Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

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Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds on April 25, 2008 in Barcelona
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds on April 25, 2008 in Barcelona
General information
Genre (s) Post-punk , alternative rock
founding 1983
Website www.nickcave.com
Founding members
Nick Cave
Blixa Bargeld (until 2003)
Mick Harvey (until 2009)
Guitar, piano
Barry Adamson (until 1986)
guitar
Hugo Race (until 1984)
Current occupation
singing
Nick Cave
Drums, percussion
Thomas Wydler (since 1985)
Warren Ellis (since 1993)
Martyn Casey (since 1991)
Drums, percussion, vocals, organ
Jim Sclavunos (since 1996)
guitar
George Vjestica (since 2016)
former members
guitar
James George Thirlwell (1983)
singing
Anita Lane (1984)
guitar
Edward Clayton Jones (1984)
bass
Tracy Pew (1984)
guitar
Rowland S. Howard (1985)
bass
Christoph Dreher (1985)
guitar
Brian Tristan (1986–1990)
Singing, piano, guitar, organ
Roland Wolf (1986–1989)
Singing, organ, guitar
James Johnston (2003-2008)
guitar
Ed Kuepper (2009)
Piano, vocals, organ
Conway Savage (1991-2018, †)

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds is an Australian rock band that was formed in 1983 by singer Nick Cave , multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist Blixa Bargeld after The Birthday Party broke up in West Berlin . The name is based on the crime novel The Bad Seed by William March , which was also made into a film in 1956 under the same title - in the German Böse Saat  . To date, the band has released 16 studio albums and several singles, some of which are successful worldwide. The most famous track is Where the Wild Roses Grow , a duet with singer Kylie Minogue , released in 1995.

Band history

Background and foundation (1983–1984)

The band's origins lie in what is now known as the black scene , a mixture of independent and dark wave environments. In 1983, the disagreements between Nick Cave, Mick Harvey and the rest of the group The Birthday Party came to a head, so Cave toyed with the idea of ​​starting a second band. During a tour at the beginning of the year, after a concert in a hotel in Amsterdam, he followed a TV appearance by the band Einstürzende Neubauten . Cave was enthusiastic about frontman Blixa Bargeld and his avant-garde guitar playing. Bargeld was later contacted by Cave and he played the guitar parts in the track Mutiny In Heaven of the single Mutiny .

Shortly after its release, The Birthday Party was disbanded. Cave, Harvey and Bargeld then formed the initially loosely organized band Nick Cave - Man Or Myth . However, there were no performances because Cave was touring England with Marc Almond , Lydia Lunch and Clint Ruin with the touring ensemble The Immaculate Consumptive . Bargeld was also working on the Einstürzende Neubauten's album Drawings of the Patient OT .

In September, Clint Ruin (drums, guitar and saxophone) and Barry Adamson (bass guitar) joined the band. First appearances in this formation took place in the London underground club Batcave and The Caves . In November, the first studio recordings took place in Clint Ruin's private studio. Shortly before the end of the year he left the band to take care of his own projects, only on the song From Her To Eternity he can be heard on drums. He was replaced by Hugo Race.

Blixa Bargeld was unable to take part in the first tour because he toured Europe with the Einstürzende Neubauten himself. Tracy Pew took over the guitar instead. In January 1984, Bargeld finally returned to the band. The band later called themselves Nick Cave & The Cavemen and shortly before the release of their debut single In The Ghetto , the last name was changed to Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds .

Later development

Her debut album was called From Her to Eternity. A year later, her second album, The Firstborn Is Dead, appeared under the cast of Cave, Harvey, Bargeld and Adamson. Tupelo, a song on this long player , shows great similarities with the novel And the Ass Saw the Angel published by Nick Cave in 1989 . From 1986 the drummer Thomas Wydler from Die Haut is a permanent member of Bad Seeds.

The commercially most successful album was Murder Ballads from 1996. The included duet with Kylie Minogue Where the Wild Roses Grow became a worldwide hit. After her album Nocturama (2003), Blixa Bargeld left the band and went back to the Einstürzende Neubauten . In 2004 Nick Cave and his band released the highly acclaimed double album Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus. In March 2005, the three-CD box B-Sides & Rarities appeared, containing 56 songs, which are rarities , B-sides and pieces from soundtracks . In February 2008 Dig, Lazarus, Dig !!! released. On this album, the themes of faith and religiosity as well as biblical images come into focus again.

In early 2009, founding member Mick Harvey left the band.

In February 2013 a new album called Push the Sky Away was released and in 2016 Skeleton Tree was released. Keyboardist and singer Conway Savage died on September 2, 2018 , after having had to cancel the band's tours the year before due to cancer. The album Ghosteen was released in November 2019 .

Scene context

Whether and why Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are part of Gothic culture is controversial. Author Ian Johnston denies it. Johnston's assessment is based primarily on the birthday party hit Release the Bats , the success of which Mick Harvey described as a misunderstanding in the early scene. In 2004, the journalist Judith Platz did not assign Bad Seeds' music to the musical context of the black scene , but it was received significantly by her. Emma McEvoy from the University of Westminster , on the other hand, argued in 2007 in the magazine Gothic Studies that the band's themes, style of presentation and music are typically Gothic, that they “stimulate a new dimension of Gothic aesthetics”.

In 2014, the band's music will be put in connection with Gothic culture in the press and named by scene representatives and designers as part of the black scene. According to Alexander Nym, this perception is based on an inflationary music journalistic use of the term Gothic . Nick Cave himself described his cult status in Gothic culture as a "frightening misunderstanding" and stated that he detested being the first Goth to go down in history.

Film music

Some of the band's songs have been used in films, such as Red Right Hand in Scream , Dumb and Dumber , and Hellboy , People Ain't No Good in Shrek 2 , and O Children in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 . For Scream 3 , Nick Cave wrote a new version of Red Right Hand . In the series Peaky Blinders is Red Right Hand the theme song.

To Wim Wenders ' film Until the End of the World steered from 1991 Nick Cave the non-album track (I'll Love You) Till The End Of The World at. Wim Wenders' Der Himmel über Berlin from 1987 also shows an appearance by the band itself.

Film documentaries

In 1989 the documentary filmmaker Uli M Schueppel made the film The Road To God Knows Where & Live At The Paradiso about the band's North American tour in the same year. In 2014 the film 20,000 Days on Earth by filmmakers Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard was released . The film deals with the real life and artistic work of Nick Cave in a fictional framework, including studio work for Push the Sky Away . 2016, the 3D documentary was One More Time with Feeling by Andrew Dominik .

Discography

Studio albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH UK UK US US AU AU
1984 From Her to Eternity - - - UK40 (3 weeks)
UK
- -
First published: June 18, 1984
1985 The Firstborn Is Dead - - - UK53 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: June 3, 1985
1986 Kicking Against the Pricks - - - UK89 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: August 18, 1986
1986 Your Funeral… My Trial - - - - - -
First published: November 3, 1986
1988 Tender Prey - - - UK67 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: September 19, 1988
1990 The Good Son - - - UK47 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: April 17, 1990
1992 Henry's Dream DE59 (9 weeks)
DE
AT40 (1 week)
AT
- UK29 (2 weeks)
UK
- AU41 (6 weeks)
AU
First published: April 27, 1992
1994 Let love in DE34 (9 weeks)
DE
AT14 (11 weeks)
AT
CH43 (2 weeks)
CH
UK12
silver
silver

(2 weeks)UK
- AU8 (10 weeks)
AU
First published: April 18, 1994
1996 Murder Ballads DE5 (17 weeks)
DE
AT1 (16 weeks)
AT
CH14 (12 weeks)
CH
UK8th
gold
gold

(5 weeks)UK
- AU3 (8 weeks)
AU
First published: February 5, 1996
1997 The Boatman's Call DE19 (9 weeks)
DE
AT18 (9 weeks)
AT
CH32 (8 weeks)
CH
UK22nd
gold
gold

(3 weeks)UK
US155 (1 week)
US
AU5 (9 weeks)
AU
First published: March 3, 1997
2001 No More Shall We Part DE8 (11 weeks)
DE
AT4 (17 weeks)
AT
CH24 (10 weeks)
CH
UK15th
silver
silver

(5 weeks)UK
US180 (1 week)
US
AU4 (6 weeks)
AU
First published: April 2, 2001
2003 Nocturama DE11 (8 weeks)
DE
AT6 (10 weeks)
AT
CH11 (6 weeks)
CH
UK20 (2 weeks)
UK
US182 (1 week)
US
AU8 (3 weeks)
AU
First published: February 3, 2003
2004 Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus DE7 (10 weeks)
DE
AT2 (9 weeks)
AT
CH12 (5 weeks)
CH
UK11
gold
gold

(3 weeks)UK
US126 (1 week)
US
AU5 (5 weeks)
AU
First published: September 20, 2004
2008 Dig, Lazarus, Dig !!! DE6 (5 weeks)
DE
AT3 (6 weeks)
AT
CH21 (4 weeks)
CH
UK4th
gold
gold

(8 weeks)UK
US64 (3 weeks)
US
AU2 (7 weeks)
AU
First published: March 3, 2008
2013 Push the sky away DE2 (11 weeks)
DE
AT1 (11 weeks)
AT
CH2 (12 weeks)
CH
UK3
silver
silver

(6 weeks)UK
US29 (2 weeks)
US
AU1 (6 weeks)
AU
First published: February 18, 2013
2016 Skeleton Tree DE3 (6 weeks)
DE
AT2 (7 weeks)
AT
CH2 (7 weeks)
CH
UK2
silver
silver

(10 weeks)UK
US27 (2 weeks)
US
AU1 (13 weeks)
AU
First published: September 9, 2016
2019 Ghosteen DE6 (11 weeks)
DE
AT3 (7 weeks)
AT
CH2 (12 weeks)
CH
UK4 (9 weeks)
UK
US108 (1 week)
US
AU7 (7 weeks)
AU
First published: October 4, 2019

Live albums and compilations

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH UK UK US US AU AU
1993 Live Seeds - - - UK67 (1 week)
UK
- AU47 (2 weeks)
AU
First published: September 28, 1993
1998 The best of DE26 (5 weeks)
DE
AT7 (9 weeks)
AT
- UK11
gold
gold

(4 weeks)UK
- AU2 (15 weeks)
AU
First published: May 11, 1998
2005 B-Sides & Rarities DE60 (2 weeks)
DE
AT38 (6 weeks)
AT
- UK74 (1 week)
UK
- AU36 (3 weeks)
AU
First published: March 22, 2005
2013 Live from KCRW DE51 (1 week)
DE
AT24 (2 weeks)
AT
CH61 (1 week)
CH
UK81 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: November 29, 2013
2017 Lovely Creatures - The Best Of DE10 (4 weeks)
DE
AT8 (3 weeks)
AT
CH17 (2 weeks)
CH
UK8 (3 weeks)
UK
- AU8 (2 weeks)
AU
First published: May 5, 2017
2018 Distant Sky - Live in Copenhagen DE82 (1 week)
DE
AT67 (1 week)
AT
CH66 (1 week)
CH
UK74 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: September 28, 2018

More albums

  • 2007: The Abattoir Blues Tour
  • 2008: Live at the Royal Albert Hall
  • 2009: White Lunar
  • 2012: Lawless

Singles

year Title
album
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH UK UK US US AU AU
1984 In the Ghetto
From Her to Eternity
- - - UK84 (3 weeks)
UK
- -
First published: June 1984
1988 The Mercy Seat
Tender Prey
- - - UK86 (2 weeks)
UK
- -
First published: June 1988
1990 The Ship Song
The Good Son
- - - UK84 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: March 1990
1992 Straight to You / Jack the Ripper
Henry’s Dream
- - - UK68 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: March 1992
What a Wonderful World - - - UK72 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: November 1992
with Shane MacGowan
1994 Do you love me?
Let love in
- - - UK68 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: March 1994
1995 Where the Wild Roses Grow
Murder Ballads
DE12
gold
gold

(27 weeks)DE
AT4 (19 weeks)
AT
CH11 (20 weeks)
CH
UK11 (4 weeks)
UK
- AU2 (12 weeks)
AU
First release: October 1995
feat. Kylie Minogue
1996 Henry Lee
Murder Ballads
- - - UK36 (1 week)
UK
- -
First release: February 1996
feat. PJ Harvey
1997 Into My Arms
The Boatman's Call
- - - UK53 (1 week)
UK
- AU26 (7 weeks)
AU
First published: January 1997
(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?
The Boatman's Call
- - - UK67 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: May 1997
2001 As I Sat Sadly by Her Side
No More Shall We Part
- - - UK42 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: March 2001
Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow
No More Shall We Part
- - - UK52 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: May 2001
2003 Bring It On
Nocturama
- - - UK58 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: February 2003
2004 Nature Boy
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
DE89 (1 week)
DE
- - UK37 (2 weeks)
UK
- -
First published: September 2004
Breathless / There She Goes My Beautiful World
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
- - - UK45 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: November 2004
2005 Get Ready For Love
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
- - - UK62 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: March 2005
2008 Dig, Lazarus, Dig !!!
Dig, Lazarus, Dig !!!
- - - UK66 (1 week)
UK
- -
First published: February 2008
2014 Push the Sky Away
Push the Sky Away
DE77 (1 week)
DE
- - - - -
First published: February 2014

More singles

  • 1990: The Weeping Song
  • 2005: Red Right Hand (UK:silversilver)

Video albums

  • 2014: 20000 Days On Earth (UK:goldgold)

swell

  1. a b Alexander Nym: Iridescent Dark . History, development and topics of the Gothic scene. Ed .: Alexander Nym. 1st edition. Plöttner Verlag, Leipzig 2010, ISBN 978-3-86211-006-3 , afterword, p. 389 .
  2. a b Dave Thompson: Alternative Rock . 1st edition. Miller Freemann Inc., Berkley 2000, ISBN 0-87930-607-6 , pp. 62-68, 245-248 .
  3. ^ Nick Cave & The Cavemen. Retrieved March 7, 2019 .
  4. ^ NME: Founding Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds member quits , January 22, 2009
  5. ^ Conway Savage from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds has passed away. triplem.com.au, September 3, 2018, accessed September 5, 2018 .
  6. ^ Ian Johnston: Bad Seed. The Biography of Nick Cave . Abacus, London 1995, pp. 80 f.
  7. Axel Schmidt, Klaus Neumann-Braun: Die Welt der Gothics. Scope of dark connotations of transcendence. 2004, ISBN 3-531-14353-0 , pp. 282 f.
  8. Emma McEvoy: Now, who will be the witness / when you're all too healed to see. The Sad Demise of Nick Cave . In: Gothic Studies 9/1 (2007), pp. 79-88, the quotation p. 79 ( online , accessed on July 21, 2014).
  9. Andreas Borcholte: Video premiere We No Who U R. Spiegel Online, accessed on July 16, 2014 .
  10. Helen Brown: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Push the Sky Away, review. London Telegraph, accessed July 16, 2014 .
  11. Nick Launay: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - 'Push The Sky Away'. NME, accessed July 16, 2014 .
  12. Dave Thompson, Kirsten Borchardt: Shadow World - Heroes and Legends of Gothic Rock . 2004, ISBN 3-85445-236-5 .
  13. Alexander Nym: Iridescent Dark . History, development and topics of the Gothic scene. Ed .: Alexander Nym. 1st edition. 2010, ISBN 978-3-86211-006-3 , The Gothic scene does not exist, p. 13-15 .
  14. Jack Baron: Nick Cave: 'I have to spend hours talking to fucking idiots like you'. the Guardian, accessed July 21, 2014 .
  15. a b c Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US
  16. a b c Music Sales Awards: DE UK

Web links