Audio CD review:
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - B-Sides & Rarities

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - B-Sides & Rarities

Band: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Title: B-Sides & Rarities Rating: Release Date: 22 March, 2005 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Deanna (Acoustic Version) 2: The Mercy Seat (Acoustic Version) 3: City Of Refuge (Acoustic Version) 4: The Moon Is In The Gutter 5: The Six Strings That Drew Blood 6: Rye Whiskey 7: Running Scared 8: Black Betty 9: Scum 10: The Girl At The Bottom Of My Glass 11: The Train Song 12: Cocks 'N' Asses 13: Blue Bird 14: Helpless 15: God's Hotel 16: (I'll Love You) Till The End Of The World 17: Cassiel's Song 18: Tower Of Song 19: What Can I Give You? 20: What A Wonderful World 21: Rainy Night In Soho 22: Lucy (Version No.2) 23: Jack The Ripper (Acoustic Version) 24: Sail Away 25: There's No Night Out In The Jail 26: That's What Jazz Is To Me 27: The Willow Garden 28: The Ballad Of Robert Moore And Betty Coltrane 29: King Kong Kitchee Kitchee Ki-Mi-O 30: Knoxville Girl 31: Where The Wild Roses Grow 32: O'Malley's Bar Part 1 33: O'Malley's Bar Part 2 34: O'Malley's Bar Part 3 35: Time Jesum Transeuntum Et Non Riverentum 36: O'Malley's Bar Reprise 37: Red Right Hand (Scream 3 Version) 38: Little Empty Boat 39: Right Now I'm A-Roaming 40: Come Into My Sleep 41: Black Hair (Band Version) 42: Babe, I Got You Bad 43: Sheep May Safely Graze 44: Opium Tea 45: Grief Came Riding 46: Bless His Ever Loving Heart 47: Good Good Day 48: Little Janey's Gone 49: I Feel So Good 50: Shoot Me Down 51: Swing Low 52: Little Ghost Song 53: Everything Must Converge 54: Nocturama 55: She's Leaving You 56: Under This Moon

Editoral Review Variously anchored by the acoustic gospel intrigues of "Deanna" and "The Mercy Seat" and a fascination with American roots music that evinces itself with preternatural conviction on covers of Orbison's "Running Scared," Leadbelly's "Black Betty" and the traditional "Rye Whiskey," it's a forceful collection that further underscores the artist's ever literate, neo-cabaret charms. In the two decades since Nick Cave (with multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey, who co-ordinated this anthology) bolted the beloved chaos of his native Melbourne's Birthday Party to focus on a solo career informed in equal parts by Poe, Flannery O'Connor and Biblical goth-chic, he and the Bad Seeds have explored enough musical detours and career side projects to yield the 56 tracks that grace this set's three compelling discs. Fans will relish it as a trove of disparate riches, be they soundtrack cuts for Wim Wenders ("Till the End of the World," "Cassiel's Song" from Faraway, So Close) and others ("Red Right Hand" and "Time Jesum. . " from The X-Files), cover project highlights (Leonard Cohen's "Tower of Song," Neil Young's "Helpless" and "There's No Light Out at the Jail," a loving, previously unreleased tribute to Australian country legend Chad Morgan) or such typically idiosyncratic Cave fare as the playful "That's What Jazz Is To Me" and murderous, three-part "O' Malley's Bar. " --Jerry McCulley .. You can see a complete list of all Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds discography, or go back to the Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds tabs