Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds "Murder Ballads" (1996) - got it
The album was a bit of change up for the Bad Seeds, with the change of a charming oil
painting in place of the usual moody photograph of Cave on the album
cover, through to the lyrics being completely narrative and
non-autobiographical.
The album, which Cave has described as 'a holiday' had its genesis
during the sessions for the "Henry's Dream" album, where the song
"O'Malley's Bar" (the near-enough-to quarter hour penultimate track on
Murder Ballads) was written. The band felt it didn't fit on any of
their albums, so created an album that would work for it. Having said
that, musically the album isn't a million miles from the gothic blues,
folk and lounge stylings of their previous album "Let Love In".
Murder ballads are a subgenre within balladry, featuring songs that
recount the gruesome details and sometimes aftermath of murderous
deeds. Cave launches into it with twisted glee, with a foul-mouthed
account of the actions of one "Stagger Lee"
at the Bucket of Blood Inn. You can almost hear how much fun he's
having as he assumes the role of the mass-murdering schoolgirl Loretta
in the wild organ-driven song "the Curse of Milhaven".
It's not all Cave by himself though, PJ Harvey guests on "Henry Lee" and
wildcard Kylie Minogue duets with Cave on the beautifully cinematic
"Where the Wild Roses Grow" which provided the band with an unlikely hit
and adds a bit of colour amongst some of the low-key groove-based
tracks. On that note "Stagger Lee" is an interesting one in that it
doesn't have verses and choruses, just the same groove repeated
throughout the entire song (including the freakout section at the end).
The album closes on what seems like a more positive note, with a cover of Bob Dylan's "Death is not the End" featuring guest vocal spots from Kylie, PJ, Shane Macgowan and members of the Bad Seeds.
Is it the best Bad Seeds' album? Depends which day of the week you ask me.
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