Murder Ballads
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1996
Album Summary
Murder Ballads is the ninth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in 1996 on Mute Records. As its title suggests, the album consists of new and traditional murder ballads, a genre of songs that relays the details (and often consequences) of crimes of passion. "Where the Wild Roses Grow", a duet featuring Cave singing with Kylie Minogue, was a hit single and received two ARIA Awards in 1996. Other prominent guest musicians on the album include PJ Harvey and Shane MacGowan.
WikipediaThis is really not my thing. It felt like the ramblings of a half stoned old man in some seedy bar. If that's your cup of tea you'll love it, but to me it was boring, depressing and badly sung.
56/100: Every song on this album is basically a worse version of “Ballad of Hollis Brown” and the best song on the album, “Death Is Not The End,” is just a Bob Dylan cover anyway. In fact, if you ever wondered what you get when you cross Bob Dylan with Ted Bundy, well here’s your answer. I can’t think of a bigger red flag than someone getting in their car and blasting the song “Stagger Lee.” Reading the lyrics of these songs while listening along was a deeply uncomfortable experience. I guess that speaks to the power of Nick Cave’s writing and it could be argued that’s what makes this album good, but it’s also the reason I’m rating this album so poorly. I can handle and even appreciate a troubling story in a song when it’s written well and has a thought-provoking moral like Bob Dylan’s “Ballad of Hollis Brown,” but this album is not that. I mean what type of message is “The Kindness of Strangers?” The final line is “So mothers keep your girls at home / Don’t let them journey out alone / Tell them this world is full of danger.” This album feels like murder ballads for the sake of writing about murder, which is the most troubling part to me. I can never see a situation in which I would want to listen to this album again, and if anyone ever hears me or anyone else listening to this, please call the police or a therapist.
I felt like I should like this album but, the more I listened the more I hated it. The musicality was good but the songwritiing was lazy. You could tell which songs were traditional songs that Cave left mostly intact and which ones he took liberties with. In every case, it seemed that the changes were designed to shock listeners and not to make the songs better. Additionally, Nick Cave's vocal performance on almost every song on this album was sub-par which was surprising to me b/c, in the past, I've enjoyed his performances. Overall, a very disappointing album and one that I frankly am mystified is on this list.
A wonderful album. Each track an excellent story of murder in different styles. Features two duets, one with Cave's former partner PJ Harvey and the other with another of Australia's finest exports, Kylie. The duet with Kylie I think represents the attention to songwriting that both artists are appreciated for. Cave and Minogue still perform the track together today. I believe this album, along with the previous Let Love In highlights Nick Cave's final step in transition from hard post-punk toward more experimental alternative rock and the run of albums following Murder Ballads go from strength to strength. It feels like Cave unlocked his USP in Murder Ballads and Let Love In which had always been there but needed the platform and right moment to bring it to the front. Today Nick Cave plays more of a piano man persona but the core link back to Murder Ballads is still at the forefront of his performances.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds open their "Murder Ballads" album with a deep-voiced Nick on "Song of Joy" - a spookish tall tale about a lady named Joy... or possibly about the mere concept of joy itself. Nick's storytelling is brooding and gothy, and I'm here for it! And after 4 minutes of this 6+ song... I can trust this album will be a horror movie for the ears. "Stagger Lee" is another story-telly song about a "bad mother fucker called Stagger Lee" and the bartender does not care. It's campy and fun! And devilishly spooky! "Henry Lee" is the next track on the album and it opens with guest vocals from PJ Harvey (I saw her open for U2 once when I was 11!). Another melancholy tale with accompanying piano and bass AND a pleasantly catching "la la la la" from the duet. The next track, "Lovely Creature" has a build up of tension that is carried throughout, with backing vocals from an unfeatured lady (and more "la la las") that I can only describe as "spooky consistent". "Where the Wild Roses Grow" features vocals by Kylie Minogue (she is the wild rose!) and is another spooky tall tale pop-ish goth song with piano and string arrangements that would make Ben Moody blush. "The Curse of Millhaven" comes in hot and has a head-boppy percussion with an accordion, and it's very fun! Reminds me a lot of My Chemical Romance (Mama comes to mind)... "even God's children they have to die". "The Kindness of Strangers" is yet another murder tale, about a woman named Mary who is tied to her bed with a bullet in her head. This track features an upbeat piano rhythm with guitar and drums. It's easy listening! This track also features a crying woman, which isn't very easy listening, but it is fantastic story telling. The next track, "Crow Jane," continues Nick's storytelling of murder and guns. This song features more piano and even more bass and drums. It's slow paced and has me tapping my foot and bopping my head. "O'Malley's Bar" is the penultimate track on this album, and at 14:28, it's by far the longest song (it's nearly 4 songs worth of song!). Nick does some adlibbing over some piano plucks while singing about a killing spree and how it makes his dick feel, for which I have the utmost respect. My personal favorite line from this track: "And with an ashtray as big as a fucking really big brick I split his skull in half His blood spilled across the bar Like a steaming scarlet brook" After that truly horrific tale of O'Malley's bar, the album comes to a close with "Death Is Not the End" (featuring Anita Lane, Shane MacGowan, PJ Harvey, and Kylie Minogue) - a cover of Bob Dylan - and it's a truly wonderful closer. "Just remember, that death is not the end." A haunting, yet comforting message for the pale, pasty, gothic audience Nick and his friends are surely targeting. Overall I really enjoyed this album. It's weird, it's disturbing, it's haunting. It is simply wonderful! Favorite track: The Curse of Millhaven Honorable mention: O'Malley's Bar
only listened to the first half but i feel like that's all i needed to hear. idk maybe my mind isn't sophisticated enough but i just don't get it sad face emoji
I liked this more than I thought I would. The dark storytelling reminds me a lot of Eminem, with more of a Johnny Cash spin on the beats. I hope death is not the end.
Cinquenta e três. Pobre Sylvia. Nunca lhe encontraram o corpo. Esqueceram-se de procurar no lago. MotA: Stagger Lee "Have mercy on me, sir Allow me to impose on you / I have no place to stay And my bones are cold right through"
1001 Albums Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Murder Ballads - Song of Joy. Interesting storytelling and vocal style. The orchestration in the background music is interesting. Intriguing but not distracting from the story. - Stagger Lee. Cool vibe and style. Incredibly profane for kind of no reason. Not sure who the audience is for this album yet. - Henry Lee. PJ Harvey gives a nice vocal. It’s nice to have a song with a little more structure after the first two songs. This is the first song that wasn’t 2 minutes too long as well. - Lovely Creature. Really cool background music again that is intriguing and stays out of the way. By this point in the album though, we’re getting dangerously close to “didn’t we already hear this song”. - Where the Wild Roses Grow. Nice to have some nice string arrangement for a change of instrumentation. Kylie Minogue gives a nice vocal performance too and her voice fits well with Nick Cave’s. - The Curse of Millhaven. Sounds like a circus said “okay, we need an opening act where the ringleader comes out and tells a weird story behind a sort of “Devil Went Down to Georgia” vibe from the band. Again, at least 3 minutes too long. - The Kindness of Strangers. Back to our normal instrumentation and back to a 6/8, wandering style. - Crow Jane. Sounds like the kind of thing that happens at a lame open mic night jam. The kind of thing that people think is “jazz” when it 100% isn’t. - O’Malley’s Bar. Finally, a different groove and feel. Reminds me of a Jim Morrison, Doors-style vamp. Nice to have some actual structure again too. Probably the best tune on the album BUT IT’S 14 minutes long for no reason. - Death is Not the End. This is the most “normal” song on the album and feels super loose, like they did this in 1 take in the studio with no rehearsal. I’d rate this album a 2/10. I appreciate the risk and uniqueness but I personally would never choose to listen to it ever again. I know it has an audience but I’m not a member of it.
El hitazo (jaja) "Where the Wild Roses Grow" es apenas una pizca de este disco tan hermoso. Lo curioso es que esa belleza parta de canciones que enmarcan asesinatos y, con todo, se oye tan seductor todo. Los instrumentos, la voz de Cave, las colaboraciones, las inspiraciones (canciones tradicionales) y los géneros, medio blues, medio folk, medio rock, construyen una atmósfera bastante disfrutable. Se me hace música como atemporal (?). Dicho eso, también, por alguna asociación que quizá se deba mucho a Nick Cave, pienso que es música como para vampiros y otras criaturas de la noche. En fin, lo celebro mucho y entre mis favs, sí, la que es con Kylie, también la que es con PJ sólo por oírla, "The Curse of Millhaven" y "The Kindness of Strangers", pero no hay skips aquí, todo bien. 10/10
Por lo general me cagan las baladas pero sí son de asesinatos y asesinos y gente muerte, pos está chido.
I loved this album. Why have I never listened to Nick Cave? Definitely need to check out more.
Stagger Lee: non so perché mi ricorda un po' i Modest Mouse più moderni nonostante i contenuti espliciti. Lovely Creature: pure questo c'ha il basso un po' Modest Mouse. Cioè chiaramente so i Modest Mouse che hanno il basso Nick Cave & Bad Seeds. In conclusione: sono le due di notte e io aspettavo Nick Cave al varco. Non lo avevo mai ascoltato veramente prima di oggi e devo dire di essere rimasto davvero stupito. Questo album mi ha totalmente sorpreso, ha chiaramente ispirato molta della musica che mi piace. La prima metà dell'album per me è da 5, l'interpretazione di Kylie Minogue è fantastica come pure PJ Harvey fa la sua figura. La seconda parte per me è più da 4, nonostante O'Malley's bar sia comunque un gran pezzo è un po' eccessivo. La cover di Dylan nel finale è un tocco da maestro. Per me sto album è un 4.75 ma non posso dargli 4 e quindi, finalmente, dò il mio primo 5 ad un album che non avevo mai ascoltato (ma il primo morale è Stevie). Sicuramente lo riascolterò e approfondirò anche il vecchio Nick.
Hah hah, this album is gloriously deranged! I've long been a huge fan of it. Fave track - "The Curse of Milhaven", I mean, c'mon, almost every verse has a laugh out loud funny line. On this listen through, "Lovely Creature" really stood out to me, too...
I already adore this wonderful silly album. Stagger Lee deserves awards just for its ridiculous use of the word motherfucker. It's hilarious. Henry Lee with PJ Harvey and Wild Roses with Kylie are both darker and moodier - and have a nice balance - Cave is murderer in one and victim in the other. Curse of Millhaven and O Mallets Bar are the highlights for me. Gloriously dark silliness. The latter is 15 minutes long bat feels like three. And Death is not the End is like Band Aid but not for idiots. Perfect perfect perfect.
p788, 1996, 5 stars Nick Cave :) all the favourites: Stagger Lee, Henry Lee, Curse of Milhaven, O'Malley's Bar
Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Stagger Lee, Henry Lee, Lovely creature, Where the wild roses grow
Znałem. Nick Cave jest świetny, mega klimat, faktycznie album ma sens głównie liryczny i słuchanie go ot tak w tle nie pozwala w pełni doświadczyć jego jakości. Wokalistki pasują do utworów, w których są. Album mroczny, brutalny, nietypowy. Highlighty - Song of Joy (świetnie się tam rozwija akcja) i Death is Not The End
Zdecydowanie nie zawiodłam się tytułem - pierwszy album od dłuższego czasu, który przesłuchałam uważnie zamiast tylko puścić w tle i generalnie takie 4.5/5, ale daję 5 za super teksty.
I try to hold out on giving out fives, especially so soon to each other, but man, I love this album. Some insane compositions throughout. A
Great album. I think on a single listen, I'd give this a 4. However, I suspect it'd grow on me with a few more listens even more, so I'm going to give it a 5/5.
Exceptional. I obviously knew the duet with Kylie, but I loved pretty much all the other songs too. Not quite a concept album, but with a clear theme, and musically really interesting
10/10 it’s been a while since I heard a Nick Cave album, he has so an incredible sense of world building he really plays to his strengths and creates something phenomenal every time, one of the greatest artists I know and probably one of my new favorite albums
This is an awesome album. Is it gospel rock style? That's honestly the best I can describe it. Not gospel content, though. So much fun to listen to
PSA: I've loved, worshipped, and adored Nick Cave since I first heard The Birthday Party back in the early 80s. He can do no wrong for me. Every album is uniquely Nick, every album is magnificent, and this is one of his finest albums. Dark, brooding, expletive ridden, and hilariously funny. I often smile at the thought of the many people that bought the album because they liked Where The Wild Roses Grow. Oh to have seen their faces when Stagger Lee kicked in.
Heel duister album, Ballads afgewisseld met af en toe iets steviger. En eindigend met een soort van positieve noot (al klinkt het licht ironisch) Topalbum wel
All I can say after this, is: "Wat kon Seedorf nou gebeuren toen hij van elf meter schoot? Er is leven, er is leven na de dood."
Finally, this is an album with some gristle and grit by Nick Cave that I can absolutely get behind.
I know an album will find it's way into my heart when it has a combination of excellent vision and excellent execution. This album knows what it wanted to be, and achieved that idea flawlessly. Not to mention, the dark vintage Americana vibe that runs through this album's blood is always an appreciated aesthetic. This is a new favorite of mine for sure.
Literally the perfect mix of rock and country, could listen to this voice for hours
Holy crap. How could an entire album of songs describing multiple murders be so entertaining? My first listen to Nick Cave, and I can see this is his forte. Sort of like Tom Waits in his genius, but gleefully darker. When Waits mourns it is with his whole heart and the remorse is terrible. When Cave mourns, as in the case of Mary Bellows in the song Kindness of Strangers, it’s almost matter of fact; the empathy of the mortician. A wild ride that makes you almost laugh at how grisly some of the songs are, with excellent guest appearances and fabulous performances by all the musicians. There may not be anything like this album.
Another rainy day album that was nice to listen to in the background of working.
Zeker een album wat in mijn ogen iconisch is. Toen ik het voor het eerst hoorde was ik onder de indruk en dat is zo gebleven. Lekker Nick (en jij hebt het ook zeer goed gedaan Kylie)
Nick Cave is amazing. I think I prefer Boatman's Call but still a brilliant album
I remember seeing this gothic giant for the first time ever when he and pop Princess Kylie performed Wild Roses on TOTP. I couldn’t believe my eyes, but my ears were mesmerised and have been ever since by Cave’s voice
I absolutely adored the quirky weirdness of this album. The vocals are a little off, but in a way that actually feels totally appropriate for the vibe they were going for and the music was absolutely amazing the entire time. I can't say O'Malley's Bar is a good song per se, but it was an absolute treat that only gets better on relistens, they absolutely earned that 14 minutes. Best tracks: Lovely Creature, Where the Wild Roses Grow, The Curse of Millhaven, O'Malley's Bar, and Death is Not the End.
A bravura performance from Nick Cave, a dark, twisted, gothic album full of, well, murder. The imagination, creativity and storytelling is incredible and yet the tunes are still singalong toe tapping. PJ Harvey and Kylie join in for the fun. Cave can conjure such incredible imagery and stories from some fictitious past. Few albums as unique as this in this list.
Today's album is my second by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. This is the album once recommended to me by a friend. This is a very dark album, whose entire theme circles around death and murder. Listening to this album is like listening to a true crime documentary. Nick's writing style and vocal delivery gives an overwhelming feeling of dread and gloom. He pairs with female vocalists such as: Kylie Minogue and PJ Harvey to inject some beauty to his baritone voice. The whole record proceeds through so much death and murder, and finally ends with a song of hope (a cover of Bob Dylan's "Death is Not the End") to pull the listener out of the darkness. This album is beautiful in the most fucked of ways. Nick has a way of genre jumping between albums. The first album of his I reviewed was called The Boatman's Call, which was an intimate acoustic album which featured Nick singing with piano accompaniment. Very soft and mellow. This album was rock oriented (kind of goth rock in a way) and VERY dark. I loved this album. At first, the shock of the material kind of turned me off, but eventually, it won me over, and upon second listen, I really looked past that, and really listened. This is a piece of art! The only way to enjoy this record is by listening front to back. Favourite songs: Stagger Lee, Where the Wild Roses Grow, The Curse of Millhaven, The Kindness of Strangers, Song of Joy, O'Malley's Bar, Death is Not The End Least favourite song: Crow Jane 5/5
What is there to say about this album that hasn't been said. It's dark, funny, profane, clever and beautiful. Beautiful melodies telling me terrible things.
Maravillosa sorpresa. La verdad viendo la duración y demás, me esperaba algo aburrido, repetitivo o agotador y sin embargo fue un disfrute. No escuché casi guitarras, mucha presencia de coros, órganos, pianos y bajos. Percusión a full. Excelente.
Obviamente já com o título do disco o conceito envolve o ouvinte. Com maestria de um mestre de contos de terror ou suspense, a criação musical criou uma atmosfera única e arrebatadora que me deixou sem fôlego. As letras, a música, a atuação vocal e instrumental, além das participações das cantoras, tudo se uniu de uma maneira que me deixou arrebatado. A mistura de blues, rock e folk fortaleceu a narrativa macabra e assustadora. Cada faixa parecia ser uma peça de um quebra-cabeça sinistro e inquietante, sendo que o quê realmente importava era conhecer todas e não buscar montá-lo.
There's something I find comforting with the over-to-top sincerity performance of this album. Sure, it's about death and murder, but it's also really playful. And PJ Harvey is an automatic win with me. I don't know what about this that scratches an aural itch for me. The performances are tight. The mood is atmospheric. The mix on the bass is astounding. Jesus, Cave is doing a duet with Kylie Minogue on an album about MURDER! I love this to no end. The intro on the Curse of Millhaven is exactly the kind of controlled musical violence that I love. The Kindness of Strangers is really sad. Very good job, Mr. Cave and the Bad Seeds.
Ah, the edgiest of edgelord albums. The music is great, the lyrics are... Um. Edgelordy. If it wasn't so good, it'd probably be on some kind of watchlist. "I am the man for which no god waits, For which the whole world yearns" is a cracking line though.
2/8 Criminal audio adventure. Standout Tracks: Stagger Lee, The Curse of Millhaven, O’Malley’s Bar
Honestly? Decadent. I liked the theme that this album had going for it, and given everything I've heard about Nick Cave's voice being polarizing, I thought he sounded great! 4 stars.
"The Kindness of Strangers" and "Where the Wild Roses Grow" are favorite. Another nice album by Nick Cave.
First time listening to a Nick Cave album and really enjoyed it. Liked the macabre themes to all the songs, and the dark humour.
Pretty interesting. A little too monotone on most songs. Stagger Lee was awesome.
Wow, that was quite a ride. I've always like Nick Cave but haven't delved too deeply into his music, but that may be about to change. I feel like I need to sit down and read all the lyrics of these songs like I would a book of short stories. Intense, scary, and violent, but also beautiful. 4 stars.
Not my favorite Cave - I feel like some of the other records let the band shine as much as his voice - but I mean I definitely enjoy it. Does it need all these guest vocalists? I think I’d take a version of “Death is not the end” sung by Cave only over what’s recorded here. And I will stop picking those nits and get on with my life.
I really wanted to like this album, but the stories that the songs told didn't really do much for me. The songs all kind of sounded the same.
Here we go! Back on the good stuff! I say this is a Nick Cave fan, that sometimes his music can feel faintly gimmicky; peer past his almost aggressive coolness and there's a great writer, still, but his scope is quite limited. Nonetheless, this one's right in his sweet spot, and in mine too if I'm honest.
Muy cool estás fases de Nick Cave darketo. Sobre todo la primera mitad del disco. Por ahí vi lamentablemente que uno de sus primeros discos, aún más oscuro que esto, está entre los que tienen las calificaciones más bajas de esta lista jaja. Anyway, los gritos con la carácteristica voz grave de Nick me parecen geniales, en Stagger Lee muy chido eso con su breakdown del final. La otra que me gustó fue Henry Lee, pues claro porque la que hizo con Pj harvey y pues Pj Havey = <3. The Curse of Millhaven me dio risa por las fuertes vibras de Aurelio Voltaire. Mood: steampunk baladista darketón.
Aika kohtalokkaan kuuloisia biisejä tällä teemalevyllä. Kivasti oli erilaisia biisejä ja kaikissa kuitenkin samankaltainen painostava tunnelma. Where the wild roses grow on tietty se hittibiisi, mutta levyn viimeinen kappale death is not the end oli ehkä nyt ainakin tällä kertaa se paras. Sen verran kurkkasin wikipediasta, että Bob Dylan oli sitä biisiä ollut kirjoittamassa. Mielestäni moni muu biisi levyllä kuulosti enemmän Dylanin tulkinnalta, kuin tuo viimeinen, melodian omaava biisi :D
Oooh you're hard, Nick, talking about murder and death and dark stuff.
liked the sound, a little bluesy and seemed similar to some Johnny Cash I have heard before. Overall, unexpected surprise.
This just gives me Edgar Allan Poe vibes and I don't know how to explain it but I love it. It has some questionable lyrivs, but well, the album is called Murder Ballads for a reason
En general el concepto del disco me gustó mucho y creo que valdría la pena dedicarle una oída a profundidad a las letras. Mi único (gran) pero, es que la voz de Nick Cave (especialmente combindada con lo largo de algunas canciones) me llega a fastidiar bastante.
4.5| que buen disco, noto mucho Leonard Cohen en su tesitura pero nada que moleste. La manera de contar las historias y de igual manera que el disco pasado de Lou Reed muy gris y macabro por hablar de muertes, me gustó mucho
A pesar de que obviamente el estilo y género de canciones es muy conocido no tenía conocimiento de que se les llamara formalmente "murder ballads." La única vez que había escuchado el término pensé, sin darle mayor importancia, que había sido inventado para una presentación de los Tiger Lillies (que recomiendo ampliamente); todo esto no viene mucho al caso pero se me hace curioso que en todos estos años nunca me tope con el término formal. Al leer sobre el disco y el concepto pensé de entrada que iban a ser covers de canciones folclóricas clásicas del género y, aunque si vi que hay un par me pareció muy interesante que la mayoría son composición suya o al menos de creación moderna. A Nick Cave realmente llegué a conocerlo por la conexión de constantes colaboraciones con Blixa Bargeld (quien hizo quizá de las canciones más interesantes musicalmente en el disco a mi parecer - Lovely Creature, y quien debería estar en esta lista y lo más probable no esté btw) y se me hace un proyecto que varia mucho en sus discos pero siempre ofrece algo musicalmente interesante. En este caso también ofrecen a mi parecer algo líricamente macabro y delicioso con una cuenta de víctimas que si no me equivoco es como de más de 50 al menos si sumamos los muertitos de todas las canciones. Hace sin duda honra a su nombre, me agradó mucho y aunque siempre he pensado que Nick Cave suena a alguien imitando la voz de Leonar Cohen (que no digo que lo haga pero a eso suena) en este caso queda muy bien para el mood del proyecto. Las colaboraciones ya sean con PJ Harvey o Kylie o etc bien a secas, aunque buenas las canciones ni siquiera se me hacen las mejores del disco. Todo un disco que aunque al parecer surgió entre capricho/reto/broma terminó con algo tremendamente cohesivo de calidad, muy distinto y único.
Jedan dosta dobar zimski album. Puno albuma gospodin Nick i njegova škvadra imaju ispod svog pojasa za koje bi se reklo da su fantastični, ovaj nije toliko baš, ali je jako dobar. Dakle nije mi u top 5, ali svejedno zaslužuje veliki rejting.
Dark, dark tracks - in case the title doesn't give it away. Songs focused of death and murder and the vocals and music fits all of these songs perfectly. Best Tracks: Stagger Lee; The Curse of Millhaven; O'Malley's Bar