Junkyard

I prefer songs with melodies.

Interesting

Never has an album cover so accurately provided a preview as to its content

This sounds like it was intended to be a parody of Joy Division

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.

One step above noise. Didn't enjoy at all.

I’m always happy to say the sentence, “I’ve never heard anything like this before.” Nick Cave growls and snarls and screams through a wild set of dark and brooding post-punk songs. On some songs, he sounds like Tom Waits with more of a demonic touch. On other songs he sings like a demented lounge singer. The band shifts too. Sometimes they lurch through heavy, brutal riffs, and sometimes they actually swing! Wild, brilliant and totally unique.

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

Why is this on the list? 1/5

Dan - despite this being Nick Cave, it was almost unbearable to listen to

The Birthday Party sit with The Gang Of Four and The Pop Group as one of the best post-punk bands ever. I know a lot of people just "don't get it", but that's their problem, not mine

Não tem no spotify, escutei um pouco no YT. Nick cave

Just plain awful from start to finish.

Even though I don't like this, and it's really noisy and abrasive, and chaotic, and his voice is manic and weird... it somehow works. There's just enough form, and at least in amongst the madness they're consistent in their vision and what they're doing. I still don't like it, but I understand what they're doing.

Spotify describes this band as “most challenging.”

lol what. that was pretty darn bad but at least it made me feel something.

2/10 - wtf is this album. Sex horror sex bats sex horror sex vampire. It was just noise

Borderline unlistenable

It did grow on me! The first few tracks are quite jarring but it settles down! Some really good tracks toward the end of the album, more of the Nick Cave-esque stuff we find later on! 3.5 stars really...

Ish

Totally not my style. Repetition was a killer for this one. High 1

The best thing I can say about this album is that if the cover appeals to you, then you'll probably at least like it a little. Other than that, its not great. Its almost a punk parody album, which is fine but not anything I'll likely listen to again. 2/5

Thought i heard nick cave. He has done better.

Horrible.

She's Hit 2.1 Dead Joe 1.8 The Dim Locator 1.6 Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow) 1.5 Several Sins 2 Big-Jesus-Trash-Can 1.9 Kiss Me Black 1.8 "6" Gold Blade 2 Kewpie Doll 1.7 Junkyard 1.8 Score: 1.82

Definitely not for everyone but personally I liked this much more than I thought. Am I going to listen to it often? No, but this is some good chaos and makes me want to take a deep dive into Cave's discography.

Post punk - exhaustive to listen to.

Not good.

The music is pretty noisy and a bit chaotic - which isn't a bad thing by default, especially not for punk. However I then usually expect something to tie it all together to make it really great and I often look to the vocal to do that. On this one I feel like the vocal doesn't do that for me, it constantly teases me by being almost there but ultimately doesn't live up to the potential I feel is there. This leaves me with a sense of unfulfilled promises and noise Standouts She's Hit Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow) 2/5

Punk, wel genieten maar vooral vreemd. Kan er niet echt comfortabel naar luisteren

They have something in their tone, but that's not fully my thing. There are just better punk/post-punk albums.

Rat Fink is definitely a vibe.

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

With that album cover and title, we can't say we weren't warned.

Very challenging. The songs which were more conventional eg Several Sins were much nicer to listen to but then sandwiched between other songs which were an assault on the ears

It's decent but I definitely prefer Cave's later solo stuff. I appreciate the "rough" sound they were going for but mostly it just makes it kind of a chore to listen to at points.

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

Dark, strange, and disturbing. I only listened to 3 songs and that was 3 too many.

Interesting punk

Not for me

Probably liked more than actual Nick Cave stuff

It has received critical acclaim. Yeah, I bet it was ALL critical. Who in the _____ would listen to this? No way I could sit and listen to it. 1001 albums I must listen to? It's a joke, right? This does not deserve a star - at all.

Ummm.. No.

Man, I just don't jive with Nick Cave. His disturbing Southern Gothic lyrics do nothing to improve the noisescape, gained out, scratchy music he sings over.

Sounds a bit like a screaming gothic Primus. It’s sort of alright in some spots. But it’s trying too hard to be edgy and discordant. Not really hearing anything special. Just a lot of noise. And screaming. This is what clueless posh people think Punk is supposed to sound like. This is the bullshit they use in movies. Feels like the author was just fanboying again and wasting a spot. We all agree that Nick Cave is wonderful, but this was unnecessary. There are better things to listen to. This is shit, Mary. 1/5

Had to turn it off. Did not like. Thrash metal.

I don’t fully hate the vibe, but it is really one note as an album. Not my favorite. Does seem like a “better live” type sound.

That was just bad. Really really bad.

I liked one track on this. Much prefer Cave’s later stuff

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.

This is the third Nick Cave album I've gotten. I'm not a huge fan of him, nor do I think he warrants having six albums on this list. This album was super whatever. Can't say I'm a fan or that it was interesting. The album cover pretty much tells you all you need. Ugly, under thought, dated.

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.

holy crap no way i could get through more than 3 songs

Favorite Track: Dead Joe

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.

Imagine listening to this utter shite for pleasure At least nick cave came out of it a pretty good artist. In tune isn't a requirement, in time is. Woeful

Im not sure if it was because of me using backup headphones, or the fact that this album sucks, but it sucks.

Wow, this was truly awful. Who would ever listen to this on purpose? Absolutely belongs in a junkyard itself, sorry Nick Cave.

3/5

Well that was terrible. Managed to endure the first 2 tracks before protecting my sanity. Then listened to The Good Son a Nick Cave album I actually like.

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.

I generally like Nick Cave and was excited to hear his origin. And listening to this, I learned that Nick Cave actually tamed it down later in his career, which I didn’t think was possible. I like how over the top and weird it is. And there were parts that I enjoyed. But not many. Side note, the generator labeling things like this as punk, then telling me I don’t like punk, is about the most punk thing I can think of. Bravo.

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.

didn't like it eh

This is just awful. It almost made me physically ill. Why do we need to write a song about the carnage of a car crash? Every song he is just repeating himself over and over, while it sounds like toddlers are hitting things with hammers. No thank you....

I think I like Nick Cave and his bad seeds better. This is a special kind of awful. The annoying kind. The second version of Dead Joe sounds even worse than the first. 47 minutes of Nick Cave screeching and growling like a deranged pterodactyl.

I know I’m generalizing here, but was the post-punk movement basically an excuse to just make a bunch of weird noise and call it music? I consistently feel this way about post-punk albums in this project. And this is Nick Cave?? I gave his last album a 5, and this was a wildly different experience. Yuck.

Early Nick Cave. I didn't find this enjoyable overall, but did like a song or two.

Not my kind of party

The greatness of this album isn’t at all audible. Tracked with everything around/about the band. Stars dropped when I pressed play!

2 stars for the Ed Roth's art work but the album is not worth a star.

Album covers can tell you a lot about what you're getting into and this one is correlating pretty well. This is the band that launched Nick Cave...it always surprises me how fame works. Every time I think I've just had bad luck in the albums I've gotten so far, I get hit with something like this again. This is like Rockabilly/Metal/Punk. It's like Elvis and The Ramones and Sepultura made an album. The screeching guitars are hard to listen to. Distorted guitars, distorted vocals, is this the original garage band? This is the music and album cover that inspired Mad Max: Fury Road, especially Dead Joe (2nd Version). The album switched to Sonic Youth and I barely noticed.

Had to track this down on YouTube. You can see what Nick Cave would become. Absolutely wonderful noise.

This is awful. 1. Cant event make it past the first song.

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.

First and foremost, the Ed Roth cover is sick. When I pulled this I thought I had never heard of The Birthday Party, and then I played the first track and was like OH! Nick Cave's punk band! As much as I love the Bad Seeds' discography I'd never listened to a TBP album. Glad I finally did! This is a messy, noisy post-punk album. Even falls into the no wave category at times, sounding similar to an early Swans record. Which is a good thing in my book! Nick Cave's vocal are manic. He sounds like Elvis on acid. Scroll down 100 entries on this page and you'll see a brief review of Ghosteen (recorded nearly 40 years after this) where I mention it making me cry. Talk about some range. Nick Cave rules. This album is sick.

Genuinely, wtf is this??????????

Horrible. It sounded like a static-covered jam session by heroin junkies.

Entirely enjoyable in rawness and its candor

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.

It is becoming obvious that the authors personal tastes, as opposed to the actual significance of an album, were used to define which albums we need to listen to before we die. Personally I find no reason this album is worth listening to again.

Nope

This is horrid

I love Cave, but I'd understand why people don't dig this

just, no

Lead singer sounds kind of like Plankton from SpongeBob.

This ain’t it chief.

As a big Nick Cave fan it's nice to finally hear some context for where he started. I know from interviews and stuff that he was a huge fan of british post-punk weirdos 'The Pop Group' around the time he made this, and oh boy this album sounds just like them half the time, especially when Nick gets all yelp-y on a song. Now this is fine for me because 'Y' by The Pop Group is one of my favourite albums. It's nice to finally have another album to put alongside that one as post-punk that gets as wild and unhinged as possible. Wish I'd checked it out sooner, this is mental.

I was glad when it was over. That should say enough.

Nick Cave's first band. This sounds like Nick's reimagining of Tom Waits. It's like noise rock meets blues punk or some shit. It's really abrasive, but really interesting. Nick fuckin belts out lyrics and it is full of blood curdling screams. Everyone abuses the living fuck out of their instruments. It's super dark, and super noisy, but super interesting. If it was anyone else I would probably hate it, but Nick Cave has a way of structuring stuff that is just great. There is structure amid the absolute chaos. Favourite songs: Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow), 6" Gold Blade, The Dim Locator, Release the Bats, Blast Off, Dead Joe, Several Sins Least favourite songs: She's Hit 4/5

boooooring

If "Bobcat" Goldthwait had an album...

i like this more than prayers on fire but 81-82 is so amazing that this album feels obsolete. this is obviously still really cool but i dont listen to it half as much as i do 81-82. 7/10

It is interesting to me that I find some men's angry barely-coherent screaming music appealing (NIN, Tool), yet I cannot stand another's (this album, a lot of punk). I hated the album art, was even more concerned when I saw it was post-punk and the era (1982) and unfortunately this album was everything I expected and worse. Rating: 1

This album was fucking awful. Annoying and frustrating to listen to.

Probablt the worst album I've ever listened to. Why does something that sounds this bad make a list of albums to listen to is beyond me, negative 5 stars, maybe negative 6.

There were moments when I genuinely enjoyed the music and found it unique and interesting. But for the most part it was just discordant noise to me.

þetta hlustaði ég á og (þóttist?) fíla. veit ekki alveg með þetta. en fær fjögur vegna fortíðar.

I get why this is globally rated low as it’s unpolished and abrasive, but I really enjoyed this. It got my adrenaline pumping and has a crazy vibe to it. It’s the musical equivalent of getting punched in the face, tasting blood, and feeling your anger ignite you as your endorphins kick in and numb you. The bass absolutely rips, the guitar shreds, and Nick Cave is on one here, sounding like David Byrne going through a manic episode. This’ll put some hair on your chest!

some songs were okay. some songs were absolute pog trash. where’s the 2.5 button

A really shrill album. I haven't heard anything from Nick Cave's first band yet. But you recognize him immediately. I would describe the music as caustic in places. Nevertheless, I find it so interesting that I'm going to listen to the album again. 4/5

Fucking unhinged 9/10

Nick Cave has grown on me but this hasn't. If you're interested in gritty gothy rock, this is for you.

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.

I actually prefer this over other Nick Cave albums. He really sounds insane on this one

None of this sticks for me, but I have a strange respect for the ugliness, and, in a very general way, enjoy it somewhat.

I heard someone say this album sounds exactly like the cover. They were right. The vocals sound like nails on a chalkboard.

I’d give it zero stars if I could

No ❤️

01) Blast Off - 5,0 02) She's Hit - 5,5 03) Dead Joe - 4,5 04) The Dim Locator - 5,0 05) Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow) - 4,0 06) Several Sins - 5,5 07) Big-Jesus-Trash-Can - 4,0 08) Kiss Me Black - 4,5 09) 6" Gold Blade - 4,5 10) Kewpie Doll - 4,5 11) Junkyard - 4,0 12) Dead Joe (2nd Version) - 1,0 (first version was more than enough) 13) Release the Bats - 4,0 TOTAL: 4,31 (43/100) Current ranking: 229/237 This is the second lowest ranked album I've listened to so far (2.15). We have Nick Cave on vocals. Let's see what it's all about. Well, the atmosphere is as if we are in the original Mad Max movie, entering some obscure bar where some post-apocalyptic band plays post-apocalyptic music. Nick Cave sounds like he's possessed by an evil spirit. The whole album is on the border of unlistenable with very frequent excursions across the border.

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.

Its interesting for sure but i am NOT having a good time haha

Hardcore for people who eat McDonalds every day.

Not into this. Nice album cover though.

Nick Cave's voice is ridiculous in this. I don't really like him to begin with but he sounds especially absurd in this context. The whole album sounds like it was recorded in a corrugated steel hut, which I guess is intentional if you read the wiki. I like the idea and I've heard lots of punk music that sounded like shit but Cave's voice and the fairly bad songwriting in general ruins it. When you make an album like this the songs have to have more energy and they have to be good. This is a difficult album to listen to. Songs that might have been decent if someone else was singing: "Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow)", "Big Jesus Trash Can", "Kewpie Doll" "Release the Bats" is what actually good, but that's it.

Best cover art yet. I don't enjoy the sound of this album. I kept hearing "Toxic Love" from Fern Gully.

Lärm! Geschrei! Sprech-„Gesang“ der aus dem Takkt ist, einfachste Riffs und Drums die sich beweisen wollen. Nomen est Omen: Junkyard!

Schön zu sehen, wo die Wurzel von Nick Cave liegen. Heute gefällt er mir besser, aber die Lieder haben ihren Charme.

Not as big of a fan of this album compared to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It's not terrible but it is overly aggressive and repetitive. Get what they're going for but just not feeling it - though some of the songs were decent.

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.

Ok so I have four questions, each starting with a different word - who, why, what, and whose. Who was this made for? Actually though. Who sits down to listen to this and thinks “Oh man that was amazing! I gotta listen to this over and over again, it’s the best!” Or even just having a warm opinion about it? I’m sorry but who is this for? What’s the appeal? It feels like sloppily-made, semi-improvised, overly loud, angry nonsense. There’s a place for that, but not like this, and not in my own headspace. What were they on when they made this? A simpler question, but worth answering. Unfortunately I don’t have the answer to this one, but I can only imagine it was a mix of things that probably had them so whacked out of their brains they couldn’t fully remember what to play. Why was this the final product? Why did they listen back to this and think, “Yup, this sounds perfect. Cut, print, and release boys, we’re done here.” Whose birthday party was this? Because I’m sure as hell glad it wasn’t mine. I know it’s a tongue in cheek thing, but the joke works so roll with it. Can you tell I didn’t like this? Can you tell I didn’t enjoy most of this album’s 40 minute runtime? Can you tell I’m 1,000% over this entire thing. I can’t bring myself to give this one star because I’ve yet to do that (though I may inquire about retroactively changing some ratings…), and because it at least took some talent and effort to concoct this abomination, limited in supply both of those things may have been. So two stars. Generously. Standout Track: The Dim Locator

Early cave energetic and loose.

The seeds of genius were sown here.

Dirty grungy nose machines. Fine, but not my thing.

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.

"they wanted the new record to sound like trash" - mission accomplished. The music itself is definitely not the worst from the album's we've had. A number of previous punk album comes to mind for that honor (recently I had to listen to The Slits, that was near-traumatic). In fact, the music sounds actually OK, if the production were good. Possibly 3 stars. -1 star for the production though. But kudos for achieving what it was supposed to.

I’m really glad I made it past the first few tracks. She’s Hit is a long, boring slog that felt like if The Misfits had all the codeine before going into record. The album really picks up after the first version of Dead Joe though. I respect Nick Cave, but generally don’t enjoy his music. This rawer, less “ooh I’m making some sort of spooky murder mystery dinner theater” shtick version works for me.

Giving this a 2 not because it's not good but because it feels like a hipster ass pick for this list

Actual junk.1.

Another album you can judge by its cover. Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 1/5

Badly played and boring. Interesting lyrics though

No thanks

Garage punk but the singer is in the garage across the street? Favorite tracks: She's Hit, Junkyard. Album art: Really love this one, such a cool and wild piece of art. "Junkyard" is right, it's some weird gremlin freak driving a hot rod, plus a putrid rat on the hood that's shooting a cat with a machine gun? I could look at this shit for hours, it's repulsive and it's perfect. 2/5

Not very good

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

i just really really hate it sorry nick cave

Seriously?

Can see how it might have been 'undone' before, how it 'pushed the limits' at one time... but it sounded a bit noisier and less talent to me. Not a fan

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.

At its best, it’s really smooth and groovy, but far too many tracks feature an anger or violence that just seems like a major put-on. It’s desperately desiring to be innovative, but it’s not really doing anything the Stooges hadn’t done years earlier.

It was really difficult to listen to even if I'm into all sorts of things, including avantgarde/noise/goth/post punk etc among others. Nick Cave's howling, yelling and the disturbing music that lacked any kind of melody was extremely challenging to listen to, especially the first half was unlistenable (the second half was a bit better, since it reminded me a bit more of 'regular' post punk.). I don't often give a 1 in this challenge but I'm afraid this album deserves it.

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

I think I only remember one birthday party from my childhood. I would assume I had others, but they must not have been very memorable. Not that this one was particularly memorable either. It was in my backyard, and we played pin the tail on the donkey on the porch and I think there was a pinata? Where did you get a pinata before Party City was a thing? And that’s about all I remember. We spend a lot of time and energy planning birthday parties for our kids every year, but will they forget it all just like I did? Unfortunately, my long-term memory just isn’t very good. And fortunately, as hopefully I can forget The Birthday Party’s “Junkyard” just as easily. Also, Australia deserves better than this. There is way better Australian music left off the list that would be better than The Birthday Party. It may have been #17 on someone’s list of best Australian albums, but it only makes #73 on Rolling Stone’s list. Meanwhile, many others from that list get no respect on the 1001 (though both lists feature an excess of Nick Cave). INXS, Midnight Oil, Kylie Minogue, Savage Garden, and Silverchair get no love. Silverchair is an interesting one. They’re a band I liked in the heyday of grunge but haven’t touched since the 90s. I was afraid they wouldn’t hold up, and that’s mostly true. Their first couple albums are a bit cringy, especially lyrically. But they are crunchy and thrashing and a great little example of late stage grunge in their own way. And apparently have stood the test of time in Australian music history. That Rolling Stone list puts 4 Silverchair albums in the top 80. More than any other group or musician, other than Nick Cave. What!? The Birthday Party was Nick Cave!? Ugh now it’s obnoxious grating sound, as well as its inclusion on the list, makes much more groan-inducing sense. Hopefully I’ll forget this album just like I forgot all my childhood birthday parties.

I will be stocking up on all the garlic, holy water, and stakes to keep away the "sex horror sex bat sex sex horror sex vampire." Definitely not inviting this album in to my home or onto my playlists.

JHFC. A hidden Nick Cave album on the list. That sneaky bastard. It all makes sense now.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did. Early, dark Nick Cave is a very good Nick Cave indeed (just like the other Nick Caves). It reminds me of Pornography-era cure mixed with 80’s Tom Waits and, well, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It’s not for everyday listening, and it’s not something you’ll put on at an outdoor BBQ party this summer. If you’re disenchanted, pissed off, and/or questioning what this crazy life is all about, it’s probably the soundtrack for that.

While this album does sound unique and interesting, I found it to be a bit too aggressive for me and the vocals are a bit too harsh.

This was a tough listen... and I like punk and Nick Cave.

I guess this was important 40 years ago; today it sounds like self-indulgent crap

Kannen perusteella en osannut odottaa goottia. Ensin kiva yllätys, sitten ei - tää on minusta tosi sekavaa kamaa. Ei ole suuntaa, pidetään lähinnä yllä äänimaailmaa. Kai koetetaan sanoa jotain? Mutta en saa selvää.

Nick olisi varmaan sitä mieltä, että kritiikki vain todistaa, kuinka ainutlaatuinen tämä levy on. Ei se olekaan ihan paska, koska melodiattomuus pakottaa artistin välittämään rytmistä. Mitä itse kuunteluun tulee...

A difficult listen. Obviously influenced by Tom Waits. Scuzzy post punk dirty goth blues with Nick Cave throwing all kinds of vocal shapes. Not a fan.

My 2nd Nick Cave album. Equally unenjoyable as the first. I won't spend the time it'll take to 'get' this album.

Oooh, the Nick Cave origin story. Oh. Oh no. This is horrible noise and terrible shouting. Normally, I've found, when you get a noise/shouting album, they tend to also be short. Not this one.

In 1993, I won a three-day trip to the US when I was 16. The prize was the opportunity to be there for an interview of Nirvana, in Seattle. That's how I spent one afternoon with Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl. It's not that I wanna boast about that particular experience here, yet I feel the need to mention the latter because there's a connection in my mind between that three-day trip and this Birthday Party album. A journalist was with me, of course. His name was Youri. Some time before the interview took place, we went to an independent record store. Youri bought some CDs there. Beastie Boys' *Check Your Head* was among them. And more crucially for the purpose of this review, so was The Birthday Party's *Junkyard*. I remember Youri telling me I should listen to those two records. Being as much an Indie-rock buff as I was a hip hop fan at the time, I followed his advice for the Beastie Boys CD, and this as soon as I got back to France. But I didn't for The Birthday Party (an admittedly harder CD to find, even in those years). And now here I am, more than thirty years later, finally listening to *Junkyard*. It's quite moving, to be honest. Of course, since 1993 I have already caught up on many stylistic aspects pivotal to the understanding of this uncompromising work of art. I have a decent collection of post-punk "classics", going from Wire to IDLES. And I love most of Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds albums. In a sense, I am more "prepared" to listen to this record than I would have been at the age of 16. And indeed, *Junkyard* feels very much like a laboratory given to Cave to test out ideas he would later refine and polish with The Bad Seeds. Of course, it's the laboratory of a mad scientist--raucous, noisy and unsettling in a manner presenting The Birthday Party as the love child of Bauhaus and The Jesus Lizard (forgive me for the anachronism here, yet "Big Jesus Trash Can" sounds *a lot* like David Yow's outfit). Roland S. Howard was also an amazing guitar player, by the way, not to mention a brilliant writer of bluesy lines and memorable hooks (as the more restrained and yet ominous "Several Sins" can prove). It's very sad that he passed away so soon. What I'm gonna add is a bit commonplace for quote-unquote "difficult" and "abrasive" records, but repeated listens do enhance the experience of this collection of scorchers. The most "animated" tracks (a-hem) usually stand out, between Cave's howlings and the hectic rhythm patterns played by that insane drummer, whoever he was. Check this out in the opener "Blast Off" (inexplicably left off in the original vinyl release). Or in "Dead Joe", "The Dim Locator" and the single-only "Release The Bats" (also found on CD versions). And some moodier cuts do stand out as well, especially the terrific title-track. So, not for the faint of heart, obviously. Yet truly rewarding for anyone interested in the umbrella genre of "post-punk" and goth/no wave shenanigans. There you go, Youri. I have finally listened to this album. I hope you're still enjoying it these days, wherever you are, man. 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of "essential" albums, rounded up to 4. 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5+3.5). Number of albums left to review: 179 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 357 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 206 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 260

I don't understand why anyone would listen to this voluntarily

Started off kinda interesting, like a punk sound with a classic rock aesthetic but got really boring real samey really fast.

Noise punk. Not my style

This is what a sex, drugs and rock & roll band would sound like during their withdrawal period. I managed to listen to this all the way through. The lyrics are actually good but the delivery isn't. "Junkyard" is a headache inducing insult to post-punk. Just because it's old doesn't mean it's a classic. 1 star for a terrible failure.

Don’t like at all…

Junkyard is offensively bad, apparently this is Nick Cave, who we've already had far too much of on this list, but this is by far and away his worst effort to be included. It tries to cover a few genres without doing any of them well, and I never want to listen to any of it again. 1.

This is terrible. Another Nick Cave album (I like him, but this is dire), doesn't ever really get near a tune, occasionally threatens to be somewhat interesting but chickens out at the last minute. Actively unpleasant to listen to in the most part, a 1.

get off my lawn

Nick Cave unrefined. Some interesting stuff here

Kinda like it, kinda not feeling the vibes

This sounds like what a panic attack feels like. I get enough of that already.

My Nick Cave experience has hit its low point

I think at fist glance this sounds like junk, which was probably intentional. But if you stick around for a while, you'll hear some interesting rhythms being played with in various time signatures, all while blending rockabilly with free jazz, all rooted dirty blues. But I don't care for this at all. I feel the same way about a lot of Cave's early material. It doesn't bring out any emotion from me. I can't tell what's being sung/yelled here, and the production is flat in virtually every way. The only elements that actually penetrate on this record are the gritty bass lines, which ultimately don't save it, but offer the listener something to grasp onto.

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

Nu heb ik knokkelkoorts. Twee sterren omdat Nick Cave erin zit.

Nee

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

What the fuck is this shit??!

No. No. No.

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.

I didn't know about these early Nick Cave escapades. Hard to listen to.

yeah this was difficult for me. i like challenging myself with music, but not like this. the music is aggressive but i can't get past nick cave's growling and howling on this one. it made it very hard for me to listen to. i actually liked the instrumentation but after a while it felt more and more like "ok, i get it, i get it." if i can give the album artwork some credit, it reminds me of garbage pail kids and the music on this album i think definitely fits the vibe of garbage pail kids. unfortunately, garbage pail kids is not my vibe.

What the fuck was this? It sounds like I found a bunch of instruments and tried playing them for the first time… at once.

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

NO.

Surprisingly listenable. Can't go wrong with Rat Fink.

Nick Cave’s original punk bad. My first attempts at getting into it years ago failed - but now I can see through its pleasures. Enjoyed it.

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

Still mostly unlistenable after all these years

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.

Sounds like a local shithole bar band, and I'm not a fan of the album art.

There's something fucked up about Australia & this band built that into a guitar sound template. I think knowing about Nick Cave's career of many silly & bland murder ballads holds me back from appreciating his contributions more here. When I want to hear this vibe I go for the Drones or Rowland S Howard solo instead. They do the rumble & screech thing real good and I am grateful for this sound template. music: appreciated. (⌐■_■)

Thirty seconds in I was rollin my eyes like, “Alright, Nick Cave…” Then each passing song made me feel more insane and by the end I loved it. Honest to god a second listen might bring this to a 5. Lots of people in the reviews hate this one. “Wah wah wah,” I say.

i feel like this is an album anthony fantano would say he loves. 2.5/5

Did not enjoy the album at all. This might be post-punk, but I can’t even rate it high for historical context. 1/5.

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

Not exactly music, as such. Caged demon energy with a fritzy amp more like. It isn't for me but I recognize there is something real and raw here, complex and creative. These guys aren't pretending. This album just might, *might*, belong on this list.

Didn’t like it. I probably don’t like punk music from what I’ve heard so far. Standouts: Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow) and Several Sins.

Another entry to the shameful "I turned it down so low that I was technically still listening but could barely still hear it" club. Sneaky way to get more Nick Cave in.

I felt a bit silly that I didn’t know that Nick Cave was in a band before he started with the Bad Seeds. It makes perfect sense though. Not my kind of music though.

Nope. Like Nick Cave solo but not The Birthday Party

A good album, I liked Blast Off the most.

How have I only seen 200 albums but 4 of those have been Nick Cave albums? Anyway, this band was described as dark and challenging. I was a little disappointed as a result. Just feels like being edgy on purpose and as a result feels really safe. I don't know. I like noise, I like grindcore, I like powerviolence, but this just isn't those things. I can see how being a 17 year old in 1982 and hearing this for the first time would blow your mind, so I appreciate it from that angle.

That sure was noise. You know what, they stayed true to whatever vision they had for their music and I respect that.

I was eager for this to be over from the very first song, and did not change my opinion along the way. My only 1 star rating to date has been due a vapid no “evident effort at originality” album. I can’t say that about this. I can say that I never want to have to suffer through it again. More painful than my 2 star ratings, but more creative than the 1. Wishing half stars were allowed - 1.5

3,5 the more I hear it the better it gets. Standout: She’s Hit

Not one happy birthday song on it. Great album to get a haircut to.

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

This was bloody awful

this belongs in a junkyard could i write poetry to this? n

I know that I'm supposed to like Nick Cave. He's a critical darling and many of my friends with similar musical taste think he's the bees knees. Unfortunately, his brand of Southern Gothic music just never landed with me. I had hoped that listening to this earlier, punkier work of his might help me see the appeal. It didn't

Love me some Nick Cave

Not bad, but Nick Cave's schtick wears on me sometimes

Messy.

Initially felt like a 1, but this scrapes a 2

Not really my kind of thing, a lot going on. I’m sure Nick Cave will pick up a few more stars further down the line. Simpsons: No

Through this app I have discovered that Post-Punk is my least favourite genre.

Not for me. It droned on too much

I’m sure this is for someone but it’s not for me

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

Cool album cover. Too bad the production sucked.

Such abraisive noise! I mean that as a compliment.

It's loud and abrasive and weird. I quite like it.

Not a good sign when you keep checking to see how many tracks are left. However, by the end, and after a bit of background reading, I did find myself wanting to listen to a couple of their other albums.

What an explosive start! Loved this, and a band I've never heard of before. Not quite lifechanging enough for a five however.

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

Grandissimo rispetto per Nick Cave, ma qui stava proprio male.

I guess I finally have to publicly admit that I’ve never been able to get into Nick Cave. Oh well!

Why was this on the list ?

great album art

I really like nick cave but I hated this.

I mean, punk sensibility. But do I like it?

I know, it's Nick Cave. Rubbish, nonetheless.

Not good at all!

Spotify describes The Birthday Party as one of the darkest and most challenging post-punk groups. Challenging is right. Woof.

Right up there with the worst of them.

Growly in a bad way.

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.

This album is genuinely not listenable. It is not worth the 47 minutes of torture. Off the first four tracks, this album is hot garbage. All in all, Junkyard is an unlistenable album.

I didn't even finish this one

This is one of the worst album covers I've seen in a long time. The music isn't much better; couldn't make it all the way through.

Noise. Just noise.

Love the cover art. Not the album.

Probably fun live, didnt exactly carry over to the recording

Pretty shit and not unexpected

Let this lurch and slither into your ears if you're feeling like getting unwell for a minute.

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.

4.2 - never heard of them before, pretty interesting and musically very cool. Would like to re listen to get more appreciation

I’m really glad this album is on the list. I listened to it 2.5 times so I could fully appreciate it. If Tom Waits and Nigel Spackman met at a Napalm Death concert and took a load of coke and went back to Tom’s basement and decided to make art I think it would sound something like this. Fave Tracks: Several Sins 1.3/5

Wdym nick cave

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.

Not a fan. I kind of get the cultural significance of this Post-punk period of time. I think there's other examples of this genre that are just better, like Siouxsie and the Banshees, or Joy Division. I get the idea of breaking all the norms and just doing whatever you want, but in the end I don't want to just be assaulted with sounds.

I've been meaning to listen to this for a long time but I wasn't really feeling it. I don't think I was in the right mood for this kind of music today but honestly, I'm not sure I would really like it on a day when I was in the mood for the genre.

i tried this album twice and I couldnt fucking stand it purely off of the first song. theres probobly a reason they have 50k monthly listeners, they are absolutly unbearable with the exeption of maybe being in twisted metal

epic album, fuck the 2/5 global review. On the real this thing is ridiculous and awful, but I get such a kick out of abrasive music and vocals that somehow comes together to create something listenable, I really do enjoy this album and there are awesome moments littered thoughout it. Epic album cover also Fav Track: Several Sins 3.5/5

Raucous and manic, with Nicky boy in murder mode. LOVED the drums on this one, cracking in like gunshots and puttering in and out, only occasionally settling in on a groove. It can be shrill and punishing, definitely a sometimes food, but a treat! Fave track: She's Hit

Let's start off with the fact that the vocalist is Nick Cave, who has never sung a happy song to save his life. There was one song that wasn't just noise ("Several Sins"), which was decent. The rest just seems to be a lot of Nick Cave screaming in to the mike. Some of the songs... I couldn't tell if this was supposed to be a joke or not: "Dead Joe"? And there were TWO versions? None of the songs should have been longer than three minutes. PERIOD. And maybe, MAYBE this could have worked as a punk band. And I could have maybe given 3 stars. But nope, 2 stars. But as it is, it wasn't as bad as Beefheart. It is reminiscent of it, though. I teeter back and forth between a 1 and a 2, but there is more something there than the 1's. I just can't put my finger on it. Next.

And Nick Cave gets another one as part of The Birthday Party? Come on. Just because he's unique doesn't mean we have to hear everything he's done. Hard to listen to. Had to turn it off after song one (She's Hit) and come back to it later. It was still unlistenable. Maybe Several Sins I wasn't fully turned off by? I guess the instrumentation is fairly complex? Like a different style of death metal. Apparently they got the sound they were looking for. Why they were looking for it I don't know. Before I die I want to listen to melodic albums. Even if they're less unique. Got any more of those?

Nope

1.5 welcome to the cock smash

Nick Cave has done better. I always thought the Birthday Party were noisy and oh-so-challenging over being good, but i hadn't heard much of it. Now I've heard a whole album I discover I was correct. Not terrible all the way through but has little to recommend it. They seem to be trying to jump on the psychobilly bandwagon of the time, it definitely has some Cramps style sounds but is no where near as catchy or characterful. Prototype Grinderman but less good. The only thing I like is that the guy on the cover is probably what Nick looks like now without the hair dye and fake tan.

WHAT I ENJOYED: I guess I like that someone took a chance on these guys (& eventually one became the Nick Cave we know and enjoy today) who sound like...they're doing exactly what they want to do. The longest songs are on the first half of the album so it goes by faster in the second half. GRIPES: They're doing what they want to do which is creating music that I really can't imagine a lot of people would enjoy. Awful, screeching guitars, plodding bass and drums, vocals that leave much to be desired. Can't forget about: unintelligble lyrics, pervasive gloomy and angry tone. RECCOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: imagining Louis Armstrong in a post-punk band, going to shitty punk shows, unpleasant noises that might be classified as music by edgelords, gnashing of teeth. #450 revealed / #503 rated

The Birthday Party - Junkyard This is noise. I didn't enjoy. 1/5

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

More of a fan of new wave which followed on from post punk. Detected shades of The Stranglers in this album. Overall a bit too screechy on the vocals for my taste.

Not good

J'ai pas compris un traitre passage de cet album. ????

This was not enjoyable at all. While I am a fan of punk and discordant music, this is just torture.

This must be on the list of albums I have to hear before I die just to give perspective to how bad it can be.

This album is ugly -- in a good way. The raw production and unhinged vocals from Nick Cave carry an energy that reminds me of modern acts like Tropical Fuck Storm. POW POW POW POW POW! Fav Tracks: She's Hit, Dead Joe (both versions), The Dim Locator, Several Sins, Big-Jesus-Trash-Can, Junkyard Least Fav Track: Kiss Me Black 7/10

Will never listen to this again & i quite like Nick Cave

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.

Dark, noisy, great drums and bass. I didn't really like any songs once I was past the first couple, but it's good to hear what NC was up to at that point.

Noise. But really interesting noise.

I wonder how many of the people on the train would have looked at this middle-aged woman and guessed that she was listening to tracks called Hamlet (pow pow pow) and Big Jesus Trashcan. I appreciate this for what it is and the undoubted genius of Nick Cave but in 1982 I was following a different path. And I still am tbh

Intentionally ugly and performative silliness. Whatever statement is trying to made does not deserve being dignified by a response.

I was tempted to rate this a 1/5, but there were moments where it looked like there was some ideas of musicality. But for the most part it was a noisy shapeless approximation of punk, and was a bit grating.

Post punk, niet mijn jam

The reviews on this are kind. Can't believe someone would release this on purpose.

3 songs in and turned it off. Unlistenable noise and shouting mumblings.

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.

Oh look, another terrible Sex Pistols wanna be band.

a bit too rough for my taste

No. I love The Bad Seeds but this is too far gone. Every time the band get a bit musical, Nick has to go full scream.

But my thing

bit like the cramps but much worse

Ah

this album made my life worse

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.

Not a fan of this album

Not really my thing

Reminds me of reverend Payton’s voice sung like Marylin Manson over a noisy version of Pixies guitar and splash of the Cramps. My kind of noise