Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – B-Sides and Rarities album review

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Musical offcuts of eyebrow-raising quality are rare; so when Nick Cave – a talented chap, by any measure – calls his new compilation “my favourite Nick Cave album” it’s worth a closer look. Indeed, only the churlish could feel short-changed by the album’s career-spanning 56-track girth: you can forgive the odd duff number when there’s so much to get enthused about. A gorgeous acoustic take of ‘The Mercy Seat’; boozehound nursery rhyme ‘Rye Whiskey’; a splendid cover of ‘What A Wonderful World’, slurred with Shane McGowan; ‘Where The Wild Roses Grow’ sans Kylie but avec Blixa Bargeld; the wonderful ‘Opium Tea’… Dip in and feast on Cave’s dark materials, or at least get a mate to compile you the perfect 1-CD comp which lies hidden in here.

Charlie Ivens