Other Mixes By Rob Conroy
CD
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Single Artist
CD
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Mixed Genre
CD
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Mixed Genre
Cassette
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Single Artist
Blood springs, dead snow, blue skies (Discs 1 and 2)
| Side A | ||
| Artist | Song | |
| The Birthday Party | King Ink | |
| The Birthday Party | Release the Bats | |
| The Birthday Party | (Sometimes) Pleasure Heads Must Burn | |
| The Birthday Party | Big-Jesus-Trash-Can | |
| The Birthday Party | Sonny's Burning | |
| The Birthday Party | Wildworld | |
| The Birthday Party | Fears of Gun | |
| The Birthday Party | Mutiny in Heaven | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | In the Ghetto | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | The Moon is in the Gutter | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Avalanche | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Cabin Fever! | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | From Her to Eternity | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Saint Huck | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Tupelo | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Knockin' on Joe | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Wanted Man | |
| Side B | ||
| Artist | Song | Buy |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | The Singer | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Running Scared | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Black Betty | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | All Tomorrow's Parties | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | By the Time I Get to Phoenix | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Jesus Met the Woman at the Well | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Your Funeral My Trial | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Hard On for Love | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Long Time Man | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Scum | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | The Mercy Seat [acoustic version] | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Deanna | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | New Morning | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Helpless | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | The Ship Song | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Foi Na Cruz | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | The Good Son | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | The Weeping Song | |
| Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Lucy | |
Comment:
I posted two now-deleted Nick Cave mixes back in 2003 but was never completely satisfied with them. Then, of course, my appreciation for him (which was already increasing with the issue of 2003's Nocturama, which, to me, is one of the most underrated albums in recent years) quadrupled with the 2004 release of Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus--the release that, for my money, could be his strongest work yet (or at the very least since Kicking Against the Pricks)... then came the raw and rockin' Grinderman project... and now (next week) comes another of his most well-rounded and fulfilling records (Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!). The man is on a roll and has cemented himself as one of my favorite music figures due to his ability to rock uniquely and ferociously while simultaneously writing some of the most offhandedly gorgeous love songs of the modern era AND, as an added bonus, consistently proving himself to be one of the most facile interpreters of others' material (see his covers here of Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, Roy Orbison, the Velvet Underground, Leadbelly, Tim Rose, Elvis Presley, and Louis Armstrong as evidence of this) this side of, yes, Frank Sinatra. All of those factors plus Rob z2's single-disc Nick Cave mix (coupled with his comment that he'd made five Nick mixes prior to that) led to this, my attempt to compile the man's complete body of work (sadly, although his earliest material in Boys Next Door is definitely cool, I don't like it as much as anything by either the Birthday Party or the Bad Seeds, and, as such, none of it made the cut) in four CDs. It was a gruelling challenge that took me more than a week to complete, but I, at least, think it was worth it.A couple of quick notes/opinions:1) It can certainly be argued that I gave short shrift to the Birthday Party material here, and there are a couple of reasons for that. First, although I love their sound (and yes, lo-fi is right, the guitar work is absolutely key), the idea of them, and a fair amount of their music, I have to confess that I think the Bad Seeds took the Party's sound to its logical conclusion/culmination on the absolutely essential From Her to Eternity album. Secondly, I did a single-disc mix of their work at around the same time (The sound of her young legs in stockings) which I have not deleted and just wanted to feature (IMHO) the absolute highlights here to put Mr. Cave's career into perspective.2) As much as I love Mr. Cave's work, I think that he hit a bit of a dry spell from 1994-2001 [the albums from this period were Let Love In (which I like more than than the next three that follow), Murder Ballads (which sounded like a great idea but to me just seemed so over-the-top/tongue-in-cheek that it bordered on self-parody), The Boatman's Call (which seems to be universally revered but to me has the same navel-gazing, repetitive, "emperor's new clothes" quality as Beck's Sea Change) and No More Shall We Part (by far my least favorite... I want to like it but the songs sound lifeless to me). The songs that I chose from that period (particularly "Nobody's Baby Now," which is one of my absolute favorites) are all tracks that I love, though, and, oddly enough, some of the b-sides from that period are pretty tremendous and are featured here.3) Credit must be given to the fantastic musical support of the Bad Seeds, including the ever-faithful and super-talented Mick Harvey, Blixa Bargeld, Barry Adamson (at least at the band's outset) and Warren Ellis (whose band Dirty Three have long been a favorite of mine).Additional notes and dedications/tributes to fellow AotMers can be found in the "comments" for the next two discs.Feedback:
I remember the thrill of first hearing Release The Bats nearly thirty years ago. Now and then I've dipped into Mr.Cave's career but not enough to pass a properly informed comment on this impressive undertaking. Release The Bats would have been a suitable riposte to my neighbour last night who decided to listen to bass heavy r&b at 3am.
Couldn't agree more on Murder Ballads. Very thoroughly and effectively compiled, just as I would have expected.
Wow, awesome collection and a truly worthy box set. As much as I've liked Nick Cave over his long career I must agree that Nocturama and the Abattoir sets are some of my favorite albums. Fascinating picks throughout.
Your hard work paid off!! I need to hear this one...soon.
Tremendous project, far more comprehensive than my exposure thus far. As usual with you and I, I am a big fan of The Boatman's Call (and Beck's Sea Change for that matter) and No More Shall We Part and have not adequately explored the earlier work, which I will have to remedy.
Thanks for putting the effort into an artist that i have only scratched the surface of. Need to explore this.
Alas, I lump Nick Cave in on my list of "critically adored artists who on paper I realize I, too, should adore, but just can't seem to appreciate, maybe because if I don't like the vocalist I can't get to the point of focusing on the music, lyrical genius, etc." (See also, e.g., Tom Waits, Van Morrison, post-60's Dylan.) I do love that "Mercy Seat" song (remember being blown away when I saw the video on 120 Minutes way back when), and maybe I should use this mix as an excuse to give him another shot.
Wow ! I've been 'into' Nick for years, but would still love to give this a listen . . . I've always been a bit too daunted by his output to attempt a single artist mix . . . I think maybe I thought I would wait until he finished ? What a dunb thought of mine !
I don't know half of these songs, but I really think I should. I like Release the Bats and Deanna a great deal. And The Mercy Seat of course. Give yourself a huge pat on the back for this Rob. Now get some sleep!
i'm with marc on this one, unfortunately - nick cave is probably the artist, more than any other artist, that i would really love to like, but just cannot for the life of me get myself into his work. his approach seems too doggedly aggressive to me, & it feels like he's straining for effect because of it - not saying he is straining for effect, but that's the vibe i get, & i'm not quite sure why, & it turns me off. i'm able to recognize & acknowledge what a talent musician he is, but that's about as far as it goes. i've tried time & time again to rectify this (& i even quite like the boatman's call album), but alas i've yet to figure out why or how. maybe i just need a good vantage point, & maybe this is it? any chance of a trade, or a link? (however, i have to mention that i do, in fact, adore tom waits, van morrison & post-60's dylan, re: marc...)
I've heard everything I know of recorded by Cave including several bootlegs. Obviously he's a favorite and it's good to see him regognized.
I just didn't think you had enough comments.
I have liked everything I have ever heard of Nick Cave, but I obviously need to dig deeper, not for something to not like, but for the depth of his work..