Reviews (page 3 of 8)
I don’t get Nick Cave, I never have and I don’t get this
I had a messy piece of shit album yesterday and now this today. Stupid.
Früher Nick Cave. Überzeugt mich gar nicht
Another Album that I would like to like because I like the later works of Nick Cave a lot. But it just does not work for me, starting with that awful cover image. The music has relevance, I guess, but it's going nowhere.
I had never heard of this band until today, and I'll happily ignore it again for the rest of my life.
wat
Day837 - i’m all for punk of any kind. this is especially goofy
Hard to listen to
No
Not good in any way
You know when you can tell exactly what an album will be like just by the cover art. Yeah this is just as bad as I thought. I absolutely despise the art and the music is not too far behind. It sounds like it was recorded in a junkyard warehouse which definitely gives it some atmosphere. God I just hate this kind of music. It’s so stress and anxiety inducing. I get some people will like it but god fucking damn it it’s not me. This can riot in the junkyard for all eternity.
gefällt mir sehr gut. wüsst nicht was mir nicht gfallt daran also vllt sogar 5/5? sehr einf drauf-hau
Like listening to a garage rehearsal through a tin can on a strong. I like it well enough but doubt I’ll listen again.
painful
oooo creepy
I am reasonably confident this was added as a joke.
What the hell is this? The cover is kind of annoying as well. It's ahead of its time though, as this is a cover I could see on a shitty early 90's metal album. This is partly correct, as this is just not my kind of music. I wonder if the mere presence of Nick Cave has bumped this album up a few notches in the mind of many critics. I don't know if I mind the noise rock aspect of this album, but I did not find The Birthday Party's version of post-punk to be very enjoyable. I'm sure I could talk myself into liking this after so many listens, but it would take effort. If I have to try, then the music is not good. The Birthday Party is best served as a footnote to Nick Cave's career and not an indication of his true talent level. Except on a few tracks, it never felt like all of the musicians were playing the same song.
I don’t even know how this album got recorded. Terrible. Never even made it through three songs before I was completely annoyed
This gets better the further you make it into the record, but I doubt most people will give it the chance. Abrasive post punk, and certainly an interesting chapter in Nick Cave's career. I was unaware that he did something like this, so I do think it merits an inclusion here, but there are better post punk/noise rock albums out there. 2.5, rounded up as there a few tracks here I would come back to
puta que pariu viu
Heavy
B/c I consider Sonic Youth & Pavement to be the chief exponents of noise, it's hard to characterize the Birthday Party along the same lines, so diff are these aesthetics from those. This is commotion, horror & commotion, &'s got a momentum that even the best of Pavement doesn't posses: nothing is alright here, it's all speeding to disaster & depravity. 'She's hit she's hit she's hit she's hit'; 'Junk-junk-jun-jun-un-un-un'; 'He wears a crucifix, he wears a crucifix / Pow, pow, pow, pow, pow.' The obvious comps are Tom Waits & Beefheart, but The VU, Suicide, & Joy Division are there as well. & I basically dig it. My beef is not that it's crazy or fucked up, but that it's not funny enuf, that it takes itself too seriously, & that metal is a creeping axis.
This album really shines when Nick Cave is working/singing with the noisemakers. I think his dark visions need the "musical" support. When it's just him barking/yelling/talking with minimal backing, I like it much less.
I liked this pretty well despite and because of the intentional ugliness. It kind of sounds like second wave industrial music like Ministry. The bass especially fits that category. My favorite was probably The Dim Locator which sounds like lo-fi Television.
Pure unpleasantness. Did not finish.
1/5 - Immortan Joe is on the cover, so I'm guessing this is his favorite record. It's not mine.
Some interesting guitar and the anger is there but was hard to find anything enjoyable about the listening experience
Anything with Rat Fink is a red flag. This album sucked.
No thank you.
There's definitely a respectable amount of creativity that went into this, but ultimately it's still just a mess of groaning and noise
Zany but not in the good way
444/1089 - This is kinda like if Trout Mask Replica made sense. I sorta liked it. I'm giving album 444 4 stars.
05/04/2026 *1. blast off - loooove the bass and the guitar!!!! tracy pew.... rowland s howard..... mick harvey...... <3 <3 <3 drums are great!!!!! play this loud!!! *2. she's hit - already loooooooove this one! very atmospheric.... 3. dead joe - love the energy immediately! this one reeallly reminds me of suicide. fantastic ending!!! *4. the dim locator - the bass in this album is phenomenal! looove the chorus!! very fun <3 jesus christ playing this at the volume i usually play music at is going to blow my fucking ears out!!! can feel the vibrations... *5. hamlet (pow pow pow) - tracey pew... beautiful <3 *6. several sins - oooo like the start... great!! nice palette cleanser lol *7. big jesus trash can - already love one! 8. kiss me black - what is he even saying in this one??? bass is completely incredible again!!! *9. 6" gold blade - fantastic start! having to turn it down now because i can hear my tinnitus getting worse lol. *10. kewpie doll - vaguely know this one already! turning it back up again.... cannot resist... fantastic!!! <3 *11. junkyard - never heard this version, but have heard a live version of it which i love <3 12. release the bats - already like this one :) always assumed hee-haw was better than junkyard because i enjoyed the songs i've heard from there over the few from here but this was absolutely phenomenal!!!!!! one of my favourite albums now!! the bass reeaaaaally makes it. tracey pew and rowland s howard my beloved <3
Not my party.
There are a couple tracks that I Really Like but overall unfortunately it's a bit too much for me :/
1/5 NOT MY STYLE MEDIO ROCK DUROO METAL, lo peor es que no esta en spoty y lo tuve qe escuchar por youtube
Discordant noise. Just could not find a way into it at all. Relieved when it finished.
2 seconds in and it sounds immediately as expected based on the cover.
fine. kinda obnoxious. cool album art tho
again fine but i didn’t care about any of the songs at all
How was this universally acclaimed? God awful
quer dizer que além de aguentar os vinte mil álbuns chatérrimos do nick cave, eu ainda tenho que aguentar esse LIXO SONORO INAUDÍVEL da bosta de banda post punk dele?????? vsf cara horrível terrível nojo me faz mal. quem diz gostar desse tá querendo se mostrar e ser o diferentão. me poupe e se poupe.
Nooooope
The kind of noise you would expect at a junkyard birthday party!
This sounds like the type of music you make as a joke while jamming with your friends, but they were like, “fuck it, let’s release it.”
Absolutely dire
Chaotic, relentless, uncompromising- love it!
I love Nick Cave but…::
I read once that Nick Cave finds it hard to write music. In what might be a coincidence, I found it really hard to listen to this. But the 'Neil Young' rule is being extended to Nick and it gets an extra star for being the work of a genius whose music does eventually reveal itself to be a thing of wonder. 2*
Weird, noisy, kinda dark. I wouldn't listen again, but I thought this was pretty interesting and it's wild that this is what Nick Cave was doing in his early career. The album cover is hilarious and tbh I think that's where most of my stars are coming from.
I think I found a live version of this album on Spotify. Otherwise it was hard to dig up. Especially considering it’s high ranking. I dig the punk aspect of it and would love to find a physical copy of it someday.
It honestly sounds like the dude on the album cover is singing. I broke the rules, I judged this book by its cover, and I was honestly kinda right on the nose with how I thought it would play out. The album cover looks like how this sounds, kinda gross, messy, and crazy. But like a touch of whimsy in there too somehow... (like a weird fucked up whimsy) Not really my thing, kinda struggled to get through it all. I feel like this music is made for a certain type of person, a very niche audience, and a specific setting (thats not sitting at your desk doing work). So honestly, if I was at a dirty grunge bar in the outback of Australia, this would kinda hit...
sex horror sex vampire horror sex bat
This is not the first time I have listened to a truly challenging album from this list while wandering in an airport. It kind of fits. I did not enjoy this though. I really don’t *get* nick cave.
They called this post-punk but that’s being too generous. Bad would be a better term. I just don’t like Nick Cave as an artist.
This is no doubt purposefully bad. Off key notes, talk singing. Sort of in the realms of Nick Cave. I think it’s Nick Cave I’m talking about. Whatever That sums up this album too.
This isn’t for me.
Appropriately named for where it belongs
Sounds like this was made in a Junkyard as a mash up of punk, blues and psychedielia which can be a bit jarring at times. Cave's vocal style is pretty frenetic throughout so don't think I missed too much never hearing this one before.
A furious, messy, sprawling, clattering din, a raw listen, and a delicious contrast to the heavily-processed selections that make up the bulk of this list. 5 stars , partly for being it's own thing
Embarrassing inclusion. I've given some other 1s in this challenge, but this one has earned it.
80s punk Nick Cave is a thing
Didn't enjoy this at all
First album I've actively disliked. It's just noise, and not in the good way. I can see what they're doing here, but it was a little painful and just couldn't wait for it to be over. I'm sure there's an audience for this, but it's the one I am not a part of.
So that's why radio presenters say things like, "Nick Cave, former singer with The Birthday Party" without ever playing any. It's fair to say that it was not the best day to have got an album full of cacophonous noises but we are where we are. The upside is that I never have to listen to it again.
If I'm in the mood, this'd be OK. It's fun to listen to Nick Cave when he was a cheeky scamp.
You fuck this right off into space
Ein Album wie ein schlechter Tag: laut, chaotisch, und man fragt sich ständig, warum man das verdient hat. Historisch? Vielleicht. Hörbar? Eher nicht.
Hated it to start with but it grew on me by the halfway point
Cool ass album cover
If you like this album, we cannot be friends.
This album is the sonic equivalent of walking home in the dark while its slightly damp out and you are wearing a jacket too light for the wind chill. This album puts you on edge. The more melodic sections can’t be fully enjoyed because of the cacophony that you know is imminent. Great album. Favorites were She’s Hit, Hamlet, Big-Jesus-Trash-Can, and Kiss Me Black.
This record rules. I first heard it at my old record store job and it always had me. Jangly. Rough. And melodic and fun as it gets!!!!!!! 5 stars forever
Another strange inclusion in the bottom 20 club. I've already had at least fifty worse albums and I'm only twenty percent through. Then again, I have a weak spot for anything that's noisy and messy. This one doesn't have much beneath the surface, but it's still a good time. A far cry from anything Nick Cave did later, sure, but still decent. Favourite track: 6" Gold Blade
Мабуть, це 2,5. Дві пісні з альбому мені впринципі сподобалися
Unlistenable… nothing lined up and the overall tone was awful.
3/10
6/10
this album perfectly captures the essence of buckling up for an adventure
idk if it was good but it was certainly unique
I hated this so much. Just a wall of noise for me.
Could not review. Album not available to stream.
Shit. Glad he grew up a bit.
I appreciate this album more on day seven hundred eighty something than I would have at the beginning of this, uh, quest.
Interesting
At first I thought, “okay this is what we’re doing I guess.” But later I grew accustomed to this and maybe kind of liked it
Dead Joe so good the made two versions that sound the same. Replay no
I seen this album and thought this is gonna be terrible but no way could it be worse than a nick cave album. I was wrong, this is genuinely the worst album I’ve listened to in my life. It sounds like he’s trying to do his best yoko ono impression. It was so bad I had to look this band up and found out I wasn’t wrong, it doesn’t get worse than nick cave because the fucking band is Nick cave. There is no way in hell that Nick cave isn’t the author behind this book because no one would ever listen to this garbage.
Better then expected
Not as fucking mental as all the reviews would have you think. Way more tolerable than the alto-sax jazz and Jesus and Mary chain distortion-fest I had this week.
Just not for me. Even my kids who like harder music didn’t really get into it.
that moment when your boogie boarding and get totally rolled
Meh. Didn't really care for this.
Junkyard has a very distinctive and unsettling atmosphere. I only heard a few tracks, so it feels unfair to judge it fully, but while I didn’t dislike its raw intensity, it didn’t make me want to return to it.
no ei hyvää eikä huonoa, makee kansi! Sähkökitaraa, rautalankaa melkein, mutta vähän tylsää, onkohan huumoria sitten.
The other reviewers on this site are no fun. Can’t handle a little noise, ya babies? Lol but seriously this is pretty good. I don’t know if I would call it a must-listen to be honest, but I’ll keep it in my library for sure. I enjoy some entropy and chaos, and it’s fun to hear Cave unhinged (this is my first listen to The Birthday Party, now I’ll check out their other two albums).
Nick Cave before The Bad Seeds. Wild and frantic but recognisably Cave. The Birthday Party were a force of nature. This probably isn’t their best work and certainly not Cave’s best from the 80’s but I glad to see punk Cave represented on the list.
Not for me
Raucous, grungy, and crusty. Nick Cave is just not my jam, but I can appreciate the punk energy here
DNF. This was terrible. Just noise.
Too screamy and SUPER repetitive, horrible rhythm, was all over the place
Several Sins is a good song. Peaky Blinders theme energy but too inconsistent
Wat een tering herrie zeg. Blij dat ik dit aan het begin van de rit heb gekregen in plaats van aan het eind.
Didn't do much for me, despite loving Release The Bats.
3/10
The bass tone in this one is exceptional and itself so distinctive. I would give 3, but i just hate the album cover - it is really disgusting
Not the easiest listen but could suit the right mood.
I couldn't get through this - the tracks were too hard to find and I didn't love the music.
What I would imagine a trope of monsters making music out in a junkyard would sound like.
Dead Joe made me want to shoot myself. Weird grunting-singing that is more annoying than anything else. Trash album, I don't enjoy punk as much as I thought I did. 1*
Ahh, the sweet sweet balm of raw anger. Ive been waiting for this one. Im a big Nick Cave fan but not a fan if this type of music and was wondering how i'd react. Turns out it was exactly what i expected. I loved Nick's anger and lyric and stomp. There was a lot more tune in the tracks than i expected but im still not a fan. A worthwhile inclusion.
This was incredibly difficult to get through. I have an open mind for music but I almost wish I DNFd it. I'm not sure it gets a whole lot stinkier than this, but for now it gets a 1.
almost as hard to listen as PiL, Several Sins is fine
One of the most aggressive and confrontational albums ever made. The Birthday Party would record two EPs after this that we're both excellent, but both still feel like a comedown from this album, a testament to why they were such a dangerous and vital band. Every member here is displaying what it is that makes them so great, and Nick Cave is arguably at his best here. I know that this isn't an album for everyone, but for me it's essential listening. Easily one of my favorite albums of all time.
Music as crap as the album cover.
Not my style but hit that "Industrial Complex" well
a lot of the chaos that became the bad seeds can be heard on this fantastic album
Det gnisslar på och det gör varken från eller till egentligen. Ett par tre låtar sticker ut lite, där Dim locator är bäst. Annars är det ganska jämnspretigt om ni missförstår mig rätt. Nick själv är i fin form, jag kan sakna den brålande väsande Nick nuförtiden
Hur mycket jag än gillar Nick Cave, klarar jag inte det här. Nog hör man spår av det som han och Bad seeds utvecklar senare i karriären, när han samlat ihop sin yvighet och fått styr på utbrotten. Men med undantag för Several sins och 6” Gold blade är det mesta här tyvärr nästan olyssningsbart.
Ett omslag värdigt Svintask. Musikaliskt då? Ja nog är det hårt, skramligt och fullt av energi. Det här att se en tydlig linje till det som skulle komma med From her to eternity ett par år senare. Då med ett mer förfinat sound. Här är Cave mer lovande än den fullfjädrade låtskrivare och artist han skulle komma att bli. Svag trea.
Det är mest energin och Caves röst som fångar mig. Kanske inte fullt av låtar som nockar mig, men ändå tilltalande på något vis. Det rätt snarlikt Caves första soloalbum, men här är det mer attityd än texterna som står i fokus.
well, it's certainly creative! from an art perspective, this is an admirable attempt. nothing to listen for fun.
wtf lol
I’m a big fan of Nick Cave’s solo work, but this isn’t for me. Some of it sound like it’s the soundtrack to torture porn.
Yeah nope
Music or just noise?
Noisy. Another Nick Cave album.
I get why people don’t like this. I definitely wouldn’t say I’m a fan of the production, nor would I spin this on a consistent basis. But overall, I dig the blues-infused noise punk of it all. I especially like “She’s Hit”, “Several Sins”, “Kiss Me Black”, “The Dim Locator”, and “Big-Jesus-Trash-Can”. 3.5/5
shit noise
Wtf
Good.
噪音
Like a hardcore punk version of Tom waits. Interesting but not something I’ll come back to
I didn’t like this album. But, I can see why anyone who appreciates punk at all would find this wonderful. This list has given me an appreciation for different genres of music that I never would have to listened to if I didn’t wake up to a new offering every morning.
So this is the eighth lowest rated album on the list? Come on guys - it could be much worse. And this really isn’t that bad. It did drone on, but I liked the experimental songs.
I have never cared for the music of Nick Cave and I ain’t about to start now.
This album was not available anywhere
Not my thing.
дефінетлі нот май кап оф ті бат онестлі іт воз кул
Mierdón de campeonato, aunque supongo que será bueno para el que escuche este tipo de música
The cover is so, so bad. But so far the music is good.
Tried to listen to work. First album on this list I didn't finish for two reasons. First is that there isn't a proper version of this on YouTube Music, and the playlist on YouTube proper is all messed up. Second I did end up listening to the first four or so tracks and decided it just wasn't worth the effort to track down a proper stream because I just wasn't picking up what these guys were putting down. Never really got Nick Cave and this record certainly isn't changing my mind. Not for me.
Can hear the motivations that came from this but definitely not for me
Goes as hard as the album cover suggests. It’s punk, it’s new wave, but it’s also garage rock with a talented front man. Fun to rock out to.
[sitting straight up like Neo in The Matrix] I get Nick Cave
Not my type
Quite possibly the worst thing I've ever listened to.
Hahaha, this one made me laugh, mixed up instruments, Cave on full throttle, I watched him on UT whilst listening to this one, reminded me of Lux Interior, and Iggy Pop, favourite track “Dead Joe”
Dnf. Might return to listen to the rest but I was not in the mood to finish
2.5 second half is a lot more palatable
I had no idea how much Nick Cave had reined it in over the years...
iskreno nisam ni mogao da se nateram da zavrsim
Que disco tan malo, no pude encontrarle una sola virtud al disco. No me gustó nada, un concepto que no entiendo su razón de ser, espero q. Tiene un sonido muy rancio sin sentido. Leí que Nick Cave quería un sonido basura y que parecía que animales estuvieran tocando, creo que lo hicieron muy bien. En verdad intente escuchar cada pista completa pero fue muy difícil
I liked this album but I'm not really happy with this app right now, since it just erased a paragraph I spent 20 minutes thinking about and writing. I think you only need to listen to this a handful of times, but that you should listen to it once. It is very scary the places this music takes your (my?) mind, and it's a challenging listen for a few reasons. jangly, brutal, primal, murderous. More a performance art piece than something I can come back to for enjoyment over multiple listens. 3.25/5
This is unlistenable. You strove to make a piece of trash. Congratulations, you did. No one should bother with this junk. Doing the bare minimum is not an artistic statement, it is just laziness. Just pure unimaginative bullshit. This doesn't sounds like a collapsed society in a post apocalyptic world, it sounds like a bunch of musicians doing a sloppy job of fucking around. Adding injury to insult, you have wade through the typical terrible Nick Cave singing and cliched lyrics. Anyone notice how long this dude has had an unnatural obsession with murder ballads? We get it, you saw MAD MAX and it made you spew in your shorts. And you couldn't wait to see THE ROAD WARRIOR when it would come out three weeks after the release of this turd. Even the album cover makes it clear that this album is a complete waste of time. Not remotely an essential album for this list and definitely not one of the most important albums from the 1980s. Again, the list is trying retcon history. The 80s did not sound this bad, and this band was not important to anyone.
This was terrible.
2/10
I really hope no one ever asks me to describe what this album sounds, because I have no idea what the heck I just listened to.
great album cover
Does anyone have a hammer that I could use to pound my balls flat? Because I would rather do that than listen to this fucking abortion. I'm now convinced that some of the albums on this list were included, not because of how great they are, but because of how incomprehensibly awful they are. Like those commercials with the racoons eating the garbage, "oh, this is awful! Here, try it!". Possibly the worst thing I've ever listened to. 1
This is weird, noisy postbluespunkrock. I enjoyed the vibe and think that these kind of albums need to be on the list (unlike the Zutons) but can’t see this album returning to regulator rotation anytime in the beat nor distant future
I love and hate the album at the same time. The chaos feels comforting in a weird way and the discomfort is weirdly cozy
Passa de ano mas definitivamente não é meu estilo de musica
Se pudesse dava 0
Wicked
Post-bearable
The first Nick Cave album I've heard that isn't overly boring, but instead overly shitty! The only saving grace: it is aptly titled.
Abrasive and chaotic yes, but still pretty good
Fav: She’s Hit Least Fav: Big Jesus Trash Can Can never hate on Nick Cave vocals
No thank you.
If you like nick cave you'll love this. because he's in it.
I am at a loss for words,this is horrible but album cover is pretty fire
What in thr junk rat fugalatoogan
absolutely not
Sinnloses Gebrülle! Weg damit!
I was about aa far as “Big Jesus Trash Can” when I asked myself, “Is that Nick Cave?” Turns out it was! So I learned something new, which is that I love Cave’s solo career. I didn’t like this noise when I was fourteen, and I twice as don’t like it now.
Crazy sound and wild album. Reminded me of "Ace of Spades" style rockabilly and was an intense listen. Musical & creative but not the music for me.
To my untrained ears, this feels shocking and uncohesive. Apparently it has critical acclaim.
i actually hated this
I walked through the back door of a new hospital and snuck up the back steps. At the top was my oldest daughter's bedroom. She was there alone and excited to see me. I told her to be quiet and snuck down the steps which was now part office part her house. Her mom was there with her new husband. He was a different step-dad. More arrogant and hates me. I get the sense that he's not crazy about my daughter but being good to heras a way to get under my skin. They don't see me. I go back upstairs to play with her. I miss her. She didn't seem like a happy baby but was very excited to see me. Her mom and her husband catch me and I tell them I want to eat dinner and she wants to eat pancakes. Her mom gives me that I hate you look but agrees. I start to look for frozen mini pancakes but not in the fridge. I'm looking through her dresser. I find various shirts and pills. Her mom sees me and says I'm not going to find food in her medicine drawer. I feel embarrassed. Then she dresses me down about how they had plans for dinner
This is art. Beautiful to some, not so much to others, but I do appreciate the work.
This is the soundtrack to the worst birthday party ever.
I’m not going to make it thru. I’m going to use this album to express how frustrating it is to have a list that comprises albums that are objectively shit just cuz someone in it went on to do other things that are, if not great, at least influential. These are not albums that I need to hear before I die.
The redeeming quality of this album was imagining how Nick Cave and future members of his backing bands were attempting to rebel against conventional musicality of the early 80s. Because all of these songs felt like sonic attacks on the listener. I struggled valiantly to get through each song, usually failing.
The music your friend tells you is great during an opium induced haze. Nick Cave definitely showing you his roots.
Chaotic Noisy Raw Punk Surf Rock.....quite enjoyable listening on the way into work this morning.
Too much anger - too much screaming. 1,5
Nah, not convinced.
Day 173 Certainly interesting and there is definitely the odd song where you can hear the future nick cave sound very clearly but not sure I’ll return to it as a whole album Highlights Several Sins Kewpie Doll 6” gold blade
She's hit - 1 Dead joe - 3 The dim locator - 2 Hamlet (pow, pow, pow) - 2 Several sins - 3 Big-jesus-trash-can - 1 Kiss me black - 1 6" gold blade - 1 Kewpie doll - 2 Junkyard - 1
This album had a strong Dad Rock aesthetic, just a very thick sound and an unrelenting guitar. It's a very loud and in-your-face style that I thought was too harsh. Nick Cave's vocals (who I didn't know was the frontman) had some strong moments, but were too harsh. It added to the overall feeling of a strained execution that this record had. That's not to see that it was completely devoid of nuance, such as across the song She's Hit, or on some of the horns and drumming on other songs, but it felt like the positive moments on the record were just that: moments. Once you had enough time to start to follow a compelling sequence, it would lead back into a place of stagnation and forceful tones. Junkyard is an album that seemed more concerned with the appearance of being powerful rather than creating a sound that is powerful on its own merits. Faves: n/a
what is this?
I don't think this is the worst album I've ever heard, but it's pretty close. In theory, I can appreciate what they're trying to do with this album. In actuality, It's hard to appreciate anything about this album. I guess the instrumental is okay at times? One star. (Favorite track: Several Sins.)
The perfect meat-grinder chaos I love.
This project has skewed heavily into Australian punk/post-punk for me lately. I had no idea Nick Cave was previously in a band. I saw him on Lollapalooza about 30 years ago and he has never really done much for me. I find him an interesting personality but never really got into his music. This album did not change that. The Ed Roth cover (and maybe the music) would have appealed to me when I was about 12 and buying things like this in the import section at Camelot Records. This gets 1.5 stars. It got annoying about halfway through.
Older Nick Cave somewhat better than earlier Cave. This should not be on the list. The vocals were bad, the lyrics were bad, and I can’t believe people paid good money for this album.
Why, why, why. This was utterly stupid
The only reason this isn't a 1 is because it's fronted by Nick Cave and he does a good job doing whatever the heck this is. I hate post-punk, it's dumb and tries way too hard to be artsy and avant-garde. Seriously Nick Cave has so much better why must this taint his name on this list?
um...no. why is this on here???? seriously
в зависимости от того насколько я внимательно слушала то казалось что забавно то что невыносимо. вердикт что я не панк
Not as bad as I was expecting based on the other reviews. Rough & rowdy. Sounds like a random drunk band playing in the back of a dive.
Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: The Dim Locator I recognize that this is in the bottom 20 for worst albums on the List. Here's how I am approaching this: I choose to believe this music exists within the universe of Mad Max. Hear me out: This is an Australian band who produced post-punk (apocalypse) album a few years after the first Max Max dropped. The album has the production quality of something straight out of the Max Max universe. This is the kind of shit you hear from The Doof Warrior (the guy literally suspended from hooks and chains on a moving vehicle) as you ride into battle against your enemies. The album cover features both a Mad Max hot-rod style car AND Immortan Joe (holding a birthday cake, naturally). I can't really comment on the rat shooting at the cat. Maybe its a metaphor for failed capitalism. This is exactly the music I'm going to be listening to in the burnt-out, gasoline-scarce, apocalyptic hellscape that is the middle of the Australian continent in Mad Max. When evaluated in that context, this is basically the only music that exists now, so naturally it gets top marks. Outside of the Max Max universe however, this is extremely grating, save for maybe one or two songs, and exceptionally difficult to listen to (I had to listen to nearly 3 albums worth of Thievery Corporation afterwards to get the stink out). I still think its miles better than yesterday's Einsturzende Neubaten's Kollaps, but it definitely deserves a spot in the bottom 20. 2 Stars
Kinda like a deranged version of the doors. Had its moments
Yuck
Bio says they are 'dark and challenging', and I'd say that's about right. Not as bad as some others have mentioned in their reviews, but not one I'll be returning to in a hurry.
Verschrikkelijk, kon 1 stukje van 1 nummer waarderen. Mijn dichte oor sprong er wel een beetje van open. Gelukkig net na het luisteren.
Uh..no
This made me question the this whole project of the top 1001 albums. This was really hard to listen to.
I didn’t hate it. She’s Hit is actually really good. There weren’t any other standout songs for me. The noise and loudness started to blur together at some point.
That was hard going at times but there was enough in there musically to make it finish-able. Not as inclined to seek out Nick Cave music as I was previously.
There are bits that are ok, but this isn't good.
Punishing
I like Nick Cave but thought this was gonna be hard work. Actually enjoyed it, considered a 4
Horrible
I am a little familiar with Nick Cave, but had no clue about The Birthday Party. This is loud, obnoxious, shrill, abrasive, chaotic, sounds like shit, and honestly fun as hell. I don't know how often I'll revisit this album, but I can absolutely see it making into the rotation to match a very specific mood. This also was a fantastic break from a very long streak of 70s dad rock. So that's for that The Birthday Party!
Yeah no
Liked this album.
A bit too much for me but an interesting listen
Casting aside musical conventions is the easy part. The hard part is replacing them with something engaging, moving; something worth listening to. When you forego the hard part and, for example, make shitty music just for the shock value, then, over time, the shock value wears off, and your legacy is just a bunch of shitty music.
I love The Birthday Party, but don't feel that they ever managed to capture the raw energy of their live shows on record, save perhaps for the last two EPs. The sound here is still quite arresting, but it all sounds a little too clean. There are some great songs, but some of the lyrics (6" Gold Blade, for example) rankle even more now than they did at the time. I was obsessed with bass player Tracy Pew for a long time, and that is still the part that draws me in most here. A unique sound and style. Great in places, but not consistently.
A very dirty album. It sounds like there's a lot to be said, but I'm not quite sure what the overall message is. It's a rambling mess. Tunes are absent. The production is deep and fuzzy. It leaves you feeling as though you need to scrub your nails after listening. Old Nick has mellowed in the years that followed.
A funny album - don't know how to describe it differently. I somehow like the music but I miss the highlights.
I really like this. It’s unhinged but in a great way. Must be my slightly deranged gothic tendencies.
I enjoyed the DIY aesthetic, and the youthfulness. It reminds me that the emotional quality of music is so important.
Only two days ago I gloated about how great Nick Cave was based on Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus. Now after hearing Junkyard I recall why I was never a fan of Cave before this project, because I always associated him with this obnoxious post-punk stuff. It’s really not for me.
They should’ve rolled a giant stone over the entrance of the dank cave in which it was recorded, and never mentioned it again
I like the Bad Seeds better but this was still weird and fun. Fave tracks: Dead Joe, Several Sins
Album #1,016 Generally unpleasant to the ears. Shrill guitar sounds, screaming, bad production quality. Oh, this is Nick Cave. I haven't really liked his other four albums on this list either.
An album that has fun being aggressively not fun. Works in its specific time and place but isn’t something that begs repeat visits. I would love to to have an original copy on the shelf but it would rarely receive a spin.
Appropriate name for filing location
Unrivaled frenetic artistry in this band. Wasn’t quite as familiar with this record as the others but it didn’t disappoint. Wish the album cover weren’t so garish.
Artificial post-punk but too much noise for me.
Three fucking awful tracks in a row to start with left me with no option but to skip to each remaining track in turn and listen to the opening few seconds. They were all, consistently and equally, as fucking awful as the first 3 tracks. I quickly turned it off at that point.
The sensation of being slapped in the face by a freezing cold industrial hose converted to music. I kinda liked it.
Pretty cool. Very edgy. I feel edged...
not my bag
Not really my thing. The menacing vocals were effective but just too much for me when listening to a full album. The thumping bass lines are the biggest highlight for me. 1.5/5.
The album is called Junkyard, and they were half right with that name. A junkyard can be defined as a repository for any old rubbish, and here they are 100% right. God awful. Avoid like the next pandemic.
The cover matches the music very well, I can imagine these guys being the goofy minions in a dark alley in a cartoon or something. Music-wise it was a little difficult to get into at the beginning but honestly once it’s settled in it’s actually pretty great. It’s definitely abrasive and too much so at times but that’s kind of the point and it does it well more than not. The guitars are really cool and unique, the drumming is so all over the place (in a good way that fits the music), the bass pretty much follows suit but us a little hard to hear to be honest. Nick Cave goes crazy, I wouldn’t be surprised if his more speech-driven vocals in his later stuff was caused by him going all out here, it was pretty weird to hear from him as I’ so used to his later stuff. His lyrics were still consistent to his style though but with a lot more random noises thrown in. The mix was a bit weird however because sometimes it’s too quiet to hear certain parts but suddenly blasts out of nowhere at points. I can see how this may have been influential though and it’s a fun listen. Favourites: Dead Joe, The Dim Locator, Several Sins, Big Jesus Trash Can and Junkyard. Overall, 7/10.
Terrible. Interesting that it’s Nick Cave, but still terrible.
Shite
I thought I could get myself to give this a 2. Alas, no. They can make a two and a half minute song feel. Really. Long.
Nope
The album equivalent of infinite monkeys on infinite typewriters and just going with the first draft. I’m legitimately surprised this isn’t the lowest rated album on the list.
No fun
Wild genre, snappy and neat
Dark, 7/10
you guys are dramatic as fuck, its not even that bad don't enjoy the vocal delivery definitely the funniest album so far did I need to hear this before I die? no. but was it fun? sometimes
I wonder how much I’d appreciate this without having first listened to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds? I think it’s hard to fully appreciate this from one listen but there is enough here to want to return. Some of this feels a bit murky, it’s noisy and uncomfortable but in a good way. Fave track: Several Sins
I love the rat fink album cover. It’s the best part of the album. I understand it’s supposed to be abrasive to listen to but there’s never a groove or something to latch onto. I’m sure the lofi heavy reverb doesn’t help but I prefer my punkish music to have a bit more melody or groove.
bon abuse aussi toi
Cover de salopard ! Comme Napalm Death mais en moins pire
This album got me to overstimulated :(
Early Nick Cave. Wild stuff.
I liked Dead Song.
Horrible vocals, musically okay 2/5
I mean, this is the kinda unhinged goth shit I can appreciate tbh. Not spectacular, but definitely not boring lol. I think a 4 is fair for it, I could come back to it at some point (probably going to give it a while though lol).
I love Nick Cave, he's among my favourite artists, but the garbage he churned out with Birthday Party is practically criminal. It's just an assault of noise. People claim it's an arty statement about music, but I still fail to understand how someone who can produce such glory and beauty can also find this album an acceptable thing to release.
What even was this? I need to cleanse my ears with actual music now because what the actual fuck?
Poor songs, growling incoherent vocals. It sounds, aptly, like it was recorded in a cave. Worse than I expected.
just absolute dog shit. i see a band I've never heard of and "post-punk" and I'm marginally interested but no, it's somehow a surprise SIXTH fucking nick cave album. "Dead Joe" is horrifically unlistenable, i mostly tuned it out after that, I'm done listening to, thinking or talking about nick cave
A rare high rating of an album I couldn't even stand to finish. It's noisy, obnoxious, and loud, but I think they accomplished exactly what they intended to. I will never listen to this album again, but I'm glad that there is such a wide variety of artists available for people to enjoy(?), even if I don't quite get it
Well it’s rare that an album sounds this much like its cover art. That’s about all the praise I got.
It's not that I actively dislike it, I just don't really find anything in the album. And because of that I found it a bit boring and it became quite a drag to listen to. It's probably just not for me, I'm sure other people can find something in it. Favourites would probably be Several Sins and Release the Bats
Fun and unexpected.
Oh no. Absolutely not.
This was not a great album. I had it in the background while doing stuff, but it was pretty meh. There were just a bunch of sounds and someone was saying stuff, but it was just not really enjoyable. It may have been alright when it was released, but now it's a bit meh.
Thanks to this record being adored by artists I love, I’ve endured it several times and never - until last night - took any nourishment from it. It’s obnoxious and horrible, but what I discovered last night was that it is memorably so: the songs were familiar, drunk, loud acquaintances, I now know them, and that this is deliberately freakish, gruesome music where (de)form meets (dys)function in the clatter and Cave’s vomiting roar, and might be the most appropriate work he’s ever made. Harvey and Howard <winks at Simon> do some outstanding work on here.
"A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" Bit harsh, Bill - I've heard worse.
"See, an ordinary person spends his life avoiding tense situations. A repo man spends his life getting into tense situations." - Bud, a character in Repo Man, played by Harry Dean Stanton I think I am listening to this at the wrong stage of my life. I could easily see loving this when I was younger and more repo man oriented but now I am more of an ordinary person, or at least trying to be, and the drama on here feels gratuitous. However, I am not beyond admitting that immediately before this explanation, Bud mutters "ordinary fucking people. I hate 'em!"
I really like Nick Cave, so it pains me to downgrade anything with him it, but this album really doesn't belong here, especially given how many solo Nick Cave albums *are* in the collection. It's tough to find much that's redeeming or even all that listenable, which may be the point, but it's not particularly fun to listen to, and marred by really poor-quality production (which again may be the point?). "Dead Joe", "Several sins" and the title track are probably the best of the lot, largely because they seem to foreshadow his later solo work and don't just seem like punk-esque thrashing. Given that they seemed to be hell-bent on just being anarchic and destructive (self- and others), even in their performances, there's so little going for this band or album. I can understand why Cave later said that The Birthday Party era was foundational to his experience and career, but that doesn't really justify having it in this collection, I'm afraid. I've given very few one-star reviews so far, but it feels like there are many *many* other Australian bands that should have gotten The Birthday Party's lone slot.
That was a little intense. I admire the coherence of it all; the album title is perfect. Still, did I like the music? No. No, I did not.
Just because an album is groundbreaking doesn't mean it's good. Sometimes they're digging into ground that isn't good for planting anything.
Just not my thing. I didn’t enjoy this album at all.
This record is a mess but.. you know if you know the bad seeds at all, this kinda makes sense.
About as harsh as post punk gets. Everything about this album is so well crafted, it all describes itself and promotes what it’s supposed to be and what it’s about. Which begs the question - what is it about? I dunno. Nick Cave’s got one of the best voices around and is simply a very very very cool guy. 4.0/5.0 Best Song: Big Jesus Trash Can
It’s quite cool, but it sounds like a massive rip off of Pere Ubu to me. I like big Jesus Trash can and Hamlet
Sucked! Listened to a cut and a half. Got angry, turned it off.
I typically struggle quite a bit with Nick Cave but I actually liked this quite a bit. I was nervous after hearing the first track but the rest of the record clicked. It felt weird and psych and very influential on the post punk scene and I loved Nick Cave’s Tom Waits vocals.
This is rad. Kind of all over the place. Really fun eccentric post punk. Something is definitely in the water down in Australia.
Meh
Dischorndant mess, I didn't get it
I will not include the CD reissue bonus tracks in this review, especially the opening bonus track, "Blast Off." Funny enough, I have been familiar with Nick Cave's first group, The Birthday Party, for a couple of years now. Who would have thought that one of the most prolific singer-songwriters out there would've come from a demented punk-blues hybrid? That said, I only heard a few songs from them before, notably "Release the Bats," which would become a very influential track on the gothic rock movement. I was curious what a full listen of this group's material would be like, especially with Junkyard being their last full-length record before they broke up. So, how did they go out? I'll admit, at first, I was mildly intrigued by the first half of this record. The distorted guitars from Mick Harvey and Rowland S. Howard, the murky bass from Tracy Pew, the pulse-pounding drums from Phill Calvert, and Nick Cave's mangled, borderline caterwauling vocals made for one of the most perverse sonic palettes I've heard in some time, as compositions ranged from lowly dirges like on "She's Hit" and "Several Sins", to full-on speed-driven, near-loss-of-control blazers like on "Dead Joe" and "Hamlet (Pow Pow)". All the while, Nick sang twisted tales of death, assault, and abuse, making liberal use of American Southern Gothic imagery to lean into the underlying violent tendencies and societal trauma. It was certainly enough to grip me at the start. The problem is that there was little throughline to keep me engaged all the way through, as the momentum of the album slowed down in the second half. That's not to say there wasn't some level of enjoyment with Nick's horrifying vignettes, but at some point, the shock value diminishes, and what remains is a hybridization of genres and ideas that blend with little way to connect them all into something meaningful. I still think Junkard was an okay record that showcased the bleak and noisy beginnings of some of the most notable songwriters out there. Nick Cave and Mick Harvey would go on to form the Bad Seeds, and Rowland S. Howard would go on to launch a successful solo career. In that regard, The Birthday Party can be considered a cornerstone for the gothic rock and post-punk acts to come.
sounds like it was recorded on a walkman.
This is truly awful. I waded through the screaming and screeching always hoping (in vain) that I might begin to hear something even vaguely tuneful. The lyrics were also meaningless nonsense. There's not a single track I could recommend. It seems to be a sort of anti-music album:(
I think I've been pretty generous with my reviews up until now. But this was dreadful. I will not be listening to it again in a hurry.
I was a little bit excited when I saw the genre pop up on my player. I generally like goth and particularly enjoy Bauhaus and Peter Murphy's solo work. This was interesting, dark, not as good as Bauhaus.
On the list because of what Nick Cave went on to do. Experimental and there is talent but this isn't great. Also whatever style of art that cover is, I've always found it weird and lame.
Albums like this should exist. The youth trying something and putting it out there. But this is not required listening.
Well, the name is fitting as it sounds like heaps of junkyard trash falling into a dumpster.
Disjointed and what you’d expect from ‘post hardcore’. Nothing terribly special
this shit sucks im sorry
Interesting to hear Nick Cave before his Bad Seeds era. This is completely different. Super noisy, manic and raw. His vocals aren't as clear as later on, but that adds to the chaos of this whole thing very nicely. The playing is completely wild and super fascinating. It feels very claustrophobic, on a bunch of songs even scary. I like that, but I can see why it wouldn't appeal to a lot of people.
A frequent trouble I have with metal/punk/deliberately grating stuff like this is that when it's just balls to the wall grating/loud/fast or whatever it loses its effect on me pretty quick. and becomes background music. Theres a bit more variety to this album than all that, some songs do sound pretty bad seedsish. Bro's pretty dang pretentious now, and then too apparently.
Nick Cave said he wanted the album to not sound like a Little River Band album and instead “sound like trash”. I can’t say that this doesn’t sound like trash.
Abrasive, noisy, beautiful - I love it!
At my time of listening, this album had the 9th worst rating on the entire site. Can't wait... Update: This is definitely better than at least 365 albums on this list
Dead Kennedys while extremely intoxicated at the recording studio. Everything is terrible and this album should be lit on fire
A great place to buy important vehicle parts for a good value.
Solid