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

Trollheart · 12-15-2017, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

When I was thinking what I wanted to write about this record I decided the main point I wanted to get across is why this record was Cave’s to make. Fortunately, in some of the finest writing I’ve ever seen on MB, Trollheart already did that for us. If you haven’t check out this for genre origins

I was surprised Stagger Lee was listed a song TH liked least. I think it’s the go to track if you were making a mix tape back in the day. Also, even before it came up I was going to mention Boatman’s Call as my personal NC record.

Nocturama is the only NC record that chaps my ass and only because he had no business making Babe, I’m on Fire 15 minutes long.

Sorry that I’m rambling off the subject of this record but for those who maybe haven’t yet explored Nick Cave: It’s essential to go through his discography. From the Birthday Party to the Bad Seeds he’s a crucial reason punk redifined rocknroll and he has aged incredibly well. His brilliance never wanes. He’s one of the most important figures in modern music.

This record is an unassailable five star masterpiece.

Wow, thanks man. Much appreciated.
Now vote, you ****er!

TechnicLePanther · 12-16-2017, 04:43 PM

Ugh, this album was really frustrating. I can't enjoy it. It's just much too bland musically and I've never been a lyrics person. Even then the lyrics on this aren't that great. I could only think about how edgy he must be trying to sound this whole time. There are a couple songs that are good, a couple that are fine, and a couple that are awful, so it overall averages out to a mediocre album. I'll call it a 5/10 and say meh.

OccultHawk · 12-16-2017, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elphenor

I've expressed this opinion before but Birthday Party is unassailable yet Cave by himself is overrated while Rowland S. Howard tremendously underrated

It would have helped if Teenage Snuff Film was released ten years earlier.

Trollheart · 12-16-2017, 05:51 PM

Occult, you heard And the Ass Heard the Angel?

OccultHawk · 12-16-2017, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Occult, you heard And the Ass Heard the Angel?

The book?

**Janszoon** · 12-16-2017, 08:08 PM

This is one of my favorite albums and probably my favorite Nick Cave album. "The Curse Of Millhaven" alone makes it worth the price of admission and "Song of Joy" is one of the creepiest tracks every recorded.

Trollheart · 12-17-2017, 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elphenor

I imagine Trollheart likes Nick cave but doesn't know Birthday Party

You'd imagine right.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

The book?

Yeah but I have a CD where he's narrating it. It's ****ing amazing. Picked it up second hand, had no idea what it was. Well worth a listen. I'll burn a copy for you and upload if you want.

OccultHawk · 12-17-2017, 07:17 AM

No thanks. I’d rather just read it. Another friend who’s also Irish told me it’s really good.

I really don’t understand how you aren’t familiar with the Birthday Party. When Elph wrote that I thought that’s ridiculous. Why the **** not? Without being too rude about it, dude, correct that.

Trollheart · 12-17-2017, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

No thanks. I’d rather just read it. Another friend who’s also Irish told me it’s really good.

I really don’t understand how you aren’t familiar with the Birthday Party. When Elph wrote that I thought that’s ridiculous. Why the **** not? Without being too rude about it, dude, correct that.

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.

Anteater · 12-17-2017, 08:56 AM

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

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

12-16-2017, 04:43 PM	#12 (permalink)
TechnicLePanther and the livin' is easy... Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: New York Posts: 1,997	Ugh, this album was really frustrating. I can't enjoy it. It's just much too bland musically and I've never been a lyrics person. Even then the lyrics on this aren't that great. I could only think about how edgy he must be trying to sound this whole time. There are a couple songs that are good, a couple that are fine, and a couple that are awful, so it overall averages out to a mediocre album. I'll call it a 5/10 and say meh. __________________ Many have tried to destroy it... but... true evil never dies. It is only... REBORN *SUGGEST ME AN ALBUM* - I'm probably not going to listen to it but I will if you bother me enough.

12-16-2017, 05:51 PM	#14 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Occult, you heard And the Ass Heard the Angel? __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

12-16-2017, 08:08 PM	#16 (permalink)
Janszoon Mate, Spawn & Die Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Rapping Community Posts: 24,593	This is one of my favorite albums and probably my favorite Nick Cave album. "The Curse Of Millhaven" alone makes it worth the price of admission and "Song of Joy" is one of the creepiest tracks every recorded. __________________ A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man Time & Place 25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die last.fm

12-17-2017, 07:17 AM	#18 (permalink)
OccultHawk one-balled nipple jockey Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Dirty Souf Biatch Posts: 22,033	No thanks. I’d rather just read it. Another friend who’s also Irish told me it’s really good. I really don’t understand how you aren’t familiar with the Birthday Party. When Elph wrote that I thought that’s ridiculous. Why the **** not? Without being too rude about it, dude, correct that. __________________ 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Member of the Year & Journal of the Year Champion Behold the Writing of THE LEGEND: https://www.musicbanter.com/members-...p-lighter.html