Personalities | Nick Cave | Eighties | Rock

(Singer-songwriter b. 1957)

Nick Cave (vocals) began his fascinating career in Boys Next Door, who became The Birthday Party: Mick Harvey (guitar), Tracy Pew (bass), Phil Calvert (drums). A gothic, blues punk band of fearsome intensity, showcasing Cave’s brutal, Captain Beefheart-style lyrics, they released three albums, 1981’s Prayers On Fire being the pick. 1982’s Junkyard is the sound of the band falling apart.

Cave regrouped, retaining Mick Harvey and adding guitarist Blixa Bargeld to form the slightly less deranged Bad Seeds. Their highly influential mixture of corrupted lounge music, gothic gospel and misanthropic post-punk balladry is displayed on many fine albums, including From Her To Eternity (1984), Henry’s Dream (1992), Murder Ballads (1996; Kylie Minogue and P.J. Harvey guest), and the very witty Abattoir Blues/Lyre Of Orpheus (2004). Cave is an important figure, a Leonard Cohen for Generation X.

Styles & Forms | Eighties | Rock
Personalities | Tracy Chapman | Eighties | Rock

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley

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