The Boatman's Call
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1997
Album Summary
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 up to that point. The Boatman's Call remains one of the most critically acclaimed releases of Nick Cave's career.
WikipediaIf 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"
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
Very interesting album, not what I expeected from Nick Cave (or the album cover). Has a very powerful mood.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Ist einfach nicht meins. Ich finds fad und kann das ganze album nichtmal hören
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.
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
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 love this album so very much. Into My Arms is one of my favourite songs ever, it's magnificent. People Ain't No Good and Far From Me are also perfect songs. WHAT AN ALBUM
Incredible deep voice. Light jazzy backdrop. Fave songs: There is a Kingdom, West Country Girl
A fine album with some classic songs with ‘into my arms’ amongst the best
Großartig! Mit Kompensation für eine 1sterne Bewertung für das Punk Projekt von Bock Cave reicht es für
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.
кайфоый голос, кайовые гармонии, особый вайб, немного альтернативные аранжировки, лёгкий романтический звук
that was a really cool album I don’t think I have any complaints? plenty of diversity, beautiful compositions, great vocals, just an all around awesome album 10/10
De unieke stem van Nick Cave past volkomen bij dit type songs. Ik zong ook mee met nummers die ik nog nooit hoorde en genoot van de muziek tegelijkertijd. Topalbum
At the time I would rated this album as a 4. Excellent but not as good as other Nick Cave albums. Now after relistening to it, I think it is a clear 5.
I don't believe in an interventionist God But I know, darling, that you do But if I did I would kneel down and ask Him Not to intervene when it came to you Not to touch a hair on your head To leave you as you are And if He felt He had to direct you Then direct you into my arms
My favorite album from one of my favorite musicians. Truly a gifted artist at his best.
It may have first come to my attention in a silly rom-com film about time travel, but Into My Arms always hits me in the feels. The same applies to much of this album thanks to its poetic lyrics over sparse, piano-led instrumentation. Other favourite tracks are Lime Tree Arbour, People Ain't no Good, and Far From Me. These have a thematic link of Cave considering unpleasant truths about humanity (suffering is inevitable and people have an inherent badness), and being able to accept these thanks to feeling love and goodness in another person. The vulnerability that results from relying on personal happiness and love to block out the drakenss in the wider world is an interesting theme to explore. I get less from the rest of the album, which comprises more insular songs of heartbreak. However, these remain heartfelt, poetic and bleakly beautiful. 4.5/5
Of sorglet ekki búinn að hlusta en það þyði að þetta se gott (fyrsta lagið: hyd coverið - funny coinkidink)
This album sounds like an old fashioned under a tree, feeling the breeze of a hot summer day.
Heartbreaking opening. Such a great album, full of beautiful words and music. Truly a classic
One of my favorite albums, one of my favorite artists. Highlights: Into My Arms, People Ain't No Good, Brompton Oratory, Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere?, Idiot Prayer. Special mention to the video for (Are You)The One That I've Been Waiting For? as an excuse to make heart eyes at Blixa.
An absolutely gorgeous album, capturing Nick Cave at his poetic, melodic best. Into My Arms is my favourite Nick Cave song and one of the best piano ballads in music history. Beautiful beautiful beautiful. And there are many strong, gorgeous song on this masterpiece. 5 🌟
A complaint I've seen pretty regularly in these reviews is that the songs on a given album are "samey" and I've made that complaint before myself. Sometimes though that's not such a bad thing and in this case I wouldn't even think about changing anything. Maybe the best thing Cave's ever done.
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.
J'avais toujours résisté à Nick Cave (pourquoi?), mais force m'est d'admettre que cet album est exactement dans mes cordes et que j'ai adoré la musique, la voix, les paroles.
To go from murder ballads to this was such an amazing shift. Full of heartfelt songs and definitely one of his best albums, even if it does have Black Hair on it
I could listen to this forever. I am a huge fan of Leonard Cohen's You Want It Darker album and this feels just like that. Replayed twice and will be many more times.
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.
I always enjoy reading the one star reviews as they are normally the people who've never heard of Nick Cave and/or are fans of a completely different genre. Too bad for them. I'm lucky to have met him and boy he has a presence. This is brooding, sparse and intense. It's also beyond even just brilliant.
In the context of nick cave's discog this is not my fav but even middle of the road nick cave album is great.
6/4 Beautifully somber. Standout Tracks: Into My Arms, Brompton Oratory, Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere?, Black Hair, Idiot Prayer, Green Eyes
Love Nick Cave. "Into my arms" and "Are you the one that I've been waiting for" are classics.
After all the ups and downs of complying to the list, along comes Nick Cave to make me feel at home again. I love him, I love this album, though he has many that are superior to this. Beautiful album, full of little works of art. It's like being held by an old friend.
Yes Cressey the first track was very very good. Rest was pretty good as well. Think I preferred the murder ballads though
i didn’t know what to expect, really. It came out left field for me, but i found it emotional and harrowing.
The boatman’s call is a sexy seagull singing one kiss by Dua Lipa. This album is still a solid 4. Low-key falls off but cmon.
It’s good. The songs are strong. I just wish there were more changes in tone. It gets a little samey after a while.
Loved this album so much more than the last Nick Cave. A lot less strange and much more mellow.
Angrer fortsatt på at jeg ikke kom meg på Nick Cave i Oslo Spektrum i 2017. Flott album, men ikke helt på murder ballads-nivå.
"No God up in the sky No devil beneath the sea Could do the job that you did, baby Of bringing me to my knees Outside I sit on the stone steps With nothing much to do Forlorn and exhausted, baby By the absence of you" (Brompton Oratory) "Out of sorrow entire worlds have been built Out of longing great wonders have been willed" ((Are you) The one that I've been waiting for?) Este disco es súper cursi y súper de querer tirarse por la ventana, pero supongo que una cosa se complementa con la otra y me gusta un montón.
Probably the most Gorgeous album from Nick Cave. Most of the songs could have been a single. Wonderful Sunday morning listening. Only Criticism is it’s a little one paced and maybe a touch long. 4/5
Thoroughly enjoyable Sunday afternoon listening. I was completing a 500 piece puzzle listening to the boatman’s call. Nice. 4/5
Really enjoyed. Thought his voice might grate on me after a while but it didn’t. Class lyrics.