The Album Club: "Murder Ballads" by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

Trollheart · 12-17-2017, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anteater

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Murder Ballads

While Tender Prey is probably the peak of Nick Cave's singer-songwriter career for me, Murder Ballads is easily one of the best overall productions of his career if we're talking about arrangement and sound design. You hear it especially on 'Lovely Creature', which waxes and wanes with ethereal female backing vocals over an ominous rumbling riff that makes it an instant standout to me here. I'm not the biggest fan of Nick's overtly spoken word approach as a general rule, but the stories are entertaining in doses and there's some massive chemistry going on with his backing band too.

While there are other records cut from a similar musical cloth to this that I enjoy more and I think are better albums overall (David Sylvian's Secrets Of The Beehive, Devin Townsend's Casualties Of Cool project, Dan Fogelberg's The Innocent Age) this is a great album taken on its own merits and it works very, very hard to elevate its (at times) Lynchian subject matter as much as it can.

10 out of 10

Trollheart · 12-17-2017, 10:33 AM

Guys could you all remember please to vote? Jans and Ant both gave this album top marks but the "Love" remains at 4, as it was this morning. I know it's a small thing, but my albums have been so universally hated almost since this began, that if this is going to get decent acclaim I'd like to see it reflected in the poll. Also, you're supposed to vote anyway. Thanks.

OccultHawk · 12-17-2017, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Just never listened to them. Get the feeling they're more in the punk style of things. I guess it's like listening to Devin Townsend without ever hearing Strapping Young Lad or being a fan of Neil Young but never hearing a Buffalo Springfield album. Shrug. Recs?

See, I got into Cave from The Good Son and Henry's Dream, and went forward (I actually heard "The Ship Song" on a latenight TV show and loved it) and though I bought his previous albums, none of them clicked with me, so I think I'm more a fan of "later" Cave material, maybe.

We take different approaches with music. I’ll admit, it doesn’t matter how hard I try there’s still embarrassing huge holes in my music knowledge. I started listening to the Birthday Party in the 80s, but let’s say I had never heard of them and I saw the name on music banter. Once I googled it and realized how influential those records are I would feel ashamed about it. I would spend a day or two listening to all of it and reading about it. I think your 2017 thing is a cool project but once you get it done I suggest going back and filling in these kinds of gaps. I think it’s cool the way you’ll listen to anything but recognizing my mortality forces me to prioritize. Not dissing you. Different strokes and all... just my two cents.

Trollheart · 12-17-2017, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

We take different approaches with music. I’ll admit, it doesn’t matter how hard I try there’s still embarrassing huge holes in my music knowledge. I started listening to the Birthday Party in the 80s, but let’s say I had never heard of them and I saw the name on music banter. Once I googled it and realized how influential those records are I would feel ashamed about it. I would spend a day or two listening to all of it and reading about it. I think your 2017 thing is a cool project but once you get it done I suggest going back and filling in these kinds of gaps. I think it’s cool the way you’ll listen to anything but recognizing my mortality forces me to prioritize. Not dissing you. Different strokes and all... just my two cents.

Once that thread ends I tend to start listening for a while to just stuff I want to, rather than for review. I think by then I'll have earned that break. At some point though I'll give TBP a shot. You never know. I must admit though, I would never ever feel embarrassed about not listening to some band/album/genre: why would I? Can't listen to everything.

rubber soul · 12-17-2017, 11:43 AM

I have to admit I haven't heard the Birthday Party either though I have heard of them. I'm ignorant enough not to have known that Nick Cave was even in the band.

rubber soul · 12-17-2017, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elphenor

you're also old enough to have seen Cave when he was in "a band"

you had decades of music listening time on me and you wasted it!

Well, not really. I was more into sixties psychedelia when I was a teen plus American Radio wasn't very punk friendly. I had to get stuff like the Dead Kennedys from college radio. I probably heard of the Birthday Party around 1990. All I really knew about them was that they were Australian. Even Nick Cave I only really discovered a few years ago.

And be careful, Elph. Twenty years from now someone might say you wasted it because you didn't want to listen to anything but punk.

OccultHawk · 12-17-2017, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elphenor

I hate to say it, but we all know he wouldn't be able to dig it anyway

he always stops short of greatness

Late period Nick Cave IS greatness.

Trollheart · 12-17-2017, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elphenor

I'm open to having my mind changed but Cave's songwriting is too ballady for me, fantastic vocalist + lyricist though

Rowland's playing on stuff like "She's Hit" deserves to be considered in the same league as Miles Davis

rockabilly jazz punk goth incarnate

Ballady huh? Try these.

Trollheart · 12-17-2017, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elphenor

click first track

it's literally a piano ballad

No it isn't. Did you listen to it all? It gets frenetic and angry later. Jesus, give something a chance, why don't you?

rubber soul · 12-17-2017, 02:20 PM

And he said I was missing out

View Poll Results: How Much Did You Enjoy The Album?
Loved it	5	62.50%
Liked it	1	12.50%
Meh	2	25.00%
Disliked it	0	0%
Hated it	0	0%
Voters: 8. You may not vote on this poll

12-17-2017, 10:33 AM	#22 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Guys could you all remember please to vote? Jans and Ant both gave this album top marks but the "Love" remains at 4, as it was this morning. I know it's a small thing, but my albums have been so universally hated almost since this began, that if this is going to get decent acclaim I'd like to see it reflected in the poll. Also, you're supposed to vote anyway. Thanks. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018