Nick Cave : Classic or Dud ?

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ooops, double post, sorry

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Monday, 14 July 2003 02:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't think it's at all surprising that he dated Kylie, because in its own dark, reverent way his material is just as generic, conservative, synthetic and lifeless as hers.
-- Momus

I may be new and not know shit but I do know I don't like this kid at all.

― ben welsh (benwelsh), Monday, 14 July 2003 02:59 (twenty-two years ago)

nar Rowly is still a legend!! he did a great gig a few years ago with a version of Lou reed's "Oh Jim" that sent shivers (fnarr) every which way

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 14 July 2003 03:02 (twenty-two years ago)

dude totally lives off the royalties to "Shivers" i'm sure

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 14 July 2003 03:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, sorry Jim, forgot about Rowly. The cover to 'Prayers on Fire'. Two drop dead cool human beings. Melbourne was right about something after all.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Monday, 14 July 2003 03:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Classic. I love everything from the Birthday Party up through the new solo stuff. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that No More Shall We Part is his best, most consistant record since Prayers on Fire.

― Clay, Monday, 14 July 2003 03:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Am I the only one who likes Henry's Dream?

― s1utsky (slutsky), Monday, 14 July 2003 03:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Am I the only one who likes Henry's Dream?

No, I really like it as well.

― Clay, Monday, 14 July 2003 03:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Is that what your album is going to be like then?

― s1utsky (slutsky), Monday, 14 July 2003 03:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't follow you. Are you thinking of someone else?

― Clay, Monday, 14 July 2003 03:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Uh, duane, the Manics contacted Kylie first, way back in 1991 or somesuch.

whatever

What do you think of The Bad Seeds? Surely you must like them... ?

― duane, Monday, 14 July 2003 05:13 (twenty-two years ago)

i shouldntve posted that it just sounds rude & mean, sorry. but nick cave is 1 of my top unfavourites.

― duane, Monday, 14 July 2003 05:17 (twenty-two years ago)

One very positive thing about Nick Cave's solo records, even from the start is that they sound quite good. In the past couple of weeks I have been going back and listening to "My Funeral, Your Trial", "The First Born Is Dead", "Tender Prey" and "Kicking Against The Pricks"; listening to these on headphones has really made me further appreciate the arrangements and production.

The last record of his I bought was "Murder Ballads" and I didn't really like it much and at the time was getting into some different music. I've been curious about the last three, but not enough to search them out.

― earlnash, Monday, 14 July 2003 12:56 (twenty-two years ago)

The new one is pretty damn good, I think, if a little more mellow than usual.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Monday, 14 July 2003 13:02 (twenty-two years ago)

But, it should be said, it's not "Boatman's Call" mellow. It's more, like, AAA mellow. It's nice, though.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Monday, 14 July 2003 13:07 (twenty-two years ago)

my old roommate tim had bad luck with the ladies during the couple years my wife and i shared a big ol house on the hills above ithaca ny. with him. so he spent alot of the time in the bars, where as i was happily ensconced drinking at home and being married. tim and i were both cooks but i mostly did days and he mostly did nights. if you have ever worked nights in a restaurant you know how tought it can be to wind down when you start your work day at like 3 in the afternoon and get done at 11 at night it takes alot of booze. but it was the same for me as well, only, i started at 8am and started drinking after shift at 4 so my sleep cycle was more "normal". anyways, about twice a month he would come home smashed and depressed. the walk to our house was up a huge painfull hill that only got the blood and alchohol flowing thru the sysetem. depressed and womanless he would crank up some nick cave and sit on his bed and stare at the floor and mumble along with the lyrics, blacked out of his mind. it was a barometer for his smashedness, if i heard nick at night then i knew tim would only have vague recolections of the night before. fortunetly tim is the kinda guy that no matter what he does you just cant get mad at him. i donno why. it was a blessing and a curse to have him as a roommate. just like nick cave- a blessing and a curse. ive never bought any of his records
but ive wished i was him now and then. hes crazy!!. i dont know why his pulpy voodoo shtick never worked for me- i mean i love screamin j hawkins, the cramps, misfits, t. waits- all that kitchy shit but nick annoys me. last week my wife and i went up to prospect park here in brooklyn to see a free show under the stars at the bandshell. it was a tribute to lenoard choen with
linda thompson, laurie anderson, marc ribot, nick cave, and loundon wainwright. all the heavy hitters. it was pretty boring,
or maybe i im pretty boring. sonic youth and wilco were better the night before in central park.

― kelly denison-cole (dustjacket), Monday, 14 July 2003 19:07 (twenty-two years ago)

CLASSIC if just for the *awesome* cover of "Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart" on Kicking Against The Pricks. I'll admit I stopped listening after Henry's Dream , but everything up to that was super. Plus, he let me beat him at pool once.

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Monday, 14 July 2003 23:34 (twenty-two years ago)

seven months pass...

Stupid (that is the poster's name) had asked for some thoughts on this abortive thread. Well here are some thoughts of mine for you. Offhand I would say either Tender Prey or Let Love In as a starting point.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 21 February 2004 01:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks Ned, I'd already checked your reviews on allmusic out (I always do, you're rarely wrong I find: Cranes, The Wedding Present, Disco Inferno... the list of bands you've unwittingly set me up to love is growing every week), I was just looking for a few more opinions. Those two certainly sounded appealing, I guess I'll start with those then. Cheers, once again.

― Stupid (Stupid), Saturday, 21 February 2004 01:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Yer welcome. Hope you didn't mind the thread lock-and-redirect, but I didn't want to lose Scott's opinions either.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 21 February 2004 01:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I pretty much posted that so that someone would show me to the old one I couldn't find, so it's all good.

Did you check out Aereogramme by the way?

― Stupid (Stupid), Saturday, 21 February 2004 01:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I remember you telling me to do so. Now what I can't recall is if I did.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 21 February 2004 01:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Well you should. They're very you, especially their second album "Sleep & Release". Kind of Siamese Dream/Mellon Collie era Smashing Pumpkins/The God Machine sort of thing meets a Red House Painters/Mogwai sort of thing. With pretty vocals.

― Stupid (Stupid), Saturday, 21 February 2004 01:52 (twenty-two years ago)

CLASSIC. If only for Murder Ballads. Like, I know that every Dungeons and Dragons Ggek shows up for a Nick Cave concert because of this album - because of his weirdly accurate and historically-substantiable references to Victorian history, but I still think the album is amazing. And so, for that matter, is Let Love In. I go for months without listening to the album, but every time I do, I'm like X GFHDS GDJh agjkladasgd; lhjk FUCKING WOW it's good. I was driving my father's Suburu Outback on a mini-300-mile road trip through Vermont while listening to it, and it was nigh-akin to a masturbatory experience.

― The Second Drummer Drowned (Atila the Honeybun), Saturday, 21 February 2004 02:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I like Mr. Cave.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Saturday, 21 February 2004 02:19 (twenty-two years ago)

That meant clssic, by the way.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Saturday, 21 February 2004 02:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Terminally tedious zzzzzzz

regards,

REB

― Rik E Boy (Rik E Boy), Saturday, 21 February 2004 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

You should be set on fire.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 21 February 2004 21:23 (twenty-two years ago)

I will add to my rather dismissive opinion upthread that I was a huge fan of the Birthday Party and saw them several times live. In fact they're the reason I sent a demo to, and signed to, 4AD. So count me a disgruntled former fan of Mr Cave. I tuned out after 'Your Funeral, My Trial'. Because I just don't recognise in his more recent songs any world I know. They sound like songs by someone who loves songs too much. He sounds like Methuselah with a piano.

― Momus (Momus), Saturday, 21 February 2004 21:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I am taking that second to last sentence and I am going to run with it as a new thread...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 21 February 2004 21:42 (twenty-two years ago)

If I was on fire Al, at least I would wake up. I think....

regards,

REB

― Rik E Boy (Rik E Boy), Sunday, 22 February 2004 10:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Ah, but you're not on fire.........yet. And my name's not "Al".

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 22 February 2004 21:01 (twenty-two years ago)

"You Can't Call Me All"

― willem (willem), Sunday, 22 February 2004 21:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Some years ago, a friend of mine and I used to laugh at our inability to find a single record store used bin that didn't have at least one copy of The Good Son in it. Cave is ridiculous, and more annoying because he wasted time that Blixa Bargeld could have spent making more Neubauten records.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Sunday, 22 February 2004 21:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I was scrolling/parsing too quickly and my mind got the impression that some typed: "Cave joins Clan of Xymox--it's great."

― Ian Grey (Ian_G), Monday, 23 February 2004 06:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Totally fucking classic

The BDay Party were fucking wicked and badass and awesome.
Solo Nick Cave is hit and miss with some really awesome moments and some really low, bad moments.

But if it isn't totally awesome, then its atleast usually pretty funny.

― sunjammerr, Monday, 23 February 2004 06:31 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

I'm listening to Your Funeral...My Trial, and it just struck me that this may be his best album. I've listened to it many times before, but for some reason it burrowed its way to the center of my brain on this particular listening. I'd always favored Henry's Dream...but this has much more blues, some of his best writing, and his voice is right at that mid point between the early shriek and the later baritone. Scum is such a great song...and The Carny is one of my all-time favorites of his.

I've also been listening to B-Sides & Rarities on my ipod, and that 3rd disc just keeps blowing my mind. Some of that stuff is jaw-droppingly good.

Just felt like gushing... that's all.. :)

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 7 May 2005 05:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Hurrah! :-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 7 May 2005 05:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I was so disappointed to find both his Melbourne shows are sold out.

― Seuss, Saturday, 7 May 2005 05:26 (twenty-one years ago)

You're disappointed? I made the mistake of immigrating to the US at about the same time Nick decided he didn't want to play in Yankeeland anymore.
So god knows when I'll see him again.

I would love to see the Lyre Of Orpheus/Abbattoir Blues tour, that gospel choir he's got going would kill live. Imagine 'There She Goes, My Beautiful World' live. I'm also interested in their dynamic now that Blixa has gone. I wonder who'll do Kylie's part now on the live performances of "Where The Wild Roses Grow". Blixa had such a lovely falsetto. Maybe Mick will pitch in...

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 7 May 2005 05:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh no, when did that happen? I heard that after Lollapalooza but it didn't last of course. "Jack's Shadow" might be my favorite of his songs, I think I'll go put on Your Funeral, My Trial now, in fact.

Is it just me or does Cave have a lot better sense of humor than he's usually given credit for?

― daria g (daria g), Saturday, 7 May 2005 05:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Nick has always had a great sense of humor. Mick & Blixa too. It just gets overlooked because everyone expects him to be completely morbid because of the song content.

Apparently his publicist announced that he's doing no tours for 2004/2005, and in 2003 he said he wasn't touring a country that had declared war on Afghanistan, so god only knows what 2006 holds.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 7 May 2005 06:01 (twenty-one years ago)

"Jack's Shadow" is great. I'm listening to Firstborn Is Dead now, and damn if Tupelo doesn't send me into paroxysms of joy.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 7 May 2005 06:06 (twenty-one years ago)

classic.

the dud part is the way i can't afford the seventy odd dollars it costs to see him next tuesday.

― acidmouth (acidmouth), Saturday, 7 May 2005 06:30 (twenty-one years ago)

no children or elderly relatives you can pawn off? sure, it's a last resort, but think of the pay-off...

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 7 May 2005 06:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I felt for years that Your Funeral My Trial was his best work. The Boatman's Call had me changing my mind for a years but I think I'm back to my original decision now.

I don't think he's even come close to the level of The Boatman's Call since then, but there's enough there up to then to justify a resounding classic.

Seeing 16 Horsepower live made me decide Nick may as well retire as he wasn't really required any more - sadly he's managed to outlast them.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Saturday, 7 May 2005 09:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh no, when did that happen? I heard that after Lollapalooza but it didn't last of course.

Blixa didn't leave then, he just refused to do Lollapalooza. He left proper after Nocturama, having barely played on the last three records (Cave said that his presence and opinions in the studio were still personally valuable even if there wasn't anything for half the band to play tho). His replacement is actually Lolla fill-in James Johnston! Playing organ not guitar for the most part though.

― kit brash (kit brash), Saturday, 7 May 2005 14:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Seeing 16 Horsepower live made me decide Nick may as well retire as he wasn't really required any more - sadly he's managed to outlast them.

Funnily enough, 16 H opened for Nick on the 1998 tour. I always liked them, but not loved. Appreciated the obvious Ian Mc. from Echo jones in the dude's voice, though.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 7 May 2005 16:35 (twenty-one years ago)

CLASSIC up until Let Love In, DUD since then. I'll pay "Little Empty Boat" (b-side of "Into My Arms"), and "God Is In The House", and ok maybe "Stagger Lee", but Murder Ballads is where the rot set in solidly.

But the person way upthread who mentions Cave's "stifling seriousness" is really missing something. One of the great things about the early stuff (Boys Next Door through Birthday Party through, well, even "God Is In The House") is his mordant humour.

My coincidental thoughts in way more detail than you want, from just the other day:
http://www.livejournal.com/~frogworth/3437.html

― Peter Hollo (raven), Sunday, 8 May 2005 01:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Have you given Lyre Of Orpheus/Abattoir Blues a go 'round yet? Because it's incredibly good, especially if you gave up on him after Let Love In. Granted, he's not the same Nick he used to be, but I think he's proved that that isn't as much of a problem as first thought. The 3rd disc on the B Sides & Rarities collection will add further weight that his later material is actually pretty damn good. I hadn't listened to Nocturama or No More Shall We Part more than a couple of times, but I'm actually returning to them as we speak, because I fear I was too quick to judge.

Then again, each to their own. Praps just not your cup o tea.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 8 May 2005 01:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Skipping 904 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

It's been happening for awhile, but he's seriously treading into late Scott Walker territory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNfrLoQdB_E

― Andy the Grasshopper, Thursday, 30 May 2024 00:03 (two years ago)

idk i get the comparison but it has none of walker's bleakness so it's a completely different feeling, it's grandiose and beautiful

some pretty great bass from greenwood here

― ufo, Thursday, 30 May 2024 00:29 (two years ago)

yeah i guess I was just thinking of his crooning and obtuse lyrics, but it's definitely a different vibe

― Andy the Grasshopper, Thursday, 30 May 2024 00:34 (two years ago)

(also I think a lot of Walker's later output was grandiose and beautiful in its own way)

― Andy the Grasshopper, Thursday, 30 May 2024 00:35 (two years ago)

To my surprise I kinda like it

― assert (matttkkkk), Thursday, 30 May 2024 03:08 (two years ago)

love it and def. hear walker, and just generally a more baroque pop vibe than I've heard from him much before.

― dan selzer, Thursday, 30 May 2024 14:09 (two years ago)

two months pass...

After one listen in... Maybe he was shooting for Scott Walker and hit Ferry instead?

― Elvis Telecom, Monday, 19 August 2024 13:53 (one year ago)

Haven't listened to the new tracks much - just waiting for the album & I'm interested for the first time in a while - but hadn't heard and just enjoyed this Cave/Mick Harvey chat from a couple of years back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIfdR-ond5c

― woof, Monday, 19 August 2024 14:28 (one year ago)

38 years to the day since Kicking Against The Pricks came out.

― stirmonster, Monday, 19 August 2024 21:28 (one year ago)

The recent Colbert appearance was quite good, I thought:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8qmV6MYCF4

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 19 August 2024 21:38 (one year ago)

((✊))

― vodkaitamin effrtvescent (calzino), Monday, 19 August 2024 21:43 (one year ago)

most of the album is pretty good but "o wow o wow" is kinda terrible

― ufo, Thursday, 29 August 2024 22:47 (one year ago)

kinda wish it went more in the direction of being abbatoir blues/lyre of orpheus 2 which is what the best stuff here is reminiscent of

― ufo, Friday, 30 August 2024 02:53 (one year ago)

kinda wish it went more in the direction of being abbatoir blues/lyre of orpheus 2 which is what the best stuff here is reminiscent of
― ufo, Thursday, August 29, 2024 9:53 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Yes, and like everything post Skeleton Tree it feels a bit undercooked

Having said that I liked it way more then I was expecting

most of the album is pretty good but "o wow o wow" is kinda terrible

Haha this song is something, though I think I loved it

― chr1sb3singer, Friday, 30 August 2024 15:09 (one year ago)

ghosteen wasn't undercooked at all, it's one of his very best, but this has nothing on it

― ufo, Friday, 30 August 2024 21:48 (one year ago)

I think this is good? If maybe a little samey, which they have been for a while now. Really like Cinnamon Horses. Need to spend more time with it.

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Saturday, 31 August 2024 05:09 (one year ago)

O wow O wow is amazing

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Saturday, 31 August 2024 05:22 (one year ago)

Struggling with the excess of choir on this record. I mean, a little really goes a long way

― sawdust lagoon, Saturday, 31 August 2024 10:02 (one year ago)

coming back to say again how great O Wow O Wow is....

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Saturday, 7 September 2024 17:44 (one year ago)

The stringsy choir god touches reminds me not so much of Lyre/Abattoir but rather recent Sault and their own twist towards eccentric gospel. Not specific motifs, but the same freewheeling collage of styles, gooves and narratives. Cave’s approach isn’t working for me but he isn’t falling back on formula.

― Theracane Gratifaction (bendy), Sunday, 8 September 2024 18:35 (one year ago)

thanks for recommending O Wow O Wow, it really is great

― corrs unplugged, Monday, 9 September 2024 05:16 (one year ago)

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