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What are the best Nick Cave albums?

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Carnby

Carnby

Member
I've always liked Murder Ballads. Who doesn't? But I discovered that album ten years ago, and I never looked for anything else by Cave. Recently I randomly bought Let Love In, and I was blown away by it. It's a near perfect album in fact. So to all the Cave fans, which albums should a check out next? While I'm asking, go ahead amd list your fav 5 Nick Cave albums.
 
N

Nander

Member
The Boatman's Call. Perfection from first to last song.

EDIT: OK, top 5:

1. The Boatman's Call
2. The Good Son
3. Murder Ballads
4. Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus
5. Push the Sky Away
 
W

Weetrick

Member
His double album, Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus is a masterpiece.

Abattoir_Blues%2BThe_Lyre_of_Orpheus.jpg
 
S

satriales

Member
Lyrically, my favourite is No More Shall We Part.

From Her To Eternity or Tender Prey for their old stuff.

Dig Lazarus Dig is probably their easiest to get into and a really fun, lively album.
 
P

Puck Beaverton

Banned
All of them, dude is incredibly consistent, but if I have to pick:

Boatman's Call
Murder Ballads
Tender Prey
Let Love In
Your Funeral...My Trial
 
3

31GhostsIV

Banned
1) Let Love In
2) Push the Sky Away
3) Skeleton Tree
4) Firstborn is Dead
5) Dig Lazarus Dig!

This would probably be different if you asked me tomorrow, apart from no.1.

Going to see them later this year, can't wait...
 
P

parrotbeak

Member
Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus was the first Nick Cave album I owned so I'm bias towards it.

If I had to pick only one "album" I'd cheat and pick the B-Sides set. It was the only one I just kept in my car and played constantly.

I'll recommend Kicking Against the Pricks since no one else mentioned it yet. But really I think you'll eventually buy everything and there aren't any albums I would say skip.
 
Y

yepyepyep

Member
His body of work is amazing, you can't really go wrong.

These ones I love the most

Junkyard (by The Birthday Party)
From Her to Eternity
Tender Prey
Your Funeral My Trial
Murder Ballads
 
H

Haemolacria

Member
I personally find everything he's released from Boatman's Call to be more or less excellent, good at worst. But Boatman's Call is his magnum opus, in my opinion. Just a stellar record, although its A-side is leagues better than the B-side. Although I try about once a year, I just can't get into his early albums, they're chaotic and noisy in all the wrong ways for my tastes. Or maybe I'm just too soft for them :D
 
B

Blader

Member
I'm not well versed enough in their entire back catalog, but their last two -- Push the Sky Away and Skeleton Tree -- were excellent.
 
F

flipp_jackson

Neo Member
my personal top 5 would be:

henry's dream
let love in
the good son
tender prey
push the sky away

all of his albums have some amazing stuff on them, but these speak to me more. nick cave is in my top 3 musicians of all time
 
boxoctosis

boxoctosis

Member
In 2015 he did a 'solo' tour, which was basically the Bad Seeds but with more of a focus on him and his piano with the band in the background.

Anyway, i saw him in Edinburgh, and it was the best gig I've ever seen. He played a couple of gigs a couple of days after, Royal Albert Hall and Hammersmith Odeon, and you could buy a CD of the evening on the night. Or by mail order.

http://www.nickcave.com/music/nick-cave/live-at-the-royal-albert-hall/

Anyway, these are the best record of his awesomeness. Absolutely him at his peak.
 
A

ATF487

Member
Top tier:
Tender Prey
Your Funeral....My Trial
Let Love In
Push the Sky Away
Skeleton Tree

Very good:
From Her to Eternity
The Firstborn is Dead
Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus
The Boatman's Call
No More Shall We Part

Good:
Murder Ballads
Henry's Dream
The Good Son
Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Henry's Dream

Meh:
Nocturama

Also don't sleep on the Birthday Party stuff. Live 1981-1982 is a great introduction, one of my favorite live albums of all time.
 
Charles Brandon

Charles Brandon

Member
Murder Ballads
Skeleton Tree
Push The Sky Away

But the champ is and will always be...

The Boatman's Call

Best album ever.

Distant Sky on Skeleton Tree is a beautiful song though.

I don't like the rockier albums
 
M

MoonsaultSlayer

Member
Carnby said:
I've always liked Murder Ballads. Who doesn't? But I discovered that album ten years ago, and I never looked for anything else by Cave. Recently I randomly bought Let Love In, and I was blown away by it. It's a near perfect album in fact. So to all the Cave fans, which albums should a check out next? While I'm asking, go ahead amd list your fav 5 Nick Cave albums.
Click to expand...
Let Love In was my first Cave album and I love many of the tracks (the title track and Lay Me Low... holy shit). I later bought Murder Ballads because it seemed like it was #1 on everyone's top Nick Cave albums. On par with LLI on my preference scale and they're the only albums of his/them I have. Random shuffle through his catalog on Spotify hasn't exactly grabbed me as much as those but I'll go through the thread and take some suggestions as well.
 
P

Poimandres

Member
Blader said:
I'm not well versed enough in their entire back catalog, but their last two -- Push the Sky Away and Skeleton Tree -- were excellent.
Click to expand...

I think they are two of his weaker efforts, honestly. Plenty of good tracks on both but they can't compare with his best.

I like rock the fuck out Nick. Let Love In, Dig Lazarus Dig, Abatoir/Lyre, Tender Prey, Grinderman. Guy is a total legend.
 
P

Polari

Member
If you want to change it up a bit I'd check out Skeleton Tree. One of the best albums of last year, hands down. I think it got a 94 or something on Metacritic.

I wouldn't go for Nocturama though, it's pretty shit.
 
H

Hobbestetrician

Member
Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus and The Boatman's Call are my absolute favorites so this thread is full of very smart people.

Skeleton Tree was the best album of 2016 and easily is one of his best, too. 'Distant Sky' leaves me a sobbing mess.

Tender Prey is my favorite of his '80s output and Let Love In would probably round out a Top 5 for me.

But man, he has so many great albums. Murder Ballads is tremendous, The Good Son, Henry's Dream, and Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!! are all underrated, and all the rest are all absolutely worth repeated listens.

An astonishingly consistent discography, dude is a legend.
 
M

myca77

Member
Boatmans call and anything after that.

His earlier albums are very good, but can be less accessible. I used to not be a big fan of anything pre boatmans till I saw him live and that's where his earlier material really shines and made me a big fan.

Jolly nice chap too, remember having drink with him and a friend who knows him. Scorching hot day, shorts all around except for nick in his three piece suit, class act :)

If you ever get a chance to see him live do, he seems twice the size on stage and is incredible.
 
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