Nick Cave...

One of my favourites. I would start with his later work first and suggest:

Live Seeds, Mute LCDStumm 122(superb live recordings from various venues, powerful and intense. Get this or Let Love In first. Live Seeds contains a storming version of the Mercy Seat, which Cash covered)

Let Love In,Mute CDStumm 123(studio album which epitomises his dark and sinister lyric writing)

Murder Ballads, Reprise 46195-2(hilarious OTT songs about - murder. Does exactly what it says on the tin)

The Boatman's Call, Mute CD Stumm 142(very emotive writing folowing failed love affairs. Almost minimalist production)

The Best of…,Mute LCDMUTEL 4(hesitated a bit about this one. What is best is a matter of opinion and some of the lyrics have been sanitised(a whole verse missing from Do you love me for example).

cheers

Nigel

Excellent album, although my other half hates it!

Something to do with the subject material - I just think it's funny.

Andy.

Andrew L. Weekes
alweekes@audiophile.com

I agree with the recommendation of "The Boatman's Call". It's a very honest and beautifully crafted work.

Within the Nick oeuvre, there are two fairly distinct periods. The first is from the demise of the Birthday Party (1982) to Your Funeral... My Trial (1986). This is very apocalyptic stuff, much more old testament vengeful god kinda of music. Very much in the vein of late Birthday Party. My personal faves are "The First Born is Dead" if only for Tupelo one of the most driving tunes ever. The other recommendation is his album of covers "Kicking Against The Pricks", this manages to subvert all kinds of standards and render them dark and menacing eg The Carnival is Over, By the Time I get To Phoenix.
The second period is still dark, but brings his faux-lounge persona more up front. Highlights are "The Tender Prey", "The Good Son", "Murder Ballads" and "The Boatman's Call". I disagree with some of the other responses in that I would avoid the live album, just doesn't do it for me compared to hearing in the flesh.
One last thing, I don't know if it was released o/s but an interesting album to chase up is "Original Seeds" which collects tracks that have influenced various aspects of the Cave sound. Very enlightening.

Giles?

Giles

Not sure I would agree that the Old Testament/New Testament turning point was the “your Funeral…My Trial” album. The "Let Love In" album(1988?), which you do not mention, was to my mind the turning point where both lyrically and musically Nick grew up for want of a better phrase. It is still dark and brooding but the writing is much more accomplished and the production is head and shoulders above anything before it. It is also no coincidence that he had just about kicked his various drug habits and was certainly producing more coherent and considered music. That is not to denigrate his earlier music more to emphasise how he had matured and come to terms with himself and life in general. You do not like “Live Seeds”? A matter of personal taste obviously – if I could have only one Cave album it would be “Live Seeds”.

cheers

Nigel

Nigel,
Let Love In is a later album, 1994 and by that stage I agree, free from drugs and a father to boot, his work does display a touch more polish as does the production. I think, however, that this is more of a continuance of his 90's stuff, just more refined. I tend to mark Your Funeral as the last of the old period, rather than the start of the second, that belongs to The Tender Prey. I look at the change as also being a product of The Bad Seeds being in their (so far) final manifestation. During the 80's while Mick Harvey and Blixa Bargeld were constants, other changes in personal influenced the sound eg Kid Congo Powers brought more of a "psychobilly" approach, whilst Barry Adamson brought more of a rhymthmic propulsion to the music. The current li ne-up with Martyn Casey, Conway Savage and Thomas Wydler as well as Blixa and Mick has meant also a more stable lineup for Nick to write for and with. Irrespective of all this I think his work of any period is indispensible. (Still don't like Live Seeds after listening to it again last night!)

Gilesi

Nick Caves latest album no more shall we part which came out a few weeks ago is also really wonderful.

Franz