Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Wore this record out when it came out. One of my favourite album when I want to go to the dark side.
Another amazing album I'd been stupidly dismissive of in the past, this goes hard. Saw him live about 15 years ago and it was mindblowing, that was when I realised I'd made a huge mistake in not listening to more Nick Cave before.
Mmmmmm so good
the atmospheric-est
I was like "why are all these songs about killing people?" Then I reread the album title.
To those who don’t acknowledge or won’t accept their inner demons, or that Nick Cave is a bad MoFo, go to Hell. Five stars in this life and no matter where I end up afterwards.
Какие же на этом альбоме ебейшие фиты. Две песни с PJ Harvey, великая песня с Кайли. Ну и финальный кавер с самым красивым мужчиной Шейном Макгоэном. Крутой альбом.
Peak Nick Cave. Een conceptalbum waarvan de titel niet duidelijker had kunnen zijn dat dit. Murder Ballads kent 10 murder ballads. Zijn ze alle 10 perfect? Misschien niet. Maar ik zou avonden lang kunnen luisteren naar de lugubere verhalen van een deranged Australiër die na zes drankjes op de avond onaangekondigd losbarst in proza.
Nick Cave is so bad-ass and I loved this album, listened to it twice. Five stars.
This is perfect. Can't put my attention away. -0,4 for the grunting in O'Malleys Bar, wtf
Very good and very disturbing
Really really good. The songs felt so tense and nervous. Great energy throughout this album.
Nick Cave liefert! Was für ein grossartiges Album.
Better than Coldplay
Maybe a bit giallo and over the top at times (especially some of the later tracks), but material like this is sure in Cave’s wheelhouse. Not the best 80’s-era Bad Seeds record (that would prob be either Let Love In or The Boatman’s Call), but prob in the top five.
FINE....I GET IT....I LOVE THIS MUSIC AND I MISSED OUT FOR SO MANY YEARS!!!! Seriously, I think I have bought at least 3 albums from them(none of the albums that have been on this list). and they are all great. Murder Ballads does seem to be a perfect storm for Cave's aesthetic and sound here.
this was quite the journey
this made me scared in the best way
Can understand Murder Ballads not for everyone however for me it is an amazing album. Each song a story and the music just seems to fit each one perfectly.
Donker maar wel goeeed
Absolutely love this album. Utterly brilliant. Great tunes. Fabulous lyrics, dark, amusing, unusual theme. Like listening to a musical audio book. Just great from start to (nearly) finish. The only dud was the final Bob Dylan authored track.. Whoda thunk it. I get the tongue-in-cheekness of adding this at the end of an album that is basically all murders. It's just sadly not a great song. 4½
prachtige teksten met soms schaarse begeleiding... dreigend (laatste nummer niet meegerekend natuurlijk)
This will have been the third Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds album on my journey. I remember first listening to his near-hit with Kylie Minogue, "Where the Wild Roses Grow", a year and a half ago. Such an unconventional team-up that led to a serene waltz with the organic strings, acoustic guitar, and piano coalescing around this duet as they recount the murder of Elisa Day, from both the perspective of the killer and the victim. It is a genuinely amazing single that gave a taste of what Murder Ballads had in store. True to its title, this record is a collection of narrative-driven songs that detail various murders... for the most part; I'll put a pin on that for later. Atmosphere is the name of the game here, as the compositions crawl with visceral menace, largely piano-driven as Nick and Conway Savage's tickled those ivory keys, with additional support from the distorted guitars of Blixa Bargeld and Mick Harvey, and the strong rhythmic foundation of Martyn P. Casey, Jim Sclavunos, and Thomas Wylder. It's the perfect backdrop for Nick to brood with specificity in these graphic tales. From the death of a mother and her three daughters in the chilling "Song of Joy", to the New Orleans R&B swagger of "Stagger Lee" as an update on the folk iconography of the murderous pimp Lee Shelton, to another bona fide duet on "Henry Lee" as PJ Harvey effortlessly played the woman who kills her cheating lover, to the wandering haze of "Lovely Creature" with the whooshing organ as a girl is left to die in the desert sands, to the choir accompaniment on the manic shuffle of "The Curse of Millhaven" as the character of Loretta went on a misguided killing spree, to the somber recounting of a crime scene in "The Kindness of Strangers", to the haunting blues of "Crow Jane" as the titular character went from rape victim to mass murderer, nothing is left on the table with each sensationalist story that offered a unique perspective. Probably the most spine-tingling tale came in the 14-minute "O'Malley's Bar", the song that spurred on the creation of this album. An eerie cabaret piece as Nick played a demented man hell-bent on his killing spree, only to stop from ending his life at the very end when his humanity was regained, and he turned himself in to the police. It's the kind of striking songwriting that I would not have expected any less from him. All that said, I come back to my pin from earlier, as there is but one song on the album where a murder didn't happen. That would be the closer, a cover of Bob Dylan's "Death Is Not the End", where Nick is not only accompanied by Kylie and PJ on the vocals once again, but also his bandmates, Shane McGowan of the Pogues, and singer-songwriter Anita Lane. Sure, it has been described as a tongue-in-cheek inclusion by Nick, but I think there is something potent in the sentiment that for all these lives prematurely ended, there is still more in store for them, be it in the afterlife or in the memories of those we loved. Perhaps it's a bit of a reach to call it intentional, but I certainly felt moved by it as a curtain call. Murder Ballads is a wonderful album, truly encapsulating what Nick Cave is known for as a singer-songwriter.
No one tells a story in a song like Nick Cave does.
apart from the tender top-20 hit "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (a duet with Kylie Minogue) and the tongue-in-cheek closing cover of Bob Dylan's "Death Is Not the End", Nick Cave's ninth album with the Bad Seeds is a series of depraved, twisted and (pardon the pun) seedy stories of, you guessed it, murder and death. Cave is an artist whose large body of work has always felt rather imposing to me in the past, and my previous experiences trying to enter his musical world have often left me feeling a bit cold. I think what I needed to do was a bit of homework; I've recently become enamored with the various musical projects of his fellow Australians Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin (namely The Drones and Tropical Fuck Storm), whose Caveian influences are now far more apparent to me. like those bands, the Bad Seeds make rock music with macabre conceptual underpinnings and an experimental approach to production and instrumentation. the approach to storytelling Cave takes on Murder Ballads, a mixture of traditional and new songs, also does a lot to draw me into the sound his band conjures, and reminds me quite a lot of Liddiard's approach to similarly harrowing stories like "The Radicalisation of D". "Song of Joy" opens with sparse, pummeling drums, a honky-tonk piano hammering away, and Cave's sinister baritone recalling the story of a man who murders his entire family; the sick twist comes with the reveal that it was the narrator himself who did the deed. "Stagger Lee" is a decidedly darker take on the traditional song of the same name, with a ton of profanity and sexually charged lyrics which certainly caught me the hell off guard! there's a slight influence from hip hop here, with the slow, tight drum break, the lumbering, independent bassline and Cave's spoken-word vocal delivery approaching rapping or toasting. (he's also credited with firing the gunshots you hear towards the end!) the similarly titled "Henry Lee" follows, the first moment of some reprieve. it's a gorgeous piano ballad featuring PJ Harvey (Cave's then-girlfriend) that recounts the story of a woman scorned by her husband after the birth of their child; she kills him after he tells her of his plan to leave her for another woman, abandoning both her and the kid. honestly, who could blame her? the rest of the album follows in a similar fashion; sometimes serene, sometimes evil, always a little bit theatrical. as dark as these murder stories get, there's always a little bit of humor in the proceedings, which helps this 60-minute album (the penultimate track accounts for nearly a quarter of that time) not feel like a slog. even as the characters in these stories commit heinous acts of violence, sometimes leveling entire towns just for the thrill of it, there's always something kind of affable about them underneath it all. Cave's ability to turn characters like Loretta ("The Curse of Millhaven") or the unnamed narrator of "O'Malley's Bar" from villains into likeable antiheroes is something to behold! light 9/10.
A four star album, but it had Polly Jean on one song
This is probably the coolest album that I've found here that I wouldn't have known about without listening to these. One never heard of Nick Cave, much less The Bad Seeds, but I'm glad I have now. To show you can sing and tell a compelling story all within one album is impressive. I saw someone said this album is badly sung, but Nick shows us he can sing well. Choosing to not be right on pitch on several tracks is clearly an intentional choice and, I believe, one that adds to the album.
Fantastiskt stämningsfull musik och berättande. Mörkret fångar mig verkligen och har svårt att se att den här typen av musik kan göras bättre än åtminstone första halvan!
Best concept album?
When Nick Cave went into mainstream consciousness without even trying. Being himself and bringing fellow Kiwi Kylie Minogue into his wheelhouse didn’t hurt one bit.
Really liked it
9/10… alternative pop / gothy / *1996 👂 Thx to Tine 🫶
Perfect album to play in the background when you’re killin’ folks. It’s actually great Nick Cave has an outlet in music to keep him from hopping around the countryside doing heaps of murders of his own. These work so well because the Bad Seeds are equally locked in on the vision. They don’t come much more delightfully demented than this.
It what could only be some intern’s stand against The Broadcasting Standards Authority, the uncensored version of Stagger Lee was played on New Zealand state television at approximately 11 am on a Sunday. The year was 1996 or 1997. I was 11, my brothers were 9 and 7. Morning cartoons had just ended, and now, suddenly, we were watching a tale of murder and sexual depravity told with the worst swearing we’d ever heard on mass broadcast media. Oh that glorious swearing. Something close to righteous joy washed over us to the equal parts horror and amusement of our father. We yelled “Mr Motherfucker do you know who I am?” and kicked over the coffee table. We fired finger guns and counted the holes in our motherfucking heads. We lined up the stuffed animals to search for fat boy’s assholes. We hollered and beat the ground like those apes at the start of Space Odyssey. It was bedlam. Looking back, there was a valuable lesson on censorship. It’s not the words themselves that ‘they’ aim to stop, under the premise of moral purity or what have you. It’s that spirit of mayhem that must be suppressed at all costs. Link Wray knew that. There’s a riot closer to the surface that we think.
A fascinating album, Nick Cave doesn't hold back lyrically, and pushes many of his murderous tales to the graphic limit. But rather than being gratuitous, they are very effectively shrouded in a sinister atmosphere, both forbidding and foreboding. About the only track I didn't get on with is 'The Curse of Millhaven', with it's alternating bassline and accordion, it sounds like a cross between the Moulin Rouge soundtrack and a jug-band - it doesn't have the power of the rest of the album. The Dylan cover is quite bonkers, and actually made me think it was an upside-down version of 'Feed the World' - a motley crew of singers taking random lines and not really hanging together. Still - better than the lacklustre original. Whilst not as great as 'The Boatman's Call' it's a fine piece of evocative work. It borders top tier; it's unique enough to be admitted.
I love Nick Cave. He's a performance artist in all the best ways: songwriter, musician, charisma in spades, tortured, a bit nuts. (Not all of that is great for him. But, lucky us!) He's absolutely compelling, live. I didn't exactly *love* every track; that was always on the cards, with the unedifying nature of some of the graphic scenes and verbal exchanges being portrayed. But I did find the album quite brilliant, really. Atmospheric, chilling and exciting, with moments of beauty, and some dark (of course) humour. I loved all of the instrumentation, and particularly Martyn P Casey's bass contributions. The ending made me chuckle.
Such a classic album, its darkness is only matched by the quality of the storytelling. I found it confronting the first time I heard it a long time ago, but it’s still a classic. The final song, death is not the end finishes the album perfectly
I really like this. great collection of ballads and Nick cave and Kylie is great
This album is truly such a magnificent surprise. It's dark and cold, and great and done with so so much taste. Also, the instrumentals are on another level. The piano on the first song just gives me goosebumps. I love how much of a storytelling album it is and how immersive too. It has so many great songs, such a strong beginning and end, and so much power, both, lyrically and musically. I am obsessed with it right now, this album is spectacular. It truly is.
💕💕💕💕
A truly unique album that I think is Nick Cave’s best. It is disturbing, beautiful, funny, with some killer performances and storytelling. Stagger Lee and Curse of Milhaven both go so hard
A great album. I first became aware of Nick Cave with the song "Where the Wild Roses Grow." I was also familiar with the duet with PJ Harvey in "Henry Lee." I had heard the album, but didn't appreciate it. That has now changed. The album is one of my favorites. 5/5
Murder Ballads isn’t quite my favourite Nick Cave album, but its mythology looms large. This unrelenting collection of vividly imagined deaths marked a strange commercial high point for Cave, driven largely by the unlikely crossover appeal of a legendary duet with Australia’s pop princess. And it’s not even the best duet on here. “Henry Lee” with PJ Harvey - fresh from their breakup - is arguably more compelling, particularly in the video, where the performance crackles with a volatile mix of attraction and hostility. Cinematic and darkly funny from beginning to end, the gallows humour and excess of tracks like “O’Malley’s Bar” almost push things into parody. And that’s before you reach the closing track: an oddly touching, and sincere piece of tonal whiplash that cements the album as a true great.
Another excellent “winter album” (with a very appropriate cover). This one is dark as shit, but it’s incredibly varied, a real showcase of Nick Cave’s talents. If you’re interested in that sort of thing this is immensely rewarding.
Loved it, give me more murder songs with big ole erections.
izvrsno, izvrsno! bilo koji album koji ima pjesme 'stagger lee' i 'henry lee', koje znam otprije, ne može ne biti jako dobar, ali i ostatak je albuma gotovo uvijek na toj razini... još kad sam čuo šejna na zadnjoj pjesmi... ma divota sve u svemu
after about 300 days or so... after the author entering the sincerely autistic fandom of they might be giants... before they begin to descend down the hell known as midterm exams... they returned to nick cave. people might think that since the reviewer have devoted themself to tmbg, their goth-related hobbies is just a phase. it is not. so they inserted their cd into the cd player. although to be honest, they never finished the album in its full. but they have two band tees, six albums, one vinyl, and how can they claim themself a fake under these conditions? literally impossible considering they have been listening to the same set of his songs on repeat for a long time. hehe. entering the reviewer's ears are the dramatic arrangement, the dark and brooding atmosphere, Polly and Kylie's feature, the... yes! the storytelling! since murder ballads is named murder ballads, it should feature a huge amount of killing and talking about killing! here, to expand the amount of visual sensationwalking a thin line between horror or humour, with the repeated use of "motherfucker" as representitive of the humour and twist and turns going from unexpected killer reveal to gory mention of blood depicting horror. i could never unsee the mjuxposition of the two since nick said in an interview or something that this album is indeed a comedy album. whats also worth noting is the absurd reusing of chrous melody of "henry lee" and "the curse of millhaven", which are coincidentally two songs that both features a female murderer. the first one is out of jealousy, and the second... she's just a little fifteen years old girl thats a bit mentally insane, what else can i say when nick sings these words in the character of a insane fifteen years old girl but using his 40 or something grown man voice, "I’m a wicked young lady/but I’ve been trying hard lately/Oh fuck it, I’m a monster/I admit it"? When speaking of gore, people often says "the more death happens and the gore depicted, the better the effect". Its validated when the protagonist of O'Malley's Bar, an unnamed person considering himself as handsome, murdered fifteen people under the influence of simply wanting to be noticed by others. he was granted satisfaction in killing, saying that his "dick feels long and hard", shouting cringeworthy stuff, and comparing his deeds with religious imagery. as the fifteen victims fall to the ground in various ways mentioned in the incredibly detailed imagery, we managed to peek into the murder's brain. but despite the vivid imagery, the effect of the words won't be as strong as in the song if its written on paper as a poem. it's Nick's delivery, sometime sinister and sometime panthetic, that employs the lyric to its maximum effort. Death Is Not the End gave us a comedic relief at the end of the album, as if what happened before is just a play and the song is the encore. but really, considering the theatrical and tense atmosphere of the whole album, and how most of person featured on the album each gets a stanza in the song, this theory is, to a large extent, weirdly correct. Knowing nick's nature of writing dramatic music and "acting" a masculine personality onstage, we can easily conclude that he is indeed a singer that has a performative nature and it is possibly alienating to non-fans of his, which also means that if you are not a theatre kid, you might not vibe with this album. Thus, since the reviewer themself is a ex-theatre kid with a love in the violence and craziness, they love this and is willing to give the album a 5/5
9/10
Got it already.
They made it on purpose. It couldn't have started better. Perfect Halloween album.
I have honestly never listened to a Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album or really much at all (which I really should have by now). This is like a whole different type of music. I really fuckin' like it. Listened to on good headphones first time and glad I did as this album has crazy-good production. Like holy shit. Every song is an entire story with incredibly rich writing. The music is ridiculously well-made. I'm floored. Not surprising, but I really have been sleeping on Nick Cave. Maybe now is the right time in my life for me to finally get down. Whatever it is, I want more 'cause this is like no other shit.
Strong 4.5
Making death and violence sound so luscious.
Чудесный альбом, сдобренный немного мрачными поп-хитами.
Definitely something I want for certain moods but also not the moods I'm often in (or often want to be in).
Love Nick
This is my seconds Nick Cave album on the list (first was Abattoir Blues). Was looking forward to hearing more of him after that one. Was not disappointed. This one was quite different than the first one, but even better. I'd head these kinds of songs before, but hadn't heard the term "murder ballad" before, and I'm totally on board. There is quite a range of song styles on here, but all of them have a macabre quality. Song Of Joy was really interesting and creepy. Stagger Lee was a total blast. Henry Lee was fun, and I enjoyed hearing PJ Harvey on there, she's better here than on her own albums I've heard. Where The Wild Roses Grow was incredible, Kylie Minogue and Cave are just haunting, sad, and sweet. O'Malley's Bar was a fun one, it was long but never felt like it dragged on. Death Is Not The End was a nice, well, end to the album. Hard to rate. If I had heard one or two of the songs (besides Wild Rose) I would probably give them a 3, but the entire album together, along with the whole concept, pushes it up to a full 5. Loved it, can't wait to hear more Nick Cave! Best song: Where The Wild Roses Grow
sick as fuckkkkkkk
Dark, but moody.
Fantastic. Just overall a cool concept, well executed and with surprising guests. Henry Lee will forever be one of my (if not the) favourite duets. Love Nick
Geweldig album. Hier staan een aantal van hun beste nummers op (Henry Lee, Stagger Lee, Where the wild roses grow ...). 5.0
So... Yeah, this album was awesome. I'd love to write a whole bunch of big, ramble-y paragraphs like I normally do when I discuss albums, but... Gosh darn and dang, I don't think I can. My enjoyment of the album is just that simple that I won't need too many words to describe it. This album's got... Basically all the kinds of murder ballads I'd wanna hear, and they're all great. You've got the uneasy and disturbing ones with "Song Of Joy"; the oddly beautiful ones with "Where The Wild Roses Grow"; the fun yet messed up ones like "The Curse Of Millhaven"; and even an absolutely badass one with "Stagger Lee". Seriously, that song is **so** badass, goodness me. That's one song, along with a few a few others, where he sounds like Godforbid from That Handsome Devil and I am **so** down for it. Not to mention, this is the third album I've tackled from my backlog with a 14+ minute song and "O'Malley's Bar" is easily my favorite of them. Nick Cave pulls a great performance, and so do The Bad Seeds, and every guest he pulls, including PJ Harvey and Kylie Minogue... And I really can't think of anything more I wanna say. I could pad this out a bit more to hit my average word count, but screw it. This is a great album, fulla great songs about murder, and goodness me, I love it. To death, you might say. Hardee harr.
I’m at a 5. This is the second time we’ve gotten Nick Cave, and while I liked “Henry’s Dream”, my big thing with that album was just a big disconnect between the bombast of the instrumentation & the rather plain storytelling that accompanied some of the tracks. This album remedies that in the best way possible, giving the same sort of storytelling tone as “John Finn’s Wife” did, but expanded out for most of the runtime here. That creates a much more satisfying top to bottom album, powered not only by the strength of its lyricism, but pulling out much more measured & intentional vocal performances that fit each track. Special shoutouts to both PJ Harvey & Kylie Minogue, who absolutely kill it on their features. Obviously, all of these tracks (save for the last one, kind of) are based on titular “murder ballads”. If you hate death (or every track having a similar subject matter), you’re not gonna like this album, and if you like death, you might really like this one (especially on “O’Malley’s Bar”). For my money’s worth, I think these are pretty well written & they’re certainly well performed. Yes, some of them are a little cheesy, and a few of them are a little awkward (namely “Lovely Creature” & “The Kindness of Strangers”), but I never once found myself bored throughout the 59 minute runtime of this album, which is a pretty good sign. Part of that is from how many tracks still manage to infuse a lot of humor, despite the morbid tones present throughout this thing. “The Curse of Millhaven” & “O’Malley’s Bar” fit the bill for me here, with the former acting as a sort of 7-minute Irish drinking song about the biggest menace in the most cursed town in the world, and the latter acting as Nick Cave doing his best impression of a deranged Batman villain, killing without a care in the world & monologuing while doing it, in one of the most entertaining 14-minute tracks I’ve ever heard. I’d also be remiss to not acknowledge Nick Cave dropping so many “motherfuckers” in the span of 5 minutes on “Stagger Lee” that you could say he’s doing a Limp Bizkit impression a few years early. All in all, I just think it’s a damn good album; lots of fun variety throughout, and captivating enough storytelling (despite some repetitive themes) that it made a whole hour fly by pretty quickly. It’s not gonna be for everyone, but if your ear is more attuned to the cinematic tones this album reaches for, it should click well enough to at least give this a 4. For my ears, it’s a pretty easy 5.
Strange that this is his biggest selling album. It's more of a novelty album to me - still great songs but different to the rest his output. Same general mood, but Murder Ballads has collaborations and covers Songs vary from good to great. Stagger Lee is outstanding - that bassline is a dark and powerful beast, and the guitar work is great. Bad Seeds have always punched above their weight. Nick Cave is the perfect artist for these songs, he's a brooding and compelling live performer.
Why true crime now? Hail Gein!
Phenomenal. Can only listen to in a certain mood but one of the best.
I've heard a lot about Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds and Murder Ballads was a great place to start listening. Nick's voice is hypnotic and addicting, This is the kind of album that instantly grabs your attention and instantly makes you a fan. Great stuff that isn't for everyone but should be. This so good and it's almost impossible to pick just one good song because they're all good.
This really appeals to me. The subject matter, the story telling, the dark humour, the guests. It!/ quirky and different and I’ll be coming back to this one
I really like my Nick Cave when he tells stories about shooting people in a bar for 15 minutes.
This was a great listen. Stagger Lee is worth the price of admission alone. Death is not the End is great as well.
Now that was a worthy record. Incredible. The album that elevated Nick Cave to the rare space occupied by Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits. Almost like a haunting, heavy audio book - Bukowski meets Bret Easton Ellis, with perfect music/delivery and stunning vocals throughout. Great tongue in check ending, and an absolute treat to hear Shane McGowan take a line too.
No idea what I'd make of this if I came across this without ever having listened to any Nick Cave besides Wild Roses maybe. As it stands, I know this album but just haven't listened to it in ages - great to get back to after ages, and it's still absolutely excellent.
Forse la prima metà meglio ma comunque bomba
5 ez
Didn’t expect my two favorite Nick Cave songs - Henry Lee (my favorite) and Stagger Lee - to be on this album. Instant win. Rest of the album is tremendous too, my kind of somber blues. Where the Roses Grow and The Kindness of Strangers (so heart wrenching, the crying in the background makes the song for me on an emotional core), loved those especially. What an album. Modern blues done right.
I may have a bias as I heard this album when it came out and it is probably my favorite Nick Cave record. There are some great guest spots on here. Totally get that this probably isn’t everybody’s jam.
Of course this album makes the cut. "From Her To Eternity" and The Birthday Party's "Junkyard" have more meaning for me personally though and I guess within his oeuvre there are some more contenders, but give Mr. Cave his 5 Stars, 1000-records-to-die-for-whatever status any day.
This was the first Nick Cave album I got into and remains a favorite. Gratuitously violent and obscene for sure, but overall the poetry and storytelling is unparalleled. Featuring iconic duets with PJ Harvey and Kylie Minogue.
Ret sejt! Især ideen. Det er et album som forlanger din tid, og oplevelsen er så meget bedre med teksterne foran sig.
Mørkt og makabert mesterværk fra The Prince of Darkness. Aldrig før eller siden har Cave og De Dårlige Frø dyrket det dystre og foruroligende så fuldt ud som de gør med dette konceptalbum. Fra den ildevarslende lyd af en telefon der ikke kan få forbindelse på Song of Joy til lukkeren om at døden ikke er afslutningen, får Cave & Co aflivet mindst 65 mennesker, og en hund. Men det gøres så stilfuldt som kun Mr. Cave kan.
5/5
Épico, pega duro en lugares insospechados, deja con un sentimiento de bajón que no sé si necesitaba ahora mismo, pero me pareció un gran álbum.
Murdering a bunch of people never sounded so good. Curse of Millhaven might be my all time favourite Nick Cave song. This thing is filled to the brim with great storytelling, songwriting and musicianship. 5 stars.
I had heard of nick cave before but never listened to his music. This album was awesome and a hilarious take on some very dark material.
What a great album!!! For me, this is Nick Cave at his best. Every track tells a morbid story full of broken characters, violence and murder - the lyrics might not be for the faint of heart. This, together with the music creates a very dark, brooding atmosphere. The music, meanwhile, still manages to be catchy, ranging from bluesy untertones, sometimes even with a Country twist, to hauntingly beautiful ballads (Henry Lee, Where the Wild Roses Grow, The Kindness of Strangers). The heavily overplayed Where the Wild Roses Grow is good, but far from being the best song on this album. Still, I can't decide which track is the best, as they are all in their own way little masterpieces. 5/5
I love this album … all killer 😜
oh fuck it I'm a monster I admit it
Yep
Great mix of both Nick Cave styles, the edgy post-punk stuff and the gorgeous ballads. The songs with PJ Harvey and Kylie on here are especially fantastic.
Damn, Nick Cave keeps getting better (never listened before 1001)
So dark, so intense, so so good. I’ve long been a fan of this record. Gold.
I had to get this score changed . HATED this on the first listen but gave it another go and now it’s one of my favourite discoveries from the list
Where the wild roses grow is my all-time favorite song by Nick Cave. Never listened to the album before but I really liked the ambiance of the songs, some of them gave me the shivers. Would definitely revisit this album again!
So begins my love for murder ballads.
Th8s album is amazing. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are a band that I've always meant to check out. I always kept getting him mixed up with other artist. This album really fit the mood of this particular fall night, definitely a night I won't forget considering the ramifications of it being the night my country gave into fascism. So far the best album this app has recommended.
Loved this twisted dark album.
Todella hyvä levy. Oli pakko kuunnella ajan ja lyriikoiden kanssa pariin otteeseen, joka nosti heti tähdet viiteen. Erityisesti tarinat Stagger Leestä ja O’Malleysistä viihdyttivät yli odotusten.
Will definitely listen again
10/10!!!! Älskar konceptet!!! Favoritlåtar från albumet var: Where the Wild Roses Grow
5/5 - I never would have thought this would exist
Great
Killer as always from Nick Cave. This is one of my favorites from him. The PJ Harvey collabs add some nice variety to the album. Instrumentally I think this is one of his most gorgeous releases.
Very-very nice. I like Nike Cave. Henry Lee and Where the Wild Rose Grow are the masterpieces. All others are very good too. Brilliant album, IMHO.
Incredible dark singer-songwriter material. Murder Ballads is so outside what most people would associate with "singer-songwriter" in the best way possible.
Have on vinyl. Excellent storytelling, funny, witty and dark. Nick Cave takes risks and ensures that his albums are always interesting.
A perfect folk/Gothic/Victorian horror album. The sound has obvious influences, and the lyrics are iterations of stories that have been told for centuries, but the resulting energy is unparalleled. Also, Cave sounds like a vampire.
Love Nick Cave but have mostly listened to his more romantic and later work, so hadn't been too familiar with this. I regret that now. Dark, vivid storytelling. Snarling, euphoric vocals. A wealth of suprise guests. Simply magical.
I was hooked from the first few moments. I love the way the singing is half sung/half spoken over a musical backdrop that is intense, moody, cinematic, gripping, chilling and spooky. The storytelling, the lyrics are so descriptive, I feel like I am there, watching the events unfold. Out of every artist on this list (apart from the ones I already knew quite well) I have found Nick Cave to be the most consistently fascinating.
A great album taking us to the darkest reaches of the human soul. The groovy pared back sounds help create a soundscape to Nick's hourmous and disturbing visions. Not an album to play at your local disco but to savour in those fever induced moments when the world seems bleak.
Awesome
I dislike Nick and his music but objectively speakong amd judging this CD is a masterpiece. Very well written its pretty twisted and amazing. I dont like his voice or slower songs bit thos one had a pop to it a spark in the tempo. Very good and he earned this 5 start with flying colours
Som jag har väntat på att Nick Cave skulle dyka upp på denna lista. Denna är ju långt ifrån det bästa han gjort. Dock tillräckligt bra för att få full pott. Av alla hans album som är med på denna lista så är det egentligen bara Boatmans call och möjligtvis Henrys dream som platsar. För mig är det en gåta att album som Tender prey, The good son, No more shall we part, Dig, Lazarus dig och Push the sky away inte finns med på listan.
I love this record. Not because of „Where the wild roses grow“ but because of the rest of the songs and atmosphere. One of the best Nick Cave records.
This is one the best albums by nick cave and the Bad Seeds. Every song a twisted or black humour story. Many people talk about Stagger Lee or Where the wild roses grow. But already The opener Song of Joy and the later Lovely Creature are amazing.
No le doy 5 porque alguna me ha cansado. Venga, 5!
Completely nuts album. Extremely unpleasant to listen to at times with shocking descriptions of violence and misogyny, at other times soaringly beautiful, especially the instrumentation. The bottom line is that this shit makes you meditate on the line between life and death in a direct unsparing way that few other musical experiences do, and for that reason it is a classic album.
Came around to it in the end. Will be returning to this album.
felt like a 5 today, incredible stuff
This is Cave at his Lyrical peak in my opinion. Song of Joy, Stagger Lee, Crow Jane, O'Malleys bar. Storytelling at its absolute finest.
One of the best albums we’ve had so far. Nick cave lyrically at his peak and probably his best album - no surprise given the involvement of PJ Harvey and Shane Macgowan. 5/5
Big fan of this. It was a lot cheerier than The Boatman’s Call, probably because he was still knobbing PJ Harvey at this time. Always liked it when an album sticks to one clear narrative, on this case MURDER! Can see this influencing Hellfire by Black Midi. Songwriting is so good and Nicky C’s creepy little voice hooks you in. Don’t think I’ve ever heard someone say ‘Motherfucker’ in a better way.
I like his other stuff, this one feels more raw
The atmosphere on Murder Ballads is completely unique, and it's the main reason why I'm continuously drawn to the album. That and Blixa Bargeld singing "When the cities are on fire with the burning flesh of men, just remember that death is not the end".
Easily the most pleasant kill streak of all time.
Nick Cave is always amazing
Me ha gustado bastante... ¿Tanto cómo para vinilo? ¡Sí!
No le doy 5 porque alguna me ha cansado. Venga, 5!
My personal favorite Nick Cave album. Love the stories and the catchy choruses. Stagger Lee is also fuckin awesome
Absolutely captivating
A great album. Interesting to see how since his personal tragedies, Nick Cave has become a modern-day sage through his Red Hand Files
Absolutely stunning album. Puts me back in my chair every time. Stagger Lee always leaves me catching flys.
Great album. Amazing storyteller. Nick Cave and Tom Waits are national treasures !
Great dark/noir album.
I had listened to this before. Dark topics. Try to listen by reading the lyrics. Inspiration for d&d crime quest. I like it a lot. Need to ibtegrate it to my playlists
No le doy 5 porque alguna me ha cansado. Venga, 5!
dark af. but great 1. 4 2. 3 3. 5 4. 5 5. 5555555 I've loved this song since I've first heard it years and years ago 6. 5 7. 4.5 8. 5 9. 3.5 O'Malley's Bar - I see this one is a fan-favourite, but to me it was so... tiring? I see it's a masterpiece, but I found it too long and disliked some of the 'singing' 10. 5
I used to listen to this all the time! Love Nick Cave
Suddenly Nick Cave makes sense for me! A proper album, Old Testament-thumping American Gothic that peaks and troughs perfectly, with "Where the Wild Roses Grow" as its tenderly beating heart.
Nick decides he wants to make an album about murder and invites two of his ex girlfriends (Anita and PJ) and his current girlfriend (Kylie) to sing. You can’t make this stuff up. I remember the first time I heard The Kindness of Strangers and the the line about Mary Bellows: “They found her the next day cuffed to the bed, rag in her mouth and bullet in her head”. This is sung while there is haunting weeping / whimpering in the background (provided by one of his exes of course). Just when you think the level of depravity could not get more extreme, O’Malley’s Bar comes on. Jerry Bellows (perhaps Mary Bellow’s dad?) is taken care of in that song. This is done by using an “ashtray as big as a fucking really big brick” to split his skull in half. Wow. How could you not conclude that Nick was one weird motherfucker? The album ends with a Bob Dylan song that nobody ever heard of and I see that song as a helpful message to those in need which is an interesting way to finish. I’ve heard of Nick singing at a couple of funerals which is interesting. One was Shane MacGowan’s funeral last week. Shane sang one of the versus on Death is Not the End (each of Nick’s girlfriends also contributed a verse.) Do you not have to be fucked up to write these songs? Nick could of course throw it back at me by saying “Do you not have to be fucked up to enjoy listening to this?” Guilty as charged. I really like this album but try to make sure people don’t see me enjoying it. Sort of the same surreptitious behaviour I employ when reading something like Anaïs Nin’s Little Birds.
Excellent.
Love this album, So many great tracks! Standouts: Where The Wild Roses Grow, Henry Lee, Crow Janes, Stagger Lee, The Curse of Millhaven, The Kindness of Strangers, Death is Not The End Others: Song of Joy, O'Malley's Bar 4.5
One of my favourite Bad Seeds albums.
Interesting concept, kinda like a vulgar version of The Doors. Which I'm sure that's gonna offend someone that I compared these two but its just the vibe I'm getting. Tons of ambient soundscape work in these tracks, I actually had to mute the song at one point to make sure I wasn't hearing background noise from another browser tab. Really enjoyed it.
Very creative. I had no idea O'Malley's Bar was so long because it is engrossing.
Another Nick Cave classic. The guests are great, and I don't really particularly care for PJ Harvey but she's good here. I like the concept of the album (does having an overall theme count as a concept album?) It's just "fun". There are better Nick Cave albums but this is no slouch.
Easiest 5 stars ever. This album has it all, sadness, sorrow, hope, joy and a whole bunch of gruesome murders. The Bad Seeds at the top of their game here, though to be fair they are on most albums. Ending it all with the Dylan cover 'Death Is Not The End' is a stroke of genius. Long live Nick Cave.
Well, I've counted. And unless I've lost count, at least 65 people are brutally murdered during the course of this album. Plus maybe a whole lot more, whose exact demise is not directly specified... Oh! And there was one dog, too. Crucified on a door. What a crazy album. I do remember feeling a little queasy during my first listen though. I knew what the record was all about beforehanded, and started counting the deaths on that very first listen. But I didn't expect the tally to be *this* high, to be honest... It's hard to get an accurate death count anyway, because there are no precise numbers for how many people died in the fire Lottie set in the Bella Vista slums. And speaking of unreliable narrators, there's also the doctor in "Song of Joy". It is never clear whether he is telling the truth or whether he is the killer, making up this story to gain access to people's homes (and a third possibility is that the story is true, but that his grief has turned him into a copycat killer). But whatever the "truth" really is here, this concern about the reliability of storytelling makes "Song Of Joy" a very apt opener for a record named *Murder Ballads*, and it's one of my favorite songs on this album filled with so many horrific wonders. As you go to the next tracks, subtle menace indeed quickly turns into full-blown terror. Which doesn't mean some things are not kept ambiguous. The other fate that's left hanging in the air in the record is the one of Nellie Brown in "Stagger Lee" for instance. Stagger Lee never directly describes her murder after he shoots Billy Dilly in the head. But the female screams you can hear at the end of the song make it pretty obvious she doesn't survive the night either. Slaughters abound in this record, and the most memorable of them is to be found in "O'Malley's Bar". Devoid of any free will, and describing himself the way an author would describe a fictional character, the unnamed protagonist of this song is impossible to forget, as is his murderous rampage in said bar, described with all sorts of graphic details and psychologically harrowing comments about the victims. I think there's almost a "meta" aspect to this song, by the way. Somehow, the story we have here--the longest and final one on the album--presents a character who's related to Cave's position as an artist in the sense that he wishes to accomplish something extraordinary. But given the gruesome topic he addresses here, said artist/storyteller knows his work will never be universally recognized anyway, and that *he*'ll be the one ending up being labeled as a "piece of work", instead of his made-up character. This here is a very personal interpretation of the meaning of the song, I'll grant you that. But whatever the (nut)case may be, a shiver went down my spine during its conclusion, when the police takes the killer away in their car. The last thing you hear Cave doing between moans and rasps and growls is... him counting. Just as I had been doing since the start of the album. I'm not surprised Cave loves stuff like Flannery O'Connor after listening to it, by the way. Because somehow, as gratuitous and violent as the concept of this record sounds and looks, Cave never loses the human angle here. You *feel* for these characters. Empathy, pity, sadness, contempt, terror, disgust, awe... Just as in any good piece of fiction. What makes us feel empathy for the victims is that they all have such colourful memorable names and details about them, for instance. It is superb lyric-writing to identify the characters. Particularly in "O'Malleys Bar", where each victim has a description of their personality or physical appearance given to the listener. They're a sample of humanity at large. Normal, simple, humble, innocent folks leading normal simple lives, here gathered in the wrong place at the wrong time... It's all in the details, like in the great novels or short stories of old. And those details are conveyed by the greatness of the writing, with a few very memorable one-liners here and there, up there with best (and most shocking) lines Eminem could come up with. One example: "Rorschach & Prozac now everything is groovy" Cave sure has a knack to convey the "voice" of his doomed characters in a very striking manner, doesn't he? And let's not forget the music: of course, this being a narrative-driven album, the music is mostly used as background for Nick's menacing voice, but it also does a great job emphasizing all the key moments in the stories that it deserves high praise as well. It's lush, it's moody, it's evocative, it's theatrical. It's all it needs to be for such an original project. Besides, with "Henry Lee" and "Where The Wild Roses Grow", Cave wrote perfect duets giving welcome respite during the LP's tracklist--even if they're still about tragedy and murder. The first of those duets was sung with his old flame PJ Harvey, and it's a delicate performance through and through. As for "Where the Wild Roses Grow, everyone knows this stunner was performed with fellow aussie pop star Kylie Minogue, and most will remember that the tune was quite a surprising indie hit back in the day. It cracks me up every time I think of unassuming listeners liking that latter single on the radio and buying the LP because of it. They were certainly in for a wild ride--one they probably didn't expect in the first place. This album was made for such a list. It is indeed "essential" in the sense that it uses the album format and turns it into something else altogether. And you don't have many records like that in the world. So even if *Murder Ballads* is the sort of LP you would NOT play for a family function, a christmas dinner party or a casual evening with friends--therefore limiting the occasions you would listen to it--it still fully deserves its 5/5 grade here. Great concept, great songwriting, awesome execution... And when I say "execution", you probably get what I'm saying here. Right? Number of albums left to review: 517 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 232 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 110 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 141
Love the addition of the women's voices throughout.
Only Nick I'd heard before now was the Peaky Blinders theme, and this album has those vibes all over it. Love it.
One of my favourite albums so I'm not unbiased here. Kinda like a novelty theme and done with glee and style. There are textures and colours here with the emphasis on red. Every track stands alone with the theme running through it and a tale to tell with a variety of guest stars. So choose your poison?
A masterpiece.
Beautifully disturbing.
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.
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.
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.
Locurón total de disco.
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.
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.
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
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.
PREFS : TOUT MOINS PREF : RIEN
Great album. A more modern Folsom Prison.
Me ha gustado bastante... ¿Tanto cómo para vinilo? ¡Sí!
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.
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
Super album, murders good…
Nick Cave is amazing. I think I prefer Boatman's Call but still a brilliant album
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)
Another rainy day album that was nice to listen to in the background of working.
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.
Literally the perfect mix of rock and country, could listen to this voice for hours
Excellent!
Exceptional. Sucks you into another darker world and holds you there.
cool
Interesting. But feels slightly cliche in a way. But worth a listen
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.
Finally, this is an album with some gristle and grit by Nick Cave that I can absolutely get behind.
Super album. Can't wait to see the great man again later this year.
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."
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
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.
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
WE ARE SEEING NICK CAVE TODAY
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
A long time fan, such a great concept and it's hard to imagine anyone pulling it off any better. Faves, all of them, but particularly on these listens, The Curse of Millhaven, O'Malley's Bar.
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
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.
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.
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
During their hot streak.
Very good
Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Stagger Lee, Henry Lee, Lovely creature, Where the wild roses grow
p788, 1996, 5 stars Nick Cave :) all the favourites: Stagger Lee, Henry Lee, Curse of Milhaven, O'Malley's Bar
Wow
Cool lyrics telling vivid stories, awesome style
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...
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.
yaasss lawd, yes!!
I loved this album. Why have I never listened to Nick Cave? Definitely need to check out more.
Por lo general me cagan las baladas pero sí son de asesinatos y asesinos y gente muerte, pos está chido.
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
So freaking good. It's not serious. It's a moody cabaret record. Can't wait to spin it again
When you hear these albums vs the newer Sad Old Mourning Dad records you realize what's been lost.
мне любовь к песне Henry Lee почти затмила разум, чисто за неё нужно 5 ставить. Но не люби я эту песню с подросткового возраста так нежно, то тут есть о чем подумать реально, половина песен просто ??? Другая половина это красивая. Ладно.
Best Song: Stagger Lee I've mentioned once and will say it again, the author loves some Nick Cave. Of the Nick Cave albums, this is probably the best one (at least so far, I believe I have one more still). It is by no means perfect or even something I will listen to often but Stagger Lee is a great song and a standout that I put on my rotational playlist. 4/5.
#392/1001. Angry Nick Cave gives us songs about murder after giving us song of love a few years earlier. Some are classic Cave, others almost cliche Cave. But the duet with Kylie rules. Not my favourite Bad Seeds album though.
4.5
cinematic, creepy, bold, creative, weird, dark, theatrical, provocative, macabre storytelling.
Shocking, violent, sometimes humorous, one of Cave’s best.
Absolutely fascinating album. While the music itself was technically probably similar to quite a few things, I was still left with the impression that I've never heard anything quite like this. Loved it.
Nick Cave is a great artist and I love a lot of his music. I hadn't heard a lot of these songs but now I have a bunch of them added to playlists to come back to. That being said its definitely music that I can only listen to if I am in the right mood from the start. But when that time comes again there is nothing better.
All good, clean fun. Coulda been a classic, but some of the slower songs are a bit underwhelming. I prefer the bloodier ones.
Nick Cave and his band make genuinely great music, and it's always hard to give them a low score, even if it doesn't always completely resonate or keep me riveted the entire time. I wanted this album to be something I liked more, but I think an entire album of Murder Ballads is worse than an album with only a few and then other songs that can better show different emotions, as they even accent and give more power to the Murder Ballads. Therefore, I'd personally maybe give this a 3.5, even, but I have to round up to 4 stars, at least for this scale. I will say that the colaborations, particularly the song with Kylie Minogue, PJ Harvey, and Shane MacGowan.
Interesting voice - quite like the melancholy - decent album - a solid 4
Nick Cave assembles a very spooky set of songs here. Effectively conveying the horror of murder. Definitely the right guy to make an album like this. The guest appearances were really appreciated and added to all the songs. Especially liked hearing Shane MacGowan on the closer. Favorites were Henry Lee, Where The Wild Roses Grow, The Curse Of Millhaven, O’Malley’s Bar, and Death Is Not The End.
So cool
I'm probably broken. By no means perfect, but I found some strange comfort in this record which sort of feels like a direct sequel to Henry's Dream. My only real complaint is the vulgarity. Not that it's there, that's to be expected, but in how it is used. It's slightly juvenile.
I’ve heard this before and I own it. I’ve always been fascinated with murder ballads; it’s so distinctively american that one of the most popular music genres of the early recording era was about killing your lover. I also love Nick Cave though I get tired of his gloomy piano ballads. This is maybe the last bad seeds album until dig Lazarus dig that isn’t mostly gloomy piano ballads, but there are many gloomy piano ballads here. The interpretations of stagger Lee and Henry Lee are great (especially with pj Harvey’s vocals on Henry Lee) and O’Malleys bar is disgustingly beautiful and somehow doesn’t drag on even though it’s like 15 minutes long. The overall gloom is a bit much which is why I’m not giving it a 5, but it’s a great album.
This was the first Nick Cave album that I ever listened to, and for a long time it was my favorite - both of his and in general. As I have gotten older, my tolerance for this sort of thing has waned considerably. It's still pretty solid, if you like that sort of thing, though.
evil evil stories
The way this started I thought this would be a mix of Tom Waits and Elvis Costello -- but actually, it's really good! I particularly enjoyed the features from other vocalists, they really enhanced the existing sound. Honestly, it's a surprise it took until the 686th roll of the dice to get these guys, seeing as they have five whole albums on this thing.
Amazing
Tämän hommasin levyn ilmestyttyä, eli löytyy omasta levyhyllystä. 90-luvun loppuun saakka tuli kuunneltua jonkin verran. Levyn paras biisi on Kylie Minoque duetto ja tykkäsin (ja yllätyin) että levyn viimeisellä biisillä laulaa muiden lisäksi The Poguesin Shane MacGowan.
3.5
I listened to this album in a few different sessions: on my drive to go get lunch, as I sat eating my disappointing chicken, as I drove home, and as I sat in my car int he apartment complex parking lot. Somehow, even though the album is literally named Murder Ballads, I was still caught off-guard by just how murder-y this album was. I was immediately struck by its gothic and dark tone, sounding like a Dark Souls boss fight with its near-orchestral sense of scope and tone; Nick Cave's dark and gravelly voice mixes with the spooky piano keys to complete the incredibly foreboding vibe. Cave's knack for character writing and unsettling storytelling is immensely captivating, especially when he sings over instrumentals that sound like a country rock hellscape. Apparently, murder ballads are actually a recognized subgenre of classic folk music; I have heard similar songs before, but I never realized that they were an entire scene unto themselves before this album. These arrangements sound like traditional blues rock with sweeping orchestration and howling winds, which mix with background vocals like a ghost choir; in the best way possible, Murder Ballads feels like I'm wandering around an R-rated Haunted Mansion or sitting around a Tombstone saloon. Even if some of these songs aren't my favorite things in the world, I still respect Nick Cave for realizing this highly violent concept at its furthest possible extent; when he pulls it off, he absolutely kills it. Highlights: Song of Joy, Henry Lee, Lovely Creature, The Curse of Millhaven, Crow Jane, O'Malley's Bar, Death Is Not the End
Впечатлил меньше, чем госпел-рок их двойного альбома, но все равно круто
Ну норм, понравилось больше чем прошлый их альбом в этом челлендже - во многом из-за женщин и 14минутной песни, но все еще далеко до их любимых мною записей
Как же приятно слушать Ника Кейва
интересная подборка, причем и музыка и вокал приятный, 4
Very interesting.
Weird album full of murder ballads like the title suggests. Very enthralling though.
Nick Cave is one of those artists I’ve always meant to check out but never really have. I enjoyed this a lot.
Oh nee Nick Grot komt je halen
Een mooi album vol met vette ballads. Niet mijn fave van Nicko maar wel gewoon goed album
5 stars for the duets. Heads into 'cheesy' territory quite often but we'll let 90s Nick Cave get away with that.
Cave's darkly humorous "Murder Ballads" is a theatrical exploration of death, violence, and folklore. Cave masterfully weaves storytelling with creative musical elements.
10 horror driven bed time stories delivered by everyone's favourite evil uncle.
nick cave is a right wing asshole. a right wing asshole who makes incredible music.
As a long-time Nick cave lover, it pains me to give this but a four. However, I don't quite like it as much as some of his other albums. For me, Cave has evolved quite a lot from his Birthday arty days (too much for me), to the Good Son (etc.) days (sweet spot for me) to almost too goody-goody style - still quality but just not the Cave I signed up for. This album undeniably has great song-writing and the duets work - of course PJ is always good IMO, but even Kylie Minogue doesn't bother me and that's saying something. Not sure about all the lalala-ing. Cost him a point.
nick cave - muss man mehr sagen? dūsteres thema.
7/10
It took a couple of songs for this to grow on me, but grow on me it did! Loved the storytelling throughout the album.
Ziemlich düster das Ganze. Nicht jeder Song überzeugt, einige, insbesondere die Duette sind einfach genial.
What a cool album and a gruesome rendition of the classic "Stagger Lee" (or Stack O Lee) Other notable tracks include "Where the Wild Roses Grow" and "Crow Jane" Maybe someday I'll look into the story behind all of the tracks. I'm sure I'll re-listen to this album long before that day.
This is so good. Stagger Lee is one of his best tracks. He manages to make the guest appearances fit in so well (even Kylie)
I thought this was an inconsistent album. Had some great ballads, some duds. Excellent songwriting throughout. Incidentally- even though this whole thing’s about Murder Ballads, I think it might be the case that Nick Cave wrote better Murder Ballads into The Lyre of Orpheus.
Brilliant, wacky, imaginative
Generally enjoyable, though the songs can tend to not really stand out, even if they sound cool. Very Nick Cave. Slots in between "Let Love In" and "The Boatman's Call" and it sounds like the transitional phase between them, with the former being the "Murder" part and the latter being the "Ballads" part, respectively. I typically prefer the former, and while I do miss something more gritty and catching sometimes, the album is still a good dose of Cave-yness
Not my favorite Nick Cave but I need to revisit
A great Nick Cave album. It has grit and melody all in one.
Ive heard this band name before but I couldnt name single song they from them. This album sounds prety unique. Its dark and the weird voice of the singer fits well I think. Its really good. Its not for everyone I know, but I fucking hate how close minded this site is to more experimental albums. If you look at the top 20 higest rated album on this site its only extremely mainstream albums that sold millions of copy. I hate this website fantase. Dont listen to any comments on here and make your own opinion people. Why am I typing this, nobody is ever going to read any of my shit reviews.
I was NOT expecting this to be worth four stars. Damn! This was pretty good, and my first introduction to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Can't wait to explore this band more. Fave tracks: Henry lee, lovely creature, where the wild roses grow, kindness of strangers. Would I revisit: yeah
Exactly what it says on the tin, just nonstop songs about murder. The songwriting likes to flip-flop alot from really dour and depressing to being more tongue in cheek, which is good because god damn I don't think I could make it through a whole album of songs like "Kindness of Strangers" without just getting really depressed. I do wish "O'Malley's Bar" was trimmed down a little, the 14-minute runtime had me just wanting the song to end by the end. If nothing else I'm glad I got to hear "The Ballad Of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane", it rules. 8/10.
Pretty cool collection as described, glad for the feature tracks and the more folk inclusions because it really would be too much otherwise. Favourite track: The Curse of Millhaven
8.5/10 For a record made up entirely of murder ballads, it's surprisingly diverse. The storytelling is so descriptive, it paints such a complete picture of the described stories.
Mmhmm. Mukava tarinalaululevy. Kuuntelin tätä 20 vuotta sitte, oli unohtunut pitkäksi pitkäksi aikaa. Dramaattinen levy, en keksi nyt toista vastaavaa. Kylien ja nickin yhteislaulu on tietenkin levyn kuningasraita, mutta MR STÄGÄ LEE tulee hyvin lähellä kakkosena. Tää pitää nyt laittaa permanent muistiin ja kuunnella sillontällön.
Musically, it’s quite monotonous, although when you take the lyrical layer into account, everything makes sense. It feels more like an audio drama than an album, but it’s cohesive, well thought out, and often terrifying. 7/10
Wow. I got my 5th and final Nick Cave album of the list immediately after my 5th and final Byrds album of the list. What are the odds of that? That's crazy. Anyways, unlike the Byrds, I have not gotten particularly tired of listening to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds for this album project for 2 big reasons. Reason 1 is that I just like Nick Cave's music more than that of the Byrds, but my 2nd reason, and the one that I actually think is more important, is that the Nick Cave representation on this list is much more varied than... honestly, most other artists. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have a lot of variety in their discography and I have a ton of respect that. Like, compare the 5 Nick Cave albums of the list to the 6 Elvis Costello albums, or the 5 Byrds albums, or, hell, even a set as great as the 7 Neil Young albums. There's just more sonic and lyrical variety across Nick Cave's set of albums than the other ones. Now, I will say that artists like Elvis Costello and Neil Young have higher highs than Nick Cave, but that's no reason for me to complain about Nick Cave at all, especially when we've got albums as good as Murder Ballads to talk about. Yeah, this album's great. Murder Ballads has a pretty interesting style to it. It's got a lot more pianos on it, which makes it comparable to an album like The Boatman's Call, but the atmosphere of Murder Ballads is a lot darker and more ominous than that album, mostly because of the album's lyrical matter. Yeah, the name of this album isn't just 2 words selected at random. Murder Ballads is comprised of actual murder ballads. You know, ballads about murder. It's definitely an interesting choice, but I respect the vision behind the album. I think it's a cool concept. Is Murder Ballads technically a concept album? I don't know. This album's a little spooky, but in a cool way. This is one of those albums where Nick Cave's voice really fits the music perfectly. The mix of traditional and original songwriting is a nice touch as well. This album's pretty well regarded for its musical guests, including PJ Harvey on "Henry Lee" and Kylie Minogue on "Where the Wild Roses Grow." I don't know if it's because of the guests or what, but those are some of the album's best songs. The album is pretty consistent in terms of quality, though I do think that "O'Malley's Bar" goes on for a bit too long. Still, Murder Ballads is among the stronger outings that I've heard from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It's got a unique vision that's seen through very well. Great stuff. High 4/5.
he doesn't really hold back huh 4/5
This album was pretty good! I thought the concept was cool, and it had some really good songs on it! some parts were a little too crass IMO, but still a good album.
On paper this should be right up my alley but I just don't vibe with it and I can't really say why. I like it well enough but for every track I get into there's one that kinda annoys me. Something about the tone, the cadence, the word choices. I just can't quite get into it. The idea of a full album of murder ballads is cool, and even within a very specific musical style and subject they do a good job of finding variety in both the music and story. I like the theatrical style and the serious execution on a fairly Halloweeny concept. Every la la la la la leeee or la la la la liiie loses this album a couple points of good will and I'm vaguely annoyed by the number of songs where the refrain is basically just a name. Borderline 3/4 but I'll round up for the parts of the album I did like
the first track, Song of Joy, sets the stage for the entire album: it listens more like the soundtrack to a stage musical than a traditional record. It feels like you’re missing some kind of connective tissue between songs, you’re not seeing the actors on stage acting out their parts while the weird looking guy sings what’s happening. And that’s what makes it work. It’s some gothy theater kid nonsense in the most complimentary way. Cave does sound kind of monotone in that initial track, it does drone on a bit, but in my head I can see people setting the stage for an anthology of murder ballads while Cave’s voice plays from the dark. Then the album ends with Death Isn’t the End, the big closing number where each of the album’s guests steps out for their individual verse. Nick Cave’s voice isn’t the most versatile but I think it’s largely put to good use here. He also benefits from some fantastic duet partners (I’m upset we don’t see Kylie Minogue on the list again after this and I love love love PJ Harvey, and though she’s sadly only on background vocals on Lovely Creature I hadn’t thought about Katharine Blake or Miranda Sex Garden in *years*). It doesn’t always work. I don’t think Nick Cave is the right guy for Stagger Lee (Shane MacGowan is on the closing track, why not use him here?). He does pull off that energy better later in The Curse of Millhaven. It’s slightly missing something for the 5 - I could use a little more guitar jangle maybe, something a little folkier, and a song like Crow Jane drags the album’s pacing down - but it’s a solid 4. Another strong duet or something less repetitive between Crow Jane and O’Malley’s Bar might have made the difference? Nearly 15 minutes of O’Malley’s Bar is a big ask for a list of murders that aren’t all that poetic or clever. It just builds and builds without ever going anywhere.
I really enjoyed this much more than I thought I would
Nick Cave sings 10 songs about death and murder. It’s one of the more jovial moments of his career.
A great moody atmosphere that drapes over the album like a dark cloak. Incredibly theatrical in its display, which works wonderfully as a point of emphasis. Dramatic and deeply serious, there’s a wonderful level of emotion that this project puts forth. Faves: Stagger Lee, Henry Lee, Where the Wild Roses Grow, Song of Joy
Baritone
Good group, Good lead singer. Good music.
14歳のころに聞いてたらハマってたかも
Menudo vozarrón
Nick Cave is quite the storyteller. I defy anyone to find a more depressing album than Murder Ballads. It drags in a couple spots, but overall it's a solid album.
This is really hard to listen to. Also really, really good.
I didn’t expect the album title to be so literal. This is a batshit insane album, I really liked it.
An album of murder ballads was always going to be a hard listen. But I thought if anyone could pull it off, Nick Cave could. And boy was I neither right now wrong. He nails the tone of them and gets some great features for this. But at the end of the day, this is an hour long slog through the worst humanity has to offer. It’s a five-star quality, for a two-star idea. I’m only rounding up from that average for the Dylan cover at the end.
-1 for o'malleys bar
Cave does Tarantino
Thoughts before listening: I have always found Nick Cave to be too dark for my tastes. I know he is loved by many people that tend to share music preferences with me, and I know this album in particular is considered a classic for the post-punk genre, but I have just never been able to get past the darkness. Review: So I like the music. It's cinematic and dramatic post-punk with lots of bluesy swagger and kind of an old timey country vibe that is always interesting. The mixture of more modern alternative sounds with old timey styles is making me think of Tom Waits a bit. Also similar to Tom, the vocals take some getting used to, with Nick Cave using more of a talk sing baritone compared to Tom Waits' raspy carnival barker. I do really like the female vocals that come in to bring a welcome counterpoint on multiple songs. Some of the songs are more profane than I want them to be, and as you would expect from the album title, the lyrics are dark throughout. Still though, I'm enjoying this and will give it 4-stars.
Dark, twisted and beautiful.
Surprisingly impressed
Never have so many people been killed on the one album and considering young Kylie is on here the profanity is off the scale but it works with guest appearances by Shane and PJ. really good album
Murder Ballads is filled with rich storytelling, real emotions, and a cohesive album start to finish. It's a magnificent album.
love nick cave. this "stagger lee" is the best version of the "stagger lee"s. saw him do it live, one of the best performances i've ever seen. fun to imagine a kylie minogue stan buying this album for her two spots and getting this album.
Great
First time I ever saw Nick Cave was in Wim Wenders’ film Wings of Desire - yeah someone who departed to Berlin the 80s I enjoyed following his career. That said I never sat down and fully listened to this particular LP. I enjoyed the thematic organization of some creative and dark songs. Not a 5-star album (although I would love to give it some ballast in these darn rankings!) but I judge for myself and this is a solid 4.
Nick Cave is complicated for me. I appreciate his complex creativity, and would probably even consider going to a concert. But it isn't an album I would listen to on a regular basis. I still appreciate him.
Bland Caves bästa, speciellt duetterna!
Very dark and sinister, not an easy listen type album, but similar to Tom Waits, Nick has a charisma that draws you in.
I liked this way more than I thought I would
A creepy, weird, awesome concept album. I’ve always been intrigued by Nick Cave, but this was my first time listening.
Cave at his diabolical best. Tales of bad people doing bad things, with a soundtrack to match. Impeccable guest spots from Kylie and PJ Harvey (as well as Shane MacGowan and the whole Bad Seeds on the final track). The sprawling O’Malley’s Bar does drag a bit towards the end of its nearly 15 minutes, but that is a minor quibble on a magnificent album. It’s loud, its brash, it’s a bit silly, and it leaves you feeling just a bit dirty. Mission accomplished.
I love albums that tell you exactly what they are. "Murder Ballads" is a whole experience. Two features stuck out in particular-- done by two legends in their own right-- PJ Harvey and Kylie Minogue. Really spectacular performances with intricate and unique lyrical styles that fit the theme of each song. "The Curse of Millhaven" was probably my favorite, both for its jaunty tempo and creative lyrics.
They call me the wild rose!! But my name was Elisa Day!!!!!!! Love literally everything by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds but I’m saving my 5 stars for Abattoir Blues.
My favorite of Nick Cave's early releases, and maybe my favorite album from him, period. Yes, it's edgy and overly grotesque, which is what initially drew me to it as a teenager - the many dark, twisted tales that Nick expressively goes through on this record. That part sort of grew off of me over the years, but goddammit it's still so much fun...for the most part, you do get the sudden mood change with 'The Kindness of Strangers' which is the most serious the album takes itself (don't know how I feel about it entirely). But it's the production value on this thing that remains the album's best quality; it's so beautiful. Really fits this album cover - beautiful on the outside, but with something truly sinister hidden underneath. Each backing track fits the story being told, rising and falling with the song's story beats. I love the intro to 'Stagger Lee'; it's ominous and subtle, and it really takes its time before the drums kick in and the story of the titular badass unfolds. This album is over the top, in general, but this song might take the cake, and Nick clearly knows that - it sounds like he's having way too much fun on here. 'Lovely Creatures' has that iconic somber, full-moon, heavy piano playing, but it's so nicely juxtaposed with these sharp guitar hits and this driving drum beat. And for as long and repetitive as it is, I'll always love the barroom organ style of 'O'Malley's Bar'. Feels like some innocent bystander just panically playing in the background as the whole mess unfolds. And the guest vocalists on here are so important to the album, a much-needed contrast to Cave's deep bellowing croon on so many of these nocturnal, evil songs. There's no way I won't love PJ Harvey on this; her chemistry with Nick Cave on 'Henry Lee' is mesmerizing (I believe they were dating at the time). Love this woman's vocals generally, but this is honestly one of her very best, which is saying so damn much. Easily the best song here, and maybe my favorite Nick Cave song period. And for as repetitive as they are, the backing vocals on 'Lovely Creature' over this ever-evolving instrumental add a lot of drama and weight to the whole thing. 'Where The Wild Roses Grow' is maybe the most "dark cabaret" thing here, as Kylie Minogue's angelic vocals so beautifully hover over this pillowy string section. Another incredible song. And it's honestly pretty cheesy, but I'll always have a soft spot for 'Death Is Not The End', it offers somewhat of a resolution(?) to much of the album's "themes", if you can even call them that. Was a bit nervous revisiting this. I hadn't listened to it in years despite being in love with it as a teenager. And while it doesn't hit the same this time, I do still think this is one of the lushest-sounding albums in its lane, and those guest vocalists are as incredible as I remember. Nick Cave's music and songwriting would only grow deeper and more mature after this, but this is a nice send-off to my favorite era of his.
fuck yess
I can’t do this justice on just one listen but I know I’ll listen again
How much heroin went into the creation of this album?
Some very cool songs but a bit much at times
Originally called Len Houmous & The Bad Seeds, Len, Ken Chutney, 3 of Len’s wives and Nick Cave were taking on the world and about to break America when Len found all three wives in bed with a sound technician who looked exactly like Nick. Blaming Nick, the band went there separate ways and Houmous & Chutney were born! 4.1 3/10 Henry Lee
Nick at his most menacing.
NICK CAVE RULES
Es ist ein düsteres, faszinierendes Konzeptalbum, das mit morbidem Charme und erzählerischer Wucht überzeugt. Jeder Song erzählt eine eigene, blutgetränkte Geschichte – mal schaurig, mal poetisch. Besonders herausragend ist das Duett „Where the Wild Roses Grow“ mit Kylie Minogue: eine verstörend schöne Ballade über Liebe und Tod, die unter die Haut geht. Die stilistische Vielfalt – von zarten Melodien bis zu apokalyptischem Lärm – sorgt für Abwechslung, auch wenn nicht jeder Track gleich stark zündet. Ein makaber-schönes Meisterwerk für Freunde des Abgründigen.