The Boatman's Call

Again, I feel like I'm supposed to like Nick Cave but I just don't. He tries SO HARD to be dark and broody and edgy and uncomfortable. It just leaves me thinking of that kid in drama class who wanted all the lead roles but overacted EVERYTHING so always got relegated to bit parts so he wouldn't screw up the whole show. You're not Hamlet, Nick. You're Rosencrantz.

If Tom Waits sang Leonard Cohen songs. Like Cohen, there's a deep spirituality entwined with male sexuality that I like in this. Such a smooth voice. Favourite track: "People Ain't No Good"

The first song was pretty good, which got my hopes up. The rest of it was /r/im14andthisisdeep dominionist bullshit sung slowly with a piano

Shrek 2 song

Probably my favourite Nick Cave record, as he goes with sparse production and really intimate and cathartic lyrics. Great piano work from Cave and the atmosphere from the Bad Seeds fits the mood of the songs perfectly. Fav Tracks: Into My Arms, Lime Tree Arbour, There Is A Kingdom, Brompton Oratory

Shit - how badly did PJ Harvey fuck up Nick Cave?

Not bad, but not really for me. Feels like the music equivalent of those oscar-winning movies that people like because they feel like they should. Honestly was a bit of a slog.

A diamond in the rough, a postman in the buff. A lolly left unlicked, a vote card left unticked. A raging bull, a rotting skull, a local paedo on the pull. A twisted nipple, a raspberry ripple a coked up alchy having one more tipple. A brutal rape, Professor Snape, a broken world we can't escape. Goodnight my dear. Goodnight.

That was.... Really hard to endure. It's entirely a showcase of this dude's near tone deaf singing voice, accompanied by tragically minimal piano and strings. I say tragically, because if there was more going on to back the singer up he probably could have hid a bit better how really out of his depth he is in what he was trying to accomplish. Half the time it honestly sounds like he strains to hit some of the notes he goes for, ultimately failing at the attempt. The other half the time he falls back on very simple, seemingly thoughtless, go-nowhere melodies sung basically in his speaking voice; the kind of thing you'd get if you asked a child to improvise a love song on the spot. The same can be said for the lyrics. They don't fit nicely in the rhythm of the lines he's singing, making for an overall clunky and disjointed listening experience. What's more they give the vibe of someone clumsily groping around for ways to sound Quite Romantic- like these are words summoned from some foreign persona he's not quite comfortable with, but felt compelled to try on like an oversized suit. Again, a teenager's idea of longing romance. It's a shame that some of these instrumental movements are wasted on this dude's shadow puppet performance. The church organ shouldn't have entered this album's equation, but some other things sounded alright- violin and piano passages that I wish I could have heard divorced from the frontman. Special note; Green Eyes made me physically shudder and recoil. I've never heard a track on an apparently acclaimed project that literally, physically disgusted me, but I guess there's a first for everything.

I feel like I'm at risk of overrating Nick Cave here, after giving both Murder Ballads and Ghosteen five stars (I think I three starred another one - maybe Lyre of Orpheus? So I am impartial.) But this is another amazing album. To go from the bawdy darkness of Murder Ballads, to this album of faith, and doubt and beauty shows the versatility of Nick Cave on action. Amazing. Into My Arms is possibly the most beautiful love song ever composed.

One of my favourite albums from one of my favourite people on the planet that I am more than a little obsessed with. I am totally biased. This album is beautiful, full of wonder, peaceful and just lovely. This album and I are friends.

If Leonard Cohen did a prison stint.

I've been looking for a Halloween costume. Do you think I can go as Nick Cave? Three-piece suit with tie. Unbuttoned collared shirt and slicked back long-dark hair. Heh, it would never work, 'm not that cool. NC seems like such a badass cool-guy that I WANT to like him. However, my listening experience similar to a 'bleak and fish-less sea'. So I listened again. Manly vocals, piano and gentle drumming. This is stripped down music. No frills. Nick Cave seems like he lives in a dirty dive bar and chain smokes Winstons with his band. He is stressed and oppressed by the world above him. Down here, he owns his domain. He's thoughtful and means every word he breathes. The first listen was joyless and settled me down in a chair of disappointment. The second time I listened was right after the first and it became the only bright spot of my day ... BECAUSE I HAD SPENT THE MORNING LISTENING TO IT. What a depressing and honest mess. Nick, go outside and spend some time in the sun, buddy, that bar is killing you.

Sorry, I just can't stand any of Nick Cave's music. I find some of the lyrics cringey (especially around how he describes women) and it's all a bit too melodramatic (though that's probably the point). Can just about stomach Into My Arms.

Be it a horrible act of God, personal tragedy has multiple times been a catalyst for Nick Cave to create some of the most moving music ever created. On The Boatman's Call, Cave muses on losing the love of his life, blending the line between his personal life and the characters in his lyrical universe. "I don't believe in an interventionist god". With a single line, Cave rejects his worship of Old Testament Christianity, previously an all-engulfing presence in his work (The Mercy Seat, "An eye for an eye, And a tooth for a tooth"), and accepts a much more human belief in spirituality, accompanied by a disbelief in humanity. Everything has been uprooted - the connection to god, the connection to people - and Cave is right to question; 'Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere?'. Desperation is everywhere on 'The Boatman's Call', always paired with melancholy. 'Lime Tree Arbour' is an ominous warning of the revelation to come on 'People Just Ain't No Good', which is equal parts a warning and a denial acting as a coping mechanism. 'Brompton Oratory' manages to channel something primal in its pulsation, with a melody sounding so incredibly familiar as if Cave is musing over some internal truth hidden within all of us. The chorus of 'There Is a Kingdom' echoes this idea of a common connecting force even when the physical or emotional distance seems insurmountable as on the heartbreaking 'Far From Me'. But whether Cave believes this human longing for connection is something to appreciate or resent is not up for debate. The album's centerpiece makes it painstakingly clear. As the all to clear realization hits when the distance is already too far, Cave ponders "Are you the one that I've been waiting for?". And naturally, he receives no response. "Oh we will know, won't we? The stars will explode in the sky But they don't, do they? Stars have their moment and then they die"

I get the appear, sad songs are sad. Not sure if I needed a whole CD of this though. Much like Leonard Cohen, I'm sure there's lots of good lyrics here but don't have the patience to keep track of it.

It's as if sad Bowie and sad Cash made jazz....not good.

I had heard some of these songs before, but a very different side of Nick Cave. Standout is "Into My Arms" but lots of great songs. Shout out to "There is a Kingdom" which replaced "Icky Thump" by The White Stripes in the Snyder Cut

Very interesting album, not what I expeected from Nick Cave (or the album cover). Has a very powerful mood.

Series Scott Walker Vibes. Pretty dark and broading album. It fely like a heavy blanket on the ears. No uplifting or quick beats; just there.

Just utterly pathetic. Dog water shit trash fucking ugly Nick Cave making me irrationally angry on a Tuesday afternoon. Still somehow doesn’t deserve a one because Korn was that bad. 2/10

Nick is so cool. And by cool I mean I respect so much that he's able to confidently explore so many different vibes. This album is one main tone, but the nuance is so good. It's beautiful. It's simple. It's soulful. If I had to pick a general soundtrack to play behind my life, this is a front runner.

This has been an essential record since I first heard it in the 90s. Very glad to see it here.

Nick Cave possesses the unique ability to create works of insurmountable beauty when faced with great personal tragedies and sadness. In many ways The Boatman’s Call was the first album to truly show this ability in full scale. It was also the album where Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds took the definitive move away from their early post-punk sound and stepped into a new era. The Boatman’s Call deals, in large parts, with Cave’s faith diminishing and taking on a new and more questioning form. It is in his search for answers that Nick Cave is at his best - and this album finds Cave frantically searching for answers like never before.

Profoundly moving, deeply personal, pared back with minimal arrangement, Cave delivers a powerful album, trusting his voice to carry the emotion. An extraordinary artist and whilst not all his albums land this is really special.

This album gives us a more stripped down Nick Cave with the focus clearly on the voice. The album in contemplative and centers around themes of relationships, spirituality, and the loss of both. There is a rawness that makes listening to this album somewhat of a voyeuristic experience. The lyrics are repetitive and obsessive (Black Hair), reflecting the disordered thinking that occurs in the wake of an ended relationship. It is uncomfortable at times to listen to, but it's real, and that is no small feat. The biggest drawback is its length, but it feels appropriate for the ruminating nature of this album.

Amazing album - bleak & soulful.

Im now sad but it hurt good

Gorgeous album. Dark and beautiful

I liked this. The songs were a bit same same and - to me - VERY quintessential Nick Cave. But it was a pleasant listen. [Brave of him to casually throw around "c**t" in a mid-90s release.]

We both were surprised by how much we enjoyed this compared with other Nick Cave albums

I just tend to navigate away from lyrics that rub against the poems that resonate my Spirit. Nick Cave, though, has done a wonderful job. I mean, so much soul and he's really true to himself.

The wind in the trees is a whisperin. Charon (the boatman) Calls… Is he calling for thee? Nick is a somber romantic from the pulpit on this album. Great piano work, strange lyrics, a slow Sunday morning listen. (Although I listened on a Wednesday afternoon.) Lime Tree Arbor and Idiot Prayer top the bill. I’m betting West Country Girl has Black Hair. I feel bad for Nick’s girlfriend(s). The boatman, he is gone (4.1*s)

Funereal, which I am into

I’ve got a lot of respect for Nick Cave, but man…I can’t really get into his music the way that a lot of people do, which is a shame because I can see why they love it.

I love Nick Cave's music. He is one of the most influential artists to me personally and my own poetry. So naturally an album that focuses on his lyrical skills will turn out perfect right? Not really... I like so much this album has to offer but when compared to "Let Love In" or "Murder Ballads" or even his other "love" inspired Piano Rock album "The Good Son"... I am much more uninterested here. I love many songs here and a couple are some of my favourite songs ever but when looking at the album as a whole, I am rather disappointed. But as "bad" as this sounds, it is still a really good release with many great moments that really make me sob. One of these incredible moments is 'Into My Arms' which also opens the album. It is like most songs here, mainly driven by piano and the incredible lyrics Nick has to offer. In fact this is one of his best love songs ever. It is so beautifully written with a chorus that is simply but so effective and on top of that are the lyrics that have a perfect mix between christian references and universally divinity as well as a sentimental undertone that results into something that I simply call perfection. With 'Lime Tree Arbour' there is not only some Rock but also some Jazz mixed. The song also names the albums title in its lyrics. It is another beautiful song that blends the melancholic sound with romantic but also magical notes into perfection yet again. I also love the vocal performance a lot. And yet again, 'People Ain't No Good' is another incredible song that has a very Chamber Pop feel song and is also featured in Shrek!!! It is lovely both in lyrical matter but also in musical. But I do not think that it's perfect. It's a little too long with too many uninteresting moments. The chorus, although great, sadly doesn't save it from being "just" incredible. 'Brompton Oratory' gets weirdly trippy and ambient. It is a much more interesting and magical listen all throughout and the organ keyboard adds the ambience that I was talking about and it adds so much to the experience that this song is. If only this had the lyrics that 'People Ain't No Good' had because than it would've been perfect. The more uplifting 'There Is a Kingdom' returns to the magical thematic that the was there before but it now features my favourite chorus on the album. It is such a great hook that always returns to my mind when think of the album. It is a pure bliss to listen to this song. There are just a couple of moments that hold me back from giving this a perfect score but it is very close. Another really catchy song is '(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?' that returns to the sentimental sound from the start but even more heart-wrenching when he sings the chorus. This is another absolute masterpiece with perfect lyrics and instruments all throughout. 'Where Do We Go Now but Nowhere?' starts the albums second half with one of its darkest songs. The mix between Country and Goth Rock together with the Chamber Pop and the dark lyrics make one of the most atmospheric songs on the album. And while I think that if he did this song in his true Punk Blues fashion, it would've been better, this is still a great way to do it even if it looses itself after a while. The Gothic Country sound is extended even more on 'West Country Girl' and while it is a very interesting but weirly fitting way for Nick Cave to deliver his music, I am not very fond of this song. I just don't really care for it much as it just doesn't really have the edge that I like so much about his darker stuff or the heart-wrenching lyrics that I like about his love poems. It's cute and good but not really more. Similar fate with 'Black Hair': just not interesting enough even if the accordion does add some nice atmosphere. The folkier approach is quite fitting with the rest of the albums styles but it ultimately fails to project much of what makes Nick Cave great in the first place. It's a solid but boring track and he could've cut it off the album without me missing it. With 'Idiot Prayer' there is a slight resurrection of the albums greatest moments. It has good lyrics and very solid songwriting but it in the end fails to make another great song, just a really good one. 'Far From Me' is way too long, right of the bat. It feels streched the moment that the chorus ends the first time. There just isn't much stuff here that makes this great. The lyrics... that's it. It's a very average song with an average delivery and a couple of good moments with the instruments. It's an okay song but nothing that elevates the albums quality. The albums closing track 'Green Eyes' might be a nice ending to the album but not a great song. Again, it is average like most the second half has to offer. It's bluesy, has a nice melody and interesting spoken word additions on top of the vocals. Cute, but not really interesting. favourites: Into My Arms, Lime Tree Arbour, (Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?, There Is a Kingdom least favourites: Black Hair, Far From Me, Green Eyes Rating: light 8 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

I am not a fanatical Nick Cave fan, but it turns out I own (check notes) nearly a dozen of his albums, by the time you take solo, Bad Seeds, Birthday Party, Boys Next Door and soundtracks into account. But not this record, probably because it came out in the mid 90s when I wasn't buying as many new releases, and it wasn't really around on vinyl anyway. I really liked his late 80s, early 90s work; it's raucous and smart and sexy and dangerous and noisy. I like a bit more piss and vinegar in my Nick Cave records, and this album leans heavily into the quieter, more melancholic, ballad material. So, reading reviews of this more 'mature', introspective and sensitive material and hearing a few tracks on the radio suggested that this was not really in my wheelhouse at the time, so I think I let this album slip past me at the time. Indicative of this new approach, I note that Blixa Bargeld appears on only a few tracks on this album (and a lot of the out-takes). Clearly his sturm-und-drang, noisy influence was being sidelined on this record. Blixa scares the shit out of me, but he does bring a real rock and roll edge to whatever he does. Now, I think both Nick and I have mellowed with time, and this is much more to my taste these days. Just recently, I went to see Nick perform solo (accompanied only by Colin Greenwood, from Radiohead, on bass) at the State Theatre during his extended residency in Sydney. It had been about 15 years since I last saw Nick Cave (solo, with a stripped down band, supporting himself as Grinderman) at the Enmore Theatre, a much smaller venue that he had filled for one night only. These days, he sold out a string of ten or more large shows in Sydney over the space of a few weeks. At the Enmore, he was rocking out, but these days, he was just playing piano and singing, leaning towards the softer end of his now extensive catalogue. He can still hold an audience in the palm of his hand with genuine emotion and humour. He is a wonder on stage. The highlight of the night was 'Into Your Arms', where he firmly (but kindly) guided the audience into softly singing the chorus. It was a beautiful moment. This album is, I think, an early indicator of his more mature works. I honestly believe that he has become a poet laureate of grief, sadly through some terrible experiences in his own life. I find the way he speaks about grief, love, loss and humanity both in his music and his blog (https://www.theredhandfiles.com/) touching and eloquent, and I appreciate it more and more. This is the first album where he leans into his emotions, with less character and artifice, although the themes are loss of love, arising from failed relationships where he clearly behaved pretty badly. I think I prefer his more recent material, overall, but this is an important turning point in his career. But it does have 'Into Your Arms' on it. There is an argument that this is Nick Cave's best song (and possibly his most loved). There's a reason he sang this at Michael Hutchence's funeral, there's a reason that a theatre full of people will quietly sing along like a whispered hymn, like a prayer. This song just resonates with people, it operates on a magically human level. It is a song for the ages. Any album that delivers a song like this really must be heard,

Beautiful, just beautiful. Stripped back, melodic and elegant. Music to make you weep. Heavy hearted yet light and just hushed tones to embrace you. Cave’s vocals are extraordinary and really grab you. Cannot rate this album highly enough. Absolutely love it.

The Boatman's Call is the tenth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in 1997. The album is entirely piano-based, alternately somber and romantic in mood, making it a marked departure from the bulk of the band's post-punk catalogue. The Boatman's Call remains one of the most critically acclaimed releases of Nick Cave's career. Cave performed "Into My Arms" at the 1997 funeral of INXS vocalist Michael Hutchence, an old friend from Cave's youth, and requested that the TV cameras be shut off for his performance out of respect for Hutchence.

A little self-serving. Their spotify about us is hilariously self-important.

i'm sad to report i didn't really like this one :( this album felt very Leonard Cohen-esque in the sense that it's basically poetry over like a slow/mid-tempo song played on a single instrument, but honestly most of the songs sounded so similar to me that they blended into each other and it was hard to focus on the poetry because i just kept getting bored. "Green Eyes" where he speaks the lyrics as like an echo after he sings them was sooo cringey i could barely get through the song 😭 like some sort of bad cross between the Inkspots and an amateur poetry open mic reading. the first song was alright though, and at least "West Country Girl" was a bit more interesting melodically

What it lacks in groove it makes up for with no melody

A little boring. Sweet and sentimental but not the Nick Cave I enjoy most of the time.

I wanted to like this, but honestly found the vocals to be so repetitive that it became a tedious listen. The instrumentals were generally strong, but not enough to enjoy listening for an hour. 2.4/5 -> 2/5.

I've tried to get into Nick Cave a few times but it's never grabbed me and to be quite frank, I don't think is going to change that as I'm finding it a little boring. It's almost entirely a showcase for Nick Cave's voice with minimal piano, guitars and drums backing him and I don't actually like his voice that much. It's fine, I don't hate it, but I don't like it enough to really enjoy it being front and centre. That serious lack of variety makes it feel like a slog. I found Far From Me to be the only time there was any sort of switch up as the instrumentation picked up the intensity a little bit I agree with another comment on here that said this feels like an oscar winning movie that people feel that they have to like but to each their own. 2.5 Highlights: Far From Me

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Can’t believe this guy sings the Peaky Blinders Theme song

Ist einfach nicht meins. Ich finds fad und kann das ganze album nichtmal hören

4/10. I had the soundtrack for Shrek 2 on CD in my car for a while, and almost always skipped "People Ain't No Good" because it was so damn long and mopey. And this album was a good deal longer than that song. Lyrically I don't mind it, but it's just not fun to listen to.

I like Nick Cave when he rocks, but I found this balladeering album pretentious crap (I feel un-australian saying that!). Into my arms is lovely, the rest of it I could do without

Literally just asexual seafaring dracula talking about shit over depressing music

If I wanted to hear good sad songs I would listen to Leonard Cohen. This was just depressing. I know it was his PJ Harvey breakup album, but Jesus, I can see why she left him. Green eyes was just the terrible icing on the horrible rotten cake.

Couldn’t give less of a shit about this lame ass dude and his voice

This is the most boring album that I’ve ever been punished with. Every song had the same formula: 1/2 BPM + sad piano + snare + be boring.

I had not heard many songs by this artist/group before listening to this album, and those I did hear I did not like at all. So it's another project-induced shock to find that I really enjoyed this album. Yes, it's sombre, and most suits a sombre mood, but I would listen again any time. I'm guessing that I won't like other albums by Nick Cave and the bad seeds, and that this will become one of those controversial artists in the summary. Still, it's about time I had one of those to accompany Bjork, who's been languishing there all on her own up to now.

Beautiful, somber, sincere. I love this. I guess my entryway to loving Nick Cave's output has been to go backwards, or at least to start with the most gentle and emotional of his work and work my way to the more intense stuff. Ghosteen cracked the door open, this one is throwing it wide. I'm excited for the next time I get an album from him now! Must-listen #177!

I like nick cave but this record wasn’t really doing it for me today. I don’t know why but I had to skip the last song. But most of the songs are still classics!

I really enjoyed this one.

My second favourite Nick Cave album after Murder Ballads. This is a great album and Into my Arms has to be one of the most beautiful songs ever written and deserves 5 stars on its own!

Really cool , have a good time while listening it

The first album where Cave really sounds comfortable as a thoughtful, sensitive poet writing beautiful, reflective songs rather than the howling madman he was a few years earlier

This is just class, from start to finish. Cave is of course, cool as fuck. The stripped back band allows the songs the space to stand on their own. The spirit of Lou lingers. It's a bloody great album for necking a bottle of red with. Chin chin.

Listens: 4 Standout tracks: People Ain't No Good, Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere? Added To Library: TRUE I have "Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere?" on repeat. Dreadfully depressing, powerful and moving, and insanely good. Excellent use of the violin to really drive the emotion home. The song could be about a few things; It sure seems like it's about the loss of a child, driving a psychological and emotional wedge between two parents, further resulting in one of them having a mental break and being committed to a hospital or psych ward. Possibly one tries to kill the other, blaming them for the child's death. The other parent is reminiscing about life before it happened, both thinking about the child (and the event) and their relationship with their spouse. I am equally satisfied with the rest of the album. It being stripped down lends to the intimacy and power of the song. 5

I just LOVE this album.

Classic

This is such a great album, so different from Murder Ballads which preceded it, with achingly beautiful instrumentals, and great songwriting from Nick Cave. If I was to pick a couple of favourites, I would lean towards Into My Arms and West Country Girl, but the album is wonderful all the way through. Another 5 stars for the band.

Selvsagt

A journey to the dark side of the soul

The Boatman’s Call is stark, both in being stripped down musically and in stripping bare Cave’s response to a world which can produce both the wonder of love and the deceit of the human heart. The battle between love and cynicism is not resolved - Nick Cave is not by and large a resolver, rather he poses questions and invites you to live with the the tension and paradox at the heart of life. Sweetly disturbing, an album that leaves you nowhere to hide emotionally, but does not in the end get lost in cynicism. Sure, people ain’t no good, but there’s still love.

Awesome

An overwhelmingly emotional album.

Cave i en mere nedtonet og personlig udgave end på tidligere albums. Han formår stadig at beholder den nerve der er i hans musik. Et smukt melankolsk mesterværk 🖤

A personal favourite. Almost perfect flow and collection of songs... Although Black Hair was never my favourite closer.

I do enjoy Nick Cave and am a subscriber to The Red Hand Files. According to my listening history I've never listened to this album before. Obviously very aware of Into My Arms which is a beautiful song. So it's nice to listen to the album as a whole. Fave: Brompton Oratory

Stark and beautiful, every song for me was great, something I'll have on rotation for sure

Gorgeous. It opened with one of my favourite songs of all time and went on to give so much more. Grateful to have had the nudge to listen. It will stay in rotation.

Extraordinary

I have heard of nick cave but never listened until now I love it

I put Nick Cave in that same class as Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen. Fantastic voices and amazing lyrics. This album has so many stand out songs, its a no skip masterpiece for me.

A masterpiece of songcraft.

Into my arms Depressief maar wel mooi

The Boatman's Call began the slow yet rewarding sea change in the perception of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds from a rabblerousing, happily dysfunctional band of misfits to a earnest, reassuring bedrock of consistency. A far more vulnerable side of Nick is on full display here, showcasing a heart-on-sleeve pathos mixed with philosophical turns of phrase that causes one to take note of the inflections in his tone of voice. If this is one's introduction to the band, well it is a pretty good place to start.

Masterpiece

This is easily the best album I've listened to so far that I hadn't heard before. I had always dismissed Nick Cave as the kind of artist loved by hipsters who, unlike me, were lucky enough to live near a college radio station in the 80s instead of drowning in REO Speedwagon and Billy Ocean. Shame on me. This disc packs an emotional and musical wallop. The Nick Cave button goes to 11.

Amazing album, fantastically written, incredibly performed.

Intensely amazing

My first foray into the music of Nick Cave. This was an absolutely beautiful album. Musically and lyrically it has blown me away. Can’t wait to listen to more of him now.

Formative album for me, one of my all time favs. The shift from sexy and dangerous vampire Nick Cave to sexy and wistful vampire Nick Cave is a career defining move.

This is my third Nick Cave album on the list. Like "Ghosteen" it is somber and contemplative. The songs focus on the loss of a relationship and it is easier for me to relate as I have experienced a break-up more than grief for the loss of someone close, but both records explore the emotions related to a loss and its effect on oneself. It is a stripped-down instrumentation, so I still prefer, "Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus" to this, because I prefer a bigger sound with music. It works here because of the intimate nature of the songs. I am glad for this project because before this I had not listened to Nick's music before. I don't like every song on this album but the ones I do are fantastic, so for me, it's 5 stars.

People Ain't No Good. There Is A Kingdom. This album is a 5 based on these alone. A story-teller in the vein of Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen, and Johnny Cash.

A 4 star album with Into My Arms, so it's actually 5 stars.

Genius, by an artist whose work I have grown to love over my time with the list

Well that’s gorgeous. Heartfelt. He’s just incredible.

Hauntingly brilliant

I like Nick Cave and this album was a bit of a rollercoaster... Initially I did not like the lyrics, but loved the voice. Instrumentation is minimalistic, but also very cool. Then I was draw in by the atmosphere and I loved it. Then it kept going for 1-2 tracks too long. Well, I like it more than Deep Purple and I gave 4 stars there, so 5 it is...

This album clearly cemented Nick Cave's status as one of a musical genius. It walked into a completely different direction than the weird humouresque 'Murder Ballads' released shortly before. It has sparse instrumentation (but no solo stuff, there's always at least one Bad Seed with Nick) and is focused on the confessions of a man with a broken heart. Here he was strongest in his lyrics with so much romantic imagery that made you feel everything the protagonist of these songs felt. Much has been said about 'Into My Arms' or 'People Ain't No Good' so I like to highlight 'Lime Tree Arbour' and 'Brompton Oratory': The first one has amazing running baseline they never could produce live while the second one is a perfect combination of love and religion and why they can be so intertwined.

Ah, a classic. I just love the mood of this whole album. It's chock full of winners. An easy five stars.

As an album, a very good reminder of the stylistic reaches of this master when he does different work. It makes me rethink how i listen to him - this album hangs together SO WELL as a mood and style. Many of his albums are distinct in mood from the others. This one I hadnt realised - and maybe as i get older I want this gentler tender soothign stuff form him. Still I often wonder - "who actually listens to Nick Cave as much as I do?" If there are 2 obvious "types" of Nick Cave songs, there is this - accessible sweeping almost sentimantal ballads that senak into film soundtracks. He does very specific sentiments exquisitely. And the sonorous warmth of his voice - when not snarling - sure works. So, here is a whole album of it - the kinds of Cave songs that make it into films (Shrek satirically used "People they aint no good" so welll, and Harry Potter has "O Children" would have worked well on this album ). and the other type of song? His rocking frightening doomsday mock gothic anthems - stuff like "Red Right Hand" and "stagger lee". He really nailed it here, career wise - after grabbing popular attention with a Kylie duet in his p[revious album, he holds course, showing off really, and sweeping into a showcase of range and style in these coming albums, going into new spaces not filled, and the genuis of his always wry and playful and devastating lyrics, his intensity swoon and swagger, brought down to an intensity people can handle, bringing contemplative but not quite confessional intimacy. Well he does ithere - the sweeping atmospherics and style of Warre Ellis, they go on to do heaps of soundtracks and colabs together ... Its a very 'soft' album for Nick. And it starts with a song that became a wedding if not love anthem for so many. I am adding this to the "oh yeah, play that MORE!" pile.

Great album but I never listen to it as it was way too apt at the time it came out. My obsession with it probably wasn't helpful and now it almost provokes a Pavlovian response. Gee thanks album generator for bumming me out for an hour.

Truly enjoyed this one!