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Trying to chose a Nick Cave album

13 votes
? by Scout

I seem to like what I hear of Nick Caves but I have never actually bought any of his stuff; any recommendations for a first purchase?

Scout | 20 Apr '08, 17:55 | Send note | Report this | Reply

let love in

or abattoir blues/lyre of orpheus

for a starting point I'd say

soapy | 20 Apr '08, 17:58 | Send note | Report this | Reply

abattoir blue/lyre of orpheus

or maybe murder ballads

neecho | 20 Apr '08, 18:03 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Depends what sort of Nick you want

Tender Prey and Let Love In are good all round albums. His earlier stuff is weirder and darker, you could get From Her To Eternity to check out that. The Good Son or Boatmans Call are good for his softer ballads. Mis three recent ones, Grindermen, Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus and Dig Lazarus Dig!!! are all great. So is Murder Ballads. Even his worst album Nocturama is still pretty good. Then theres his soundtrack albums. Sorry, this prob isnt much help in the end! Buy em all, hes a genius!

Gcell | 20 Apr '08, 18:04 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Aww, c'mon

Nocturama isn't that bad.

tohereknowswhen | 20 Apr '08, 19:46 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Not compared to records by other people, maybe

But by his standards? Pretty poor.

Babe I'm on Fire is a massive rollicking bastard of a song, however.

ColdGlassEye | 20 Apr '08, 19:55 | Send note | Report this | Reply

It's very similar to ...and no more

and yet no-one seems to badmouth that one nearly as much.

I prefer that kind of stuff to stuff like 'into my arms' and some of the stuff on Henry's Dream.

tohereknowswhen | 20 Apr '08, 21:34 | Send note | Report this | Reply

"And no more ..." had much stronger songs on it though

Plus it had the McGarrigle sisters on backing vocals, which is always a good move.

Henry's Dream is kind of crippled by the poor production sound. But he's never made a record that wasn't worth owning and listening to repeatedly.

ColdGlassEye | 20 Apr '08, 21:59 | Send note | Report this | Reply

let love in

yes_ | 20 Apr '08, 18:06 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Abattoir Blues

Sibley | 20 Apr '08, 18:08 | Send note | Report this | Reply

.

murder ballads is awesome

face_flicker | 20 Apr '08, 19:41 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Blimey!

How about buying Dig Lazzarus Dig and working backwards? Or buying DLD and say a Birthday Party album (Junkyards say?) at the same time? Then meet in the middle?
People rag on Nocturama and yeah it ain't his best but it was part of his knock out an album a year campaign/idea which didn't work really but which resulted in the masterpiece that is Lyre/Abbatoir and fucking hell it's got Babe I'm On Fire on it!
I listened to Boatmans Call this afternoon - what a fine album that is... 'Fine album'... jesus listen to me.... But yeah what others have said - he's a genius - so buy all his recorded work, watch him on You Tube, read his novel, go see him live, let him sleep with your girlfriend (she'll thank you for it in the long run), watch him in Ghosts Of The Civil Dead, laugh at his jokes, dye your hair black and get a tailor made suit done up. You won't regret it.

Smallstone | 20 Apr '08, 20:03 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Abbatoir Blues

Murder Ballads, Let Love In, Henry's Dream and The BoatMans Call are def all good places to start. Weren't a lot of the songs on The Boatman's Call about PJ Harvey or was that me imagining that?

JohnnyZaza | 20 Apr '08, 20:55 | Send note | Report this | Reply

I think so..

that's why he says he finds it a difficult listen now.

Some beautiful, beautiful songs on there.

mozzarella_sweaters | 20 Apr '08, 20:58 | Send note | Report this | Reply

i met Nick Cave about ten years ago

Actually I say met, I mean I bumped into him outside Hamleys on Regent St. There I was minding my own business on a Sunday afternoon and I noticed a very tall man dressed all in black with a steely grimace on his face. He had clocked onto the fact i had recognised him and suddenly swooped around to scoop up his infant son and marched down the street (away from me) at knots. What an image! The dark king of goth blues with his brightly dressed toddler son kind of contradicting his image! Made my month that did!

JohnnyZaza | 20 Apr '08, 21:17 | Send note | Report this | Reply

My favourite is No More Shall We Part

I don't think it's many other people's favourite

moribund | 20 Apr '08, 21:20 | Send note | Report this | Reply

it's my favourite

:D

sadpunk | 20 Apr '08, 21:32 | Send note | Report this | Reply

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