Murder Ballads

I’m guessing Nick and his seeds are fans of Tom Waits. While there a couple of interesting songs - I’m not really impressed. I would’t listen again.

Very good, I prefer his more cinematic later works

I bought this album back when it came out and it was very disappointing. There are way better Nick Cave albums. The stories here get in the way of the music. Good stories don't necessarily make good songs. Some of the stories are just gratuitous violence without a point. Sure "Where the Wild Roses Grow" and the cover of "Death is Not the End" are fantastic, but, otherwise, it's hard to listen to this.

Good music. Some of the lyrics feel a bit weak.

If you thought Nick Cave’s lyrics were brutal, you haven’t heard anything until you’ve heard this album. Savage!

Yep. I’m a Nick Cave guy. I love all his weirdness. There’s a couple of songs I think go on a tad too long. But overall I was interested in hearing these murder tales and enjoyed how they were musicalized. 4.5/5

objectively good, but not really to my taste 5/10

There’s only one good song of nick cave and it’s not on this album

I don't get it. I know Cave is well regarded, but I don't get it. Bad Seeds indeed.

Way too morose and “edgy”

4/5

Wasn't in the mood for this brooding style today. Will come back and listen later. What I heard was decent, but not enough to draw me in for the rest of the album.

More good songs from Nicky

I don't really get Nick Cave.

Will definitely listen again

Why???

Some of this was good. Some of it was meh. I do appreciate Nick Cave's songwriting ability and it's always a pleasure to hear PJ Harvey make a guest appearance. Overall, decent but not outstanding.

Dreary dirges done in a Lenny Coen stylee. Just too much.

Ei mahdu omaan Cave top kolmoseeni, mutta siinä perässä kuitenkin hiihtelee.

Not for me.

It’s like a fcked up musical which never wants to end.

Not so alive

An odd album. Wasn't bad for the most, but the theme made it a niche listen. Could have done without the screeching at the end of Stagger Lee.

Pretty much what I expected it to be, Tom Waits with better vocals.

Shitty Aussie Tom Waits with a worse backing band,

This might be the first album I doubt it has to be listened before die. No nothing

No. 252/1001 Song of Joy 2/5 Stragger Lee 2/5 Henry Lee 3/5 Lovely Creature 2/5 Where The Wild Roses Grow 4/5 The Curse of Millhaven 3/5 The Kindness of Strangers 4/5 Crow Jane 2/5 O'Malley's Bar 2/5 (2x) Death is Not The End 2/5 Average: 2,55 Two songs on here I liked. The rest was not really.

+1 for Kylie minogue -1 for O'Malleys bar

A bold move for mid 90s Cave but in retrospect it’s was a pivotal moment in his maturity as an artist. Here he inhabits a universe of dark mythology and folk tales, relishing the protagonist roles of seducers, serial killers and outlaws. Incredible collaborations with PJ Harvey and Kylie make it an unmissable listen.

Favourite Song: Stagger Lee

spooky

I don't think Nick Cave's style is really suited to this schedule of listening to an album every day. I think he does something well, but I'm just having trouble getting into it. Maybe if I were in the mood and had time to process, I would get it. But it was a rough listen.

Nick Cave and violence. My two favorite things to listen to during this project.

Well, it’s relentless, to be sure, as only an album where every song is about brutal murder can be. And, see, I guess that’s a clever concept, but maybe not quite as clever as Mr. Cave would want you to believe. As for the execution, I’m a bit torn. Some of the songs are quite beautiful, especially Ms. Harvey’s and Ms. Minogue’s. It’s good to get a break from Mr. Cave’s voice, which, again, I’m not as impressed as he is. Ultimately, though, I think even one more full listen would be quite difficult, not because the subject matter is so difficult to bear, but because so many of the tracks just go on and on into dullness.

So dark. So good

This is murky and emotional and drunken and gets a lot more credit than I think it deserves, but I also think to fully enjoy it you need to hear the songs performed live in a drunken bar. 3 stars

10/10!!!! Älskar konceptet!!! Favoritlåtar från albumet var: Where the Wild Roses Grow

As grim as the album title would lead you to believe. I don't think I get Nick Cave very well.

5/5 - I never would have thought this would exist

This is barely an album, sounds like it was made by people who hate music and are taking their anger out on it.

Omallys bar is one hell of a ride. Epic, but the last couple minutes are too much for me with the moaning and stuff Still the best nick cave so far

Interesting concept but I couldn't listen to these dirges.

3 stars solely for the PJ Harvey and Kylie Minogue tracks.

I see the concept here. Let's make a bold dark project that's unashamedly gruesome. As society advanced and things that were once shocking gets less of a reaction. I think this album tries to get the same kind of vibe as Johnny Cash in Folsom Prison but for a modern audience. I like a lot of these tracks. I think they capture a particular place and particular time well. Stagger Lee, Wild Roses, are good tracks. I don't like O'malley's pub it's too long and sacrifices too much music for the storytelling. I also think the last song 'Death isn't the end' is lame and annoying. Overall the problems with this album are mainly it flirts with being 'cringe'. It's pretty self serious, like a kid telling an over the top scary story at a campfire and no one is all that scared but he keeps drumming it up. I could see revisiting some of these tracks around halloween. I like the multiple vocalists as well.

This sort of spoken word-y thing + highlighting Cave's voice is not for me. Favorite songs are with the features…where I don’t have to listen to him as much.

"ooooo I'm nick cave and I sing in a forced low voice and write bad poetry and then me and some other guys put it to shitty music ooooooooo smoke cigarettes!!!!" I never got the hype around Nick Cave. This didn't change my mind. We get it you're gloomy and spooky and want to say "suck my dick" in to a mic, write a metal album instead of whatever this is. This is like if teenage horror fanfics was a musical genre unto it itself. I get that each one of these is supposed to be a song about a murder but if you want that there are a million old country songs and a million rap songs and a million emo songs, etc. that are all better than this. At least the instrumentation and playing is good. Saves it from being a 1.

Disney villain music. Not for me.

I played the first few chords of this with my 7 year old in the bar. She disapproved, as do I.

These songs were not available in Spotify :(

I really got into Nick Cave after watching Peaky Blinders. It’s definitely dark but very cool. I had not listened to this album but I really liked it.

Weird and dark, it was really enjoyable i must say

Only Nick Cave would make the most disturbing album of stories like these and then try to comfort you at the end by telling you 'death is not the end'. I don't feel better, surprisingly. But I did enjoy the fucked up rest of the album😅

Good musically but I spent the whole album wondering if they were trying to make a commentary about murder or if they just did it for funsies

Weird but not awful couple of songs I liked staggerlee

This was a bit of a slog. Occasional good bits, but felt like homework. 2/5

Great

Back to back Nick Cave, can be a bit tiresome, but this is probably his best album, so I’ll let him off.

I like Nicka Cave and the Bad Seeds a lot, and have most of not all of their albums. However, I'm not clear why this among that huge body of work was chosen for this list. It's not a bad album, but it's not up there with Cave's best work. I suspect it's to do with sales, with the album boosted by Where The Wild Roses Grow featuring Kylie Minogue getting into the charts. The album's a mixture of traditional and cover songs with originals by Cave, and it has a rather stellar collection of collaborators.

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.

Je comprends l’intérêt du genre des murder ballads, mais celles-ci m’ont peu inspirée, à l’exception des collaborations

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.

Seems like a spooky tiki bar fever dream. Similar to Rain Dogs by Tom Waits.

Goodness this was unpleasant to listen to. I get what the group is going for, basically telling storybook-like tales centered around murder in the form of song, but it became too grating at points. Nick Cave's monotone and low vocal style didn't really help with that either. The songs with guest vocalists were tolerable at best. Perhaps Mr. Cave is better suited for narrating crime fiction audiobooks.

Nick Cave is still a consistent 3/5 for me. The music is pretty chill and nice. But the melodramatic delivery ruins it. Something about him just rubs me wrong.

Een bij vlagen sfeervol concept-album van ome Nick, met wat gastoptredens en (er is leven na de dood...) een Dylan-cover. Mooie prestatie om van zo'n naargeestig maar gloedvol nummer als Where the wild roses grow toch een hit te maken. Maar ja, dat taalgebruik in een aantal nummers, dat drukt het luisterplezier hup een punt naar beneden. Jammer Nick, je was net zo op dreef.

Het eerste nummer doet mij gelijk sterk denken aan Where the Wild Roses Grow, wat we later op het album krijgen. Verder kan ik dit album moeilijk aan iets vergelijkbaars koppelen. Ik durf hier het woord uniek wel te gebruiken. Nu komen we wel vaker iets unieks tegen in deze lijst. Maar dit is uniek en voelt voor mij heel toegankelijk. En dat is wél bijzonder. Maar waar ligt dat dan aan? Nick zingt en praat half om half en heeft een wat rauwe stem. Niet per se ingrediënten voor een toegankelijke plaat. De teksten zijn wat zwart, dus dat zal het ook niet zijn. Ik erger mij vaak suf aan platen met een hoop gelal. ("La-la-la...geld"). En deze plaat valt toch in die categorie. Ik erger mij vaak aan hele theatrale platen. En deze plaat valt toch ook in die categorie. Dus hoe weet die Nick al mijn irritaties te prikkelen en toch een fijne nasmaak achter te laten? Misschien is dit een plaat waarbij je die vraag helemaal niet moet willen beantwoorden.

Nick Cave is een lastige klant. Het is altijd wel soort van sfeervol, duister en melancholisch. Maar ook moeilijk behapbare kost. En een favoriet van de snobs, getuige de 4 selecties. Dat dit album er in staat, snap ik dan wel weer, want het herbergt wel een paar klassiekers die hij uitbracht met zijn muzikale muzes PJ Harvey en Kylie Minogue. Het hele album is een soort verzameling van traditionals lijkt het, het zijn verhalende nummers en hij vertelt de teksten ook meer dan dat hij ze zingt. Al is dat ook de stijl van Nick Cave. Het veelvuldige gebruik van lalala zorgt ervoor dat er nog een soort van zwierige vrolijkheid in zit, ondanks dat het vnl zwartgallige verhalen zijn. Op het eind veren we nog even op, want we herkennen een schijtlollige voormalige nummer 1 hit. Het valt me niet tegen eigenlijk. Het is best interessant om te luisteren. Ik vind dit samen met het voorgaande album Let Love In het best te behappen van hem. Onze snoblijst is van vóór Peaky Blinders, anders had dat album wsch wel een notering gehad.

Incredible dark singer-songwriter material. Murder Ballads is so outside what most people would associate with "singer-songwriter" in the best way possible.

Awful. Worst one I've heard to this point. I hope to never hear it again.

No.

This wasn't actually as bad as the other Nick Cave albums I've had. It was still bad though, so 2 stars.

7.5/10

🎧So much of this album is irritating drivel. It’s not completely unlistenable but good God I do not like this. Nick Cave, I don’t doubt you are talented songwriter, but on Murder Ballads you are one grating motherfucker.

4.1/5 listened 2x. surprisingly great

What a brilliant album. Great production, marvellous performances by Nick and the band, and v interesting songs/tales.

3/5. What's wrong with Nick Cave? I know he is not incapable of writing well-written songs and great melodies and yet the choice to write slam poetry and uneven structure is unique but can definitely feel a little old sometimes. Maybe I am being close minded by not being able to experience new structure but it's hard to listen to nonetheless for me. I like the theme of these songs and some are great, but not all of them. Best Song: Stagger Lee, Where The Wild Roses Grow, The Kindness of Strangers

O’Malleys bar might the worst song I’ve ever heard. Rest of the album is kind of interesting though. This is a weird one

Almost got through all of it. If it wasn't for the overall darkness/goth feel to it. I would have only given it a 2 but we'll go with 3

Not his best album

Nick and the sad seeds

Hellish

Not a big fan of piano ballads. Cool album artwork, and I can dig his vocals most of the time.

Had a really hard time getting through this one. Not sure if it was the flow of the delivery or the vocals but did not love it.

Slam poetry shock rock

It’s tough. I have a really hard time getting into this casual, melancholic style. There’s no redemption in it, it’s sad for the sake of the sad. His singing style is unrefined and the music choices are odd to say the least.

Creepy murder stories told to music. Hard pass for me

Nothing gets you going in the morning like listening to multiple songs about psychos murdering people.

That's not my taste in musik.

Nick Cave has an intoxicating voice. Very fitting for the subject matter of murder. The story telling in these ballads is poetic and gripping. I don't know how many of these I'd like to listen to on their own but as a collection it's immersive and plays well.

Nah.

Have on vinyl. Excellent storytelling, funny, witty and dark. Nick Cave takes risks and ensures that his albums are always interesting.

The one with Kylie, and the last one Death is not the End we’re alright, otherwise it was a bit painful in places

This feels uninspired. The whole horror aspect of this feels like it was chosen because this old man didn't have anything else to talk about. Which totally makes sense. It's his ninth album. The music was also boring. Three tracks with features is also an indication there is nothing new to see here. It's clear everything Nick Cave ever put to tape is on this list. That's becoming a bummer... He's never done anything that exciting.

250 albums in and this is the first album where I honestly couldn't get past the first two songs. Sometimes ok storytelling, but Mr Stagger Lee sounded too much like a rapey Dr Seussesque song. It's a shame because I thought Ghosteen was wonderful, but I don't need to listen to this before I die, though I can certainly picture being murdered to this album.

A fun album from a concept perspective, but I didn't love the lyricism, and the ballads themselves didn't feel anything special. Favorite song was "Where the Wild Roses Grow", though, which was very nice.

it’s fine, airplane type music (I listened to this on the plane)

unfortunately needed this this morning

I thought it would be better. Rubbish, there's no other way to say it. It's like some nasty man is forcing you to listen to his story. 1/5

Second Nick Cave album in two weeks? I guess Murder Ballads is an apt title based on the first song alone; this could be in a horror movie or a depressing musical. This is ok but not my jam, 2*. This album has Kylie Minogue in it?! Highlights: the curse of millhaven, death is not the end (for the fee-fees it gave me)

How is this one of the 1001 albums I need to listen to. This is just another in a string of several duds. I guarantee I can name at least 20 albums that the masses would agree are better than this.

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.

Pretty interesting

Looking back at my history, this is my fourth Nick Cave album and I have rated all of them a two. This one is no different. I'm not a fan.

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

Comically dark. I like that it manages a range on a theme without coming across too much like s novelty album. Also Kylie not being a total pop princess., which is nice.

I always think that Nick Cave albums are going to be a struggle... which this was, but in a good way!

Meh

2nd Nick Cave album in a row, what are the odds? Quite high I believe, in any case like the other the musicianship here is great but I just can't get past Nick Cave's singing and wordy lyrics, just too much. 3*

Struggled with this one

Listening to "Junkyard" by the Birthday Party was a bad experience and made me doubt that Nick Cave could make a good album. But his next project with the Bad Seeds made me think otherwise. The songs are brilliantly written and could be poems. Fun fact: Cave actually provides the gunshots on the second track. 4 stars for "Murder Ballads".

honestly i loved this album. kind of a wierd mix between bob dylan, leonard bernstein, over the garden wall, and herbert huncke. but it works well, that last song easily the best

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

On paper I should really like Nick Cave but I just don’t. Maybe this should be a play rather than an album? Idk but still 2 stars.

This immediately reminded me of that talentless bum Tom Waits. There is no singing, just talking over bad instrumentals in the background. At least this guy has a normal voice compared to Waits, so there's that. 2/10.

Morose. Maudlin. Murder Ballads. This was a slog. Are these songs? Dude is just talking over some movie score type beats. It's a great album to put on during your Agatha Christie cosplay event.

woof. this one was a slog. i now see how everyone was so turned off by Nick Cave from the start. this album was... just so rough. its just him talking the entire time of dreary ass compositions.

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 wasn't a big fan of this one. Kind of a weird album and not in a good way.

I'm not sure which I hate more, Nick's awful vocals or how he butchers the art form of song writing to try and tell a story but forgot to include any kind of musical competency. But there is Kylie.

I don’t get it….

Weird

I do not enjoy Nick Cave but I know enough to understand this is a skill issue on my part.

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.

Just.. strange. Not for me on ballads on murder...

Music to cut yourself to. I liked the cussing though.

I think I like Nick Cave; I don’t think I like Murder Ballads, in particular. Maybe it’s because I’m listening to it in the dead of summer while I sweat my ass off with the AC on full blast, not on a dark snowy night deep in the throes of the Winter Blues. Maybe I don’t like the balladry concept, maybe I don’t like the traditional folk and lounge elements. Maybe I dislike the theatricality, and miss the harder edged post-punk of Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus. Maybe it’s a grower. It’s not completely devoid of value, and there’s some tracks I really love. I like Cave’s general vibe – dark, edgy, brooding, death obsessed and referential. But most of this was a slog, most of it was too edgy, and most of it never caught my ears or made me perk up. But then again, maybe I’m just burnt out.

Interesting concept album. Much better than I thought it would be. Dark but enjoyable listening.

No le doy 5 porque alguna me ha cansado. Venga, 5!

I just can't get through these Nick Cave albums.

I feel like there is plenty in here to like but maybe 'murder ballads' aren't really my thing? Also Nick's style is pretty distinctive - I feel like you're either going to really really 'get it' or you won't and for the most part I didn't. I do see why people like this though and I think there is a lot of creativity and depth on display.

Like listening to the cast recording for a musical you've never seen and have absolutely zero interest in ever seeing. I like Nick Cave's voice, and I like that he's found his niche, but I just couldn't find a single track on this album to really appreciate or enjoy. I was digging a bit of O'Malley's Bar, but then saw that track was like 14 minutes long and that pissed me right off. Sorry, but nobody's got time for songs that long! That is so overly self-indulgent, I just can't get behind it. Very cool album cover though.

97/1001 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Gave this a second chance b/c of the generator but it remains creepy and unpleasant. Nick Cave is on my avoid list.

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.

I HATE NICK CAVE. PLEASE STOP MAKING ME LISTEN TO NICK CAVE

I honestly was not a big fan of the vocals on this LP, all of my favourite songs featured guest vocals, such as where the wild roses grow, and Henry Lee. Otherwise this album and the genre as a whole just isn't really up my alley

This should have been called "Music to Be Murdered By" and it should have been rapped instead of sung. Maybe get a Detroit rapper on here. Some middle-aged dude who can make "orange" rhyme with "banana." Then maybe this would have been good. I jest, Kylie Minogue is on here. I physically couldn't stop death dropping. Gay rights.

Nick Cave and the please god don't have any more of their albums on here

too doom and gloom

Very strong album

Art, meet death. Death, meet art.

What a wild ride

I enjoyed this a lot, but there is no doubt that his output is a little uneven. For every Wild Rose or Henry Lee, there's a confusing m'f-ing mess of a song around the corner. He's a genius, but I don't always understand him.

I disliked this more than I thought I would

I’ve heard this record before and it is good at what it does - very campy songs about murder. I generally would reach for Tom Waits if I want this style of music though.

2.5 - It's not my favourite, but I'd say it's solid and the concept is interesting to some extent.

Akrigtu

Some great songs on this. The concept itself is great. But Cave's vocals are too growly on so many of these songs. When he just sings it's great, but that's too rare for my taste.

This is a really cool album. I know very little about Nick Cave, just a few songs here and there. I really enjoy the melodic slow casing of those songs. He has the storytelling “voice“ of Jim Morrison sober stuff. Storytelling this is reminiscent of early country music. Overall, a really good album.

Pretty cool concept. I especially like the duets. Pretty indifferent when it comes to most of the songs. Some songs go on a big too long

I very much did not like this album. This is one of those art poppy album that I just don’t get. I don’t get how Nick Cave got this big star… like this spoken word singing… just not good. At least not for me. One redeeming song on this album is the Where the wild roses grow, but that’s it’s for me. I even skipped the last two songs. Next….

Disturbing

He has no sense of rhythm and he sings way off key.

jakies przegadane gunwo, jeden poziom wyzej od poezji spiewanej

Literal 0

wtf was that

Great sound design and storytelling. The lyrics could be more poetic. Not a fan of vaudeville, but I appreciate the concept of the album as a whole.

Kinda weird again!

Mid album Top tracks: Where the Wild Roses Grow

Fuck right off

Far too cool for me

Snilld frá upphafi til enda.

Feels like something my appreciation for might grow with repeated listens, but for a first listen it’s just not grabbing me.

Wow. This was uh. Something. It’s fun if it’s a campy murdery ballad thing. But like. It’s not fun to listen to. I’ll add a few to our Halloween playlists but like. I’m not gonna listen to this album again.

The world would be a better place without this album in it.

The guy singing sounds like the grinch. Even though I didn’t really like this. I’ve got this strange feeling that my friend Tyler is loving this. 4/10

Very dark and depressing album. Great story telling, great instrumentals, a bit repetitive at times with the longer songs (14 mins) where the story takes a while to tell. I enjoyed the double album a little bit more but this was still an interesting listen. The last two songs were not very good. 7/10

Seemed to be a bit obsessed with sexual violence!

Grungy, hard and a little dark...not really my vibe

The bridge between their earlier and later work.

once again :-( how many albums of Nick Cave are in the list ??? If you want Nick Cave, you'll get it. Sounds like Waits sings Cohen (or simmilar). No need to be heard before I die :-(

3.5

3.5

felt like a 5 today, incredible stuff

Listened Before? N My third Nick Cave album on the list. He's really good. A great songwriter and creative mind. Maybe not the best voice but it fits the material. This is a concept album covering real and fictitious murders. A strange subject for an album but it works for him. I loved it. Even the long ones (O'Malley's Bar at 14:28!) were interesting enough to listen to. Strange, interesting and gritty. The collaborations are also spot-on here. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Where the Wild Roses Grow

Buen disco

Didn’t expect to like it this much, O’Malley Bar was incredibly evocative

One of the joys of my later life has been discovering Nick Cave. I didn't take to The Birthday Party as a teenager and took some time to get over that and actually listen to Cave. He's a fantastic lyricist, polemicist and artist. This is a fun, fascinating, captivating piece of work. Listen away. The man's a genius.

I like Nick Cave quite a bit; enough to play one of his songs at my wedding. But, I think Murder Ballads gets way more cred than it deserves.

Dark

Great profane fascinating concept album. Loved it!

yo ho yo ho a murder life for me

I had a Nick Cave phase a few years ago but somehow never listened to this album all the way through. I love Henry Lee and Where the Wild Roses Grow very much. There are a lot of interesting parts of The Curse of Millhaven and I think the crying in The Kindness of Strangers adds a lot to the song. I think I like Nick Cave on a song level because listening to this album all in one go felt like a slog, even though there are definitely elements of this album I thought were great.

Pretty, chilling

I just don’t think Nick Cave does it for me. Very monotonous, but I appreciate the storytelling aspect of this album

I wish I could copy paste my review from the album 2 days ago: "perfect for the morning commute" LmAoOo Good vocals, creative stories, steller instrumentals. I would seek out more from this artist but not necessarily more murder ballads. A whole album of them seems a bit much..

Great voice, great story teller. Maybe he should just read an audiobook

What a voice this man has. Shout out late 90's Kylie (marry me xoxo)

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.

This album was so cool. A concept I hadn't heard of before. Really enjoyed it will have to check out more of his stuff and definitely listen to this album again!

Feel like this album would be in a spooky movie with vampires.

Um, no Nick Cave. Just no. I get it, you’re dark. We sing about dead people. But, seriously Nick, it wasn’t even musical. Or enjoyable. I expect so much better from you. I’m not mad. I’m disappointed.

Probably the worst album I've ever listened to.

Wow. That was sick. Song of Joy and O’Malley’s Bar…so disturbing.

This one was must not my thing. Weird concept and weird execution. But I'm not one for theatrics.

Never heard this one. I'm looking forward to the PJ Harvey and Shane MacGowen collaborations. I gave a distracted listen and liked what I heard but need to go back. I'm going to say did not listen as a reminder to go back. Went back and listened more properly and this one did not impress. I'm not going to 1, but it's probably a 1.5... ah heck, joining the crowd and rounding down to the single star.

This shit sucks

Nick Cave osaa tätä musiikkia (en kuuntele tällä hetkellä lyriikoita) Perkele.. 5 tähteä meni viimeksi Ghosteen albumille pakko se on hyväksyä Nick Cave uskomaton artisti (en kuuntele lyriikoita mutta tiedostan ne) Toiseksi viimeinen kappale soi... Artistry biisi ja saatanan pitkä... Sama vanha likki soi perä jälkeen.... tunistan likin jolla yritetään ihmisille saada musiikista nautintoa.. Caven ääni kaivelee ja kaivelee tällä likillä tunnetta artitistisesta kappaleesta.. Hyväksyn hän on paljon fiksumpi kuin minä.. Hyväksyn herra Cave on viisas.. sitten herra Nick Cave ottaa munan käteen.. tulee ensimmäine lyriikka jonka ymmärrän, kuulen ja käsitän.. lyriikka on: "And my dick felt long and hard" Jahas ja paska artisti... Katsotaan tässä nyt 3 pv päästä albumi review boxia ja heh näkyy siellä ollaan toisen puolen siellä alistuttu... 5 ja 4 tähteä... Katso seisovaa munaani, Nick

Couple of great tracks followed by too many paint by numbers Cave songs

Ooh it's a bit spicy isn't it? But unlike the Depeche Mode album, which I criticised for being pretentiously 'dark', this album works. The Bad Seeds play brilliantly and Nick Cave gives an impressive performance. Fave tracks: Stagger Lee (nsfw), Where The Wild Roses Grow, and O'Malley's bar.

Difficult start. Standouts are the duets with PJ Harvey and Kylie Minogue (\"Henry Lee\" and \"Where the Wild Roses Grow\" respectively) and \"Lovely Creature\" in the first half.

Edit: I was clearly feeling some kind of way when I rated this because I definitely do not love it like I did the night I rated it. Downgrading from a 4 to a 3. Wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this album, but I surprisingly enjoyed it. I loved the concept and the song selection. "Henry Lee," "Where The Wild Roses Grow," and "Death Is Not The End" were probably my favorite songs, but there wasn't anything that stood out to me in a bad way either.

Interesting concept for an album and cool for the novelty but fairly boring musically.

I wanted it to be better, in my mind (before I heard it) it was a certain 5. Turns out to be 3.45, rounded down.

Odd, dark as midnight macabre - stories of murder and mayhem vocalized with terrific ability by a great voice. Reminded me of Tom Waits, of whom I am a big fan.

Did not like. Depressing lyrics and vocals.

Better than I thought it would be, Tom Waits lite, not bad.

Better than expected. Dude's voice is amazing.

I like his other stuff, this one feels more raw

Забавно, что в день анонса нового альбома Ника Кейва и компании мне попался их же альбом. Я не знаком со всем-всем творчеством группы, но сравнивая этот альбом с Mercy Seat, Let Love In или их поздним творчеством, этот как-то выделяется в обратную сторону что ли. Но это не плохой альбом в любом случае. Лучшая песня - Henry Lee.

Nick Cave has always been an enigma to me. There are A LOT of people out there who reference him as one of the best, but I don't know that I can get behind it. I was turned on to Nick Cave a few years back from the Peaky Blinders theme song, but had no idea he was such an accomplished artist. This album is equal parts spooky and funny, but I don't think I would listen to it with regularity.

Fun vibe but repetitive

I enjoyed it. Reminds me of the doors

Cave is unbearably out of tune at times. It's a shame, because i like other aspects of this album. Except the first song, which I really disliked - I almost gave up during it, but was ultimately was glad I didn't.

dark gothic folk rock. though this is not our first foray into this artist’s catalogue, it might be my favourite so far. highlights: “stagger lee”, “where the wild roses grow”, “death is not the end”

I thought I liked Nick Cave based off a few songs I knew from him going into this thing but every album I’ve heard from him (why does he have so many on here? They’re basically all the same) has been worse than the last. I gave up on this at the end of the second track because it was just annoying the hell out of me by the end.

# 175 : This is weird. Can't Listen, will not go back to this. I don't like this guy. Not my kind of sound. Boring, depressing and badly sung.

There is no way this album needs to be almost an hour long, I had had enough after about 1 song. All the way through it's just Nick's annoying, monotonous, overly dramatic voice never doing anything remotely interesting, all the while everything about this album is just so repetitive. The song "O'Malley's Bar" was absolutely insufferable, 14 minutes of pointless annoying music that I just couldn't wait to be over. This is the second Nick Cave album I have received, the first one I got was actually pretty decent, but I have no idea what happened in the 4 years between these two albums, because the drop in quality is shocking.

Might be the second album I don't care to finish. Not really in the mood to listen to emo murders today lol

Fín plata, hlustaði mikið á áður. Where the wild roses grow er classík

Really strange and disturbing but somehow really good. First time listening to a Nick Cave and the bad seeds album, I hope they don't always make music this creepy please. I was afraid of listening to a boring voice for an hour. It turns out Nick Cave's voice almost becomes the most interesting element of the song to me. The bass player Martin P. Casey was perfect the best instrument player of the band. Strange way to tell stories but a beautiful one. I'm really curious of what others strange records they made. Fav song : The Curse of Millhaven Worst song : Song of Joy

Not my sound, but Where The Wild Roses Grow isn't bad.

I kinda liked this one. That Dylan cover was quite good.

Not really enjoyable.

Yea,pretty decent

love that joy of life

Lahmer Gothic Rock.

3.25

4.75

Classical example of a poet who should let someone else sing his work. Alas, ego. 2 stars for being uniquely bad.

The album goes around one theme, murder and has a lot of weird lyrics. The music is really not my cup of tea and I can't stand his voice and singing style. The 14-minute song, O' Malley's Bar would be far better as a poem, not a song which was just pretty unbearable. 2 stars - only because of Where The Wild Roses Grow, and Crow Jane.

Ник Кейв конечно молодец, что так проникновенно исполнил песни о насилии, но местами это было слишком уныло. Особенно дизреспект за 15-минутную песню (как же меня заебал этот хрон). Из плюсов отмечу в целом неплохую атмосферу на альбоме, как смешно Ник Кейв произносит МАЗАФАКА, и ахуительню песню с Кайли Миноуг (что она вообще тут забыла???)

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.

hated it. turned it off after one track.

This album is wild. What a concept piece.

I can't believe I hadn't heard of this before. It was a cool album. Kind of like a concept album in themes, but with all different stories both from the murderers and the murdered point of view. Overall I liked it.

bastante raro y curiose, nick cave parece un tipo oscuro pero escribe bien

Mmmm quizá no es para mí pero me gustó la canción con Kylie!! Australian legends

Nick Cave is always amazing

This is the 2nd Nick Cave album served up here. I rated that one “2”. This is more of the same, except the entire album is songs that relay the details of crimes of passion. Yeah, take a melancholy, mumbling singer, and have him recite grim and gory songs. With a healthy dose of gratuitous profanity. Yep, murder porn set to music. Example lyric: “I sang and I laughed, I howled and wept / I panted like a pup. / I blew a hole in Mrs Richard Holmes. / And her husband he stood up”…. Part of a 14.5 minute slog where he clinically describes 12 murders. No emotion, no passion, nothing. We don’t get a hint as to his motivations, the thoughts or fears of his victims…. Nothing. Just moderately graphic explanations as to how each is killed. Seriously, 50+ minutes of this crap. Apparently this was well received, though I can’t comprehend why. I Rolling Stone reviewer is quoted as saying “never before have manic elements elevated Nick Cave’s shtick to art”. Yeah, whatever…. I’ll stick with “crap”. As before, the music isn’t horrible, though it is overall slow and slogging and dragging. Cave’s vocal style is not really singing, but more spoken in a morose, “I hate the world and myself” sort of tone. Sorry, this doesn’t work for me at all. 1/5

Weirdly enjoyable

Drone, monotone, not terribly interesting to me. I'll give them credit for the fact other people like them.

An angry man

Probably the best album of all time that features back to back songs called "X Lee"

I like this, but the intent and vision is so clear that the whole thing ends up feeling like a single track. Not something that's easy to come back to.

I’ve fell in love to a Nick Cave song once...but I’m just not in the mood for this today. Too depressing. It’s no where near as shit as Graceland; a record so shit it’s made 2 pretty much obsolete for me as a score. As I type I’ve got Isis (the band) on; this album (in the absence of truth) would get a 5 and Cave is no where near them. Given that Cave isn’t as shit as Paul Simon and is nowhere near as good as ISIS he gets a solid 3/5.

Quite an interesting concept, very edgy though with all the murder stories and the music itself is not really worth listening to

Never really listened to Nick Cave. His voice is an acquired taste but he clearly is intelligent and writes some entertaining stuff so he's got Moby beat. Moby wouldn't know a good a melody even if it hit him in his shiny bald head. Moving on, the album was fine but felt drawn out at times.

2/8/24. I was really impressed by this album, almost movie like with the production and vocals. Very haunting at times, but beautiful throughout and each song keeps you locked in through the experience.

Me ha gustado bastante... ¿Tanto cómo para vinilo? ¡Sí!

No le doy 5 porque alguna me ha cansado. Venga, 5!

This whole album has such a weird vibe, which was sort of the point I guess, based on the name. But even if we want to excuse the subject matter, still the music was pretty boring, the lyrics were strange (“I’d crawl over 1000 pussys just to get to one boys juicy butthole” - paraphrased, but not far off), and nothing stuck out in a positive direction. Not sure if “Death is Not the End” was meant to be uplifting, but for me it was creepy AF.

What the fuck is this?? As soon as he started talking I knew this was going to be unlistenable (and was confirmed with the “la la la la las” in the following song). I award you no points, and may god have mercy on your soul.

This is the kind of thing that if the boys were at a bar and a live performer played this it would be funny and surprising and would be a fun inside joke that we would have after that. I am all about over the top comedy, but I am expecting more musically from 1001 albums. For this type of album to land for me on this list, it needs to be very strong (or at least memorable) musically. The most memorable thing about this album were the lyrics to Stagger Lee. But even that song is a reimagining of an older song not attributable to the band. The most similar type of music to this that I would like from the list is The Metal by Tenacious D. It’s Jack Black trolling, but he also has a hype all time guitar riff.

Am I listening to a standalone album or the soundtrack to a dark and depressing musical? I guess the storytelling is decent, but this style of ballad just isn’t for me. I like sad music usually but this taking it to a whole new extreme. The best songs are the duets. I won’t be listening to much more of these guys except for the Peaky Blinders theme.

I'm surprised this album doesn't have a parental warning on it. I'm guessing it's because they didn't think any kids would want to listen to it. I like the idea of this album. A series of ballads connected together with a theme. However, every balled sounds the same with most of the choruses just saying the made up name of a person. This was a slog to get through.

Ok

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

So bad.

Wish I could give this zero stars.

Nope. 😂

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 !

... his name in American Fiction makes more sense now

Great dark/noir album.

if you wanna listen to something similar but better try this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al8D7oqVBQ8 1

Ugh I cannot stand his voice and how every song sounds like he just lost his dog in a fire, lighten up a little yeesh

A good Nick Cave Album not as fond of the duets and not something I want to wallow in…. Still prefer The Good Son album.

Good soundtrack to kill someone by hahaha. Very Dark.

A pretty great record about murder ballads! Americana-based with blues, bluegrass, and American gothic. This is his last album until he gets sappy and orchestral and loses the energy. He embodies the spirit of Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen in his deep raunchy voice and cold demeanor. Only a few weak songs, but the majority of it is strong, and there's good diversity in there, each representing some unique mood and emotion one could correlate with acts of spontaneous murder. I love the dark atmosphere and sense of urgency. Favorites: Stagger Lee, Where the Wild Roses Grow, The Curse of Millhaven, O'Malley's Bar

Took some getting used to, a bit outside of my comfort zone. But I eventually found it enjoyable.

Nick Cave just has this weird brooding thing for me. Pretty sure I said the same thing about a different album of his that I've had in this list. Reminds me of the vampire musical that is in the plot line of Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Just bad, nothing else to say

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

Kinda sad kinda weird

Totally different than what I expected. Looking forward to exploring more of their music.

If you’re feeling depressed and want to wallow in it, this may be exactly what you need

No le doy 5 porque alguna me ha cansado. Venga, 5!

Nick Cave has always felt very Tom Waits meets Leonard Cohen meets Tim Burton for me, this Murder Ballads album especially so. Unfortunately that means there is a ceiling for how much I'm gonna enjoy versus appreciate it. The storytelling is great but the music itself doesn't really grab my attention.

What a strange, strange man. Some beauty mixed with unease. I wish I knew which ballads were original and which were older. At least it was interesting. Death is Not the End was the only song I really liked. Also, this counts as a PJ Harvey album.

Weird and fucked up lyrics and the music itself was below average

Wow, what a macabre album theme. This is ok, but as with most of Nick Cave's work, I just don't get his appeal. I did like the cover of Stagger Lee; probably the best song in this collection. Not likely to listen again.

A random Nick Cave album from 2011 with a song featuring PJ Harvey? This list is officially a parody of itself. The music was fine but this is rediculous. I wish I liked these people as much as these list makers clearly do.

I quite enjoyed it! It was something a little bit different, though i thought his voice was a bit abrasive at times, but overall ye was good I liked it

I really like the concept and Nick cave is literally the best person for making an album like this. I can't give it a 5 because altho I love both Nick and PJ Harvey I have never managed to sit through Henry Lee. Also Stagger Lee is a bi psychopathic icon.

Obviously quite a dark album, but some very good songs.

I love the dark atmosphere but vocally this album just irritates me. Nick Cave is by far the weakest part of this album and it's such a problem that the really cool instrumentals are over shadowed by how terrible Nick Cave is. Vocally the best parts of the album are the ones done by the guest singers. This has the potential to be a good record but it is marred by the terrible vocal performance and the incredibly cheesy lyrics.

Beautiful, stylish music, but really dark. OK, it's titled "Murder Ballads," so that tracks.

Excellent, but not really my kind of music. I loved all the "features" he had on it, particularly P.J. Harvey. I really loved the last song. Not sure why I didn't listen to this when it came out in 1996, but again, like I said, not really my kind of jam. I like and admire Nick Cave more than I enjoy his music.

Dark and darker, as advertised. Edgar Allan Poe would be pleased. Difficult listen. Musically OK.