were mind-blowing. His closing song had such a strong drum beat that you could feel it in your chest.

All in all - I am swung. Nick Cave rocks. Fortunately I don't have to spend any money on the albums either as they are sat very neatly next to my Prince collection in our flat. Yay!

Being a Melburnian i'm very aware of Nick Cave's success, as i saw him around in the early day's.
Some of my favourite tracks are: The Mercy seat, Red Right hand, Shivers.
That letter to MTV is a Killer
Since giving away "The Hammer" he's really Matured. I love Blixa Bargeld's contribution to the Bad seed's ; he's such a complimentary personality to Nick's, and his guitar playing is so appropriate. I have to say i like his stuff from ten years ago, but he still does a lot of those earlier songs so is cool. I saw him perform 'Mercy seat' on The Letterman show, just himself and a piano. Was great to see him stretch to the occassion. Letterman goofed up at being really scared and depressed after Nick Cave's performance.