Junkyard

Some songs on the album are tolerable. I got halfway through Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow) and that was enough for me. Imagine if Tom Waits displayed no musical talent and a genuine desire to make his shows extremely irritating without redeeming artistic value.

I was not previously familiar with the artist or album, however I am familiar with Nick Cave as some albums have come up earlier in the 1001 albums exercise. Once I realized that Nick Cave was involved in this and after I looked at the album cover, the music of this album pretty much exactly matches what I expected. I'm really not a fan of his style, and this album has an unpalatable dark and dissonant sound on top of that. I suppose maybe this album has some historical importance, at least within the context of Nick Cave's career, but I do not care for it and would not listen again.

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.

Bullshit

Wow! That was horrible. I need some Propranolol to calm down. Truly anxiety inducing music. I can appreciate the intent and the execution but it's not for me. The best albums are usually ones that you either love or hate and unfortunately I hate this, it made me feel something but it wasn't anything good.

What a load of inane shouting and ‘songs’ that all sound the same!

Couldn’t figure this one out. Not a huge Nick Cave fan though either.

Straight ass, would not recommend

I began to appreciate Nick Cave well after The Birthday Party and prefer his more gothic work to the psycho rave-up that I heard here. If you're a fan of Dallas' Reverend Heat, you may want to jump in the pool.

A very strange album, and one I probably like more on a second true listen, but it was instructive as to what I personally like in my songs. Pure non-melodic expressive vocals can be a nice listen, but when they feel off time I can't say I'm a huge fan. Ghosts of Perdition has non-melodic vocals I love, and the Idles have lyrics that can be out of sync with the rest of the group that I enjoy, but not here. The drums are so free form and the guitar is practically riff-less, so I just couldn't groove into the songs as well as I wanted. It's very open and chaotic, but I'm still at a point where one of these would be fine, all of them is too much.

I'm 6 tracks in and I already know I'm going to rate this 5*. I've never even heard of this band, but right off the rip, all I can hear is Mr. Bungle. Except that no one from Mr. Bungle was ever in this band, and this album came out nearly 10 years prior to the first Mr. Bungle studio release. I'm also surprised to learn that one of its founding members is Nick Cave—whom I'm not even very fond of to begin with.

Nick Cave makes so much more sense as the lead singer of a psychobilly noise rock band. I assume he still dresses the same cos his style is bang on for this music which is why it's so jarring for everything else. As an album it was a touch too loose but there were some great songs on here. Really reminded me of mclusky with big bass lines keeping the song together and the guitars doing mad stuff. Kiss me black the best of this sort I think, really enjoyed several sins too. Turns out I'm a nick cave fan after all!

This was quite the challenge. Really not on board with it, prefer his waily, miserable stuff. It was a bit unpleasant.

I don't mind noisy, shouty, weird vocals, but I need some sort of melody to cling to. This rarely had that and made it very difficult to listen to. It's crazy. I have to admit, by the time the second version of "dead Joe" came around I was more on board with it, but still cant say I would be back. I'm going to say 2 as there are glimmers of coherence and it has that kinda industrial sounding thing going on that you hear in joy division, but it's far too lost in the madness. Wow, I just read that it's Nick Cave! Glad I didn't know that before listening, it's still way too mad

It’s insane, it’s chilling, it’s loud, it’s messy, and it’s not my thing in the slightest. I can respect it, especially with the influence it had on later rock acts, but maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for something like this because I couldn’t finish it. Didn’t like it at all.

i guess music really is subjective

Messy. Very messy. Probably needed to ease off the creme-de-methe just a touch. Simultaneously gives equal parts "trailblazing" and "incoherent nonsense" vibes. I didn't exactly hate it, but will it ever appear on rotation again............ no. No it won't.

Leave it in the Junkyard

I’m going to file this under ‘art I don’t understand.’ There are a lot of paintings I don’t understand, there is dance I don’t understand, and various other types of performance art I just don’t get. I think this is that. My one star rating doesn’t reflect active dislike, but rather a lack of understanding or, perhaps, just the idea that this album is not ‘for me’.

1. Not my thing.

not in spotify

Wow this was rough. Not sure the hype around it, I don’t think I vibe with any post punk. It’s too weird and not melodic enough, can’t enjoy the lyrics or vocals, don’t ever plan on listening again

I applaud the rock'n roll attitude but it's barely listenable. Somehow, even though Nick Cave is shouting all the time the sound seems to lack of presence. Neither the bass nor the guitar really gives an harmonic and even less a melodic colour. Is that production?

Definitely not for me…. « Eh eh eh » … And no, you’re not the king !!

Nick Cave like I never imagined him : wild, punk, and chaotic. Super interesting, and honestly, pretty listenable as long as you’re not allergic to garage rock. It’s not exactly groundbreaking (it’s basically Joy Division mixed with Killing Joke), but definitely surprising and fun! I see it’s in the top 10 of the lowest-rated albums here. That’s not really fair, even if it’s not something I’d play every day, it is still better than some other post-punk stuff we’ve faced till now.

Good

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

This speaks to the edgelord in me who used to go to basement shows in punk houses that had graffiti covering every inch of the wall, where the only furniture in the entire house was a beat up couch someone grabbed from the dump that you could put your cigarettes out on, and the stray cat that “lived there” was able to use the toilet like a human, so you’d have to just wait in line between sets while the cat took a piss. Maybe I was dropped a lot as a child, maybe it’s the transfemme brain worms, maybe it’s the ADHD that went undiagnosed for three decades, maybe it’s growing up near the prominent noise rock/post-punk scene of Providence, Rhode Island. Whatever it may be, if you give me a bunch of punks literally banging metal pots and pans together while screaming esoteric poetry about robbing, driving fast cars, murder, and drugs until it creates an obnoxious feedback buzz, I’m going to eat that shit up. And this is hands down the pinnacle of that vibe.

Makes me feel anxious. Not a big fan

Easily one of the worst albums I've ever endured. I've heard more pleasant sounds in public restrooms.

1,5

it was too loud for me, I feel like an old woman

I didn’t like this.

So far the music and the lyrics are faux complex. You have succeeded in your attempt to totally turn me off.

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 am an avowed Nick Cave fan, but this holds no interest to me.

I dig their energy, but I'm not quite sure it all gels together into a cohesive whole. I'm not sure I would have seen Nick Cave as someone with lasting star power.

Noise

Just noise

Bizarro, oscuro, pobre nivel de musicalidad, mal grabado. Me parece una excelente demostración del estilo post punk de la época. No puedo decir que me guste, pero siempre me resulta interesante escuchar este estilo de música trash, tan cruda y sin apologías. Además considero que el punto en este tipo de música es que no "guste", es jugar con lo desagradable, trabajar el arte desde la fealdad.

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

Highlights: The Dim Locator, Several Sins. In a nutshell: sowing The Bad Seeds Raw and unhinged punk-blues. Venomous and demonic. I'm thankful Nick Cave and Rowland S. Howard refined this music style after the band's break-up and by forming The Bad Seeds. Learning some compositional restraint helped too. If you liked Nick Cave when he went in hard on Murder Ballads (ie Stagger Lee and The Curse of Millhaven), you might like this. Overall: 3/10

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.

It's loud. It's rowdy. It's not for me. Just felt like noise from some local garage band that's drank a few too many beers (probably Keystone Lights? Pabst?). The album art is cool, though.

It's okay, i guess.

Yeah. Just no. I skimmed through every song, to see if it got better. It didn’t. I’m struggling to understand how that was rated as one of the 1001 best albums on any metric. I feel like I can generally appreciate if something is good, even if I am not into it myself, but this one just left me baffled

Right up there with the Butthole Surfers. Who gave them studio time?

This is not conducive to being able to think and listen at the same time. Made it 3 songs before turning it off

Unappealing garbage. I can't believe Nick Cave ever sang for, wrote for, and was part of The Birthday Party.

The Birthday Party plays the type of music that, if played at an actual birthday party, would probably just encourage everyone to make a swift and urgent exit. Truly, I didn't enjoy a bit of this, not even with the goth elements that were sprinkled across the album. It's been a while since I've dished out a 1 star rating, but this album truly earned it.

Batshit crazy. Love it.

# 492 : Junkyard : 30/05/2025 Borderline unbearable and makes you want to go and stab something. What a terrible listening experience. This was rated Number 17 in the Australian Top 100 Albums, better than many other Australian bands albums? Really? - Great album artwork though. The Dim Locator - if you have to listen to this, at least spin that one.

Barely qualifies as an "album". Horrendous production and unintelligible songs. Maybe would be better with a remaster, but its just 45 mins of noise

Nick Cave, innit?

Experimental post punk. For the kids...

point6.

Really not for me.

Based on the album artwork, I was excited for this, assuming it was along the lines of Ministry or Butthole Surfers. It sort of was, but in the ways that I don't like. It's a tough listen and I wasn't too fond of it. Cool album art though. Necessary listening before you die: No.

Might win the award for one of the worst albums I have ever not listened to completely because it’s just straight ass. 1/10

Shit noise

2+

Just not good. Feels out of tune and out of time for most of it.

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.

I can see what they were going for, and I can respect that, but it generally wasn't my thing. I don't think it deserves the rating it has on this site though, at least it was doing something a bit different!

This one was too discordant for me. I like his voice and some of the guitar and bass parts but I thought the mix was weird. There were some sections I liked but a full album of that much noise was just too much for me. Fav song: Several Sins Least fav: Release The Bats

Nick Cave. Yep! Yep yep yep

The vocals remind me of Tupelo by Nick Cave. It's pretty musically strong, some good jams in there.

Terrible, no redeeming features.

Redefines what a “good” album is (by being mostly bad). Kind of unlistenable but a part of me likes it.

Wow! I hated this! DNF

Junkyard doesn't sit as high up there as Door Door or Prayers on Fire for me but it is still excellent. Guitar work is fantastic, vocals guttural and spat at you. This one meanders at times, and I think the poet we know and love in Cave came later in the Bad Seeds, where he honed expertly weaving the macabre, angst and romance together. Here we only get two of the three.

Absolute mayhem! I love this record so much.

I listened to this whilst deeply angry with incompetent co-workers, and it was surprisingly suitable given the amount of violent, incoherent noise/rage in my brain. I don't think there is any other scenario where this album fits.

Junkyard Release the Bats

What a fun challenge! 🍍👁👄👁🍹 🙄🍸...😐🍷... ... ok work! 2.5

1 star

I can't believe how low the rating is. It's such a unique album. Awful cover art apart, you're hit with one of the best meshes between goth punk and punk rock in the 80s. Great discovery.

How is this punk rock?

Unfinishable

What a terrible listening experience

just not a fan of the vibe of the record -

Fun

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

A lot of just noise. I like loud and fast music but this just doesn’t hit right.

Weird but cool.

p498. 1982. 2 stars. Prototype "Grinderman". Probably included because of what Nick Cave went on to do, but this isn't essential listening.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit, a very unique album. I am a big fan of noise rock and post punk, so I was excited that there is an album here that combines them. I do however think that there is room for improvement here. This album reminds me a lot of Atomizer by Big Black. Low 4.

Nick Cave is the most over rated "musician". He sounds like a Temu version of Lux Interior only the shipping box was destroyed by the post man. It's not art, it's shitting on a pedestal in a museum and convincing all your friends to call it art. Another painful waste of my time.

Huh Nick Cave's band, lotta 2's lately!!

Just a bit of a noise

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?

I'm not really a Nick Cave fan, but this album ranges from pretty horrible to pretty alright. Lots of noise/chaos and none of the songs really stand out from the pack. Might be worth listening to again, but there's a good chance I'd regret it.

this is good but also i can see why a bunch of people here hate it lmao

Probably a bit beyond me. Some decent sections on some tracks but a tough listen overall

Sounds like a full album from löded diper. Looked at the wiki and they’re from suburban Melbourne. Sorry but angsty can you really get with that much year round sunlight. Specific rating - 1.2 Fav song- junkyard Least fav- release the bats

Too chaotic and noisy for me personally. Hate to think that this is what living in London for two years does to Nick Cave. Favourite: Several Sins Least: Kiss Me Black

duro

would not listen to again 1.

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.

Nick Cave and the Worst Seeds

I dig it

Some older Nick Cave is cool but didn't really connect with any tracks

Initial reaction upon seeing the album cover: what the fuck is this? Initial reaction upon hearing the music: What. The. Fuck. Is. This? After having some more time to think about it: WHAT THE FUCK? Seriously, this list is so fucked. I was looking at the index of all the artists/albums, and when absolute shit like this is a "must hear" album but others like Tool, Linkin Park, Gorillaz, and basically any and all influential country music after about 1985 is left off it really makes me question the validity of this list and (more importantly) my desire to continue this fool's errand. This is one of those albums that was forgotten for a reason, and should stay that way. I don't care if it has some link to a later singer or group that was influential. Shit is shit, and lots of groups have shit that has no reason to be dredged up again.

The best thing about this album is the cover was created by Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, the legendary artist behind the iconic hot rod character Rat Fink and a pioneer of the "Kustom Kulture" art movement, which later inspired inspired the "Weird Wheels" trading cards produced by Topps in 1980 that we avidly collected and traded as kids. Otherwise, everything else about the album sucked.

Album cover looks exactly like a series of shirts from the early ‘00s where nasty-looking guys would be driving cars with their eyes popping out. It wasn’t No Fear… I can’t remember. Was it a skateboard brand? I remember seeing them all around SoCal and Google isn’t helping me. Somebody let me know. Oh yeah, album was not my thing. Surf-rock but the ocean is made out of motor oil and the surfers are all on amphetamines.

Utter trash

Fuck that.

КАКОФОНИЯ!!!!!

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.

Taxing to listen to. Chaotic. Nihilistic. Violent. Misogynistic. I did enjoy some of the humor in this record (Hamlet and Big Jesus Trash Can) but that’s about it. Almost impossible to listen to in its entirety.

Blind album and artist. It sounded awful and loud and boring all at the same time, and personally would be okay to never listen to this again.

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

0.5

Not for me

Didn’t like the genre

I have a good friend who likes Nick Cave. Other than listening to some Grinderman, I have never found the right entry point to a fairly extensive catalog, although, having recently started to watch Peaky Blinders, in which Cave's music features, I have been thinking of exploring further. Then this turns up. I have heard the name, The Birthday Party, but knew nothing about them, not even that Nick Cave and other Bad Seeds started out here. Musically, it reminds me of PIL, angular, spiky post-punk; some of the guitar playing puts me in mind of Television; but it is feral and unhinged. Cave wails and howls, the band lurches and zigzags - sometimes it sounds rockabilly, sometimes almost metal, sometimes like a murder set to music. Whatever it is, I like it.

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

2.75

1001 albums but they're all Nick Cave

Fuck Nick Cave

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

Not very good. Seemed more like noise than music. Not sure how this is considered something that one has to listen to. 1.5/5 Won’t listen again

This sounds like Nick Cave is trying to mix the gritty experimental post punk of Public Image Ltd with the gritty blues rock of Tom Waits. If every part of that sentence makes you cringe, be prepared to loathe this album! For the minority of us though, it's a pretty wild ride. Nick Cave certainly refined his style and learned to calm down for the Bad Seeds albums. These humble beginnings are filled with a lot more angst, energy and subversion though, which is either grating or refreshing, depending on your outlook. 4 stars because I think it deserves better than to be one of the worst ranked albums on the list.

I just don’t get Nick Cave. He wants to be Tom Waits, but worse. Anyway, this is like mechanic-core metal. They put this on and bang one out to a model-t or something.

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.

1.5 - Bad

If Hell has a house band, this is it. Sounds a lot like the Riverbottom Nightmare Band from Emmet Otter.

Interesting album cover but it’s otherwise a dreadful listening 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.

Fiery sonic madness captured on tape; raw, visceral and real. 10/10 Best Tracks: "She's Hit" "Dead Joe" "The Dim Locator" "Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow)" "Several Sins" "Big-Jesus-Trash-Can" "Kiss Me Black" "6" Gold Blade" "Junkyard"

Nick Cave is one of my all time faves , but this isn't it. Also it's really hard to find this album through streaming services.

So far, I’m realizing I’m not a fan of this postpunk genre.

I'd rather pull someone else's hair out of my asscrack.

Noisey and grating but fun

This was good.

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.

Good grief.

I try to listen to these albums while i work. It was work to listen to this album. Plus its not available on Spotify so i had to select each song individually off live albums. Overall tough day

Abrasive, unpleasant, obtuse, unfriendly, but excellent.

This is my least favorite one so far.

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

Junk Yard? Yep. (and yes I listened to it all. and no, it didn't get a second chance)

Ah, the infamous Junkyard, another one of the lowest rated albums. I enjoyed Nick Cave's offerings on this list, but I know this album is... very different than say... Ghosteen. I like post punk music from this era (I'm working my way through Simon Reynolds's Rip It Up And Start Again), but I know this album is supposed to be similar to Pere Ubu, which isn't my favorite. Still, I'm more than willing to give this album a fair shake. Let's go to Junkyard! I understand that this album isn't for everyone, but I thought this was a really good album. It's not the sort of thing that I'd listen to often, but I thought Nick Cave's vocals were perfect for this sort of raw, post-punk music. For something really rough and raw, I found this album pretty accessible. The guitar playing was great, but I thought the bass playing really set this album apart from other post-punk albums from the same era. I see a lot of users said that "Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow)" was their favorite song on the album, but for my money, "Dead Joe" blew every other song out of the water. I loved the pulsing drums and the throbbing bass, and Nick Cave's "oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh's" at the beginning of the song were the perfect touch. "Dead Joe" was an insane blast of energy, and I loved every second of it. My only gripe with this album is that the stripped down and echo-y sound of the album could be a bit grating at times, but this was still a really good album, and I really enjoyed getting this glimpse into a pre-Bad Seeds Nick Cave.

Justice for Junkyard! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

May have historical importance to certain people and has great musicianship; the overall craft and lyrics were not for me.

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.

Poopie

Sounds like its cover. Not interested

Uncompromising!

Dogshit album, wasted 47 minutes of my life I'll never get back. 0/5 stars

Did not love it. Just too weird for me and not enjoyable enough. Maybe it'd change if I listened more. I know Nick the Stripper, but that one is relegated to my eclectic party mix playlist for comedic effect.

WTF?

Overall: 4/10 I respect this one a lot. It's chaotic and messed up and hard to listen to, which I feel was the intention. I wasn't aware that Nick Cave was even in another band so hearing his voice was a bit of a shock. The problem is, it's so out there that, while I think it has merit, it wasn't something I enjoyed and I certainly won't be listening to it again. Shame it's not on Spotify. Fav Song: Hamlet (pow, pow, pow) Least Fav Song: The Dim Locator

Listened to the first half on the way to work. Had no desire to put it back on so it's a sad birthday party 😔

Look, I generally really like punk albums but Junkyard manages to spectacularly fail when it comes to everything. I don't think there are many redeeming qualities about this album. The music manages to be super messy and noisy. The vocals are a poor man's Tom Waits but far worse. The lyrical decisions manage to make me cringe so hard. The production is also terrible here but that might be a blessing considering that if it wasn't, i could fully hear just how bad this album is. Never before have i managed to find an album that managed to bore me to tears and also irritate me to the point of begging for it to be over but somehow, this album managed to do it. Best Song: Several Sins Worst Song: She's Hit

RELEASE THE BATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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.

This is EXACTLY what you would expect if Captain Beefheart formed a magic punk band. Captain Beefheart had some pretty interesting music. You might want to go listen to it instead. I can only imagine this is on the list solely for those who are going straight to hell when they die. I don't know how it prepares you for any other afterlife. Which reminds me: please skip over the song about murdering the girl, and also the other songs, except maybe "Several Sins” which helps boost this album to 1.3 stars.

And right to the junkyard this album goes, and it is exactly where it where it belongs. This album is the musical equivalent of one of those mechanical car crushers. I would say, burn it, melt it down, and use it to make other albums, but I kind of want to make sure none of the DNA from this album makes it on to other albums.

Very strange album. Don't know if I'd ever listen again, but extra points for creativity.

the album cover perfectly encapsulates the vibe of this album. energetic, raw, and unhinged

3.5

I think the cover perfectly illustrates the kind of music contained.... Brash for the sake of of bring brash. I know some find that "Daring", I just find it obnoxious. The audio equivalent of Jackass I don't care if it's Nick Cave... It's absolutely atrocious (1.55) ½★

Some signs of Cave to come, but generally too abrasive. 2.5 stats

I don't actively hate it, but I'm not sure I actively like it either. It's kind of interesting, and I can hear the beginnings of some stuff I do like. I kind of like "She's Hit", "Several Sins", "Kewpie Doll" and the title track, while others like "Dead Joe" and "Big Jesus Trash Can" sort of test my patience a bit. 2.5 stars.

The album cover is so outrageously ugly and over the top in a way similar to the original Appetite For Destruction cover I almost kind of like it. I also like Nick Cave from 00s onwards plus Grinderman, some 90s Nick Cave but not so much the 80s stuff. I especially don’t like this. It is all just a horrid din. The snare in She’s Hit actually sounds like shotguns going off but in a really tetchy, arthritic way and the rest of the album is pretty much just as painful to listen to.

Felt like the sex pistols album, is this what "post-punk" or "punk" was? Maybe I'm just a pop punk fan? I dunno, I can see it if I were at a concert and in a pit, but otherwise.....pass?

No!

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

This was interesting but pretty harsh and a little hard to listen to after a while.

This was way better than a lot of these reviews would lead you to believe. Noisy? Yes. Discordant? Fuck yeah. Off putting? Sort of, but that’s the fucking point. Fuck it, it’s getting a five just to balance out all the fucking Steely Dan and Elvis Costello records I’ve had shoved in my face by this goddamn book.

A lot more accessible and enjoyable than I was led to believe. I'm a bit of a Nick Cave fan, but I mostly enjoy his later records with the Bad Seeds (90s and beyond), so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I find this more intriguing than the earlier Bad Seeds albums. Horrid cover art though.

She’s Hit // 6” Gold Blade // 2.5/5

I love nick cave and all but honestly a lot of this was just noise. Good noise...in a way... But not what I feel like listening to.... Soz nick

Horribly incohesive, awful cover, terrible lyrics, terrible vocals. This album is genuinely one of the worst I've ever heard

Usually like Nick Cave's stuff but this is shit...

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

- war okay-ish-er, als erwartet, aber absolut nicht meins

Weird, fun, raw

This is the first album in this challenge I've had to stop playing. It just felt like a cacophony. But I guess some feel like it's a post-punk classic. 1/5

Revisit

That was a miserable experience.

what i cant

This is cool. Can hear The Jesus Lizard and Melvins in it right away.

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.

This one didn’t Blast Off for me personally. This might be better placed in the Junkyard.

Yeah idk what is goin on here. Like thrash punk with some nick cave lyrics or something. Really not a lot goin on.

From the album art to the music itself, this album is a fucking mess. How did this get critical acclaim??? 1 star

metal as hell

Wow that... was not for me...

Not good.

2/5

I despise Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, so I knew going in this was going to be a chore to listen to. Somehow this album is even worse than The Bad Seeds stuff. If I could give a negative rating, and wish for someone to hand me money for even putting up with 4 songs, I would!

Alay

1/5

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

Not without merit. Raw, gritty.

I like the jazzy blues rock element on some of the songs. But overall, not my style

What a fun album! Pretty raw, didn't expect it to be here, but great discovery I shared with friends :)

I didn't really enjoy this.

Bit of a slog to get through. Had to download this because it’s not on any streaming services, and feel like that was more work than needed to listen to this album. Intense, but not fun.

Noisy, nothing melodic, horrible screaming. In general, sounds like listening to a factory full of saws and hammers for nearly an hour. Some good basslines and guitar work save this from being a 1. Just.

I did not use a private session for Spotify on this one. I wasn't aware of this part of Nick Cave's career. It's intense, as you would expect, a little too much just to have in the background chilling. Next time I want to start a fight with strangers who walk down my alley, I will put this on!

It's as if the migraine in my head came to life, started a band, and just decided to scream into the mic and trash all the instruments instead of creating a competent record. But I bet these songs would've been a fucking blast to mosh to in some dank basement venue back in the 80s.

Immediately from the album cover I didn’t think I’d like it that much. Discovering it was Nick Cave gave me a bit more interest but overall not his best work. It sounds okay in parts but otherwise it’s just noise.

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

Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 🏎️🍰👹 Production: 🧏‍♂️📏💩 Music: 🧷💀🔥 Rating: 🍰(🍰)/5

Demented circus music, recorded by the ghouls who haunt an abandoned carnival. I like the dark demonic grooves, the squigly guitar terror, the aggresive industrial effects and would be into a band that pushes this dynamic even futher (like Swans). The vocals fit with the aesthetic - highly dramatic, screaching howls and horror, like Tom Waits being tortured - but push it over the line into being extremely annoying. I like their debut better, but this is definitley more interesting to me that Nick Cave's solo stuff. The cover rules.

Couldn’t get through it

I was hoping this album would be better

It's a bit too wacky to go in my regular rotation, although I'd definitely bring it out on Halloween, or after a Fearnet binge if Fearnet still existed.

Deze staat er vast in omdat de snobs graag laten weten dat ze al naar Niek Grot luisterden voor hij echt bekend was, zoals ik graag strooi met het feit dat ik Skrillex nog ken als zanger van From First To Last. Ome Nick roept als Oscar van Sesamstraat wat verhalen door de hal, de drummer schopt wat tegen slecht opgehangen keukenkastjes en de gitarist kijkt in de kelder hoeveel pedalen je nou eigenlijk tegelijk kan gebruiken. En dan heeft bovenaan het trappengat iemand een microfoon aangezet om het geheel op te nemen. In de basis vind ik dit nog niet eens zo heel verschrikkelijk en ik herken bijvoorbeeld ook wel een stukje IDLES hierin (track: Dead Joe), maar de opname stoort me. En het is net wat te weinig muziek, een keer een terugkerend refreintje was ook wel leuk geweest, Nick Cave mocht iets minder piraatje spelen met z'n stem, etc. Na 5 tracks is de rek er volledig uit. Je weet het dan inmiddels allemaal wel en de hoop op iets van een melodie is dan compleet vervlogen. Ik kom dus weer met m'n stokpaardjes: Te schel, teveel reverb, 2 sterren. Weg streak.

Not my kind of thing at all 🤷‍♀️. Didn't even like the cover. Least I've heard of them now, I suppose!

This is grungy, dirty, and fantastic

Most appropriate title on the list?

Another album on the bottom 20 list. It's funny, I've barley cracked 100 albums here and yet this is like the 5th or 6th bottom 20 album already. I knew what to expect and came in with low expectations but while I didn't exactly enjoy this album, it was far better than the other bottom albums I've heard so far. 3/10

Not on Spotify

There are few album covers that I outright hate, but this ranks among them. I may just be a sucker for bass-lead songs, but I absolutely love She's Hit. Love how sludgy and patient the whole thing is and the messiness of it all. Lost me a little bit on Dead Joe -- that was tough to get through the last minute or so. The title track on here was pretty solid with a satisfying cadence to it. I'd say this one was more miss than hit for me. There were a few strong songs, but much of the rest was sort of grating to listen to. Maybe in a different mood I'd rate differently, but for today its a 2.

It's a no from me dog. Listened to this for about 10 mins during a run and had to change it. Had a laugh or two during the album. More laughs than stars I'd like to give this.

This album cover looks like it could be a cover for Twisted Metal. Unlike the awesome game that Twisted Metal is, this album was really quite awful. Didn't realize it was Nick Cave until I read the wiki a couple songs in. Boooooo Nick you should only do stuff with the Bad Seed that is actually good music and not this instrumental vomit

Feel like I could enjoy it better in the right mood but the vocal style just ain't for me right now. I do like the craziness of the instrumentals. Reminds me of Primus a TON. Wow I listened to this whole album and never would've thought this was Nick Cave. He really switched up his tone after this.

1.5 stars but rounding up to 2 because .5 isn't an option

This album fucking sucked

We did not enjoy this at all. Could not get through it all. Junkyard, emphasis on the junk.

this was SOOOO BORINGGGGGG. i think nick cave’s lyrics are his strong suit in his solo work and this album demonstrated none of that skill at all. i’m sorry nick i like you better when you’re trying to be australia’s answer to leonard cohen and/or johnny cash, not when you’re doing this.

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.

It is a band I have wanted to listen to. I have done that now I guess

I love Nick Cave but this shit sucks. Rare one star rating.

*should be No STARS, no music, just screaming and noise

All that did was give me a headache.

Pretty unlistenable for this guy.

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.

Kocham Nicka Cave’a. Naprawdę. Ale ten album… ten zespół? Brzmi tak jak wyobrażam sobie zaburzenie psychiczne. Niepokojące, niespójne, chaotyczne, mroczne, krzywe. Jeden utwór przywrócił nadzieję, ale był chyba po prostu wypadkiem przy pracy. Nie polecam. 2.5/10

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

This album has a lot of making up to do after that album cover. The first question to Mr Cave may well be 'who hurt you?'. Such is the industrial bleakness of the music and lyrics, it could be the dystopian soundtrack to the contemporaneous Mad Max. The album is the seeds of The Seeds. But much more refinement was to take place after this. Few Seeds-worthy songs such as Junkyard, 6" Gold Blade and Several Sins.

You can definitely see where Nick Cave started with The Birthday Party, and how he became the godfather of Goth.

I hated every second of this noise bomb.

heinous

This was really unpleasant and I' having trouble finding the redeeming qualities.

this doesn't sound like it came out in the early 80s... i rly enjoyed my time with it! i love how messy it is... i don't often stumble upon songwriting like this. pretty pleasantly surprised

who listens to this

Nah, man... just... nah.

# Playlist Track - N/A # Notes - Album not easily available in Brazil. Not in Spotify, not in Youtube. - Listened to some tracks on Youtube, with inconsistent quality and ordering. - They were....not good. - Maybe there's some historical reason this album is on this list? Is it because Nick Cave is on it? It must be, because there isn't much to it unless you are a gigantic Nick Cave fan. - Do not recommend.

Yep that was sonethin

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

This honestly had no redeeming qualities.

the album cover really does let you know what you're in for: a hot rod drive-by done by psychotic mutant hillbillies wearing Ed Roth t-shirts. there's something really uncanny about how the great spirit of the All-American Fuckup was captured by a bunch of Aussies in the process of dismantling their band. maybe that explosive nature was key -- in order to sound like every caricature in focus on the songs is falling apart and panicking, the group had to self-destruct as well. i do think that on a few songs, the whole rattle 'n' yelp sound of the Birthday Party get a bit grating, but in brief rushes, like "6" Gold Blade" and "Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow)", you can actually get a bit scared. and the cover art is fine. you guys just need to get used to Ed Roth.

WTF is this? Weird and awful.

Just noise - again :-( it's a waste of time to listen to this record

Secret Nick Cave album. Nick what am i supposed to do with your magical lyricism if you hid it behind all this sonic insanity? What is Release The Bats?!

meh

Some parts were pretty interesting and cool. Others were very hard to listen to. Standout songs: Dead Joe Several Sins

I’ll be honest: I didn’t know what this was but my first thought was “this sounds like Grinderman.”

Another album tanking the 80s for me.

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.

What the hell is this?!?! Nick Cave has always been different, and this is certainly different. I appreciate that they are “doing something”, but I can’t figure out or understand what that thing is. Is it Punk? Rock? Nothing?

Sounds like they had fun making it.

Absolutely not.

Nowhere to play it. Eat me.

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

dead joe is peak

3.5⭐️/5 [11.26.2024] 01.06.2026

Oh boy it's time for this one. I'll admit I have heard some of this album before as I got quite interested in Cave earlier this year. After almost 200 albums on here this is my first Cave within the challenge though. Very noisy. When its listened to in succession it just seems even more messy than before. After a while it did get unlistenable. Highlights: Dead Joe Several Sins

Lots of shouting, weird. Couldnt get into it.

This album sounds like you are having a party with every person in your life that you dislike. Surrounded by those that annoy you, this party doesn't even have punch. The recording is the thoughts going through your head as you sit there pissed off and angry

This is the type of band where I'd go to their basement shows for the vibes but don't actually listen to their music.

Absolute dogshit. Worse than Murder Ballads.

3.5

I forgot to tell you about several sins 😂💘

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

Post Punk...

3.5

too rowdy for me

How can I love Nick Cave so much and find this insufferable

It's upsetting to think that people spent money on this.

I knew within the first 3 minutes of this album that it just wasn't for me. To quote Boogie Nights, I like simple pleasures, like butter in my ass and music that sounds like music. That's just me. That's just something that I enjoy.

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

It's as the title says, a junkyard of terrible music.

By far the worst album so far, it's an unhinged chaos that made me exhausted. It mistakes shrieking vocals, claning instrumentation and lack of cohesion as art. Spoiler: it isn't. Best song: Several Sins Worst song: Big Jesus Trash Can This album made me come up with a new remark I will make on the album cover and how well it fits the mood of the project Cover check: Fits the music perfectly, it's ugly, disjointed and impossible to enjoy. I might vomit.

11/12/24. Didn't feel this one at all, just seemed like noise to me.

WEIRD. I kinda liked it.

Nick Cave made the right move in having the rest of his career instead of continuing with this kind of thing

At 940 albums in, I think it's finally safe to admit to myself that this list isn't going to offer me a history lesson via popular albums that were emblematic of the cultural zeitgeist at their respective times. Instead it's just going to keep giving me slop like this.

Nick Cave fan here, but I had never listened to The Birthday Party (shame on me). I liked the raw energy. I like early Cave and in a way this album is that, but extrapolated. A bit too much for my liking... I found it quite tiring to listen to the album in its entirety.

exciting, dark, and a little insane, it lives up aesthetically to its title

When I began this journey, I feel like I was a bit harsh on Nick. But after having recieved a few of his albums, they were starting to grow on me. But now I feel like I'm back at square one with him. What the actual fuck is this. Before I mention anything else, this is some of the worst production I have ever heard in my life. And oh my God the vocals, it sounds like a really shitty attempt and imitating The Stooges, but forgetting the part where they are actually a good band.

Sounds like it was recorded in a junkyard. Seeing that this album includes Nick Cave, it's really no wonder I didn't like it.

Damn this album is pretty unapproachable. But +1 star for creativity and the dark lyrics.

Crazy to hear. The quality of the recording tries to overshadow the overall insanity of Nick Cave’s early punk rock/gothic effort. Every song speaks with a middle finger.

It’s just terrible to listen to. This does not remind me of a birthday party and it kinda sucks.

Lo-fi noise wank. Didn’t care for it . Sorry

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