Nick Cave
launched his solo career in style with
From Her to Eternity
, an accomplished album mixing the frenzy and power of his
Birthday Party
days with a dank, moody atmosphere that showed he was not interested in simply continuing what the older group had done. To be sure,
Mick Harvey
joined him from the
Party
days, as ever playing a variety of instruments, while one-time
guest
Blixa Bargeld
now became a permanent
Cave
partner, splitting his time between
the Bad Seeds
and
Einsturzende Neubaten
ever since. The group took wing with a harrowing version of
Leonard Cohen
's
"Avalanche,"
's wracked, buried tones suiting the Canadian legend's words perfectly, and never looked back.
is crammed with any number of doom-laden songs, with
the understandable center of attention, his commanding vocals turning the blues and rural music into theatrical exhibitionism unmatched since
Jim Morrison
stalked stages. Songs like
"Cabin Fever,"
with its steadily paced drumming and relentless piano line, and the more restrained and moody
"The Moon Is in the Gutter"
sound like cabarets in hell.
"In the Ghetto,"
already perfectly suited to such a treatment, shows the underlying sense of beauty that defines
the Seeds
as much as drama. Even though it's a
Presley
cover, the sense of
Scott Walker
's influence isn't far away at all. The title track is and remains a
Bad Seeds
classic, played at shows up through the present, a tense piano/organ beginning then accompanied by the edgy build of the band, pounding drums, stabbing feedback and keyboard parts and more. ~ Ned Raggett