The Boatman's Call

Surprisingly pretty and romantic. Didn't think I'd enjoy it this much! Standouts are Into My Arms and There Is a Kingdom. 3.5

Slow and melodramatic. Not bad, not my favorite.

Made me fall asleep.

I found this album to be very boring personally but well made objectively. Nick Cave’s voice was monotone but the minimalist production was solid along with good songwriting. Not horrible but not enjoyable. Fav song, ig: black hair

Very chill Good to relax to Nice piano Last song would be perf without that bad voice on top Cound listen to again

Incredibly boring

Not a Nick Cave album that I have listened to fully before now - I really wanted to love this... but only liked it. I think it probably needs another few listens. The piano throughout is beautiful and the build up to strings towards the end create a cool musical narrative to the album. Into My Arms is the stunner, of course. Really enjoyed the Bass in Far From Me.

Into my arms is obviously a beautiful tune but this didn't catch me like I thought it would.

I'm a huge Nick Cave fan, but this is one of his most boring albums.

Heard of this band several times. Yesterday I found out that I like them (or at least this version of them). I will have to checkout more of their discography as I understand they're pretty experimental.

I’m not the best guy to give you a rating for this. Because I FUCKING LOVE Nick Cave and the Seeds baby! 4 stars all day long and I’m taking one star off because I know some of you will listen and think “the fuck is this!”

Mostly all slow songs that are bland to listen to. His voice is not very pleasant to listen to. Instrumentation is nice on some songs but homie’s voice hurts more than the instruments help. Bonus point for “This useless old fucker with his twinkling cunt“ 1.6/5

Melancholy and lovely.

I'd heard his name before but I don't recall hearing his music before (maybe a song or two from his punk bank, Birthday Party? not sure). Anyway, I am very glad to be introduced to this album. Some real nice songwriting. I enjoy his style, musically, lyrically, and vocally.

// Favs: – Score: Light 4

why does anyone like this more than anything else? kind of sucks

fine. almost good i think?

Lots of beautiful moments here, but in general just a bit overwrought for my taste. Takes itself just a bit seriously.

A beautiful album.

First impression: way too dramatic for me. There is also something about the combination of his voice, the music, and the lyrics that makes it feel quite contrived and pretentious. After about the 5th song I started forwarding through songs if I didn't like them halfway through. I forwarded through all but West Country Girl (but I was distracted during that one). Black Hair has huge "men writing women" vibes and sealed the 1 star for me. First album on this list that I actively disliked listening to.

Get's better with every listen. Genius

Garbage. Not sure what I'm supposed to like about this. I guess some of the songs would sound good in a movie soundtrack in a scene where a guy walks into a room where his whole family just got murdered. No thanks.

Not my thing

shouldn't've come back for it, trash

Bummertown, USA. I love depressing music but this was intolerable sludge.

Not for me. Not even close.

Really good album…nice chill vibe…looking forward to checking out more of their stuff

Pretty boring.

Look, it has some real bangers but it's bleak as shit and that just wasnt my vibe on that day.

3/5 quite good, sounded a bit like john lennon

The Boatman's Call has extremely strong parts, with hauntingly beautiful songs about love, religion, grief, and resentment. I love how the focus is on the intimacy of Cave's vocals, accompanied by a slow tempo and piano, which makes me never lose my focus on the story Cave is trying to tell. This changes a bit on the middle part of the record, where it changes towards a slightly less "epic' sound. Where minimalism is it's greatest strength, it also is this record's greatest weakness at times. While the first half of the record is significantly better than the last, it is enough to warrant a 4/5.

Nothing special

The songwriting is really phenomenal, but it does get weird at times. I love when the organ gets going in the background and gives everything an ethereal vibe. I definitely have to be in a certain mood to enjoy this though. The last song is super weird.

Really good songwriter but the songs are a bit one note when listening to the album as a whole

Really beautifully made. A few to keep on rotation for good.

Pretty good, like Green Eyes

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"

Very dark album, i love it

tragic caucasiana

One of my favorite Nick Cave albums. Brilliant songwriting as always

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.

agradável, mas todas as músicas pareciam a mesma

Very nice :))

I like this alot idk why i jsut do the second track is pretty cool and jazzy but the whole album is good 8/10

Couldn't really get into it.

Literally who listens to this. Absolutely not

Kinda cringe. As much as i like his earlier post punk shit i rly cant get behind the sadboi singer-songwriter era. That said i wish this site had half stars so giving it a 1 wouldnt look as bad

liked a few songs

Nick cave has really good music quite excited.

Klasse Album, aber glaube nicht alles von Nick Cave ist so hörbar...

Großartig! Mit Kompensation für eine 1sterne Bewertung für das Punk Projekt von Bock Cave reicht es für

This is the first time hearing this album for me and I was struck by the minimalist approach of which beautifully put the focus on the lyrics that seem to focus on a difficult time in Cave's life and relationship. The piano based album combined with his singiing set somewhat of a romantic mood to the songs. Really enjoyed this album. Very sparse. Very raw. Very beautiful. Loved the first song.

He definitely has a sound.

I liked this. A lot. It appeals to like the 10% goth in me. How have I been sleeping on Nick Cave dude?

Nick Cave: el Nacho Vegas australiano

Sombre, down tempo, quite beautiful.

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

Man, what a killer opener. Hard to get on to the rest because I just want to keep listening to it on repeat. It really sets the tone for what follows: a significant departure from the sound and themes of previous Nick Cave records. It just feels so personal and intimate. I feel like he must have been listening to a lot of Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen at the time. Shades of Scott Walker, too. 3.5/5 Favourite songs: "Into My Arms", "There is a Kingdom"

Piano-based and sad

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.

Gorgeous album. Dark and beautiful

Not bad, but not my cup of tea. Lost our cat this week so thought it might be actually the right time for this dirge-type music, but sadly I just wasn't into it. I did read some entertaining writing on how to become a Nick Cave fan.

Ok

Starts brilliantly but drags by the end - bit of a chore

First track great. The odd one is pretty good.

A bit dreary and tracks all similiar tone and vibe. Not for me.

3

Beautiful album

Don’t know much about this

Not for me this one.

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.

Nick Cave gets dumped by PJ Harvey and moans about it. Best Tracks: Into Your Arms, People Ain't No Good, (Are You) The One I've Been Waiting For?

The Boatman is Eeyore and wants you to slow down, you kangaroo. Telling moment: Brompton Oratory had a similar chord progression and "prosidy" to Keane's smash hit Somewhere Only We Know, so I put that song on and ended up enjoying myself much more than any Boatman track. But Boatman is not for enjoying. Boatman is art for careful consideration. Keane is chiming beauty for forgetting reality for a minute. Boatman is poetic trudging and mining reality for meaning. But I have to make PowerPoint presentations and finish work in time to take my pickle boat out on the river before the sun sets. I can't mine for meaning while making slides. The Boatman inside me wants to be an actual boatman. C

Nick Cave is to music what Jim Jarmusch is to film: Pretty good, doing interesting things, playing with traditional forms and adding generality dark elements and a strong cult following have ascribed a certain level of genius. I’m unsure if genius is warranted. It’s a generation X thing I think. To me he’s like Neil Diamond dark with less catchy melodies. Some times his choruses hit just right and you can feel it. Sometimes it feels like he’s forcing words in that don’t fit in the structure or melody if the song. Perhaps if I listened to his whole catalog, but if it’s anything like this album, it will all fade into the background. 2

This blended so quickly and so entirely into the background as I listened while working.

Maaaaaaaan I really didn't like it very much. Too lovey dovey/piano-y for my taste.

Good, but not nearly as captivating as the first Nick Cave album we listened to. West Country Girl keeps things interesting, but the stripped-down piano thing was never my jam.

A fine album with some classic songs with ‘into my arms’ amongst the best

Mooi, indrukwekkende nummers vol verdriet en een sprankje hoop. "Where do we go now but nowhere"

The album overall is very laid back and melancholy. I like most of the songs but some of them bother me for basically no reason. I don't like the melody on Lime Tree Arbour or the spoken part on Green Eyes. I also found it a bit boring at parts. I can see why people love it but it it's not my favorite. That being said there are still songs like Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere? are really good and overall it's a good album. I liked it more on the second listen but I'm not in the mood for it right now so it is probably better than I'm giving it credit for. Favorite Songs: Into My Arms, Brompton Oratory, There is a Kingdom, Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere?, Idiot Prayer Least Favorite Songs: Lime Tree Arbour, Green Eyes Strong 7/10

First time listening to a Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album and it was surprisingly good.

I am intrigued.

Haven’t listened to much Nick Cave and this album has made me want to listen to much more as it’s right up my street but there weren’t enough stand out tracks on this album (Into my Arms aside) to elevate this from a 3 to a 4

Geweldig!

In 1 woord geweldig!

Not my thing

Prachtig! Ingetogen, traag, sferisch. En die stem....

Nick kan bij mij weinig fout doen. Prachtige liedjes.

Really enjoyed. Thought his voice might grate on me after a while but it didn’t. Class lyrics.

It's not terrible, but I wasn't really into this. Just a bit slow and boring. Don't really see much much importance/significance in it either. I can see how it is a music critic's dream though, probably explains why it's in this list. Another Howard fortunate 3. 5.5/10

Enjoyable, but fell victim to being listened to whilst doing stuff round the house so some of it went by the wayside and didn't do enough to grab my attention.

I wouldn’t mind if I never heard nick cave ever again. I have loved some of his songs, covered many of them, but now it just sounds flat and boring.

The lyrics were trash, the piano was trash, and his voice was trash. Hated it.

nice album with nice music but the songs didnt really fit together like it seemed more of a best of album rather than a normal album.

Thoroughly enjoyable Sunday afternoon listening. I was completing a 500 piece puzzle listening to the boatman’s call. Nice. 4/5

Trash, "music pour faire dodo"

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

"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.

Kolejny raz horyzonty muzyczne zostały poszerzone, bo jest to druga australijska banda jaka slyszalem, ale nie jestem jakos specjalnie zadowolony z tego odsluchu, wymeczone 50 minut, aranzacje w ultra wolnym tempie, w stylu minimalistycznym, brak jakiegokolwiek jakosciowego wokalu, instumentalem glownym sa klawisze i smyczki, ultra doomerska liryka, zawodzenie o tym jaka to milosc, zycie, ludzie sa niedobrzy, naprawde ciezki material do odsluchania, trzeba z odpowiednim mindsetem do niego podejsc, jedynym kawalkiem ktory wrzuce na plejke to lime tree arbour

1st track is amazing and the rest pretty good standard Nick Cave. I think I like him better when there's guitars

Peaky vibes!

I like the imagery in the lyrics - they read like poems. I also like Nick Cave's voice that's unique. The arrangements are super spare and the recordings sounds live, mostly acoustic and unfiltered. After listening to this album, I understand Nick Cave's mystique but I'm feeling unexcited and a little confused. Perhaps with more understanding of his other albums, I'll have more context to judge.

ziemlich lame auf ganzer albumlänge. bei aller sympathie.

Es klingt alles gut und Cave gefällt in seinem Mantel aus Schwermut, in den gehüllt er durch ein Spalier melancholischer Bewunderung langsam wiegenden Schrittes den Raum als den seinen erobert. Kann da nur aus der Ferne erkennen, was seinem Bann nicht erklommen kann, mich aber demselben entziehen, denn so viele Jünger er um sich zu scharren vermag so erkenne ich ihn als Künstler an, jedoch nur leidlich berührt, keineswegs erregt und ein wenig skeptisch. Anerkennende 3.1

Ersten Song fand ich sehr schön, dieses nocturne, novemberige und ruhige. Dann allerdings festgestellt, dass die ganze Platte ja auch nicht so viel anders ist, was auf Dauer dann doch etwas einlullte. Leider (wie meistens) nicht auf Texte geachtet, deshalb auch keinen Eindruck von der Deepness gewinnen können. Leider, möglicherweise komplett unbegründeter Verdacht: es könnte richtung "Tears in Heaven" gehen. Mit Songtiteln wie "People Ain't No Good" spricht er mir natürlich aus dem Herzen. Insgesamt: schön, aber zu wenig aufregend. 2.7.

Real Dreary work. Vocally a little off, but I enjoyed it.

Not something I would listen to again

Shrek 2 song

Sort of a Tom Waits vibe.

Very religious.

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.

estuve por darle un 2, pero la letra lo hizo un 3

Enjoyed it at times but it's certainly mood music.

Themes of religion, love Bear and stripped back, with just piano Very personal and up close

Bleh

Aussie Leonard Cohen

ist aber sehr traurig - 2

Loved this album so much more than the last Nick Cave. A lot less strange and much more mellow.

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

Just not for me.

Not bad

un po' malincolino, calmo, ma comunque piacevole

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 respect it but I don’t think I will listen to this much in the future - it reminds me of a concert in a dark bar where you sit down to watch the music and maybe meet eyes with a woman on the other side of the room and you both smoke cigs and drink manhattans in a complicated stage of life like a post breakup or a recent death - 6.7/10

Not a fan

Really slow and boring

Very slow and somber. Sad. Religious. Cross between Johnny Cash and... someone I can't remember. It doesn't sound bad, it just isn't for me.

WTF? Nick Cave is great at something, and that is making fun murder ballads and looking mysterious with a full band. He is very bad at being emo and introspective. This is easily his worst album.

It’s good. The songs are strong. I just wish there were more changes in tone. It gets a little samey after a while.

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

seria nick cave o leonard cohen da nova geração?

Excellent modern blues and chill vibe. Lyrics are fantastic, music consistent. Love Nick Cave!

Fav: Into My Arms, There is a Kingdom

It feels a bit controversial to give this a three but that’s just how this listen turned out 🤷🏻‍♂️

Idiot’s Prayer is great, the rest were kinda boring

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.

Álbum com músicas bem lentas. Bacana pra se ouvir durante um momento de reflexão.

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.

Some of the lyrics are interesting and thought provoking, and some of the instrumentation is nicely done, but for whatever reason Nick's voice just isn't my bag, baby.

It's time for The Boatman's Call from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. I have to be honest and say I don't recall listening to much, if any Nick Cave over the years. I know they have a very passionate fan base, and listening to this for the first time - I can see this being something I would like. The first song is mainly piano and Nick Cave, and it tells me all I want to know. It's thoughtful, introspective and I'm enjoying it already. It reminds me of Leonard Cohen, Richard Hawley, and Rufus Wainwright. My wife will not like this. I believe it would qualify as "whiny music" in her opinion. As the album rolls along, I'm enjoying how straight-forward the words are, though it does seem a little bible-y at points. I looked it up and Nick has many thoughts about the Bible and religion. I hopped out of the album and looked at what is popular for this artists - and I'm seeing if I actually know any of the songs. Not so much. I'm enjoying this, it might be too introspective and slow for consistent listening.

i didn’t know what to expect, really. It came out left field for me, but i found it emotional and harrowing.

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

It always feels like I am supposed to really like Nick Cave but I consistently react to the studio stuff as just OK. Reminded during this listen of that Chris Knox line "Leonard Cohen used to bend his words this way... to try to make a song out of a speech."

Great. Very somber.

Favorite song: Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere?

Unexpectedly chill, thought it would be another punk rock album from the album cover. Pretty mellow and melancholy. I can see myself being in the mood for this.

Classic Nick cave, alright album

Nice sound, and a big departure from yesterday's Iron Maiden. Dark, slow, sombre mood. No real stand-out songs. Not enough to make me come back to this album

O piano é bom, a voz é mais ou menos.

Incredible deep voice. Light jazzy backdrop. Fave songs: There is a Kingdom, West Country Girl

"Into my arms" sounds very familiar, I'm sure I heard it somewhere without realizing it was Nick Cave.

What a surprisingly positive album from the big man.

Not my style.

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

I don’t get it

Yes Cressey the first track was very very good. Rest was pretty good as well. Think I preferred the murder ballads though

Melancólico mas bonito

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.

Amazing

Love Nick Cave. "Into my arms" and "Are you the one that I've been waiting for" are classics.

Crooning.

Some good songs, bit of a mixed bag with some weird ‘arty’ moments

Nope, not today. Maybe not ever. Not exactly sure why, but there's nothing about this album that I like right now -- voice is meh, music is yawn, and lyrics are wat. 1 star.

I was gonna give it 2☆ until I heard black hair. Fuck that song, fuck this album. Every song drags on and on. Idk if its just an album of death and mourning, but it sucks

Quite enjoyed that, although it felt like stories not songs do can't see myself listening again.

Started interesting but just too mellow and depressing

sweet listen, into my arms always on repeat

Great album. Into My Arms is one of my favorites.

Very mellow, and a bit sad.

A melancholy walk around Great Park. 12 nearly identical songs, was just waiting for it to end.

Bit too downbeat and depressing for me. Appreciated that it was really well crafted music though.

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.

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

If Bruce Springsteen was Australian he would be this guy

7/10 FT: are you the one that I've been waiting for?

1997. Key Songs: Into My Arms, (Are You) the One That I've Been Waiting For?

i don't usually like Cave that much but this is him in a more sincere mode with less babble

6/4 Beautifully somber. Standout Tracks: Into My Arms, Brompton Oratory, Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere?, Black Hair, Idiot Prayer, Green Eyes

In the context of nick cave's discog this is not my fav but even middle of the road nick cave album is great.

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

Inte hans bästa, men en extra stark 3:a! Perfekta albumet om man vill begå självmord!