50 Greatest Nick Cave Songs: from #24 to #20

Right, I'm back after moving house and finally getting back to my favorite Nick Cave's songs...

24. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Sorrow's Child
OK, sorry to say this is the only song from that album on my list. I think it is a bit over rated as an album and I'm totally sick and tired of The Ship Song (it's Jimmy Barnes favorite Cave track) and he should stop singing The Weeping Song live without Blixa too. This is I guess the most melancholic track from one of his most happy albums, well by his standards, which maybe why I don't like it as much. That in turn could explain why I don't like his new stuff. It's not a mid-life crisis because he sounds like he's having too much of a good time even when he's not getting any sex. Anyway I'm writing about Sorrow's Child. It's one of a few of his songs featuring rivers and water. It's not the first on my list and will not be the last too.
Find it on: The Good Son (Album) 1990

23. The Boys Next Door - Shivers
A song not written by Cave but Rowland S. Howard which he could not match up to at the time so it's really a track to make Cave work a lot harder as a songwriter in the early days. It was also banned by Molly Meldrum on Countdown which is of-course just another reason why it's so great. It made it into Triple J's top 10 Nick Cave songs on J-files in the 90's and pretty high too. Of-course some shit band covered it in the 90's and had a hit single with it and on the same label who dropped The Boys Next Door in the 70's after this album but then again Howard thanks Mushroom record's boss, Michael Gudinski on his final album credits Pop Crimes which would have to be the greatest album from last year and totally destroys anything Cave has done in the last five years. Should I say Howard is outdoing him again, maybe just haunting Cave from the grave.
Find it on: Door, Door (Album) 1979

22. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Up Jumped The Devil
A song sandwiched between two of his most famous tracks which for me I wish he would play this one live just once instead of those two, I think he's played The Mercy Seat every time I've seen him live and missed Deanna maybe once but what the fuck am I saying here? A few years ago when on myspace I asked a lot of people what their favorite Nick Cave song was. I remember that Gareth Liddiard from The Drones answered me with this as one of two songs he picked out. Plus it also was chosen for Mojo Magazine, Highway to Hell, the Devils best tunes, the cover mounted CD early this year too.
Find it on: Tender Prey (Album) 1988

21. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Hard On For Love
This is the second song Gareth Liddiard from The Drones picked out as his favorite Cave tracks too which I've kept together here on my list. Here is an interesting fact it was never played live until last years' 2009 Aussie tour so there is hope for those other tracks he never plays live too. This is an overly sexual or just totally erotic track but at the same time a song with so many religious reference's. He come in at her like Lazarus from above and few lines above that she walked straight out of the Book of Leviticus. Then the lord is his shepherd and then down few more line she is now Heaven and Hell so anyway you get the idea and before we get to the final repeated chorus.
Find it on: Your Funeral... My Trial (Album) 1986

2o. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Loverman
To finish off the twenties is a song that should have been on The Best of compilation album but of-course if it was it wouldn't be included here in my chart because of the rules made about this list. I think it was a better single than the others or maybe it was just because it has one of the best ever promo video clips Nick and the Bad Seeds's have made, they all got hypnosis for it, how cool is that. What is not very cool at all is the metal band and disco bloke covers, how to screw-up a great song two different ways but I will not say their names in this blog. Anyway check out the self-portrait drawing at the top of the page done by well... Nick Cave. I wonder if you could hire that today as a costume for Halloween somewhere?
Find it on: Loverman (Single) 1994 or Let Love In (Album) 1994
Stay tuned for more soon...

Killer Track: Blondin Makes An Omelette by Gareth Liddiard

Well, here's a quick one while I'm moving house. Looks like this is another thing to write about here on my blog so I guess to sum up this is a song which totally kills me. I've been listening to the album the last couple of weeks but this track has been around a bit longer now. Yes, it's a new track I'm calling a killer track but it's that amazing. This is the first track to be released and as well track one from his debut solo album by Gareth Liddiard from The Drones called Strange Tourist. This as a whole album leaves me unable to speak so I'm going to write a little about this song first but the album has already become a classic (so maybe another blog about it later.)

Charles Blondin was a French tightrope walker, born in 1824 and passing away in 1897 and became famous then in 1859 crossing the Niagara Falls but not just once, a number of times, always with different theatric variations: blindfolded, in a sack, trundling a wheelbarrow, on stilts, carrying his manager on his back, he cooked and ate an omelet. At the top of the page is a photo from the Library of Congress of how he did that. They're very few photos of him around but this one shows him cooking on a tight rope.

So that is an explanation really about the title of this song but you'll have to figure out what the song is actually about because I've got to go and somehow fit the house in a cardboard box. I've found the song on this very cool thing called soundcloud and also included the full lyrics and video from youtube below.

Gareth Liddiard - Blondin Makes An Omelette by All Tomorrows Parties

Blondin Makes An Omelette lyrics:

It seems we're all in for a treat
Staring up, out of the street
And you can tell that Joe is really glad he came

Though downwind of him trails
A fog of alcohol
He fails
To do his best to be indifferent
All the same

'Cause there ain't no shaking the smell
Like there ain't no shaking the spell
As Blondin, Wirewalker
Braves the screams

Well, Joe is
Obvious impressed
Though he has something to confess
Above the sound of ten thousand creaking
Necks all craned

Joe says,
"Alone amongst the beasts and freaks
I dreamed of tightrope walking
While I tended Blondin's
Percherons and trailers

I'd see him
Training in the evening
There was no point trying to speak
You see, I doubted that he'd have
Time for the strangers

Who'd be there hoisting his big tents
Who'd be spying him from their naves
Staring down at them
Like batshit in a cave

Well, we hardly even met, but see
I worked for him, I thought I'd
Fill the space he left
But no, I was naive

Just another sideshow slow, I thought
He knew something I don't
But it would seem, all these Wirewalkers have
Is just the means to make you feel so bad

Man, no one
Cared for him at all
Until he crossed Niagara Falls
So you'd all feel
A little lower down the scale

And then his fame shot straight and fast
Right through a gloomy, narrow pass
He chanced through darkness, lightning storms
And into day

But I ain't here because he's tall
I'm only here to see him fall
If I get on the wagon now
It'll only be to run him down"

It seems we're
All in for a treat
Staring up out of the street

And you can smell that Joe's been drinking
On his breath

And then the clouds part overhead
And I make out a silhouette
As though I'm staring up through a trapdoor
And I'm waiting to be fed.

The brand new video directed by Jasmin Tarasin.

I'll be back soon after this house moving thing is over. I promise I'll countdown the rest of my favorite Nick Cave songs which will be the final 25 tracks.

Cheers.

Video Tape: What would I program on Rage???

OK, what would you program on rage? Because I know what I would. Well you get around 55 videos to pick and about every half a dozen you talk about the video/song so here goes…

Intro: "To sum up I’ve picked stuff I’ve seen on rage before and I would love to see them all again. I think it covers a lot of styles of music and hopefully very entertaining video clips. Well, I remember them being so. I think I’ve covered from childhood to right up to now 2010." (Keeping it very brief because I wouldn’t like to talk on TV very long so this is it.)

Playlist:
1. The Drones - Jezebel
"How good are they? The greatest band from the past decade and Gareth Liddiard is the best songwriter currently working in the world of music."
2. The Drones - The Minotaur
3. Dirty Three - Everything's Fucked
4. Dirty Three & Cat Power - Great Waves
5. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Breathless
"He’s the greatest songwriter from the past couple of decades but this one is his last really great song and it’s a cool video too. I never think his songs match-up with the videos but here are the next few I think work the best."
6. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Love Letter
7. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Loverman
8. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Jack the Ripper
9. The Boys Next Door - Shivers
10. Laughing Clowns - Eternally Yours
"Because they are an underrated band and should be played more. Ed Kuepper is one of the greatest songwriters too and kind-off forgotten but will be remembered now."
11. Laughing Clowns - Holy Joe
12. Ed Kuepper - The Way I Made You Feel
13. Augie March - The Moth Ball
14. Sarah Blasko - Planet New Year
15. The Paradise Motel - Bad Light
16. Magic Dirt - She Riff
17. The Scientists - Human Jukebox
"Because they are another underrated band and should be played more too. Kim Salmon is one of the greatest songwriters too and kind-off forgotten but I’m going to remember him now."
18. Kim Salmon & the Surrealists - I Won't Tell
19. Beasts of Bourbon - Psycho
20. Darling Downs - Circa '65
21. Antenna- Come on Spring
22. The Triffids - Wide Open Road
23. Jeff Buckley - So Real
"Because it's so strange."
24. Portishead - Glory Box
25. Bjork - Army of Me
26. Joy Division – Shadowplay
27. The White Stripes - I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself
28. Faith No More - Midlife Crisis
29. Johnny Cash - Hurt
"Because it's so sad."
30. Antony & the Johnsons - Hope There's Someone
31. Kate Bush - Cloudbusting
32. Adam & the Ants - Antmusic
33. Belinda Carlisle - Heaven Is A Place On Earth
34. Rihanna – Umbrella
35. Jay-Z - 99 Problems
36. Benny Benassi - Satisfaction
"Because it's so hot."
37. Donna Summer - I Feel Love
38. Roots Manuva - One Witness (One Hope)
39. Charlotte Gainsbourg - Heaven Can Wait
40. dEUS - Theme From Turnpike
41. The Young Gods - Gasoline Man
42. Einstürzende Neubauten - Z.N.S.
"Because it's so weird."
43. Sepultura - Slave New World
44. Refused - New Noise
45. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Dang
46. The Jesus Lizard - Puss
47. PJ Harvey - This Is Love
48. The Breeders - Cannonball
49. Tom Waits - Goin' Out West
"Because it's so crazy."
50. Bob Dylan - Things Have Changed
51. Cat Power - Lived In Bars
52. Fiona Apple - Fast As You Can
53. Beth Orton - Stolen Car
54. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & Matt Sweeney - I Gave You
55. Guns N' Roses – Estranged
"Because it's so insane."
Of-course I don't any featured videos myself so that's it.

The full playlist is on youtube or below here (but some clips seem to be missing in this embed version)


P.S. There is a really cool looking book out now which is written by Narelle Gee, who could have one of the coolest jobs on the planet.