Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues / Lyre of Orpheus

Nick Cave changed the sound of music as part of the seminal goth-punks The Birthday Party. With his band of 20 years, The Bad Seeds, his solo work has veered between poignant gospel-inflected ballads and the steamy thud of backwater blues and country. This double album showcases both these sides of Cave's songwriting, with The Bad Seeds rising to fine, even funky, form. "Abattoir" is more rock 'n' roll with gospel overtones and salacious grooves, while "Lyre" is rawer and more experimental with a lot of acoustic instrumentation. Album Description

Abattoir Blues / Lyre of Orpheus

Abattoir Blues / Lyre of Orpheus being Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 2004 release and the first since the departure of Blixa Bergald whom left the group to foucus all his attention on his mani project/group Einstürzende Neubauten. This is a quite good record. However, if one compares this to their magnum opus, i.e., Let Love In, then it is not as good. One problem is that for some reason he has included a little too blues influenced sound. I like blues alright, but it is definitely not my favorite genre. Still and all, this is a quite good record that has some fine tracks, for instance Messiah Ward and The Lyre of Orpheus. October 3, 2008

A Musical Legend

He never seems to amaze me. I only recently got into him. In Australia his albums are so cheap so I went on a binge and bought pretty much all of them in one epic purchase (when they are 8 dollars AUS each it is a wicked deal) I am just so amazed by his depth and the development of his maturity over the course of his entire career. He would have thought the man who sung in Birthday Party could write something so beautiful and moving as O Children. Everyone should own his records and most of the enjoyment is in his lyrics as well. Thank God fopr Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. April 5, 2008

Oh Mama...

Let me first say that I've been a fan of Nick Cave since the Boys Next Door and I've hardly found an album I disliked in those 25 years. That changed on Nocturama, which I just thought was a let-down. Now, we get 2 albums of similar material.

Abattoir Blues is marked by 2 major shifts - the departure of Blixa Bargeld and the drum seat being taken over by Jim Sclavunos. Overall, this album sounds like generic Alterna-Rock circa 1995. It isn't BAD, just generic. The guitars are up-front, the songs structured in a very straight ahead rock mode. It doesn't sound like the Bad Seeds. None of this would matter if the songs were memorable, but they just aren't. I mean, when I first listened to this, I had to look at the packaging to make sure I hadn't put on a CD of B-sides.

Lyre Of Orpheus finds Thomas Wydler back in the drum seat and a return to a more familiar sound. Again, though, the songs just are not very strong. The most memorable melody is Easy Money, which quite frankly, is a stupid song. Even some of my least favorite Cave albums, Henry's Dream for instance, had top-notch songwriting.

Hopefully, these albums are just glitches in a long and storied career. November 5, 2007

Maybe his best

The total package - great songs, great band, amazing sound. I hope they use the same studio and equipment to record again ! July 24, 2007

A Nick Cave Must-Have!

I didn't get this album until relatively recently. Frankly, I was a little afraid of what this album would mean. Nocturama was solid but certainly not earth-shattering.

Thankfully, Nick and the Seeds have come up with this little 2-disc, that not just relieved my apprehension, but delivered beyond! For those of you still a little in love with Boatman's Call, this is a great new side of the band, brooding in a whole new way and rockin' while they're at it! Here's a great example of a band that keeps on growing and learning and just keeps on getting better with time. Every track on these 2 discs just grabs you in a unique way.

Abattoir mixes elements of gospel, southern rock, blues with a Tom Waits-ish twist. Lyre transitions with a track that blends a sound between the 2 discs and then weaves into a folk-like manner of song for the rest of the album. The track, Breathless offers an original use of flute that adds an innocence not often heard in their songs.

Hearing this album is like a wayward soul that has has found redemption. And how sweet it is! January 31, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...