''Murder Ballads'' is the ninth studio album by
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian rock music, rock band formed in 1983 by vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throughout its care ...
, released in 1996 on
Mute Records
Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, Fad Gadget, Goldfrapp, Grinderm ...
. As its title suggests, the album consists of new and traditional
murder ballad
Murder ballads are a subgenre of the traditional ballad form dealing with a crime or a gruesome death. Their lyrics form a narrative describing the events of a murder, often including the lead-up and/or aftermath. The term refers to the content ...
s, a genre of songs that relays the details (and often consequences) of
crimes of passion
A crime of passion (French: ''crime passionnel''), in popular usage, refers to a violent crime, especially homicide, in which the perpetrator commits the act against someone because of sudden strong impulse such as anger rather than as a premed ...
.
"
Where the Wild Roses Grow
"Where the Wild Roses Grow" is a murder ballad by Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and pop singer Kylie Minogue. It is the fifth song and lead single from the band's ninth studio album, ''Murder Ballads'' (1996), released on ...
", a duet featuring Cave singing with
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
, was a hit single and received two
ARIA Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music
The music of Australia has ...
in 1996. Other prominent guest musicians on the album include
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments.
Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...
and
Shane MacGowan
Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (born 25 December 1957) is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and songwriter of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He was also a member of the Nipple Erectors and Shane MacGo ...
.
Details
''Murder Ballads'' was the band's biggest commercial success to date, most likely helped by the unexpected repeated airplay of the "Where the Wild Roses Grow" video on
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
. MTV even nominated Cave for their "best male artist" award of that year, though this nomination was later withdrawn at Cave's request. Cave later said, "I was kind of aware that people would go and buy the ''Murder Ballads'' album and listen to it and wonder 'What the fuck have I bought this for?' because the Kylie song wasn't any true indication of what the record was actually like."
The first song written for the album was "O'Malley's Bar", when the band was recording ''Henry's Dream''. According to Cave, the idea for the ''Murder Ballads'' album came from this song: "We couldn't use 'O'Malley's Bar' on any of our other records. So we had to make a record, an environment where the songs could exist."
Recordings were done towards the end of the ''Let Love In'' sessions, and there was some thought that the early material could be made into a film with
John Hillcoat
John Hillcoat (born 1960) is an Australian-Canadian film director, screenwriter, and music video director.
Early life
Hillcoat was born in Queensland, Australia, and was raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. As a child, his paintings were featur ...
. Cave said, "I was going around everywhere with letters of intent, pushing them at everyone I knew, saying 'Do you want to be in this film?'"
For the TV documentary ''
Great Australian Albums
''Great Australian Albums'' was an Australian TV documentary series, which was broadcast on SBS-TV for two seasons (2007 and 2008) of four episodes each. The first season commenced on 28 July 2007 and was written by Toby Creswell with Larry Mel ...
'' members described their work on ''Murder Ballads''.
Songs
* "Stagger Lee" is based on a traditional song about the African-American
murderer of the same name. Cave's version draws most of the lyrics from a 1967 transcription published in the 1976 book ''The Life: The Lore and Folk Poetry of the Black Hustler'', while the music itself is updated into a
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
song.
* "Death Is Not the End" includes vocalists
Anita Lane
Anita Louise Lane (18 March 1960 – 27 April 2021) was an Australian singer-songwriter who was briefly a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the Bad Seeds with Nick Cave and Mick Harvey and collaborated with both bandmates. Lane released tw ...
,
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
,
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments.
Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...
, and
Shane MacGowan
Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (born 25 December 1957) is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and songwriter of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He was also a member of the Nipple Erectors and Shane MacGo ...
, along with Cave himself and Bad Seeds drummer
Thomas Wydler
Thomas Wydler (born 9 October 1959), is a Swiss musician best known for being a core member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, of which he has been a drummer since 1985. Prior to joining them, he was a member of the experimental German band Die Haut. ...
and guitarist
Blixa Bargeld
Blixa Bargeld (born Christian Emmerich, 12 January 1959) is a German musician who has been the lead singer of the band Einstürzende Neubauten since its formation in 1980. Bargeld was also a founding member of the Australian rock band Nick Cave a ...
. They each sing a verse in this
cover
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of co ...
of a
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
song, the only song in which an actual death does not occur. Cave later described it as, "just kind of a jokey little punctuation mark to the whole thing. There's tongue-in-cheek to that song, even though I think it's quite a beautiful rendition."
Reception
Upon release, ''Murder Ballads'' received widespread critical acclaim. Bill van Parys of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' wrote that "never before have manic elements elevated Cave's shtick to art as on ''Murder Ballads''", describing the album as "literate, sultry and tortured" and "the performance of Nick Cave's life."
Tony Scherman of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' warned that ''Murder Ballads'' was "not for the squeamish," calling it "the rare pop record that resonates with the weight of the ages".
In ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', Neil Strauss felt that the album "is about more than storytelling", adding that Cave "meticulously creates a macabre fable and then distills it to a single image of death in much the way a photographer arranges a studio shoot". In a mixed review, ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
''s Chris Norris complimented the album's "sordid epics and dark confessionals", but felt that Cave's "rheumy
Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is widel ...
-ish romance" songs were less effective.
In the English music press, ''
Select''s Clark Collis remarked that ''Murder Ballads'' "weaves itself together into a meditation on death that is both beautiful and genuinely unnerving."
Dave Henderson of ''
Q'' observed that "musically, the Bad Seeds touch on tinkling
cabaret jazz,
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
-paced morbidity and every morose station between."
''Murder Ballads'' ranked number 16 on ''
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
''s list of 1996's Albums of the Year and number 7 in the ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
''s 1996 critics' poll.
In December 2021, the album was listed at no. 13 in
Rolling Stone Australia’s ‘200 Greatest Albums of All Time’ countdown.
Track listing
Personnel
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
*
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Ca ...
– vocals (1–10), piano (1, 5, 8, 9), organ (1, 2, 4, 6, 10), Hammond (1), gun shots (2), string arrangement (5)
*
Blixa Bargeld
Blixa Bargeld (born Christian Emmerich, 12 January 1959) is a German musician who has been the lead singer of the band Einstürzende Neubauten since its formation in 1980. Bargeld was also a founding member of the Australian rock band Nick Cave a ...
– guitar (1–8, 10), screams (2), vocals (10)
*
Martyn P. Casey
Martyn Paul Casey (born 10 July 1960) is an English-born Australian Rock music, rock bass guitarist. He has been a member of the Triffids, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman. Casey plays either his Fender Precision Bass or Fender Jazz Ba ...
– bass (1–5, 7, 8)
*
Mick Harvey
Michael John Harvey (born 29 August 1958) is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for his long-term collaborations with Nick Cave, with whom he formed The ...
– drums (1), guitar (2, 4, 5, 7, 10), acoustic guitar (3, 5), organ (3), wind organ (4), backing vocals (5), string arrangement (5), bass (6, 9), Hammond (8), space belt (8), percussion (9)
*
Conway Savage
Conway Victor Savage (27 July 1960 – 2 September 2018) was an Australian rock musician.
He was a member of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, providing piano, organ & backing vocals from 1990–2017.
Savage released solo albums entitled ''Nothing ...
– piano (2–4, 7, 10), backing vocals (5), organ (9)
*
Jim Sclavunos
James Sclavunos is an American drummer, multi-instrumentalist musician, record producer, and writer. He is best known as a drummer, having been a member of two seminal no wave groups in the late 1970s ( Teenage Jesus & the Jerks and 8 Eyed Spy, ...
– drums (2, 8), percussion (4, 10), bells (5), tambourine (6)
*
Thomas Wydler
Thomas Wydler (born 9 October 1959), is a Swiss musician best known for being a core member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, of which he has been a drummer since 1985. Prior to joining them, he was a member of the experimental German band Die Haut. ...
– maracas (2), drums (3–7, 9, 10), tambourine (8), vocals (10)
Guest musicians
*
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments.
Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...
– vocals (3, 10)
*
Terry Edwards
Terry Edwards (born 10 August 1960) is an English musician who plays trumpet, flugelhorn, saxophones, guitar and keyboards.
Biography
Edwards gained a degree in music from the University of East Anglia in 1982, where he was also a founding me ...
– horns (4)
*
Katharine Blake – additional vocals (4)
*
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
– vocals (5, 10)
* Jen Anderson – violin (5)
* Sue Simpson – violin (5)
* Kerran Coulter – viola (5)
* Helen Mountfort – cello (5)
*
Hugo Race
Hugo Justin Race (born 23 May 1963) is an Australian rock musician and record producer who had been based in Europe from 1989 to 2011. He was a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (1983–85), and The Wreckery (1984–89) with Nick Barker and ...
– guitar (6)
*
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is a British comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), ''Global Frequency'' ( ...
– violin (6), accordion (6)
* Marielle Del Conte – additional vocals (7)
*
Anita Lane
Anita Louise Lane (18 March 1960 – 27 April 2021) was an Australian singer-songwriter who was briefly a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the Bad Seeds with Nick Cave and Mick Harvey and collaborated with both bandmates. Lane released tw ...
– crying (7), vocals (10)
* Geraldine Johnston – additional vocals (8)
* Liz Corcoran – additional vocals (8)
*
Shane MacGowan
Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (born 25 December 1957) is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and songwriter of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He was also a member of the Nipple Erectors and Shane MacGo ...
– vocals (10)
* Brian Hooper – bass (10)
The Moron Tabernacle Choir on "The Curse of Millhaven"
* Nick Cave
* Martyn P. Casey
* Conway Savage
* Thomas Wydler
*
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is a British comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), ''Global Frequency'' ( ...
* Brian Hooper
* Spencer P. Jones
*
Dave Graney
Dave Graney is an Australian rock musician, singer-songwriter and author from Melbourne. Since 1978, Graney has collaborated with drummer-multi instrumentalist Clare Moore. The pair have fronted or been involved with numerous bands including Th ...
* Katharine Blake
* Clare Moore
*
Rowland S. Howard
Rowland Stuart Howard (24 October 1959 – 30 December 2009) was an Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with the post-punk group The Birthday Party and his subsequent solo career.
Early life
Rowland Stua ...
*
James Johnston
* Ian Johnston
* Geraldine Johnston
* Astrid Munday
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
the album has sold close to a million copies worldwide.
References
Sources
* ''The Life: The Lore and Folk Poetry of the Black Hustler'', Wepman, Newman & Binderman, Holloway House, 1976,
{{Authority control
1996 albums
Nick Cave albums
Mute Records albums
Albums produced by Victor Van Vugt
Murder ballads