Album Review: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Let Love In

1994 saw the release of Let Love In, what I believe to be THE quintessential Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album.  Do You Love Me? opens the album and it's Cave and co on classic form, the operative question is not "do you love me" but - "do you love me like I love YOU".  It's a subtle difference, and for me it's the key to this track, as Thomas Wylder's drums march, Cave's piano tinkles, and Mick Harvey and Blixa Bargeld produce incidental guitar licks.

There is fire and brimstone contained here, Loverman is a full-on, guns blazing rave-up where Cave spells out his plea for L.O.V.E.  But there are some great Cave ballads here also, more refined than ever on Nobody's Baby Now, Ain't Gonna Rain Anymore and the title track.  Red Right Hand is another key song, creepy organ and pounded bells create a spooky atmosphere on the brightest of days, and there's a clever Neil Young steal in the lyrics ("you'll see him in your nightmares, you'll see him in your dreams" - Barstool Blues).

Jangling Jack is an unhinged pounder with Cave squealing and whooshing, and Thirsty Dog is another in a similar vein.  All the songs here are really strong.  In case the point was missed, the album finishes with a slowed-down Do You Love Me? (Part 2) arranged for strings.  It's a must-own if you like Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Album Review: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Henry's Dream

Henry's Dream, released in 1992 sees Nick Cave & Co hone their songwriting into nine finely crafted songs.  At times almost too crafted.  Some tracks Papa Won't Leave You Henry, I Had A Dream Joe and Brother My Cup Is Empty are almost Cave-by-numbers, caricatures of a Nick Cave fire and brim-stomp.  Better are the sparser, more stripped down slower tracks.  Straight To You feels almost redemptive, while Christina The Astonishing is an exquisite lament.

When I First Came To Town has an epic feel to it, with Thomas Wydler's military style drums accompanied by cello and violins, and works very well, as does the brooding death march Loom of the Land.  The album finishes off with Jack the Ripper, a call and response Cave song which works fine, but doesn't succeed as well as the slower material, leaving this a less than essential Nick Cave album.

Album Review: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Your Funeral... My Trial

Your Funeral... My Trial was Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' second album of 1986.  At this point Cave had discovered the Hammond organ, and he uses it to great effect on 3 fairly slow tracks (the Your Funeral side).  Opener Sad Waters, sees Cave duetting with himself (singing and speaking) on a deep, mellifluous ballad, far from his usual fire and brimstone.  The title track is a very early version of the 'Nick Cave brooding ballad', inventing a genre of its own.  Finally, the creepy, unsettling Stranger Than Kindness, darkens the mood, with restrained, rumbling guitar lines and the merest hint of organ.

The rest of album is more standard issue Cave and the Bad Seeds; the death march of The Carny, the zaniness of Hard On For Love and the epic finale of Tim Rose's Long Time Man.   While Jack's Shadow is very much a quintessential Cave track, special mention must go to She Fell Away which takes an early Johnny Cash groove to feature not only xylophone courtesy of Mick Harvey, but also Thomas Wydler on fire extinguisher!