NICK CAVE AND THE BAD
SEEDS
PUSH THE SKY AWAY
VINYL EDITION WITH
BONUS 7”
Nick Cave has featured in my record collection in various
guises since I began record collecting in the Neolithic age. I started
collecting Birthday Party stuff, which, at the time wasn’t on CD of course.
There was quite a bit of fodder for a collector; apart from the albums. There
was plethora of 7”s, 12”, and bootlegs to be had - 4 different versions of
“Nick the Stripper”, for example. I managed to collect nearly all of them,
different covers, coloured vinyl, I’d say I have a 99% complete collection of
Birthday Party stuff. More stuff has even appeared on vinyl in recent years,
mainly semi-bootlegs of the Boys Next Door.
Now and then I’ll put on a Birthday Party record when the mood strikes,
but mainly I played them to death when I was younger.
This translated to an interest in Nick Cave and The Bad
Seeds, and when I saw them in ’88, at Selinas and the Tivoli in Sydney, they
put on some pretty intense shows which are forever etched into my memory. I
also had the early records, and “Your Funeral my Trial” is one of my all time
favourites to this day still. On vinyl, it has a wonderful aural and visual
quality, being two 12” records all containing two songs a side, there is a
different feeling almost for each side, yet it all flows together. The sound is
amazing; there is plenty of “air” to let all the instruments breathe and have
their own space alongside the vocals. Yet it’s still an intense and beautiful sounding
record. I got the “remastered” CD a few years back to see if there was any
difference in the sound quality, but I can’t say I could detect it. The
accompanying DVD doco was interesting in that people interviewed extol the
virtues of the vinyl version of this record.
I kind of kept collecting Nick Cave vinyl over the years,
and when he puts out a new one, I’ll get it on vinyl. I had a hell of a time
getting the last one for some reason, although I eventually sourced it. I pre
ordered PUSH THE SKY AWAY, only to find a proliferation of this on vinyl in
several shops.
So now to PUSH THE SKY AWAY. I reckon this is Nick’s best
outing for quite a while. DIG LAZARUS DIG was rambunctious, THE LYRE OF
ORPHEUS/ABBATOIR BLUES sprawling. This
is more back to basics, and there is a haunting beauty that permeates the
record that reminded me ever so slightly of “Your Funeral My Trial”, and there
are elements perhaps of “No more shall we part”, and “Nocturama”. Its stripped
back, essentially letting the Bad Seeds do what they could do really well on
past records, understated beauty with an element of danger. There’s less
clatter, but it’s no less intense. Again, there’s plenty of “air” to let
everything be heard. If you’re a fan, you may have already checked out the
opening song “We No Who U R”, which gives you a pretty strong indication of the
atmosphere on this record. The minimal instrumentation works well together, and
provides the just the right element to each song.
Of course Nick’s trademark lyrics are well intact. Who else
could get away with a lyric like “Hannah Montana Does the African Savannah”
(Higgs Bosun Blues) and make it work?
“Jubilee Street” is another that got stuck in my head; the
guitar in this one makes it the song that it is. Throughout the album, you can
hear elements hiding away on repeated listens on this album. A standout for me
is the closing title track, which is one of the most stripped back, yet
emotionally rendered songs, based on keyboards.
I was intrigued to discover that this has gone to number one
in several countries, including Australia. I was also intrigued to learn that
it was put out independently by NC&TBS.
Nick Cave (or his previous record label) has always treated
vinyl collectors well. “Push the Sky Away” is no exception. There is a “standard”
issue vinyl album, but this is the edition with the extra 7” record (and
download code) which seems to be most widely available. Package wise, this is a
nice item. The quality of the cover is great (nice thick cardboard, excellent
quality printing) and there’s a lyric insert which is well done. A minor whinge
from me is there is no lavish booklet (as accompanied Dig Lazarus Dig and Lyre
of Orpheus). The extra 7” is bonus, obviously, and designed to be separate from
the album, and played at the listener’s discretion. The A side “needle boy” is
a somewhat interesting and unsettling little tune. Side AA “Lightning bolts”,
ditto, although less unsettling.
THE PISSED JEANS
HONEYS
Vinyl edition
The Pissed Jeans have been on my radar for a few years now,
but unfortunately other records have also vied for my attention. So I thought I
better make sure I got a copy of “Honeys”
This sounds a bit
like Black Flag jamming with the Melvins. Sludge –Punk. This is great stuff!
Not for polite alternate lo-fi types though. It’s not easy listening, but therein
lies the appeal.
“Honeys” starts out with the manic sludge-fuzz punkerola of
“Bathroom Laughter”. Then to the drone of “Chain Worker’. Then back into fourth
gear for “Romanticize Me”.
I read a review of this that compared it to The Birthday
Party’s “course droning guitar and grimey vocals”. Maybe if you fished long and
hard one song may scrape into this parallel, but ............. not really, I
don’t see it. The Pissed Jeans are on their own wavelength. There may be a
parallel with the black humour lyrics though. “I am a chain worker, caught in
an infinite loop....... my chain provides me with safety” (Chain worker). Or as
a self-deprecating male, trying not to stare too hard at (attractive) women (Male
Gaze) “It’s just the male gaze -it’s in me, I know it”. Or trying not to go to
friend’s houses because they have cats, “I thought that maybe things would change
but every cat house is the same”. (Cat House). Or my favourite “Health Plan” –
“It’s time to choose a health plan. You wanna know my secret? I stay away from
doctors”.
I like the track
running order, more or less fast/dirgey/fast. Side two opens with the
instrumental “Something about Mrs Johnson” which almost sound like a jam
session. There’s a relaxed looseness about “Honeys” that gives it part of its
appeal though.
Package wise, this pretty good. The cover and graphics are
put together well, as is the lyric insert. Good quality vinyl. The record
sleeve is semi-embossed with a hole in one side to view one of the record
labels through - interesting. Download code for those interested.
THE ACCURSED!
UP WITH THE PUNKS
(1983)
VINYL ONLY
I have to admit, I didn’t know much about this record before
I got it. It did have instant appeal for me as a mid 80’s UK82 piece of vinyl,
and I was pretty sure it was unreleased on CD, (which it isn’t). I got it home, I played it, I liked it, and I
did some research on it. Opinion seems to be divided on this record, which is
reasonably sought after, and appears on people’s want lists. Some people
therefore want it, and presumably like it. One blog site I stumbled upon listed
it as part of a top 10 all time punk list, along with more standard punk albums.
Other people hate it, think its terrible, and that the band, particularly the
drummer, are sloppy and out of time.
As I said, I like it, a lot.
It may not be a mid 80’s punk “classic”, but it definitely has its own
flavour, and is not bog standard oi! or UK 82 stuff. OK, it is slightly sloppy;
a couple of songs sound like they’re a demo or rehearsal. In that respect
though, the punk element is definitely there, and it’s part of the appeal of
the thing. There’s a reckless kind of quality going on here; they don’t give a
fuck; it’s just “bash out the tunes”, which is bloody marvellous.
It opens with “Up with the punks”, a downtuned thrash-punker
with a slight metallic tinge, which sets the tone for the rest of the album. A
point of reference may be a guitar sound similar to Bones from Discharge/Broken
Bones, but don’t take these guys for Discharge clones.
The band have produced it themselves, which I have to say, is
OK actually. The production seems to work for the sound they’re after; there’s
a wall of noise, but you can still discern all the instruments. The solos have
to be overdubbed over the rhythm guitar layer - there’s only one guitarist.
Lyrics, aren’t a strong point, and are a bit run of the mill
for the time (High Speed) about, you guessed it, taking speed, “Underground
music” has a constant refrain of..............”underground music”. My favourite
though is “Nuclear War” - “Aaaaah, nuclear waste spreads so fast, nuclear waste
is going up my arse/Wind down from your head/You’ve got to be undead/Atomic war
is no more/Atomic War is on the floor”. Other song titles are “It’s my life”,
Listen to me”. But it hey, it channels the angst, absolutely!
In keeping with the DIY theme of the record, the band has
done the cover themselves. It’s a black and white hand drawn cut and paste
affair, which, again while I like it, could have been done a little bit better.
(As in, a little bit more effort could have gone into it). Again though, it’s
part of the appeal of the record. A lyric sheet would have been a bonus as
well.
If you’re a collector of UK82 stuff, I’d definitely
recommend this one. For vinyl collectors, this is not on CD. Of course, you can
download the bloody thing if you want to.
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