Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds




 * (related page: Birthday Party)

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band that was formed in Melbourne in 1983 by frontman Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throughout its career and presently consists of Cave, violinist and multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis, bassist Martyn P. Casey, keyboardist Conway Savage, and percussionists Thomas Wydler (Switzerland) and Jim Sclavunos (United States). The band has released fifteen studio albums and completed numerous international tours.

The band was founded after the demise of Cave and Harvey's former group The Birthday Party, the members of which met at a boarding school in Victoria, Australia. Deviating from the noise rock roots of their contemporaries, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have produced alternative rock that has been influenced by various genres, such as punk rock, gothic rock, no wave and blues. Their early material—From Her to Eternity (1984), The Firstborn Is Dead (1985), Your Funeral... My Trial (1986) and Tender Prey (1988)—primarily featured a post-punk sound....(read more at Wikipedia).

Links To Peel
Peel venerated the Birthday Party, regarding them as a benchmark for other bands, and thus it was no surprise that Cave's new venture, named after the Party's last release, would feature heavily on his shows. John particularly favoured The Mercy Seat and the cover of By The Time I Get To Phoenix, remarking on the latter that it was the only time a Jim Webb song had reached the Festive Fifty.

They recorded one session for the show, at a time when they had just returned to London from an Australian tour and when recording sessions for the debut LP From Her To Eternity had only just started and when they were still known as the Cavemen. Two of the tracks are from the LP and the other is a cover of a Screaming Jay Hawkins song that otherwise only exists in live recordings. In fact, only one of the three has ever seen an official release, which explains why the session is frequently requested for repeats on BBC 6Music.

They accrued five Festive Fifty entries, the last with The Ship Song, which marked a departure towards a more melodic style. Characteristically, this provoked indifference in Peel, who claimed to prefer the band's "rather more tormented vein" and claimed Cave's vocal style had begun to resemble that of Billy Joel (whom John actively disliked): on another occasion, he compared it to Neil Diamond.

Nonetheless, Nick's solo live set (TX 11 October 2001), part of a broadcast to honour Peel's purported 40 years on the radio, concluded with a tribute to John, albeit with reference to his earlier band.

The former Birthday Party singer was indirectly mentioned in the Bongwater song "Nick Cave Doll", which reached #50 in the 1991 Festive Fifty. Cave was also referenced in the Half Man Half Biscuit session track "Mr. Cave's A Window Cleaner Now" (recorded 1995-07-11, first broadcast 05 August 1995).

Festive Fifty Entries

 * 1984 Festive Fifty: Saint Huck #11
 * 1985 Festive Fifty: Tupelo #35
 * 1986 Festive Fifty: By The Time I Get To Phoenix #45
 * 1988 Festive Fifty: The Mercy Seat #10
 * 1990 Festive Fifty: The Ship Song #19

Sessions

 * One session. Recorded 1984-03-28. First TX: 09 April 1984. Repeats: 18 September 1984, 18 December 1984. 'From Her To Eternity' released on Mute Audio Documents «1978 - 1984» (Mute, 10xCD, 2007)
 * Saint Huck / I Put A Spell On You / From Her To Eternity

Live

 * 11 October 2001: live at King’s College, recorded 2001-09-24
 * 1) God Is In The House
 * 2) Mercy Seat
 * 3) Into My Arms

Other Shows Played
(The list before was compiled only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive. Please add more details if known.)


 * 1984
 * 21 May 1984: Wings Off Flies
 * 20 June 1984: Wings Off Flies (LP - From Her To Eternity) Mute
 * 21 June 1984: In The Ghetto (7") Mute
 * 28 June 1984: The Moon Is In The Gutter (7" - In The Ghetto) Mute
 * 03 July 1984: Cabin Fever! (album - From Her To Eternity) Mute
 * Karl's Tape August 1984: In The Ghetto (7") Mute
 * 29 October 1984: The Moon Is In The Gutter
 * 26 December 1984: Saint Huck (LP-From Her To Eternity) Mute FF#11 (JP: “Should have been higher, pop pickers, in my opinion.”)


 * 1985
 * 03 June 1985: Tupelo (album - The Firstborn Is Dead) Mute
 * 04 June 1985: Blind Lemon Jefferson (album - The First Born Is Dead) Mute
 * 17 July 1985: Wanted Man (LP - The Firstborn Is Dead) Mute
 * Peel 020 (BFBS) (1985-00-00): In The Ghetto (7") Mute
 * 04 September 1985: The Victory (LP - Burnin' The Ice) Svensk Illuminated
 * 17 December 1985: Tupelo (LP – The Firstborn Is Dead) Mute FF#35


 * 1986
 * 10 June 1986: Running Scared (12" - The Singer) Mute (JP: 'Chickened out the high notes Nick!')
 * Peel 036 (BFBS) (1986-06-12 or 1986-06-19): Running Scared (7"-The Singer) Mute (JP: “Hot dog, Nick! Pity he chickened out on those high notes, I must say.”)
 * 24 June 1986: Running Scared (12" - The Singer) Mute
 * 21 August 1986 (BFBS) (Peel 040 (BFBS)): All Tomorrow's Parties (LP-Kicking Against The Pricks) Mute (JP: “My usual advice to popular entertainers is, don't tangle with Velvet Underground songs, but in this case I don't mind at all.”)
 * 28 August 1986 (BFBS) (Peel 040 (BFBS)): 'By The Time I Get To Phoenix (LP-Kicking Against The Pricks)' (Mute)
 * 08 September 1986: Hey Joe (album - Kicking Against The Pricks) Mute STUMM 28
 * 11 November 1986: Jack's Shadow (LP - Your Funeral... My Trial) Mute
 * 11 November 1986: Long Time Man (LP - Your Funeral ... My Trial) Mute
 * 24 November 1986: Jack's Shadow (LP - Your Funeral ... My Trial) Mute
 * 02 December 1986: Stranger Than Kindness (LP - Your Funeral ... My Trial) Mute
 * 03 December 1986: She Fell Away (LP - Your Funeral ... My Trial) Mute
 * 10 December 1986: Jack's Shadow (LP - Your Funeral ... My Trial) Mute (Peel plays it first at the wrong speed and then corrects it)
 * 18 December 1986 (Andy Kershaw): She Fell Away (LP - Your Funeral ... My Trial) Mute
 * 22 December 1986: By The Time I Get To Phoenix (LP-Kicking Against The Pricks) Mute FF#45 (JP: “There would have been a certain amount of foot-stamping if this (Nick Cave) hadn't got into the Festive Fifty somewhere.”)


 * 1988
 * 22 February 1988: Blind Lemon Jefferson (LP - The Firstborn Is Dead) Mute
 * 07 June 1988: The Mercy Seat (LP - Tender Prey) Mute
 * 14 June 1988: The Mercy Seat (LP - Tender Prey) Mute
 * 17 June 1988 (BFBS) (Peel 086 (BFBS)): 'The Mercy Seat (7")' (Mute) (JP: 'At times it does sound like two records being played simultaneously, one of them being by Leonard Cohen.')
 * 05 August 1988 (BFBS) (Peel 088 (BFBS)): 'From Her To Eternity (Film Version) (CDS-The Mercy Seat)' (Mute)
 * 01 August 1988: By The Time I Get To Phoenix (LP-Kicking Against The Pricks) Mute
 * 13 September 1988: Deanna (7") Mute
 * 19 September 1988: Deanna (single) Mute
 * 27 September 1988 (BBC World Service): Watching Alice (LP - Tender Prey) Mute
 * 04 October 1988: Up Jumped The Devil (LP - Tender Prey) Mute
 * 28 December 1988: The Mercy Seat (LP-Tender Prey) Mute FF#10 (JP: “I thought you'd prefer the LP version to the single version. That's the kind of decision we real men have to take from time to time.”)


 * 1989
 * 08 March 1989: All Tomorrow's Parties (album - Kicking Against The Pricks) Mute
 * 07 April 1989 (BFBS) (Peel 101 (BFBS)): 'Watching Alice (LP-Tender Prey)' (Mute)
 * 15 August 1989: Helpless (album - The Bridge - A Tribute To Neil Young) Caroline
 * 31 August 1989: Helpless (v/a album - The Bridge - A Tribute To Neil Young) Caroline
 * 02 September 1989 (BFBS) (Peel 114 (BFBS)): 'Helpless (Compilation LP-The Bridge - A Tribute To Neil Young)' (Caroline)


 * 1990
 * Best Of Peel Vol 1 (1990-03-00?): The Ship Song (7 inch) Mute (JP: “Sounding a bit like Billy Joel, I was going to say. Well, that's a trifle unfair, but I do prefer Nick Cave in a rather more tormented vein than that.”)
 * 31 March 1990 (BFBS) (Peel 139 (BFBS)): 'The Ship Song (7")' (Mute) (JP: 'Sort of a bit Neil Diamond really, in a way, isn't it? I mean, it's Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and all that sort of thing, but at the same time, I prefer them at their more anguished, it must be said.')
 * 10 April 1990: The Hammer Song (album - The Good Son) Mute CD STUMM 76 (also on Best Of Peel Vol 3)
 * 07 June 1990: By The Time I Get To Phoenix (album - Kicking Against The Pricks) Mute STUMM 028
 * 16 June 1990 (BFBS): Long Black Veil (LP-Kicking Against The Pricks) Mute
 * (JP: 'I have to admit, and you'll probably hate me for this, that I didn't much care for the last LP from Nick Cave: difficult to say exactly why. I mean, the reviews when they came out in a sense confirmed my own initial reaction, which was entirely instinctive, but I mean it was well reviewed by the kind of reviewers like Q Magazine. I've got nothing against Q Magazine: some people that I quite like work for it, but at the same time, if they give a record a good review, it usually turns out to be something which I can't bear, and the records that I do like, if they get reviewed at all, are kind of "no star" records, very much so. I'm sure Q gave the recent Nick Cave LP quite a good review. There was something missing at the heart of it, you know, which is why I go back to 1986 and this.')


 * 16 August 1990: By The Time I Get To Phoenix (LP-Kicking Against The Pricks) Mute
 * 28 August 1990: Watching Alice (Album - Tender Prey)
 * 25 September 1990: The Weeping Song (12") Mute
 * 15 December 1990: Black Crow King (LP - The Firstborn Is Dead) Mute
 * 29 December 1990: The Ship Song (LP-The Good Son) Mute FF#19


 * 1991
 * 21 February 1991 (Radio Mafia): Running Scared
 * Best Of Peel Vol 23 (1991-00-00?): Running Scared (12 inch-The Singer) Mute (JP: “Sometimes I think I'm too good for you. That's Nick Cave, wimping out on the high notes.”)
 * 06 July 1991: By The Time I Get To Phoenix (album - Kicking Against The Pricks) Mute STUMM 28
 * 07 July 1991: All Tomorrow’s Parties (KP – Kicking Against The Pricks) Mute
 * 07 July 1991: In The Ghetto (single) Mute
 * 13 July 1991: Long Black Veil (LP - Kicking Against The Pricks) Mute


 * 1992
 * 27 March 1992: Straight To You (single) Mute
 * 05 April 1992 (BFBS): Straight To You (CDS) Mute (JP relates that he once nearly ran over Nick Cave in Piccadilly Circus)


 * 1994
 * 09 July 1994: By The Time I Get To Phoenix (CD - Kicking Against The Pricks) Mute


 * 1995
 * 10 February 1995 (with Flaming Lips?): What A Wonderful World (LP: Have A Hellfire Kinda Christmas) Hellfire


 * Post-Peel
 * 16 December 2004 (Peel night): There She Goes, My Beautiful World (2xCD-Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus)' (Mute) (chosen by DJ Colin Murray)