Grinderman

YOURZ

This is not just dirty, this is absolutely filthy.  It is dark, raw and impassioned and the grimiest thing Nick Cave has done since The Birthday Party.  Recorded in just four days but compellingly well-produced by Nick Launay and the band, this ticks all the alternative blues boxes and then some.

Right from the opener, Get It On (not a cover of the old T-Rex hit either), there is no doubting the rabidly raw vision of this group, also comprising of some of Cave's Bad Seeds; Warren Ellis, Martin Casey and Jim Sclavunos.  Cave's gothic-blues lyrics couldn't have found a more well-suited home while his voice has never sounded better and his delivery is of an energy and passion of a man at least half his age (not that us old blokes are passionless, mind).

More than anything else, it is the way Cave and company continue to push their creativity and themselves to extraordinary lengths (Nick eschews his first instrument, piano, for guitar, which he admits he plays rudimentarily at best).  The rest of the band have said in various interviews it is this element, more than any other single thing, that informs the overall sound of Grinderman.

There are some tracks on this album that have goth-classic written all over them with Depth Charge Ethel, I Don't Need You (To Set Me Free), No Pussy Blues and Honey Bee (Let's Fly To Mars) being particular favourites of mine.  I don't think I could ever hear enough of this.  Grinderman 2, the followup, is now officially on my must-have list.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

When I first started listening to this CD I thought - he's done it!  Nick Cave has found a band that will bring him to his vocal nadir!  But actually, that's only the first track.  The rest of it - wait for it - is not too bad.  Especially song 2 - No Pussy Blues - which was hysterical.

So while I haven't changed my mind about Mr Cave's musical chops, I won't be putting this one in the rubbish bin - yet.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

For more information go to http://www.grinderman.com/



Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Best Of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

MINE

Oh, this album is so full of beautiful songs - It's such a pity they're mostly being sung by yer another man who can't.  Sing, that is.  In fact Mr Cave has a lot in common with my other non-favourite - Bob Dylan.  Both are very unattractive, write beautiful songs and then stuff them up by singing them.

At least Nick has a nice voice, not that nasal drawl Dylan spouts.  It's the sort of voice an actor dreams of - deep, rounded, mellifluous - but it isn't musical.  I find it offers a nice counterpoint when he duets with women - as he does here with PJ Harvey and Kylie Minogue.  But otherwise I'd probably prefer hearing these songs sung by somebody who can.  Because Into My Arms, Do You Love Me?, The Weeping Song and  The Ship Song deserve to have versions that make their brilliance truly shine.

I'm all for a Cave Covers Album - and I'm putting my vote in for songs by Katie Noonan and Megan Washington.  Anybody?

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

YOURZ

I was wondering how Mine would react to having to review The Best Of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, seeing as how a mere mention of his name sees her mumbling something about 'the chin-less wonder' and generally making faces like she's swallowed a really bad-tasting fly.  Thankfully she can see past her aversion to his voice and understand he truly does write very good songs.

I love Nick and don't have the slightest problem with his voice.  And he has also provided some truly spectacular live musical memories, from the first time I saw him at the Enmore Theatre many years ago (never seen so much black in one place at one time) to the numerous times I've seen him since (most memorably in a month of musical heaven where I saw him, The Violent Femmes and Nirvana - all three acts were unbelievable). 

But this isn't just about Nick Cave, it's also about the Bad Seeds who are, without a doubt, one of the finest group of musicians in the world.  Never stagnant, the Seeds membership has updated itself over the years to the betterment of the collective as a whole.  The Best Of..., however, features what most would probably call their 'classic' lineup, one which includes Mick Harvey, Blixa Bargeld, Conway Savage and Thomas Wylder.  Their influence is what makes tracks such as Red Right Hand, Henry Lee, Mercy Seat, Do You Love Me? and Deanna the vital pieces they are.  Why I haven't got around to updating my Nick vinyl to CD, I'll don't know.  Yes, Mine, there's some more to add to that list...

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.nickcaveandthebadseeds.com/

In our collection we also have Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus and Dig, Lazarus, Dig