Junkyard

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.

Disjointed and what you’d expect from ‘post hardcore’. Nothing terribly special

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.

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

A great place to buy important vehicle parts for a good value.

"Junkyard" released as the second and final album by The Birthday Party before Nick Cave and Mick Harvey pivoted to form Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. For a long-time admirer of Cave's extensive body of work; from his solo material to the enduring legacy of The Bad Seeds, Grinderman and his collaborations with Warren Ellis, this is the first time I have listened to "Junkyard" in full, finding it an experience of extremes and a far cry from an "easy listen" . The record begins with the menacing track "She's Hit". This opener immediately establishes the album's atmosphere, weaving a narrative of sleazy, sexual danger and destruction. Here, the instruments, guitars and drums, are deployed less for conventional melody and more for atmosphere and effect, creating a backdrop for Cave's unique performance. The track is not entirely unfamiliar territory for Bad Seeds fans; its passionate and raucous energy foreshadows some of the more primal cuts in their later discography. "Junkyard" is, in a word, ferocious. It is a distinctive and often abrasive album, defined by a sound that is noisy and loud, making it sonically challenging at times. The album thrives on dark themes, delivered with a surprising dash of humour that underscores the chaos rather than lightening it. The conventional rules of 'popular' music are challenged and for some of the tracks here, it is hard to discern a conventional song structure. This requires effort from the listener; "Junkyard" is genuinely exhausting in its intensity, demanding the listeners full attention. Ultimately, this is an imaginative and brave album. It is a necessary listen for understanding the foundations of Nick Cave's career, showcasing the nascent creative forces that would later evolve into The Bad Seeds. It is not for the faint of heart. It's an album I can respect, and admire to some degree, but not an album I will be listening to again anytime soon. Three stars. 1 "She's Hit" (4/5) 2 "Dead Joe" (3/5) 3 "The Dim Locator" (2/5) 4 "Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow)" (4/5) 5 "Several Sins" (4/5) 6 "Big-Jesus-Trash-Can" (3/5) 7 "Kiss Me Black" (3/5) 8 "6" Gold Blade" (3/5) 9 "Kewpie Doll" (2/5) 10 "Junkyard" (5/5) Total - 33 Average - 3.3 182/1001 100/182 albums reviewed were new to me.

I love Nick Cave man and this is about as unadulterated as it gets for him. That said, the production on this album is kinda terrible and overall the album is so loose and pretty unfocused. It's not horrible just not great. I feel like I should give this more time but frankly I'd rather listen to Tender Prey.

Wow has Nick Cave changed from this album.

This would go super hard live

All right, kind of surprised to see this here. A very early Nick Cave in his career. Feels very much minimal, a DIY punk affair. I quite enjoyed it, but at the same time I don't think this is that great, not even sure if this is deserving of 3 stars.

Nick Cave is a hero! But this is meh

Surprisingly fun listen given how noisy it was. I love this style of bass playing, which helped.

"Release the Bats" is a common goth club/Halloween playlist standby, but it's seemingly not from the original release of this album and was a single added to later pressings instead. It's also probably the most dynamic and interesting track I listened to, which is a shame, because I want to like this weirdo band more than I did. So many of the tracks just felt like a wall of noise that was hard to pick apart into instruments and vocals and about halfway through I was just like "yeah yeah okay okay I got it" - not an enjoyable album listen. I get that they wanted to sound trashy on purpose but I am not obligated to enjoy it. 2.5 rounded up

I didn’t listen to this yet. It wasn’t on Apple Music. Update: I listened to it. I stand by my score.

Yes this is a challenging listen, but yes sometimes that's good. If you include 'release the bats' (strictly a non-album single initially) then this is a solid three for screaming, bleeding guitars and all-round batshitness. Also an awesome cover by Ed Roth of Kustom Kulture fame.

I mean, I get what they were going for but can't say I'm exactly a fan of the No Wave philosophy. There are a lot of music conventions some musicians accept as gospel truth, and purposely abandoning them can lead to some unique sound. But the thing is, I actually like a lot music conventions, and rhythmic and melodic music by extension. I certainly don't hate this, though. It's far from the most abrasive or dissonant music out there (not that being either of the two is necessarily a bad thing), so it's not like it's unpleasant to listen to, and it also has some cool moments. But this is still ultimately not my thing. The cover does look exactly how the album sounds, gotta give them that.

So noisy

It's cool to hear where Nick Cave started but post-punk is frequently artsy for the sake of it.

Mejor de lo que esperaba

Doesn't deserve the low rating. Oh, you don't want this at your birthday party? You'd rather have Neil Fucking Young or Radiohead, you sad sack of celebratory shortcomings?

Gnarly stuff, but not at all unlistenable. I don't know what to do with that. I guess it'll just stay in the list.

More of the typical Nick Cave style people either seem to love or hate. 3.5 bumped down to 3.

Noise rock at its noisiest. The record has its moments - “She’s Hit” and “Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow) among them - but just lacks something, whether hooks, melodic moments, or on the other end of the spectrum adequate batshit weirdness. “Prayers On Fire” is a better record, and of course Nick Cave would go on to produce magnificent art. Far from a fail, but not quite scaling the heights of artistic greatness.

Very different to what I’d normally listen to - raw and punky - enjoyed - not sure I’d search out again though

The music on this album is adjacent to a good bit of punk, hardcore, and metal that I really enjoy. For the record, though, I wouldn’t say I enjoy listening to this album. There are a handful of songs I enjoy - like She’s Hit, Kiss Me Black, 6” Gold Blade. But most of it I don’t enjoy listening to. I probably like it more as an art piece than as an album of music. The album made me think a lot - made me think about music and what commentary they were making, and where it fits in the spectrum of music before and after. I love the absolute rejection of standard expectations of popular music. It’s taking aspects of the punk ethos to its logical extreme. And it also clearly informs a lot of hard core and harder core metal (vs hair metal) that comes later. I am also drawn to the darkness of the lyrics. 6” Gold Blade felt like a modern, post punk Murder Ballad. Definitely more of an interesting thing to experience.

It’s on the list cause it’s Nick Cave. Definitely some ideas here but it’s very uniform in its production and recording. Cool vibe. Excellent album cover.

A couple of songs are pretty ass so far. Based on the first song i thought I'd hate it, and I feel like I should hate it but for some reason I don't. It feels like a band Jeremy and Super Hans would be in. Might have caught me on a good day but I didn't mind this

I never have listened to much Nick Cave, and definitely not pre-90s, but when I have I’ve always find his style rather captivating. Obviously this is all pretty raw and unhinged, but there’s real lyrical and vocal skill and style here. Yes the music is pretty experimental, harsh and challenging, but that grew on me. The last eponymous track the highlight. I’m just amazed this is early 80s, just sounds so ahead of it’s time, albeit when it’s time is I’m not really sure, maybe it’s hasn’t come yet.

Can appreciate it, but not a big fan. Not my type of post-punk.

This wasn't the Nick Cave I was expecting. A much more loud and punk record then his later work.

There is something here, and I think you can start to see where Nick Cave is going to end up. But the recording is pretty rough and the songs are like you took Joy Division and told them to forget how to play. That said, I might revisit in the future, as it's not terrible. It's okay.

Sounds like cave rock Nick Cave. I liked it at times, but not too thrilled overall. It feels a bit undercooked and unfocused and it's not too clear in what it wants to do. That said, it's really cool to see this proto-Nick Cave album and the album has its moments. The title track is really fun and the album is bursting with raw energy and power. Nick Cave belts his way through this album and the backing band adds to the force.

Almost entirely unpleasant to listen to. 3 Stars.

It has a different energy than a lot of what I listen too, not bad

Not familiar with pre-Bad Seeds Nick Cave. I like the sound of these songs, like a punk Tom Waits. 3.5 rounded down Heard before? No Owned: No. 5/1001, 5/20 (25%) Will I get? No Recommend: No

Like nick cave

Like, it’s fine, but there’s much better in the genre.

Blasted the fuck off to this today. “All we get are forty hack reporters” is an edgy lyric. She’s fucking hit, man. “The Dim Locator” has a great sound. “Big-Jesus soul-mates trash-can, pumped me fulla trash at least it smelt like trash.” “Release the Bats” is a bop.

Interesting to see where alot of the song ideas come from for many Nick Cave songs. Unfortunately this album is mostly the style of most of the Nick Cave songs i don't like very much. Although Several Sins is worth the listen alone.

Not an easy album to get into... It’s raw, angry, and as melodious as a bag a razorblades. It sounds like what I imagine psychosis must feel like, and the fine line between noise-rock and just noise is crossed more than a few times. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the dark and disturbing mood. I’m giving it a 3* for its originality and no-compromise attitude, and because fuck polite music.

I get what they're doing here, in that it's artistic, and unhinged, and unique, and challenging. But is it fun to listen to? Not really. I can appreciate elements of it - the wildness of Nick Cave's vocal performances, the grunginess of the riffs, the unexpected turns of the lyrics. But good lord- would it kill someone in this band to be playing WITH anyone else, not AGAINST them? Anyways. POW POW POW THREE STARS

the band are cool but nick's desperate spooky man shtick is so corny

galera que frequenta esse site é MUITO dodói claro que tem umas músicas meio estranhas, mas a pira é justamente escutar coisa que vc JAMAIS escutaria sob outras circunstâncias e honestamente? no geral não é ruim

this album sounds like if a punk band tried to put out a goth record. it’s interesting for sure. the low-fi recording was a nice touch.

Could be worst things.

2.6 I am as big of as a Nick Cave fan as anyone but I dont think this would crack a regular rotation. Would have loved to seen a show back in the day though

Dark, sparse, post punk. Needs more spins but plenty to like.

This is some Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas drug binge-ass music. I love the idea that this exists and that this is the primordial stew that Nick Cave emerged from. Will I listen to it again? Only if I’m trying to clear out a room at a party. But it does get my heart rate up in a fight-or-flight kinda way, and sometimes that’s enough for a band to put a grin on my face.

Guys, trust me. I love goth. I love post punk. I love Nick Cave. I still think this album is average and will continue to lean on Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Cure, Sisters of Mercy, and Bauhaus over The Birthday Party any day. Their albums are a bit more experimental and out there. I guess kinda like Killing Joke when they started off where it was over time they became the masters of the craft, but sometimes we have rocky first steps.

Hmm, I didn't dislike this, but I didn't love it either. Will have to revist a few times to see if it grows on me or its just not for me. Nick Cave was wild on this, super interesting to listen to him before he went "solo".

Its ok just i don't know a bit shouty

Wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but 47 minutes was WAAAAY to long for that to go on. Liked the goth/punk vibe when I got into it. Very droney.

I didn't hate this! A younger, more punk Nick Cave. I'm actually kinda surprised at the low overall rating. The album art doesn't do this any favors though.

i guess music really is subjective

Good

pretty weird, good album cover Will I listen to again: 38%

Nick Cave doing his thing! Bit raucous for an early morning listen… but I appreciate the origins.

This is a perfect album to listen to while in traffic. If we had partial stars, I would give this a 2.75.

I prefer my Nick Cave a little bit more palatable than this, but it was an interesting listen.

This album is about half noise, with a few high points. Like angry teenager music. Several Sins is a great track though, and there are a couple more like that, though I wasn't paying close enough attention to the track list to say which. Probably wouldn't go back to the album, though might grab a couple tracks for a punk playlist. Release the Bats has a great drum beat--I feel like Green Day borrowed from that in their track Lonview. Just learned that this is Nick Cave's first band, and it certainly sounds more like I thought Nick Cave sounded like, rather than the later stuff with the Bad Seeds. You can start to see the elements of the more folk-like sound he has later, but just with lots more noise. 3/5.

Experimental post punk. For the kids...

If I want this sort of noisy rock stuff I usually go to the Cramps. Nick Cave is no Lux Interior. But it’s not bad, particularly Hamlet and Kewpie Doll.

Fun

I liked the album cover better then the album. 5 staas

Listened before?: No, I've never heard of this band Noisy and weird. So far I like it more than X, but maybe I'm just being obstinate--it sounds like garbage haha. I understand from browsing the other reviews that this is Nick Cave's first band, which I suppose checks out. Post-listening, this album goes hard but is functionally unlistenable. I read a scary news article about war this morning and found the first half of the album cathartic, as it helped me work through some mortality anxiety, but after that passed it looped back around to absolutely awful listening. Not sure how to rate that! A 1 star album from a sound standpoint, a 5 star album on its own terms. I guess that nets a 3?

duro

Good but not great... I'm the wrong audience for this

Was very excited/interested to listen to this because the dude from My Bloody Valentine said that he was heavily inspired by these guys (especially in terms of guitar), and I knew it was Nick Cave. I don't know how guitar-wise you get from this to that, although I do think the guitars are quite unique - this really brittle, fuzzy, dissonant sound. I feel like this could even lay somewhat of a foundation to some of the 80s metal stuff, as its just so dark and harsh. I feel like it probably has more in common with like Big Black than quite a lot of other post-punk stuff. It definitely accomplishes what its trying to do atmosphere-wise, but in my opinion some of the vocals and instrument parts are just too abrasive and harsh. Favourite songs: Blast off, she's hit, dead Joe, several sins, big Jesus trash can Overall around 6/10

The beginning of the beginnings of Nick Cave. A new listen and better for it in terms of the ongoing musical education.

I dig it

Not for me

This album sounds like what serious mental illness must feel like. Artistically pretty amazing. I admire it WAY more than I enjoy it. I might out it on once or twice more in the next few years, but I’d never grab it with any enthusiasm like a would a record by Fela, by X, by the English Beat, by Mingus, by Joni, etc etc etc. But I can totally see that this would be someone’s go to record! Five stars for artistry One star for enjoyment Three stars splits the difference.

interesting as a part of nick cave's origin story but not much else

This one is a bit shoutier, screamier and more abrasive than the other Nick Cave albums I’ve heard and comes a lot earlier in his career. If you’re looking to get into Nick Cave’s music, I’d probably start elsewhere, like ‘Murder Ballads’ or ‘Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus’ which are a bit more accessible. As it stands I still enjoyed this but probably not as much as some of his other albums.

Couldn’t really get into it

Somewhere between brilliant and nothing I ever want to listen to again.

66/100. Junkyard by The Birthday Party is a chaotic, messy album—but that’s part of its charm. It’s raw, abrasive, and very punk in spirit, with a few tracks that really stand out amid the noise. While it’s not the most polished listen, it captures a unique, unfiltered energy that makes it an okay but intriguing experience.

I’m a casual Nick Cave fan so did not know about his first band. Reminded me a little of the cure if Robert Smith screamed more.

Noisey and grating but fun

Meh. I finished it. It’s a bit too chaotic for me. Raw, unpolished, not what I enjoy listening to primarily. I’ll mark it in the middle, not the worst on this list and definitely not the best.

Title track was by far the best on the album, overall not the easiest listen, although found it interesting enough that it wasn't a huge grind either

Wait! Give it a few minutes before you turn it off in disgust! This is not my favorite thing either, but it's a young Nick Cave sounding like Tom Waits if Tom Waits were a young angry Australian fellow who just came back from a tour of shitty bars in Southern US college towns. So think about that for a few minutes, and THEN you can shut it off in disgust.

early angsty Nick Cave and Co. Maybe you had to be there.

no.

Gothic post punk from Nick Cave. I’ll be honest Cave’s lyrics didn’t fit so well with this sound for me. Perhaps if I had hear the Birthday Party first I would have dug it more.

3.5

30 seconds in, I was ready to tap out. But I can see how bands like Interpol were influenced by this. I'm not ready to say it's great but I didn't mind the listen, 3.5/5 rounded down

I’m not sure whether this is merely combative, or wilfully confrontational. Either way, TBD certainly intended to shake things up a bit.

First impression before listening: That's a horrid album cover. Pre "The Bad Seeds" Nick Cave sounds like an interesting listen. Blast Off. Loud. Erratic. Unclear recording, suspect. I like the bass playing so far. Full of punk rock energy. Good. 3.5/5 She's Hit. Gothic. Great vocal delivery. Not sure about how the drums are mixed. Paints a vivid image. Distant background guitar adds a disconnected uneasiness to the track. Haunted. Goes on for a bit too long. Anothet decent track. 3.5/5 Dead Joe. Feral. Horror movie chase scene vibes. Guitar sounds possessed. Noisier parts of the song are well layered. Who's Joe? Unsure, leaning towards good. 3/5 The Dim Locator. Haunted carnival vibes. Those are some interesting sounds. Demented vocals. Gets stale after a bit, but still fine. 3/5 Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow) Interesting bassline. Edgy lyrics. Hectic and extra vocals. Jim Morrison on an extended drug trip rambling core. The bass carries the song. Getting more into it at the end. Good. 3/5 Several Sins Switchup in energy appreciated. Spooky chorus is suprisingly catchy. Ghoulish 4/5 Big Jesus Trash Can. A blusier track than previous. Harmonica is a cool choice. Cool concept. More of the same. 3/5 Kiss me black. Compressed. The distant echo effect is interesting. The Guitar riff works well. Ultimately too unstructured and erratic. 2.5/5 6" Gold Blade Great opening riff. Gothic. Nonesensical creepy lyrics. Vocal performance is great, the screams add an interesting layer to it. Rambly and weird. 2.8/5 Kewpie Doll I like the bassline. Really don't like the vocals here. Sounds terrible. The drums are mixed weirdly, and sit in an uncomfortable place in my headset. Avant-Garde. Dislike 1.5/5 Junkyard. Nightmarish. The vocals has a lot of depth to them. Sounds violent and almost psychotic. The repetitiveness makes for a cool rhythm. Cathartic ending. Strong track. 4/5 Bonus track Dead Joe - 2nd Version Not much to add that wasn't noted already. Ultimately feels similar to the other version. 3/5 Release the Bats The difference in production is instantly noticable. Vampire imagery is fun. Fun gothic vibe. 3/5 Strange album. Feeling mixed on this one. Not much sonic difference between tracks, and weird production. Some great ideas and performances. Can defintely see that something like this could be influential. Maybe I just don't fully get it. Fave track. Junkyard Least fave track. Kewpie doll

Revisit

Better than Cave's solo efforts IMO. Some interesting stuff here. Seems like it might have inspired some of my favorite noise acts, but I still can't really get into it. Something about it just seems very contrived; staged and theatrical. I can't get over that.

Distateful until you get entranced. There is something there but it's not very accessible among the thorns. 3

Not without merit. Raw, gritty.

As one half of iconic uk post punk duo Houmous & Chutney I know a thing or 2 about making highly divisive records! 3.0

hmmm so i did not like that at all. but i tend not to like punk / post-punk so it's probably me and not the album. but i'm wondering what the case is for people who really like this music. live performance appeal? just cathartic because it's screaming? fair enough but it's not for me.

Never heard of this band at all. Very interesting. At first glance, the artist name would make me think some pop band in the 80's/90's. Completely opposite. Very garage punk. Very interesting. Not my style but I definitely respect what they bring.

Junkyard The only thing I know about The Birthday Party is that it’s Nick Cave’s first band, but I assumed it would be some kind of spiky post punk album, perhaps a bit like The Fall. It’s not far off that, although with a bit more funk and a bit more melody poking through the gothic gloom and scuzziness, but without the miserablist humour and sensibilities of Mark E Smith. You can also hear a few signposts to the music he’d go on to make, a more melodic take on the same themes and structures, with the confrontational and challenging aspects hidden below are slightly shinier veneer. Although I enjoyed this I don’t think it quite stands up to some of the other post punk we have, like Public Image, or quite reaches the level of other tricky and abrasive music. A solid 3. 🗑️🗑️🗑️ Playlist submission: Several Sins

Took a while to warm to it. Might try again sometime. I’m a fair weather Nick fan.

meh

I like Nick Cave but hadn't bothered listening to this because I'd never heard anything good about it. Pleasantly surprised that it's nowhere near as bad as people say, but it's still nowhere near The Bad Seeds' best albums.

If there's a worse album cover in this project, I'll be *shocked*

dead joe is peak

3.5

3.5 really. Super aggressive and angular. RELEASE THE BATS!

3.5

Reminded me a lot of Nick Cave’s Murder Ballads. Turns out he was the lead singer. So anyway, it’s like that.

WEIRD. I kinda liked it.

It's difference but it's not horrible like I was expecting.

Interesting

When I first heard this album, I was surprised that it slipped under the radar because I would have been into this type of music around the time of its release. It is an interesting group of songs, several of which I like a lot. I prefer the more gothic songs with a bluesy feel. There are a few here not so much, some of the more thrashy tracks. I will listen to this again to see if it grows on me. For now, I give it 3 stars.

This was a cool listen, and definitely fitting being a day before Halloween to have all of this creepy and raw post-punk. The thing that's keeping it from being a 4/5 for me is that it feels like some of these songs are a bit half baked. Some of me wants to believe that the band came up with riffs and beats and some progressions and kind of just set the table for Nick Cave to go on top and do this thing. And this is cool and exciting and could even have a bit of an improvisational feel, but throughout a whole album it feels like it's missing a little bit of time in the oven. I feel this on the production side too, like "The Dim Locator" for example sounds like a demo recording, which is fine, but the track right before it "Dead Joe" has a pretty nice higher fidelity sound and the transition from one to the other makes me feel like I'm missing frequencies. It's like setting up and expectation (of production quality) and then giving us something else. Maybe there's some reasons for this that I'm missing or didn't pick up on. Still a fun listen!

solid but nothing special 5/10

Well that was definitely some insane post punk gothic craziness. Nick Cave in all his glory.

Not my thing, but not bad. Nick Cave is cool.

Probably liked more than actual Nick Cave stuff

weird flex but ok

This record ends up feeling a little repetitive, but it’s nowhere near as bad as it’s made out to be here. Hands down, one of the best parts of reviewing a challenging album like this on this site is reading the histrionic reviews and the details of how musically offensive some of you find a record. “Managed to endure two tracks before protecting my sanity” “It almost made me physically ill” “…sounded like a static-covered jam session by heroin junkies” If I was Nick Cave, I would reissue this record and slap a hype-sticker on it with those exact quotes on it…He’d probably sell a ton of copies based off of those reviews alone.

Ok

This album reminded me that I'm not 15 anymore.

For an album I will never listen to again, I didn’t mind it too much, it was punk, but not harsh punk, easy enough background

This is a fun album, but it’s also something you have to be in the right mood for. Most of the tracks aren’t particularly fast, but this album is in-your-face abrasive, coming at you with noise and chaos. If you’re a fan of experimental post-punk and noise rock from the early ’80s, then this is definitely an album to listen to. Plus, you can’t go wrong with Nick Cave. His vocals are filled with rage and energy, with disturbing lyrics about violence, despair, and angst. Like I said, this is an album you have to be in the mood for, and usually, when I do listen to it, it completely drains me, and I’m ready for something calm and chill afterward.

Starting with the incredibly strong, heavy post-punk number of She’s Hit, Junkyard quickly descends into a sporadic noise rock melting pot, with a shift back to a more controlled approach at the midpoint through to the end, with Big-Jesus-Trash-Can blending the two aforementioned genres very well. It’s a (relatively) inoffensive collection of heavy noise rock, with an unwavering deep bassline throughout, and of course great vocals from Nick Cave.

3/5

I was quite excited for this one. It's interesting to check if this is indeed one of the worst albums of the 1001 list since when I started the list, I think it was the last of the global list. Finally, it is not so bad. The list has at least 10 albums worse than this one that comes to my mind immediately. Indeed, I think the list has enough Nick Cave ( always inpredictable), but as a post-punk band, they did an almost good job. Good experience.

Well this was an interesting listen. Raw and cacophonic bordering on unhinged. The production quality is terrible which really hurts this. Done properly this wouldn't be so polarizing.

Okay, I was prepared for the worst and I...kind of dug it? I listened to my first Nick Cave album just a little while ago through this project, and I've listened to Abbatoir Blues many times since. I believe I've fallen under his spell, because even when the subject was tense or the music wreaking havoc on my nervous system, something about his absolutely feral vocals kept drawing me in. It's not going to be the kind of album I regularly throw on, but yeah, I'd listen again.

Rating: 6/10 An album that is absolutely unhinged, ugly, noisy, and experimental. Very unique in sound but not always the most enjoyable listen. Best song: Blast Off. Worst song: Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow).

I've never really listened to Nick Cave, I don't love this but it does make me want to listen to more of his output. He has a compelling personality and attitude.

Borderline unlistenable punk made worse by Nick Cave's wild and seemingly drug induced lyrical compositions. I actually thought the music was much more interesting than other punk projects of the time. I think I would need to be in a very specific mood to listen to this album, and it would not be on my birthday. I will say that the music accurately is represented by the album cover.

It''s certainly unique and that album cover is fantastic. I enjoyed the couple of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds albums but this one didn't hit as well as the others.

Wow this was abrasive. Reminded me of Big Black a bit. The intense scraping of metal and yelping gloomy vocals from Nick Cave add a sense of menace, like you’re in the wrong part of town. The nihilistic nature of the songs makes them almost a little too unpalatable. Maybe that’s the point and maybe that gives this an odd sort of allure, but it really makes me feel sick to my stomach. Gut wrenching is probably the best way to describe this, subway rat slime even. It sparks a strong wave of emotion, and for that I applaud its unforgiving artistry.

Remember that time when your cousin was like hey you gotta come with me to hear this band and they drag you to some warehouse in the middle of knowhere. Then some dudes come on the stage that appear to be half out of it and start jamming on some instruments that were all third hand-me-downs. And it's ok, you didn't regret the night but you know it's only because of the weird context of the experience. This album is that.

Early cave energetic and loose.

The artwork is mental, almost Pythonesque! ...and the album itself is just an mental! Would have been ace to see them perform live.

I ignored Nick Cave for about three decades. A good friend at 6th form liked the Birthday Party and I thought it was a hot mess. In the last 10 years I've repented and am very much looking forward to seeing him again live this year. So it was with some trepidation I went back to the source of my dismissal, and it started off prodding me to that memory. As it went on, though, I started to really see the reason Cave shone through - the anger is focused, the lyrics are forming and the sound is the wail of a young man that mellowed.

A lot of fun this one. Cave with more oomph. 3.5 stars

Some really cool rhythms and as Tim Bowness says “proto-goth… AB SO LUTE slab of atonal noise.” And that’s what this is start to finish. I listened to this out of context, that is, walking to a work function on a sunny cool late spring morning. 1982 me would love most of it. Very DIY with shades of PiL but not enough. More in a Crampsy/B-movie/ tongue in cheek vein than his later more literate work. It’s ok, a tough listen all the way through.

Super weird album that I basically enjoyed! Something along the lines of Southern Culture on the Skids. Rockbilly freak out psychedalia. Heavy voltage.

Nick Cave unrefined. Some interesting stuff here

The album’s name and cover perfectly portend its abrasive, cacophonous, and nihilistic sonic assault.

Had to scour the internet to listen to this not on Spotify.

quite screamy. not really what i was in the mood for yesterday, but i think i would have liked it on a different day

Another album I had not listened to for at least 10 years. Production is not great and the music is a bit exhaustive even after getting into it again. But still contains some very good moments.

3/5. The energy in the studio is definitely interesting. It feels like this is recorded under a bridge at 3:00 AM but that benefits the direction they are going for here. Gives a Stooges vibe mixed with even more chaotic instrumentation and vocals. It's scary and haunting but has a non-serious vibe as well, kind of like a scary clown, hence the cover art I assume. There is definitely a mood you need to be in but I enjoyed it today. Best Song: Junkyard, She's Hit, Blast Off

A fun junk-punk album, some like the band recorded it all in the same room together.

Да уж, одного взгляда на обложку достаточно, чтобы понять, что тебя ожидает. Я знал о существовании этого проекта, и тем не менее это забавно, как чел, который сейчас поет такие божественные песни, когда-то занимался вот таким творчеством. Подумалось, что, наверное, Нику Кейву и Майклу Джире есть о чем поговорить, ибо путь их внезапно стал выглядеть для меня довольно схожим. По альбому: всё это захватывающе и интересно, но требует усидчивости и привыкания к записи. Лучшая песня - Several Sins.

Je respecte le risque pris. On dirait une version plus étrange et plus crue de Joy Division. Ce n'est pas tellement mon genre d'expérimental par contre. 5/10

A good album, I liked Blast Off the most.

This was cool - it has that heavy, dark sound that I love, but it was a little too chaotic and grating for listening straight through. I liked it overall, though, and will possibly revisit it. Favorite tracks: She’s Hit; Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow)

On certain days I'll take The Birthday Party over Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, today wasn't one of them but this record still (mostly) slaps.

This happens to be simultaneously the worst possible introduction to Nick Cave and the best possible introduction to Nick Cave. Just one look at the cover, and you know this album is going to be anything but a normal album. And immediately from the first song, my suspicions were confirmed. This album sounds fucked up. It comes off as if it’s trying really hard to be as unappealing as it can possibly be. Totally ridiculous. Nick delivers vocal performances that rival the manic wails of a patient in Arkham Asylum. Fuck trying to be delicate. He just focused on raw power. The instrumentals on the other hand are the exact opposite. Really strange and abnormal arrangements. And for an album with such a flashy and bombastic looking cover, every song is forebodingly dark and depressing. The last thing this album manages to be is enjoyable. At least by the dictionary definition of enjoyable. And I sort of respect it for that. In a year where Eye of the Tiger was a song dominating the popular music world, something like this is refreshing. But I still have to judge these albums based not only on the impact they’ve had, but more on how they make me feel. This is still hard on the ears. And not something I envision myself coming back. Rating: 5/10

Never heard of this band, this was a surprise. Enjoyed it

I don't think I'm a Nick Cave guy. There are plenty of things that I like about what he does and the albums that I have heard, but his albums also never leave me wanting more. This is an interesting post punk album, and I think it's likely that it influenced some artists that I really like. However, it's not a very pleasant listen, although that's not really what they were going for in the first place, so idunnoknow, 3/5 stars? 3/5

La basse est omniprésente. La voix flirte avec les extrêmes. Je peux concevoir que cet album ait influencé de nombreux groupes goths et alternatifs

Skronky and feral post punk weirdness. The influence that The Jesus Lizard took from this is uncanny and if any of them deny that they are full of it. Not a huge Nick Cave fan but this isn't a terrible album. Sounds like an early punk album from the 80: thin and hollow. Bass is constantly driving and the guitar has wild bluesy hooks all over.

Probably fun live, didnt exactly carry over to the recording

What I imagine chronic anxiety feels like.

Oof. I feel like this Kombucha tasting woman from the meme with this one. But I will have to settle for Nah. I totally appreciate this album's existence but compared to the other aggressively weird one, Pere Ubu (#52) from recently, which also featured vocals from the psychiatric ward, the core of the music that's being mangled here is a lot less appealing to me. And so the result more painful than interesting.

Good sound and appropriate vocals, but it just kinda left me wanting to listen to The Gun Club. "Blast Off", "Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow)" and especially "Several Sins" were standouts.

Well, this is post-punk at its rawest. The whole thing was probably recorded from microphones and instruments that were salvaged from a junkyard. I'm sure the copius amount of drugs the band was taking probably helped make it sound better. It's abrasive, and I like that kind of thing - but I like tunes as well. Best Tracks: The Dim Locator; Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow); Big-Jesus-Trash-Can

Singer has a voice somewhat reminiscent of Pete Steele from Type O Negative. Though I guess these guys were before Type O, so I guess it's not really reminiscent. I digress. This is punk, though. Not like The Hives from earlier this week. Punk, my ass.

Noise. But really interesting noise.

This is insane but I kinda like it. Way better than other Nick Cave stuff. 2.62

Too much doom and gloom for me. Sounds like an art school band gone wrong.

As much as I like Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, I was seriously dreading this album based on my experience with their debut album and, frankly, the cover art (I mean, look at it). And, it’s noisy as hell… but, it’s noisy in the good way, like Big Black or the Pixies. Not as good as those, but significantly better than expectations.

a really vicious, feral, ragged punk album. this album reeks. like a well-used towel in a locker room. literally, if there was a word to describe this collection, it would be wet. alas between the reverberated drums, ringing guitar twangs and really... really peculiar vocal qualities, it doesn't really do much for a guy like me.

A better example for nick cave. Too druggy and pretentious for me but not awful.

I was never really a Cave fan (although his performance of The Pogues Rainy Night In Soho at Shane MacGowan’s recent funeral was breathtakingly good). And at the time I thought The Birthday Party were just unjustifiably noisy. I remember their first gigs back in Sydney after this album was released, in May 1983. The vibe surrounding them was huge among punters who avoided the mainstream musical route. To this day the only Birthday Party vinyl I own is the 4-track E.P. The Bad Seed, because it includes the only track of theirs that I’ve always enjoyed, Deep In The Woods, released in March 1983, before they returned here. Anyway, I’ve been flogging Junkyard for the last few daze. I really like Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow), which includes some lines from Gloria by Them (Van Morrison); The Dim Locator, which features some mesmeric guitar by Roland; & Several Sins - all three of these were either written or co-written by Howard, which points to how important he was to the band. They still sound like a noisy bunch, but I seem to deal with it better than I did at the time. Old age, I guess?

I was aware of Nick Cave and the Birthday Party in the early to mid 80s, but it was 'Deanna' that really clicked for me, and I started listening to his late 80s/early 90s records a lot. The Birthday Party were a noisy and genuinely dangerous band, which I like. And this is an ugly sounding record, but you can't deny its power and weird groove. It's not a dumb record, but the preoccupation with sex and violence (largely as a metaphor for heroin use, as far as I can tell) wears a little thin. I'm sure they were a-maaaaaa-zing live, but that was a little before my time. I am going to quote from Mr Cave himself, from his Red Hand Files blog (https://www.theredhandfiles.com/why-are-you-going-to-kings-coronation/), reflecting on his younger self: "And as for what the young Nick Cave would have thought – well, the young Nick Cave was, in all due respect to the young Nick Cave, young, and like many young people, mostly demented, so I’m a little cautious around using him as a benchmark for what I should or should not do. He was cute though, I’ll give him that. Deranged, but cute." I think that is a pretty good summary of this record; deranged, but cute. There is a dangerous sex appeal to the record, which is just a little bit exhausting from the viewpoint of my middle-aged self. But I think it was always supposed to be a bit funny. I don't listen to this record often, but it is still fresh and compelling after all these years. Tony Cohen did a bang-up job of getting it all on tape. Side note: the terrible industrial punk band I played in during the early 90s were a bunch of pretentious smart arses, and we used to play a medley of Deep in the Woods (from the next Birthday Party record), along with the Teddy Bears' Picnic and the theme from Playschool. I like to think that Nick would have laughed.

Lots of noise. I understand why people would either love or hate this. I'm thoroughly in the middle.

good post-punk if you like it

Very weird album by Nick Cave and the gang. You can hear some similarities to his later work, but at this time it wasn't anywhere near as good as, for example, his collaboration with The Bad Seeds. Just an average album at best.

Dus dit is postpunk. Ik snap het, ik moet grijnzen, er zit veel Captain Beefheart in, 't is non-conformistisch en schopt tegen alles, 't is trash, 't is gevaarlijk, 't is ook wel iets te gothic naar m'n smaak, bizarre mix met country-invloeden ook, weirde mix. Ik zal dit zelden of nooit opzetten om naar te luisteren. Maar in 1982 was dit wssch behoorlijk crazy en z'n tijd (ver) vooruit. Wel goed om af en toe naar te luisteren als inspiratie. Wat wel leuk is, is dat Nick Cave hier nog écht gevaarlijk is in plaats van gespeeld gevaarlijk zoals nu. Several Sins is tof, 6" Gold Blade ook.

meh

Nick Cave has been screaming in a demonic voice for over 40yrs, as this album clearly demonstrates. I found the incessant and barbaric percussion gripping; I felt disturbed by the lyrical content. I’m sure that’s exactly what the antipodean Tom Waits wanted. Punky Bluester? Possibly not for the content.

Pretty interesting. Never knew the Nick Cave origin story until coming across this. Its a tortured sleezy aggressive Nick Cave that is pretty challenging. Several Sins stands out the most for me, though I also liked Kewpie Doll and the craziness of Hamlet. Engaging enough to appreciate.

I don't see why this is so praised

Till slut fick jag äntligen Nick Cave. Nu var det väl inte så här jag tänkte honom men alla är vi barn i början. Vänta bara, den senare delen av 80-talet börjar det hända grejer.

Für ein Punk Album sehr gut, kreativ und nicht langweilig. Nur nicht meine Musik - 3.5

Fine. Kinda full on

Fine, I'd listen again in the right mood. Kinda grating. Also the singer is kinda cringe

I love the idea of Nick Cave, and the fact of him. I love that he exists, and that he made the music he made, and it had the influences it had. I’m very glad he writes his blog and I’m looking forward to the interview with Rick Rubin, on Tetragrammaton, which, coincidentally also dropped yestersay. But I do not enjoy listening to Nick cave’s music. This was rocking and they rock, for sure, but it’s not for me.

Tavallaan ihan mielenkiintoista. Vaikka tää onkin taas tämmöistä aika noise punkki taide paskaa, niin kappaleissa tuntu kuitenkin olevan vähän ees järkeä ja tietty tunnelma.

So this is one of the lowest rated albums on here and I've been prepared for it. As a massive Nick Cave fan I've known of this album for a long time and I think I did listen to it after reading a biography of Nick Cave a long time ago. I was prepared to hate it but I actually found it really interesting. It's chaotic, it's jarring but you can see the basis of what Nick Cave became from this. I think his voice is excellent and the chaos mixed with the musical side is really cool. I can't say I'd ever pop this on on a Sunday afternoon listen or maybe ever again but it's certainly got merit musically.

Wasn’t expecting this

Interesting. Had some cool moments. Could dive into Nick cave a bit more.

November 3rd, 2023 Now this is a Halloween record Straight from the 1001 Albums Generator Hall of Shame, it's the Birthday Party! And I honestly can't tell at this point if I liked it. I didn't NOT like it, if that's any consolation. Though it has some common ground with my personal least favourite albums, in particular the abrasiveness (Public Image Ltd.), the wailing (Now We Got Worry) and the grisly lyrics (Antichrist Superstar), I just can't hate it. Maybe it's because I know Junkyard already gets its fair share of hate, and I must try harder to appreciate it! Or the simpler answer, is that the scuzzy blues and intense, theatrical performance from Cave strikes an uneasy balance that's oddly fun. Probably won't go around recommending it, but I bought it on Bandcamp HL: “6" Gold Blade”, “She’s Hit”, “Big-Jesus-Trash-Can” Finally, shout out to the biggest statistical anomalies of this website. The Who & Nick Cave have some of the most albums of any artist on this list, yet it took me almost 600 albums to see either one of them. Guess I needed to complete all the Sonic Youths and Leonard Cohens to “unlock” them 🔓

She's Hit is the first song to surprise me in ages, with a Tom Waits-style vocal performance! OMG It's Nick Cave.

Decent; didn't love it but I enjoyed it well enough. I heard some very Daughters reminiscent guitar sounds on at least one track of this album, that's pretty cool.

Well, I know where Lake of Dracula got their sound from.

Bluesy, reverb-drenched primal rage. Anchored by solid bass lines and a relentless beat, it reminds me of Ministry and Jesus Lizard. "Several Sins" and "Release the Bats" are the ones I liked the best, but "Big Jesus Trash Can" gets an honorable mention. I can see where this has an influence on Industrial and Grunge.

3. Solid punk record. A little too repetitive for my tastes.

Going back for this and it was fine. Didn’t do a ton, but it did teach me about another Nick Cave project so that’s neat (2.5/5)

"Junkyard" is the third and final long play studio album by Austalian post-punk band The Birthday Party. Post punk and punk blues. If chaos was a musical genre, I'd add that too. The lyrics were inspired by American Southern Gothic imagery and deal with extreme subjects such as murder and heroin. The Birthday Party bandmembers are Nick Cave (lead vocals), Mick Harvey (guitar, sax, bass, drums, organ), Rowland S. Howard (guitar, sax), Tracy Pew (bass) and Phil Calvert (drums). A slow drum and percussion and an eerie guitar open "She's Hit." A plodding pace. Random percussion sounding like gunshots. Cave moaning/screaming. She's hit, a woman dead. The bass drives "Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow). A pounding beat. More chaotic and high-pitched guitar. Cave growling and yelling pow, pow, pow. "Kiss Me Black" actually starts out like a normal rock-punk song. Bass and tin-can drums. It starts and stops. Cave mumbling throughout. I made out something about a murdered daughter. ""6" Gold Blade" has a plodding bass, random guitar noises. This time it's about killing a girl. The album ends with "Junkyard." The instruments are seemingly on their own. The guitar sounds like it's getting tuned. The drums are making random noises. Cave becoming increasingly more intense as the song progresses. Yeah, it's about heroin. This album took me awhile to get into. On paper, I should love this but it took some time. I did gain an appreciation. This is unique and has a scary atmosphere. Nick Cave growls, howls, talks, mumbles, screams and is mostly unintelligible. At times the instruments sound like their being played randomly. It took my second listen to grasp the melodies. If you like Suicide or experimental music, this might be for you.

I liked it more than I would’ve liked it back when I started this challenge. Dark and abrasive post punk. It’s a very unusual, outrageous musical statement; it’s in a similar category in my mind to Trout Mask Replica. I was interested the whole album, it definitely wasn’t boring, it just kinda hurt my ears a little bit

Half of this was really good, other half was unlistenable noise

Awkward and a tough listen

What did Joe do to deserve this

I listened to half the album and thought “this sounds like a more jagged Nick Cave” and lo and behold.

PREFS : Blast Off, Dead Joe, The Dim Locator, Several Sins, Kiss Me Black, Dead Joe - 2nd Version, Release the Bats MOINS PREF : Junkyard

Alle ingrediënten zijn er, werd er wel erg nerveus van. Dit luister ik nog wel een keer op mijn gemak

Helt deec

Fick int så mycke ur dehä tbh! Men de va helt kova i guess

Different, it set a certain atmosphere and I really liked it

No esta en spotify :(

Really not my thing

Fascinating listening. Only a few that I actively "like". But most are good. Very interesting to listen to this in the musical context of what came after these guys.

not super familiar with post punk outside the UK but i was fairly surprised that i hadnt heard of this before since i thought it was great. i liked the sketchy tone and lyricism

This album is SO funny. It's so out there!! And it's a Nick Cave early glimpse. WOW. So over-the-top unpleasant to listen to. Just an album full of turn-offs. Great execution on a disgusting idea, 3/5

Is it strange how I like this better than Nick Cave's solo work? It's eery, raw, and wild and influential on both gothic rock and noise rock. Reminds me of Bauhaus if they listened to too much Pere Ubu or Public Image Ltd's Metal Box. It didn't have to be 47 minutes, and there were a few tracks I didn't feel were too special, but I found something cool out of most of them. And there were surprisingly good tracks, most notably "She's Hit" and "Release the Bats." Favorites: Blast Off, She's Hit, Dim Locator, Several Sins, Junkyard, Release the Bats

Certainly not boring. Loud, abrasive, dark, slightly frightening. I can see why people don't like it. I didn't mind it. It's not perfect but it is a very interesting listen. Did not know this was Nick Cave's first band. Not the worst thing I've heard on here that's for sure.

this has elements of so much music i like but with absolutely no flow whatsoever.

Birthday

Loud, dissonant and weird. Probably not surprising I like it. A missing link in Nick Cave for me. He definitely had something going already. Will probably grow on me

Meh

Had a tough time getting in to this. It's got it's own vibe for sure, and I'm sure more listens would bring more appreciation to it. Scuzzy is a great word to describe it.

The classic Nick Cave's DNA, but with even more edge.

Really liked a few songs and really disliked other. Min/max for me.

Interesting sounds and Nick Cave’s voice makes this album standout. 3/5

Seeing the album cover and the low average score I expected to hate this. I didn’t found it interesting and atmospheric but very angry. Will I listen again probably not, but I’m glad I gave it a chance and I do believe there is a place for albums like this on the list.

I feel like this is one album I should not like as much as I do. I think I just like this kind of punk. Production wasn’t really that good. But there were some catchy songs. Really enjoyed “She’s Hit.”

Interesting little album, I really enjoyed the first song because it was fast-paced and energetic, but every song afterwards was quite more thoughtful while still keeping the grungy-ness. I can't say it made much of an impression on me but I feel like this might be one of those albums that grows on me the more I listen to it.

Hahaha, s ovim albumom smo, ili koji je već bio...drugi treći? Krenuli sa ocjenjivanjem. Prije ove aplikacije, Sven, Ivan i ja. Sjećam ga se kad sam ga slušao u SPS, na poslu. Čudno je sve to bilo, kasnije mi se više svidio, pogotovo uživo izvedba, 3.5/5 bi dao, ali naravno ovdje nema takvo šta.

flakka milli þriggja og fjögurra. Spennandi en samt varla nógu melódískt fyrir minn smekk

Crap cover but not bad album.

Talking Heads on crack. Nothing spectacular, but it is not like I did not enjoy the ride.

Prettty wild. Melvins-esque.

This cover is ugly. And not because of the Ed Roth troll driving a hot rod. That part is cool. It's because it looks like it started out as a good t-shirt decal and then someone airbrushed purple and pink over it for no reason? Oh man. It's bad. The music is better, though it didn't sink in. There's something to it that kept trying to drag me back in and I'll probably give it a closer listen some other time - though if I'm saying that now, it's also very possible that won't happen. It's a little like other Nick Cave stuff - it either grabs me at the top and holds on or I feel like I can't get in. With this, I can't get in.

In the plus column: raw, vital, wild, Nick Cave sounds positively demented, a good reminder of the gonzo potential of rock 'n' roll. Negatives: eh, you can't really dance to it, can you? And isn't it just that little bit too wilfully ugly? Good clean fun, all told. I'm glad there's space for this kind of unpasteurised music to exist.

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: She’s hit

Damn, this shit was gritty and nasty! Reminded me of a band called The Horrors that I used to listen to in high school. Sure enough, they list The Birthday Party as one of their influences. This record felt a little drawn out but there was such a wealth of textures and sounds that I didn't mind it too much. Will definitely check out more from this band.

I'm not sure what to make of this - but I don't know that I'll bother listening to it again to find out.

It was good, but I wasnt that impress..

It is a cool, angry and edgy album, the singer is very nice, a kind of pissed-off Jim Morrison... but it lacks the "engaging" factor for me. I appreciated it, but I don't remember it and do not want to listen to it again. Glad to know it exists, tho.

It was more punk than expected but was good. Had never heard them or of them before this.

It’s been well covered here that the Nick Cave thing doesn’t really work for me. I think I liked this less than prior examples. I think they’re doing exactly what they set out to do with this and there is an audaciousness to it but I have no use for it.

It's like a demented Tom Waits but for all the tracks with a punk-noise backing band. I kind of dig it but not enough to be a "fan", but respect. WELCOME TO THE CAR SMAAAASH

Rat Fink music

Não me pegou muito, mas foi interessante conhecer.

Enjoyed it, but i doubt i'd listen again

It’s a mood.

Definite 3.5, will listen again

Chaotic and noisy. Quite likeable

This is my first listen to this album. I'm a little confused how this particular album seems to be so widely reviled, when there are way worse albums on here. It's fine, people. It's a little ramshackle and noisy, but it's also creative and weirdly fun. Musically, it has a gothic/post-punk/rockabilly sensibility, like Bauhaus and Cramps had a demon baby. I'll take this kind of snarling, high energy fun over Kid Rock any old day. Fave Songs: Dead Joe, Several Sins, The Dim Locator, Kewpie Doll, Junkyard

I'm not usually a Nick Cave fan, but I quite liked this.

Interesting but not my thing...some solid music but this would not be replayed by me anyday soon. But this is exactly the kind of album/education I expected to receive as I go through this list. Nick Cave is much older than I realized and his early efforts are completely unknown to me.

Nyt on bändillä osuva nimi, kunnon kaatismenoa. Melkein vois olla 4/5 multa, mut loppupuoli ei yhtä vahva ku alku ja Hamletin lopun hokeminen vähän rasautti (tarkoituksella? kenties.) Annetaan nyt 3/5.

I like this more than I thought. It was entertaining but not a must-play for me.

It's really interesting for 1982?! I would have guessed it was contemporary! But not real easy listening.

Sounds a lot like Nick Cave... oh. Cool!

I knew this was Nick Cave's old band but didn't expect it sound like this. A lot like The Fall which is a good thing to me

Rob zombie precursor

Не. Ну, не

So weird, couldn't stop listening becausenit was too weird

Love me some Birthday Party but I prefer "Hee Haw" to this one. The drugs had caught up to them by this point, and I think you can hear it

Nick Cave howls like a MADMAN, dawg. 5/10

Not bad, but probably wouldn't re-listen.

Listen later

I kinda dig it!

2.5 stars

Dark and damp, noisy as hell, rather well organized chaos. Standout Tracks: She’s Hit, The Dim Locater, Big Jesus Trash Can, 6” Gold Blade, Release The Bats

I found this quite annoying in the most part with the occasional bit I really liked. Weird.

Entiendo la importancia del disco y respeto su fiereza y carácter abrasivo, el hecho de que sea un asalto sonoro a manos de Cave, que tiene una de las voces más distintivas del panorama musical en general. Pero ha sido un horror escuchar esto, por lo que incluso si era la intención, no puedo calificarlo de otra manera

This album is as deranged and wild as its cover, but I wouldn't say it sounds like the cover. This doesn't barrel at you like a monster in a speeding car. Instead, it lurks and stirs menacingly, roaring the whole time. It's full of manic vocals, thumping bass, and grating guitars, but something prevents it from feeling like an all-out assault. Maybe it's the somewhat tinny production? Or the relatively sparse songwriting? There are few verses or choruses to find here, just the ravings of early career Nick Cave, and that mostly prevents the songs from gaining any kind of momentum. There are things happening, but they never fall into place and pummel you. For some that chaos is probably the draw. For me, it leaves me unable to find anything to grasp onto.

I do like a huge chunk of Nick Cave's work, he's a unique man, absolutely fascinating who produces many of the best songs around. I've dabbled with his early incarnation before, why wouldn't I? I'm search of more NC gems. I've come to the same conclusion as before, angry young man finding his way. It's a raw sound for sure, and it seems to be an important stepping stone to his later greatness. It's a stepping stone I'll leap over in the future.

Just no

A bit annoying after a while

aight

Maso

I did not care for this at all.

This was a high 2. I can respect that this was a new type of sound and that Nick Cave has an insane legacy, but I just didn't enjoy listening to it. And that's that!

Yikes, that was just nothing very good

Nick Cave strikes again

Пост панк но не оч

Well, I guess i’m not a big fan of post punk

Petit côté the résidents Parfois c’est comme mal produit on entend rien J’aime bien l’ambiance de 6’´ gold blade Pareil pour Junkyard Je trouve ça pas nul non plus 5/10

Initially, I was surprised I hadn't heard of this band, considering it's from my homeland. I quickly realised it's because they're shit.

This makes me think less of all of the Nick Cave albums I haven't gotten yet. Sorry but this album stinks like yesterday's diapers.

For however abrasive and noisy that it gets it does feel like a unique and interesting listen. Will not come back to it often though. 7/10 [KEEP]

You know, many of these last few items I may have been too gracious with; as I've forgotten them almost immediately after listening.

One good song. The rest was okay.

this album was just not my dig but they did do a beatles tribute with blackbird which i thought was nice. the lead singer just needs to clear his throat and his vocals might pass

IT’S YOU!!! AND SO SOON!!! I actually have listened to very little of Nick Cave’s earlier works (generally a wild god/boatman’s call guy) so it’s nice to finally have a chance to hear his earlier more intense rock phase that he had with Birthday Party. His voice has always been so intense and expressive but it’s usually not pushed very far in his newer albums which are more typically more somber and reflective. With that said, I really wanted to give this a 5 based on my immense admiration for Cave, his life and his career, but there’s a reason The Birthday Party wasn’t a hit for its brief run. It just isn’t great. Nick Cave has better works so I don’t know why this made the list. It’s an intense, expressive, violent album (which was Birthday Party’s whole M.O.) so it did feel like a worthwhile listen, but that doesn’t mean I loved it. The instrumentals are so discordant and the sound mixing is so off-putting (TF was that “Dead Joe” thing) that I’m driven by subconscious forces to beg myself to stop listening. Somehow, I enjoyed it a decent amount all the same. A connecting thread for my 1 ratings is that they come from albums that are just plain boring. I’ve thought about moving Ramones down with Blonde on Blonde (which I think is my least favorite album so far) because it fits that mold of “doing what you’re okay at as safely as possible” that frustrated me so much. Junkyard does not bore me, and I did find myself glad that I listened to it, even if it may have been some masochistic amusement. This is bad, and though it probably was meant to be bad it doesn’t mean it should be rewarded for being bad. A few good/great tracks kept this from being a 1 though (love you “Blast Off”!) I want this album cover on a shirt ASAP.

I almost could see how this was cool in the early 80s. Almost. But not quite.

This genre is usually right up my alley, which honestly made this more disappointing. Nothing here really impressed me. It mostly just sounded like run of the mill post punk without much to separate it from a bunch of other albums doing similar things. That’s probably the biggest problem with it. It’s not awful, it’s just there. The mood, the sound, the attitude, none of it felt distinct enough to make me care much. For something that should’ve been an easy win for me, this one was pretty forgettable.

Cacophonous and brash. I enjoyed "Release The bats" from this era, but didn't enjoy this mess of an album.

I love Nick Cave but this is horrible!

“She’s Hit” is a pleasant surprise. The other highlight, “Release the Bats,” wasn’t on the original release. Nick Cave is an artist that I’ll be getting to know better over the next 2 1/2 years. 5/10.

<sigh> This list and its capacity to surprise me after over 2 years and 850 albums. I mean, what the fuck is that? The music matches the cover art perfectly. It's utterly horrible. Apparently this was Nick Cave's band, but unless you have a particular interest in his specific backstory, you can safely die without subjecting yourself to this messy, screechy post-punk dirge.

eigentlich mag ich metal oder was das sein soll... ich würde sagen junkyard beschreibt es ganz gut... hab erst die hälfte aber kann schon sagen dass es mid ist

This must be the worst album cover on this list! I don't usually like Nick Cave, but his singing was actually tolerable here. Interesting punk, that I didn't mind it so much.

Bloody miserable way to spend three quarters of an hour. Like a less-accessible, deliberately-obtuse, antipodean Tom Waits having a mad one. The band obviously know what they're doing but it's still a fackin' ghoulish, atonal, speed-bender of a racket. Not for me, thanks.

This album went nowhere. It was trash.

Like a rockabilly mix of Bahaus and PIL without the ideas or talents of either. Other than a couple of decent tracks sounded like a ramshackle band playing for the first time

Listening session: april 26th, while getting ready in the morning and while going for a walk Listened to before: no Thoughts: this was just too noisy for me to enjoy. Only after listening I discovered that Nick Cave was in this band, but that was nog enough to improve my score Favourite track: Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow)

I don’t get Nick Cave, I never have and I don’t get this

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.

Hard to listen to

Like listening to a garage rehearsal through a tin can on a strong. I like it well enough but doubt I’ll listen again.

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.