Great Read: Nick Cave, Sinner Saint: The True Confessions, Thirty Years of Interviews edited by Mat Snow

Well, I don't know if it is a totally great read from begining to end because it's writers or should I say journalists which Nick Cave seems to hate most of them so maybe good, bad and ugly read would be more appropriate. To kick this off as well, the last few years has been the most disappointing time to be a fan of his, with Grinderman debut, the Bad Seeds' Dig Lazarus album which should have been Grinderman too just with Mick Harvey filling in on guitar and few other extras, the silly dead rabbit book, the next Grinderman. I have enjoyed the soundtracks more: The Road, The Assassination of Jesse James and the last totally great thing he's done The Proposition which of course he was more involved with writing the screenplay plus the music. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis' The White Lunar, double CD compilation is the best release in that time by far because you don't have to listen to his now shit lyrics. The last great album would have to be the Bad Seeds' Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus from 2004. Don't get me wrong he's done bad albums before or one's I didn't think much off like 1996's Murder Ballads, 1990's The Good Son and 1985's The First Born is Dead are not great maybe one or two songs are great but not as whole albums. His 2007 to 2010 projects are his first run of pretty weak work, it makes me realise just how good his music before was.

So this is the latest in a long line of books about Cave and this will be my very last blog post about him until he does something at least good, I will not say great because I think it impossible at the moment and I'm sick of bagging him out too. Anyway I was reviewing a book about him here. The best interviews are the two by Phil Sutciffe for Mojo magazine in 2008 and 2004. The worst are two for NME and Q magazines which I won't name their names. It's funny the choices Mat Snow the editor made because I know I've read better stuff than in this book about Cave. There is only one interview for The Boys Next Door and The Birthday Party each, a few more for his drug fucked years in the 80's, only four from his cross-over years in the the 90's which you have to ask why? And the rest are from 2000's which starts on page 108 and the book is 240 pages long. I think I could have put togther a better book with Cave interviews but maybe I'm being way too negative. It's worth reading it just for the unedited Phil Sutcliffe interviews but there are others which are great like the full Debbie Kruger interview which is wicked.


What happens in this because it goes chronological even though I just said those last two interviews are the best, it seems growing older he's done his best to turn his life into just an office job with his wife and kids at home, just totally getting rid of any kind of chaos eg: the 90's and 80's. Like say did you know his first two sons Luke and Jethro where only born just ten days apart in two different countries and off-course by two totally different women. As well he was still on the drink and drugs until just 2001 but he's been sober and clean since then. I love those few albums for early to mid 2000's but after the Aussie Western movie he's lost his way a little really. Also that you find out that the writing of that film started at the No More Shall we Part album sessions too so it's even easier to group that time period together.

Anyway this book I would rate 3 stars or three out of five, it's just OK like most of his recent work to be nice about it, it's just OK. I guess we will see what Cave does next, He's writing the next Bad Seeds album now or if he can write another masterpiece before 85 which is the age he'll probably make it to according to this book.

Just to finish off here's him back in the good old days singing Bob Dylan's Knockin' On Heaven's Door, the picture is a bit jumpy but sound is pretty good. It's from around the mid-80's so its amazing it's been uploaded to youtube at all.

The top image is the book cover and the middle photo is for the mid-90's by Polly Borland.

Stay tuned for more soon...

More Gaz: the Roots of The Drones & Gareth Liddiard

OK, even more Gaz and The Drones which I'm not going to apologize for because they are my favorite band and singer-songwriter plus because I haven't done that much here on my blog lately this is extra, extra long. This time I've put together a collection of songs they or he has covered or name dropped at one time or another. I will do my best to cite when and where and why I've included them. If you have seen Liddiard's myspace he's written "Who care's" under influences but also credited Margaret Thatcher as a band member who play's the Kora. This post is somewhat inspired by my last post about Gaz. It's NOT a big list of who the members of The Drones have rooted but in this case it means influenced by, who they loved and covered their songs kind-off like Mojo magazine's free CDs but because this is an online blog here's what I found on youtube. I've made the player thingy small because most are not worth watching for one reason or another but you can make them bigger your self, if you want to.

1. De Kelb Blues by Lead Belly
The first of four songs The Drones covered on the debut album "Here Come The Lies".


2. The Downbound Train by Chuck Berry
The second of four songs The Drones covered on the debut album "Here Come The Lies" also killer live version on "Live in Spaceland".


3. New Kind of Kick by The Cramps
The third of four songs The Drones covered on the debut album "Here Come The Lies".


4. Motherless Children by Blind Willie Johnson
The last of four songs The Drones covered on the debut album "Here Come The Lies".


5. Same Old Man by Karen Dalton
The song which Shark Fin Blues was based on from the album "Wait Long By The River and The Bodies Of Your Enemies Will Float By".


6. I Believe by Alan Vega
The original version of I Believe which was on the album "The Miller's Daughter".


7. Part 1: Acknowledgement by John Coltrane
In the liner notes for the above song Gareth also writes about "A Love Supreme" which is a Coltrane album but it must be this he's talking about.


8. Are You Leaving for the Country? by Karen Dalton
The one and only cover on the album "Gala Mill". One of only two artists who appear on this playlist twice.


9. Cortez the Killer by Neil Young
One of a couple songs The Drones have covered which can be found at thier website under sounds


10. Manic Depression by Jimi Hendrix
The second song The Drones have covered which can be found at thier website under sounds.


11. Who Do You Love? by Bo Diddley
Also at their website but orginally on the Hoodoo Gurus tribute album "Stoneage Cameos" so it's a kind-off cover of a cover.


12. Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones
Gareth Liddard sung a duet with The Audreys' Taasha Coates on Aussie music quiz show Rockwiz. You can find thier verison on "the Rockwiz Duets, Volume 2".


13. Messin' With the Kid by The Saints
Gareth Liddard sung a duet with Magic Dirt's Adalita Srsen on Aussie music quiz show Rockwiz You can find thier verison on "the Rockwiz Duets, Volume 3".


14. Words from a Woman to Her Man by Beasts of Bourbon
The Drones covered this Kim Salmon song on Triple J's Like A Verison. You can find it on "Triple J's Like A Version, Volume 2"


15. Suicide Is Painless by Johnny Mandel & Mike Altman
The Drones covered the M*A*S*H theme song Triple J's Like A Verison. You can find it on "Triple J's Like A Version, Volume 5".


16. River of Tears by Kev Carmody
Most likely the most well known song that The Drones have ever covered. You can find both the original and their cover on "Cannont Buy My Soul"


17. Jailbreak by AC/DC
The first of three songs on youtube from his top five "Greatest Aussie Song Ever" for Triple J's Ausmusic month in 2009.


18. Collapse Board by Laughing Clowns
The second of three songs on youtube from his top five "Greatest Aussie Song Ever" for Triple J's Ausmusic month in 2009.


19. Hope by Dirty Three
The last of three songs on youtube from his top five "Greatest Aussie Song Ever" for Triple J's Ausmusic month in 2009.


20. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart by The Bee Gees
At the AIR (Australian Independent Records Labels Association) Awards 2008, The Drones and Martha Wainwright performed this and the next song.


21. Train Long-Suffering by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
At the AIR (Australian Independent Records Labels Association) Awards 2008, The Drones and Martha Wainwright performed this and the above song.


22. Crowned by These Immortal Souls
The Drones covered this on the album called "A Tribute to Rowland S. Howard" double CD.


23. I Drink by Charles Aznavour
The Drones cover this on the "Custom Made E.P."


24. You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond by Blind WIllie Johnson
Another song from "The Miller's Daughter" who's title borrowed and the second of only two artists who appear on this list twice.


25. Don't Look Back by John Lee Hooker
This is another song from "The Miller's Daughter" album, this song is what the track Stop Dreaming comes from but it is the lyric and not the title of the song that is borrowed here.


26. Moreton Bay by Bernard Fanning
Sixteen Straws for "Gala Mill" uses the first verse from Moreton Bay. This is a very old song. This version was recorded from the Ned Kelly movie but is better than John Denver's version but it's been around forever.


27. Believe In Me by The Throb
One of the earliest covers The Drones have done on the album called "Wild About You! Tales From the Australian Rock Undergound 1963-1968".


28. My Pal by GOD
The Drones played this at The Last Song at the Tote with original singer Joel Silbersher.


29. Slammin' On The Brakes by Spencer P. Jones
The first of six songs which have no videos on youtube so you'll have to find them yourself. Covered on "The Miller's Daughter" album.

30. Revolution by X
From his top five, the Aussie band X's song was picked for "Greatest Aussie Song Ever" for Triple J's Ausmusic month in 2009.

31. Obvious Is Obvious by Kim Salmon
From his top five, Salmon's song was picked for "Greatest Aussie Song Ever" for Triple J's Ausmusic month in 2009.

32. Long Gone Whistle by Maurice Frawley
This is the most recent cover The Drones have recorded from the three CD tribute called "Long Gone Whistle – The Songs of Maurice Frawley".

33. The Executioner by Paul Kelly
Gareth Liddiard played this live for Kelly's induction into The Age newspapers' EG Awards Hall of Fame in 2010.

34. Highlands by Bob Dylan
Not covered or anything like that but just a guess that it might be an big influence on Liddiard's songwriting with his songs like The Cockeyed Lowlife of the Highlands from debut album and recently Highplains Mailman on his solo album plus he now lives in the Victorian's mountains. There's no Dylan here on this list and it's his longest song and Gaz does like long songs.

35. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Patti Smith
If you haven't heard the original by Nirvana I don't know where you've been. Patti Smith covered it on her album called Twelve but at the Sydney Opera House in 2008 The Drones were her support band and were invited back on to cover it and I've finally found it on youtube, you can't see anything but you can hear it, well it's not great but better than nothing. I've made the size a bit bigger because it's The Drones with Patti Smith which is a great way to finish this very long post.


By the way I have no idea who took the top photo but it's another one from their myspace profile. Wow, that has taken me a really long time to write so I'll have to make the next post shorter.