What a wild video! Kudos to you for the sheer boldness to rank Cave’s library. For me his peak will always be ‘No More Shall We Part’ as that album is what turned me onto him. But what an awesome artist that reading all these comments everyone seems to have a different,and personal, favorite record. One of the very rare artists who does seem to improve with age. With ‘Ghosteen’ the Bad Seeds capture the essence of mourning in a bottle, as it were. And with ‘Wild God’ in like fashion they capture the exuberance for life. What wonderful records. Excellent video
Hearing someone talk about Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds with the affection they deserve, melts my heart. Thanks for sharing! Ghosteen has a part of my soul, I wouldn't mind giving the whole.
So glad to see the intense love for Push the Sky Away - it single-handedly reignited my love for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and it is the record of his I listen to most often - great video
Love the passion, what hits you hits you, The Good Son was a very comforting record to me in possibly the most difficult time in my life (long gone now), so i cherish that record very much.
1.The Boatman's Call (1997) 2. Tender Prey (1988) 3. Let Love In (1994) 4. Henry's Dream (1992) 5. Murder Ballads (1996) 6. Your Funeral... My Trial (1986) 7. No More Shall We Part (2001) 8. The Good Son (1990) 9. From Her to Eternity (1984) 10. Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus (2004) 11. Push the Sky Away (2013) 12. Skeleton Tree (2016) 13. The Firstborn Is Dead(1985) 14. Kicking Against the Pricks (1986) 15. Nocturama (2003) 16. Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (2008) 17. Ghosteen (2019) Wild God (2024), just heard once.
I think Nick Cave never made a bad album, and the ranking of his album is probably more related to the period when you got to know and love his music than anything else. This ranking is really close to what it would be for me, certainly the 3 top albums.
Yes! I agree totaly with you, I really enjoyed your video, it was excellent in tone, time and words, and that take "WILD GOD is like GOSHTEEN but happy" was as true as funny, at least for me. Great job.
I tottaly agree with number 1 ... marvelous album ... that i think is quite underrated !!! still havent listen to "WILD GOD " Keep up this great "lessons" about music history ans stories ... your rock !!! Greetings from Portugal Filipe
I've been listening to Nick Cave since the Birthday Party and saw them live as well. I bought every album on release. The last one I bought was The Skeleton Tree which does nothing for me. I find it very dreary. I've listened to the albums since then and they also do nothing for me. The last good album was Push The Sky Away. My favourite is Henry's Dream for the fantastic song writing. All the 90s stuff is just brilliant.
Henry’s dream (1992) is definitely Top 5 album! Together with The Good son (1990) Let love in! (1994) The Boatman’s call (1997), Push the sky away (2013)! 🤔🙏
Good advice. But after seven listens it’s already my favourite Nick Cave album. I can’t think of another one that comes close. But I’m at the stage of life where I’m prepared to embrace beauty and Wild God is a beautiful album.
Always appreciate NC&TBS content. Two main questions: 1.) is there a significant amount of compression on the physical Wild God copy specifically on the first song and Cinnamon Horses? I really like a lot of the new album but on streaming those tracks are nearly unlistenable from an audio stance. 2.) Where would Idiot Prayer rank for you on this list? It’s my favorite Cave release.
I will get back to you with regard to the question about compression! Good question! I love Idiot Prayer, I think it stands among one of the best live albums around. If it would rank I guess it would be on 6.
Nice! Interesting how you describe the mood or theme of each record more than the general style of music or most significant songs. I agree with much of the ranking. I especially like how you describe Ghosteen and Your funeral.. which are favourites of mine as well. I don't quite understand the greatness of Push the Sky Away though. To me it has some of the weaker songs in the whole catalogue. But I know many that agree with you so...
Thank you! Yeah the thing is with all these albums; they are on a certain level of quality and they either click or they don’t. Just like Skeleton Tree didn’t fully click with me but it is very good.
@top5records796 I like Skeleton Tree. I think one thing that gets me in music is when songs have a good melody but it takes you a while to understand the songs 'groove' as it is camouflaged, in this case by the minimalistic instrumentation and slow, airy atmosphere. In a way they are very straightforward songs but just covered in this utter darkness...which I like :)
1. Murder Ballads 2. Let Love In 3. Tender Prey 4. Henry‘s Dream 5. The Boatman‘s Call 6. Abbatoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus 7. The Good Son 8. Kicking Against the Pricks 9. Dig Lazarus Dig 10. No More Shall We Part 11. Wild God 12. Push the Sky Away 13. Skeleton Tree 14. Your Funeral my Trial 15. The Firstborn is Dead 16. From Her to Eternity 17.Nocturama 18. Ghosteen
I don't know all of his Albums, and I agree with some of your choices. However it doesn't take into account what was there when the albums were released and new energy they brought. I remember listening to the first born is dead close to the time that it was released and there was nothing like that. Also missing from the ranking the birthday party.
Brave to rank discography of a band that has no universally agreed on peaks and low points, each album is going to have its fierce defendants. I finished my journey through Nick Cave discography recently, still has no idea how rank the albums, only know that No More Shall We Part is number one in my heart.
Thank God and you for making this ranking! It will lead me in my buying. This year I could score The Good Son for 3.33 Euro ( 3 records promo for 10 Euros ). I wonder where this album is ranked in your list! greetings from Tienen, Belgium.
I understand that taste is subjective and that it should be respected no matter what. I also get that you have started to love Nick Cave with “Push the sky away”, so that explains the attachment to that record, but I do find it a bit of a stretch. It’s a solid album, but to me it comes after every record he and the band released in the 80s/90s. I’ve discovered Nick Cave in 1994 with Let Love In (which I do find it to be the most compelling and representative record of his whole carrer) and went backwards to discover everything he had done before. Now that I am 44, I am very attached to that period of his music, so daring, always surprising and never dull. I can’t really connect with anything he did after the 90s (maybe only Push the Sky away got more spins). And last but not least, “Henry’s Dream” is a WILD ride. Top 3 record without a doubt. Not a single bad song in there. My list: 1) Let Love In 2) Henry’s Dream 3) The Good Son 4) Murder Ballads 5) Tender Prey 6) Your Funeral, My Trial 7) From Her To Eternity 8) The Firstborn is Dead 9) Push The Sky Away 10) No more shall we part 11) The Boatman’s Call 12) Kicking Against The Pricks All the rest are pretty much on the same level but after these ones.
I have been listening to Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds for 30 years, so I would have a different order. But I agree on #18. Henry's Dream, however, needs to be much further on the top...
The Boatman’s Call Abbatoir / Lyre Murder Ballads Tender Pray Let Love In Dig Lazarus Dig Your Funeral My Trial Push the Sky Away From Her to Eternity Kicking Against the Pricks No More Shall We Part Skeleton Tree Henry’s Dream The Good Son The First Born is Dead Ghosteen Nocturama Not rating Wild God, only listen once, waiting for the vinyl
@@top5records796 My last five can change their positions as my least favorites, least listened, although I like and enjoy all of them. Ghosteen requires a very special mood. In fact, except the first three, the rest can have a different position depending on the moment I make the list. 😁😉
Great list, I do have some disagreements you'll be amazed to here, some agreement too. Biggest disagreement? Murder Ballads is one of my least faves and Henry's Dream on of my faves.
When the back catalogue is so strong, the order can be almost anything except that I agree on bottom 3 records with you. But my no. 1 is also the record that got me into the band which is No More Shall We Part. It's very subjective. I also think that No More Shall We Part was just a brilliant improvement on Boatman's Call which I kind of have a difficult relationship with. I don't want to say it's boring but I just rarely return to it for some reason. I know I'm in the minority there.
For NC I do not have a proper ranking since several albums are tied. That said, PTSA at number one was a great surprise. I mean... Each ranking is legit but it is a record I rarely listen to. It fails to surprise my ears. On the other hand, YF... MT is definitely a killer record
As a fan of all things Cave since The Boys Next Door, I disagree with the majority of this but then I grew up with The First Born Is Dead and From Her To Eternity, they changed my life. Hence my user-name. It's hard to be objective about those albums, they are in my blood, literally. My favourite album is No More Shall We Part but it's difficult to choose in a near-perfect collection.
You accidently added a 0 to no more shall we part. The most beautiful Record ever created. Even though not the best. Nice exercise.. to graduate 18 masterpieces...😅
I am not going to watch this but I congratulate your bravery, ranking the work of an artist who means so much to so many people.. I am going to disagree with everything you say. My best wishes to you.
Nice list! Pretty close to how I would rank them. Probably would have put skeleton tree and no more shall we part higher. Anyway, what an amazing artist. Even at his worst, he’s still better than pretty much anyone else…
Wild God is the first full album I've heard from their discography. From my perspective, it's a masterpiece. I'll have to hear the others if you say they're better lol.
just to comment about the point you made regarding the song 'Stagger lee'. Its interesting that cinema can be much, much more explicit both visually and language wise than songs ever are; though I guess there are a lot of RAP songs pushing that boundary these days. But referring to 'Stagger Lee', it's tame compared to what we witness in cinema these days. I just thought it was an interesting comparison. maybe it's more to do with accessibility in that a song is more accessible to the youth than cinema is. I'm not sure?
I’m also not sure. Filmscenes though are less often shown outside of their context (the film) than a song are (if the context is the album). I think context is very important with regard to how people respond.
@@top5records796 The thing about his Stagger Lee is that he didn't invent the over-the-top violent and homoerotic content of the song. He appropriated it from a 1969 rendition by Snatch and the Poontangs. Which is all fine, but Cave does no more than revel in the violence, advancing the narrative no further than edge-lord territory and allowing a largely male heterosexual audience to basically play along. So... he heavily borrows from a (now) largely unknown Black artist and then skates around the question of homophobia. I'm not arguing it is homophobic (or that it's not), but that the song doesn't really do much to justify the risk in putting it out. Nick does entirely miss the point of the original Stag O' Lee, which is that he's a Black man that the white cops are too afraid to touch. Nick denies him his importance as a Black folk hero for a dirty joke. And a borrowed one at that.
Except the album "The Good Son" and few tracks of each early albums, I'm not a big fan of Nick Cave's first albums. I discovered him when "Henri's Dream" was released and except "Nocturama" which I don't like at all except the first track, I love or I adore all his albums. So here is my Top 10 : 1 - Push The Sky Away 2 - Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus 3 - Wild God 4 - Dig Lazarus Dig 5 - Murder Ballads 6 - No More Shall We Part 7 - Let Love In 8 - Ghosteen 9 - The Good Son 10 - Skeleton Tree
I enjoy that you put Ghosteen so high on the list. I think it is his best. I enjoy it very much because the dark subject matter is done so beautifully.
the first born is dead also seems to play off the old and new testament brothers motif, the younger usurping the elder. the elder esaau loses his birthright to the younger jacob, whose bloodline leads to israel and to jesus. typologically this extends into the later stories. john the baptiste is like an older brother to jesus who takes over the movement. the name barabas (crucified with jesus) means 'son of the father' jesus ascends while barabas remains.
I love all Cave’s (and all of the Seeds) work. All albums live in their own context (and in mine, getting older), just as they should. Ranking these is like asking yourself: what’s the least great novel of Proust’s ‘À la recherche du temps perdu’... Cave is not like Bowie (I’m an aficionado...), Madonna or the freekin’ Eagles. No dressing up. And dressing up. Cave annoys too. Tickles, irritates and soothes me. I hate his music or lyrics 25% of the freekin’ time listening to it. It both feeds and wrecks my own stupid coping strategies. All the time! At the same time! That’s why him and his band are my favorites. Cave (and his confrères’ ) is like the world sans autotune. Waits comes very close. He has humor mixed in to distract humanoïds like me... There’s always cathartic elements because of that. 🖖
I know it's a song, not an album, but I think Into my arms is an overrated song in mostly underrated career of Nick Cave. Speaking of underrated and overrated, I don't know how one can compare Murder ballads to last few albums when so much happened in between, so much pain and growth, how can one compare real experience of death, loss and pain with fictional, fun, morbid, and cool stories of Murder ballads? This does not compare, but if I had to choose, I choose later, mature, grown-up Cave over cool Murder ballads Cave any time.
I'm not a fan of this album at all. I love Nick Cave and the Bad seeds, Grinderman, and the Birthday Party. I had heard the few songs that were released in the weeks leading up to this full release and I was not at all looking forward to the album. Gospelly-choir music. Rock and Roll, not so much. I've seen him play 15 or so times, feel he's one of the best front men ever, but I would pass on seeing this tour if the set list contains more than 3 or 4 from the album.
Since skeleton tree every project he’s been involved with has delivered diminishing returns. Ghosteen, often lauded by all and sundry is an absolute snore fest, nothing more than pretentious pseudo poetry set to Warren Ellis’s loops. Basically an ambient record I wouldn’t ever listen to and certainly not a band effort. Wild God feels like just more of the same, the songs have more oomph but there’s something lacking, maybe it’s because the Seeds are largely a two man band now. Murder Ballads and Let Love In are in a different league. In those days the band felt wild and feral, even a little dangerous, with live shows that always delivered. I know bands need to move on and evolve but for me this band has done the unthinkable, it’s become acceptable to the mainstream.
Well said. Mumbling poorly written and recycled “poetry” doesn’t do it for me. He has this tendency to repeat words and phrases multiple times in a song and it so vapid and infuriating.
You can't try to compare such different types of music that Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds have done. Some music will talk to you, some don't. But please don't talk about it like that, you sound like crap
How is "pretentious pseudo poetry set to Warren Ellis' loops", an ambient record, even remotely "acceptable to the mainstream"? If anything they've deviated furthest from what is mainstream in the last couple of records
You can watch the full review of Wild God here: th-cam.com/video/LKy0WMf4FFs/w-d-xo.html
Great ranking of one of the greatest discographys ever!
Thank you!
@@top5records796 Bitte schön 👍🏻
What a wild video! Kudos to you for the sheer boldness to rank Cave’s library.
For me his peak will always be ‘No More Shall We Part’ as that album is what turned me onto him. But what an awesome artist that reading all these comments everyone seems to have a different,and personal, favorite record. One of the very rare artists who does seem to improve with age. With ‘Ghosteen’ the Bad Seeds capture the essence of mourning in a bottle, as it were. And with ‘Wild God’ in like fashion they capture the exuberance for life. What wonderful records. Excellent video
Thank you!
Hearing someone talk about Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds with the affection they deserve, melts my heart. Thanks for sharing!
Ghosteen has a part of my soul, I wouldn't mind giving the whole.
Thank you! I’m happy to hear that!
Thank you, it’s nice to hear another’s perspective on this most treasured of work ✌🏻
Thank you!
'Your Funeral my trial' is the best thing he's ever done.
So glad to see the intense love for Push the Sky Away - it single-handedly reignited my love for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and it is the record of his I listen to most often - great video
Thank you! Push The Sky Away is just brilliant!
Love the passion, what hits you hits you, The Good Son was a very comforting record to me in possibly the most difficult time in my life (long gone now), so i cherish that record very much.
1.The Boatman's Call (1997)
2. Tender Prey (1988)
3. Let Love In (1994)
4. Henry's Dream (1992)
5. Murder Ballads (1996)
6. Your Funeral... My Trial (1986)
7. No More Shall We Part (2001)
8. The Good Son (1990)
9. From Her to Eternity (1984)
10. Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus (2004)
11. Push the Sky Away (2013)
12. Skeleton Tree (2016)
13. The Firstborn Is Dead(1985)
14. Kicking Against the Pricks (1986)
15. Nocturama (2003)
16. Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (2008)
17. Ghosteen (2019)
Wild God (2024), just heard once.
Awesome list! Thanks!
I think Nick Cave never made a bad album, and the ranking of his album is probably more related to the period when you got to know and love his music than anything else. This ranking is really close to what it would be for me, certainly the 3 top albums.
#1 is lyre of Orpheus/abattoir blues
Yes! I agree totaly with you, I really enjoyed your video, it was excellent in tone, time and words, and that take "WILD GOD is like GOSHTEEN but happy" was as true as funny, at least for me. Great job.
Thanks!
Boatman’s call is his best album. That album put him on the map years ago as an excellent songwriter.
I love The Boatman’s Call!
top 5 for me:
5 - Ghostteen
4 - Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus
3 - The Good Son
2 - The Boatman‘s Call
1 - Let Love In
Thanks! Awesome list!
I tottaly agree with number 1 ... marvelous album ... that i think is quite underrated !!!
still havent listen to "WILD GOD "
Keep up this great "lessons" about music history ans stories ... your rock !!!
Greetings from Portugal
Filipe
Thank you! I love to hear that!
1. No more shall we part
2. Boatman’s call
3. Tender prey
Enjoyed your take.
Thanks!
I've been listening to Nick Cave since the Birthday Party and saw them live as well. I bought every album on release. The last one I bought was The Skeleton Tree which does nothing for me. I find it very dreary. I've listened to the albums since then and they also do nothing for me. The last good album was Push The Sky Away. My favourite is Henry's Dream for the fantastic song writing. All the 90s stuff is just brilliant.
I never saw them... it haunts me. I didn't see him live until aound Kicking ATPs and I've made up for it since then.
Henry’s dream (1992) is definitely Top 5 album! Together with The Good son (1990) Let love in! (1994) The Boatman’s call (1997), Push the sky away (2013)! 🤔🙏
interesting we all rank so different. My no 1 is "No more shall we part"
Wild God is too fresh, way too fresh. Give it some time
All of these albums change in my opinion.
Good advice. But after seven listens it’s already my favourite Nick Cave album. I can’t think of another one that comes close. But I’m at the stage of life where I’m prepared to embrace beauty and Wild God is a beautiful album.
YOut top 3 are the same as mine. Great to see Murder Ballads getting some love.
Always appreciate NC&TBS content. Two main questions:
1.) is there a significant amount of compression on the physical Wild God copy specifically on the first song and Cinnamon Horses? I really like a lot of the new album but on streaming those tracks are nearly unlistenable from an audio stance.
2.) Where would Idiot Prayer rank for you on this list? It’s my favorite Cave release.
I will get back to you with regard to the question about compression! Good question!
I love Idiot Prayer, I think it stands among one of the best live albums around. If it would rank I guess it would be on 6.
I like your style and ratings brother. For me personally, all NC albums from 1994 and onwards is my style. Can't seem to get into the earlier stuff. 😂
Thanks!
Nice! Interesting how you describe the mood or theme of each record more than the general style of music or most significant songs. I agree with much of the ranking. I especially like how you describe Ghosteen and Your funeral.. which are favourites of mine as well. I don't quite understand the greatness of Push the Sky Away though. To me it has some of the weaker songs in the whole catalogue. But I know many that agree with you so...
Thank you! Yeah the thing is with all these albums; they are on a certain level of quality and they either click or they don’t. Just like Skeleton Tree didn’t fully click with me but it is very good.
@top5records796 I like Skeleton Tree. I think one thing that gets me in music is when songs have a good melody but it takes you a while to understand the songs 'groove' as it is camouflaged, in this case by the minimalistic instrumentation and slow, airy atmosphere. In a way they are very straightforward songs but just covered in this utter darkness...which I like :)
5) Boatman's call 4)No more shall we part 3) Let Love in 2) Abattoir blues/ Lyre of Orpheus 1) Murder Ballads
No one „From her to eternity“? This is the root and most daring! And all his 80ies issues!
Hell yes. Box For Black Paul is my world
1. Murder Ballads
2. Let Love In
3. Tender Prey
4. Henry‘s Dream
5. The Boatman‘s Call
6. Abbatoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus
7. The Good Son
8. Kicking Against the Pricks
9. Dig Lazarus Dig
10. No More Shall We Part
11. Wild God
12. Push the Sky Away
13. Skeleton Tree
14. Your Funeral my Trial
15. The Firstborn is Dead
16. From Her to Eternity
17.Nocturama
18. Ghosteen
Nice list!
@@top5records796 Do you have a favourite Bad Seeds lineup?
mine beeing
Cave
Harvey
Bargeld
Wydler
Casey
Savage
NO Ellis, very important🫢
@@nostromospicks3301 your funerzl my trial is way,WAYYYY too low
I don't know all of his Albums, and I agree with some of your choices. However it doesn't take into account what was there when the albums were released and new energy they brought.
I remember listening to the first born is dead close to the time that it was released and there was nothing like that. Also missing from the ranking the birthday party.
Brave to rank discography of a band that has no universally agreed on peaks and low points, each album is going to have its fierce defendants. I finished my journey through Nick Cave discography recently, still has no idea how rank the albums, only know that No More Shall We Part is number one in my heart.
Wild God is a masterpiece.
Thank God and you for making this ranking! It will lead me in my buying. This year I could score The Good Son for 3.33 Euro ( 3 records promo for 10 Euros ). I wonder where this album is ranked in your list! greetings from Tienen, Belgium.
Thank you! And that is a wonderful purchase! The Good Son for 3,33! The Good Son is in the ranking! It is pretty high!
I was just thinking I’d never heard of the album “Wild god”. I didn’t know they had a new album!
They didn’t do a lot of advertising for it, did they?
A lot of internet advertising! I’ve known about it for three months. Issued August 30.
thanks for this review
I understand that taste is subjective and that it should be respected no matter what. I also get that you have started to love Nick Cave with “Push the sky away”, so that explains the attachment to that record, but I do find it a bit of a stretch. It’s a solid album, but to me it comes after every record he and the band released in the 80s/90s. I’ve discovered Nick Cave in 1994 with Let Love In (which I do find it to be the most compelling and representative record of his whole carrer) and went backwards to discover everything he had done before. Now that I am 44, I am very attached to that period of his music, so daring, always surprising and never dull. I can’t really connect with anything he did after the 90s (maybe only Push the Sky away got more spins). And last but not least, “Henry’s Dream” is a WILD ride. Top 3 record without a doubt. Not a single bad song in there.
My list:
1) Let Love In
2) Henry’s Dream
3) The Good Son
4) Murder Ballads
5) Tender Prey
6) Your Funeral, My Trial
7) From Her To Eternity
8) The Firstborn is Dead
9) Push The Sky Away
10) No more shall we part
11) The Boatman’s Call
12) Kicking Against The Pricks
All the rest are pretty much on the same level but after these ones.
I have been listening to Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds for 30 years, so I would have a different order. But I agree on #18. Henry's Dream, however, needs to be much further on the top...
Somewhat irrelevant question; but what do you think of the Wild God packaging? I find it to be such a chore getting the record back in
I agree, I keep the record out of the cover.
That packaging is a fucking shame.
I haven’t picked this record up yet. Getting it tomorrow. But had the same issue with the latest Decemberists record. Extremely annoying.
1st Tender Prey, 2nd No more shal we part, 3rd Push the sky away etc
The Boatman’s Call
Abbatoir / Lyre
Murder Ballads
Tender Pray
Let Love In
Dig Lazarus Dig
Your Funeral My Trial
Push the Sky Away
From Her to Eternity
Kicking Against the Pricks
No More Shall We Part
Skeleton Tree
Henry’s Dream
The Good Son
The First Born is Dead
Ghosteen
Nocturama
Not rating Wild God, only listen once, waiting for the vinyl
Ghosteen so low?
@@top5records796 My last five can change their positions as my least favorites, least listened, although I like and enjoy all of them. Ghosteen requires a very special mood. In fact, except the first three, the rest can have a different position depending on the moment I make the list. 😁😉
For me it all started with Let Love In. Nice to see it at number 6!
Let Love In is awesome!
Great list, I do have some disagreements you'll be amazed to here, some agreement too. Biggest disagreement? Murder Ballads is one of my least faves and Henry's Dream on of my faves.
When the back catalogue is so strong, the order can be almost anything except that I agree on bottom 3 records with you. But my no. 1 is also the record that got me into the band which is No More Shall We Part. It's very subjective. I also think that No More Shall We Part was just a brilliant improvement on Boatman's Call which I kind of have a difficult relationship with. I don't want to say it's boring but I just rarely return to it for some reason. I know I'm in the minority there.
in the ghetto/moon is in the gutter is missing. i love all the albums but from her to eternity in 84 was a whole other world.
For NC I do not have a proper ranking since several albums are tied. That said, PTSA at number one was a great surprise. I mean... Each ranking is legit but it is a record I rarely listen to. It fails to surprise my ears. On the other hand, YF... MT is definitely a killer record
Which one would you put on number 1?
@@top5records796 A tie between "the good son", "the boatman's call" and "abattoir Blues/the Lyre of Orpheus"
As a fan of all things Cave since The Boys Next Door, I disagree with the majority of this but then I grew up with The First Born Is Dead and From Her To Eternity, they changed my life. Hence my user-name. It's hard to be objective about those albums, they are in my blood, literally. My favourite album is No More Shall We Part but it's difficult to choose in a near-perfect collection.
Don't agree with all, but clearly agree that the number one for me is Push the Sky Away. But Let Love In should be in top 3...
You accidently added a 0 to no more shall we part. The most beautiful Record ever created. Even though not the best.
Nice exercise.. to graduate 18 masterpieces...😅
LET LOVE IN NUMBER ONE
I am not going to watch this but I congratulate your bravery, ranking the work of an artist who means so much to so many people.. I am going to disagree with everything you say. My best wishes to you.
The good son, The boatman's call and No more shall we part are the best in my opinion, then the others
Henry’s Dream was my first from him.
My entry point too. Amazing album.
Nice list! Pretty close to how I would rank them. Probably would have put skeleton tree and no more shall we part higher.
Anyway, what an amazing artist. Even at his worst, he’s still better than pretty much anyone else…
Thank you! I agree! How many artists are out there that have been constantly good for 40 years?
Wild God is the first full album I've heard from their discography. From my perspective, it's a masterpiece. I'll have to hear the others if you say they're better lol.
just to comment about the point you made regarding the song 'Stagger lee'. Its interesting that cinema can be much, much more explicit both visually and language wise than songs ever are; though I guess there are a lot of RAP songs pushing that boundary these days. But referring to 'Stagger Lee', it's tame compared to what we witness in cinema these days. I just thought it was an interesting comparison. maybe it's more to do with accessibility in that a song is more accessible to the youth than cinema is. I'm not sure?
I’m also not sure. Filmscenes though are less often shown outside of their context (the film) than a song are (if the context is the album). I think context is very important with regard to how people respond.
@@top5records796 The thing about his Stagger Lee is that he didn't invent the over-the-top violent and homoerotic content of the song. He appropriated it from a 1969 rendition by Snatch and the Poontangs. Which is all fine, but Cave does no more than revel in the violence, advancing the narrative no further than edge-lord territory and allowing a largely male heterosexual audience to basically play along. So... he heavily borrows from a (now) largely unknown Black artist and then skates around the question of homophobia. I'm not arguing it is homophobic (or that it's not), but that the song doesn't really do much to justify the risk in putting it out. Nick does entirely miss the point of the original Stag O' Lee, which is that he's a Black man that the white cops are too afraid to touch. Nick denies him his importance as a Black folk hero for a dirty joke. And a borrowed one at that.
Dig Lazerus Dig has to be Top 3
Except the album "The Good Son" and few tracks of each early albums, I'm not a big fan of Nick Cave's first albums.
I discovered him when "Henri's Dream" was released and except "Nocturama" which I don't like at all except the first track, I love or I adore all his albums.
So here is my Top 10 :
1 - Push The Sky Away
2 - Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus
3 - Wild God
4 - Dig Lazarus Dig
5 - Murder Ballads
6 - No More Shall We Part
7 - Let Love In
8 - Ghosteen
9 - The Good Son
10 - Skeleton Tree
Once Blixa left, the band mostly went downhill with a couple exceptions
And that’s why Nicks catalogue is so fascinating because I see it as the complete opposite to your statement 😂
It just became a different Nick, like with Bob Dylan, these comparisons are mostly pointless
No it was Harvey who mastered the ship and it's shipwrecked now he's gone.
@@ratsontherails Good point
I enjoy that you put Ghosteen so high on the list. I think it is his best. I enjoy it very much because the dark subject matter is done so beautifully.
Might be recency bias, but Wild God is in my Top 3 currently.
In mine too. Stunning album
I miss Carnage.
That is actually a Nick Cave/Warren Ellis album.
A bit too soon to rank a brand new record don’t you think 🤔
Nope, I already feel it ;)
why is it too soon
Love Bad Seeds, but I prefer Birthday Party.
Utter CARNAGE
the first born is dead also seems to play off the old and new testament brothers motif, the younger usurping the elder. the elder esaau loses his birthright to the younger jacob, whose bloodline leads to israel and to jesus. typologically this extends into the later stories. john the baptiste is like an older brother to jesus who takes over the movement. the name barabas (crucified with jesus) means 'son of the father' jesus ascends while barabas remains.
i totally disagree with your ranking, exept push the sky away as no. 1 (for the moment),
(but that´s okay and maybe the way it should be)
Nick Cave is very much hit/miss to me. But I surely liked him more, before he had adapted his vocal style to pathetic whimpering.
“Pathetic whimpering” is a good description of Nick’s latest rubbish. I tend to call it “mindless rambling”….
I love all Cave’s (and all of the Seeds) work. All albums live in their own context (and in mine, getting older), just as they should.
Ranking these is like asking yourself: what’s the least great novel of Proust’s ‘À la recherche du temps perdu’...
Cave is not like Bowie (I’m an aficionado...), Madonna or the freekin’ Eagles.
No dressing up. And dressing up. Cave annoys too. Tickles, irritates and soothes me. I hate his music or lyrics 25% of the freekin’ time listening to it. It both feeds and wrecks my own stupid coping strategies. All the time! At the same time!
That’s why him and his band are my favorites.
Cave (and his confrères’ ) is like the world sans autotune.
Waits comes very close. He has humor mixed in to distract humanoïds like me... There’s always cathartic elements because of that.
🖖
Wow - Wild God ranked so low! 😅
Low?
That's coz it BLOWS
I know it's a song, not an album, but I think Into my arms is an overrated song in mostly underrated career of Nick Cave.
Speaking of underrated and overrated, I don't know how one can compare Murder ballads to last few albums when so much happened in between, so much pain and growth, how can one compare real experience of death, loss and pain with fictional, fun, morbid, and cool stories of Murder ballads? This does not compare, but if I had to choose, I choose later, mature, grown-up Cave over cool Murder ballads Cave any time.
Well the goal of these songs is very different. Murder Ballads is morbid entertainment, I can't say the same about his last albums.
@@top5records796 i agree completely :)
I'm not a fan of this album at all. I love Nick Cave and the Bad seeds, Grinderman, and the Birthday Party. I had heard the few songs that were released in the weeks leading up to this full release and I was not at all looking forward to the album. Gospelly-choir music. Rock and Roll, not so much. I've seen him play 15 or so times, feel he's one of the best front men ever, but I would pass on seeing this tour if the set list contains more than 3 or 4 from the album.
You would really pas on this tour? I’m actually going late september.
yeah, this might be the first time I skip Nick’s show since 1997.
Kicking against the Pricks is his best.
Time to dump Ellis and put on a guitar.
Since skeleton tree every project he’s been involved with has delivered diminishing returns. Ghosteen, often lauded by all and sundry is an absolute snore fest, nothing more than pretentious pseudo poetry set to Warren Ellis’s loops. Basically an ambient record I wouldn’t ever listen to and certainly not a band effort. Wild God feels like just more of the same, the songs have more oomph but there’s something lacking, maybe it’s because the Seeds are largely a two man band now. Murder Ballads and Let Love In are in a different league. In those days the band felt wild and feral, even a little dangerous, with live shows that always delivered. I know bands need to move on and evolve but for me this band has done the unthinkable, it’s become acceptable to the mainstream.
Well said. Mumbling poorly written and recycled “poetry” doesn’t do it for me. He has this tendency to repeat words and phrases multiple times in a song and it so vapid and infuriating.
Skeleton Tree and Ghosteen are masterpieces.
You can't try to compare such different types of music that Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds have done. Some music will talk to you, some don't. But please don't talk about it like that, you sound like crap
How is "pretentious pseudo poetry set to Warren Ellis' loops", an ambient record, even remotely "acceptable to the mainstream"? If anything they've deviated furthest from what is mainstream in the last couple of records
To quote Roger Waters, f#$k Nick Cave.
Ok
When did he say that? And in what context?
Nobody cares/
Why not?
Too much wisdom for Americans ...