Nick Cave: it's worth knowing about the cult musician to those who have never heard about it

Who is Nick Cave?

Nick Cave - one of the most original musicians of our time, a real rock poet, whose work is famous for its dark atmosphere, lyricism and unique, ever-changing sounds. His career began in the late 1970s in his native Australia, where he founded The Birthday Party at the age of 23 - one of the first gothic rock bands in history. Blue-eyed, with a mop of black hair like ebony, rich baritone and pale, emaciated appearance instantly Cave was recognized as a model representative of a new genre.

However, repeatedly changed both its own further Cave musical style, and the style of the groups in which he played. The greatest popularity it has received as a permanent leader and vocalist of rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, formed in 1983. A group of more than thirty-year career has repeatedly changed the composition, released under the supervision of Cave 16 albums. Their songs are not only became the owners of numerous music awards and have achieved professional recognition, but also have been covered by many famous artists, from Johnny Cash to "Metallica".

More than he famous?

Cave is known not only as a songwriter, but also as a writer, screenwriter, creator of soundtracks and even actor. So, in 1989 he released his first extremely provocative novel "And the Ass Saw the Angel". In it the musician, known for his complex relationship with religion, dissected the Old Testament in a brutal tale a mute young man who grew up in fanatical religious community, with the innate desire to avenge his worthless a life. In 2009, Cave released no less sensational second book - "The Death of Bunny Munro '. It is dedicated to the life womanizer and alcoholic named Bunny, let the winds after the suicide of his wife.

As a screenwriter, Cave had a hand in several important Australian films of the XXI century. We are talking about the westerns of John Hillcoat "The Proposal" and "Lawless". Even more Cave is famous for its ponderous, hypnotic soundtrack, which he created together with fellow Bad Seeds Warren Ellis: it's all the same, "The Proposal" and "Lawless" and "The Road" with Viggo Mortensen, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," with Brad Pitt, the recent "at any cost" and "Windy river".

A famous musician and the appearance on the screen in the classic film Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire". In it, together with the Bad Seeds, he performed two hits of his early albums. And already in 2014 about the cave and its creative process was the documentary film "20,000 Days on Earth", the creation of which the musician had a hand, and as a writer.

Clear. And you can read more about his group?

Most of his creative life of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds traveled around the world. Depending on these movements, committed every few years, and changed the material that created the group.

Early stage, which lasted from 1983 to 1989-th, the team spent in West Berlin, where Cave was serving a conditional sentence for drug possession. The music of this period is characterized by a raw, almost sounding neprilizannym Gothic-style blues. During these years, almost all of the band members, as well as Cave himself, actively fought with alcohol and heroin addiction, which made their music is particularly alarming shade.

Since 1989, the cave is sent to Brazil, where he spins an affair with a local journalist. As a consequence, gloomy style of the band for a while replaced by lyrical ballads with a predominance of keyboards. Gradually, however, the music becomes more multifaceted and experimental, while the number of members of the group always growing (there is a second drummer).

Around the middle of the 1990s, Cave moved to England, where he met his second wife and settles in Brighton with his family. From this moment begins a new stage in the work of the group: Bad Seeds is not so much fixated on the figure of the Cave demonstrate virtuosity and impressive genre range.

Already at the peak of his career Cave several years of his life to a side project Grinderman. Originally appeared as Mini-Seeds team consisted of four musicians Bad Seeds and is characterized by a heavy style of play, rooted in garage rock. In the period from 2006 to 2013 Grinderman released two excellent self-titled album and a few years successfully toured the world, and then announced its dissolution.

Finally, with the release of the album Push the Sky Away in 2013, the group comes to a new sound and lyrically addresses the global theme of the rapidly changing world. Thanks to the talented multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis' arrangements with the music of the last two albums is more minimalist, becomes an intimate tone. Cave has almost no sings of violence and love experiences, and actively rethinking traveled path in life.

That is worth listening to at the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds?

The most recognized albums are considered to be three: Murder Ballads, The Boatman's Call and Push the Sky Away.

The first one, issued by the Group in 1996, literally translated as "Ballad about the murders." The disc can be called a concept: each of its ten songs tells the story of a brutal and bleak, invariably ending with the massacre. To participate in the record Cave invited friends artists: PJ Harvey, Shane MacGowan and Australian pop star Kylie Minogue. With the latest musician sang Where the Wild Roses Grow - the undisputed romantic hit, which is still the most successful single of the group. For this album, Cave was nominated for the popular American award MTV, but asked the organizers to remove his name from the list of nominees.

In contrast to the hard (and cruel) Murder Ballads, written a year later The Boatman's Call appears the absolute opposite: the harmonious piano chords, gentle baritone Cave, texts - entirely about love. It may even seem to play a completely different team. Into My Arms song from this album is considered one of the best love songs in the history of the blues-rock, and the disk was included in the authoritative Almanac "A thousand and one music album, which should listen to before you You die. "

The penultimate album - Push the Sky Away - notable for a totally new sound, different from everything that makes Bad Seeds before. During the 90's and early 2000's team repeatedly criticized for excessive sentimentality and desire to return to an earlier style, which made the Bad Seeds popular. Accusations were received, and the new album instead of the usual ballads and sharp rock chords can be heard concise instrumental arrangements and stringy unique compositions, interspersed philosophical Cave reflections about life in the era of Google and "Wikipedia".

What song?

Lyrics Cave is well known for the treatment of the musician to the difficult topics of death, violence and religion. However, the best songs he has written, of course, love.

Artist of Life has always been accompanied by meetings with women that have a direct impact on the creative process of a musician. First it was the Australian singer Anita Lane, who took part in the creation of songs like From Her To Eternity and Stranger Than Kindness. then Cave married on the Brazilian journalist Vivian. With her he lived for six years and is entirely dedicated to her album, The Good Son (1990) with one of the most romantic songs in his discography - The Ship Song.

Cave some time and have met with a certain rock performer Harvey PJ, which has had a significant impact a musician: West Country Girl, Black Hair and Green Eyes of the tenth album The Boatman's Call is dedicated to her.

The last muse of the singer became the British model Susie Bick, whom he married in 1999. Two years after this cave released 11th album with the eloquent title No More Shall We Part, which can be translated as "We will not part again." Promise fulfilled musician Nick and Susie still together.

Which album is particularly recommend?

The last album Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds was released in September 2016. The album Skeleton Tree can be considered the saddest ever created by the staff and the most personal to the very Cave: during killed 15-year-old musician son of her record. After Cave tragedy a few months did not return to work, and when decided, the dramatically changed the sound of the album. The process of overcoming the musician suddenly surging grief entirely reflected in the lyrics of some songs.

Uneasy record Skeleton Tree and the death of his son is reflected in the Australian documentary director Andrew Dominik "Once more with feeling", which premiered at the same time with the new drive. Anyone who wants to experience the live music of Nick Cave can visit the Bad Seeds concerts St. Petersburg (25 July) and Moscow (July 27), which have become part of a larger tour group in support the last album.

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