Kicking Against the Pricks
Kicking Against the Pricks | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 18 August 1986 | |||
Genre | Post-punk | |||
Length | 45:28 | |||
Label | Mute Records | |||
Producer | Flood, Tony Cohen | |||
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork | 8.2/10[2] |
Record Collector | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[5] |
Uncut | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Kicking Against the Pricks is the third album released by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. First released in 1986, the album is a collection of cover versions. The title is a reference to a biblical quote from King James version of the Bible, Acts 26, verse 14.
The album marked the Bad Seeds debut of drummer Thomas Wydler, expanding the Bad Seeds line-up to Cave, Wydler, Mick Harvey, Blixa Bargeld and Barry Adamson. Cave would later downplay the importance of the record, but said it helped the band develop musically:
It allowed us to discover different elements, to actually make and perform a variety of different sorts of music successfully. I think that helped subsequent records tremendously.[7]
Remarking on the song selection, Cave said:
They were all done for different reasons. Basically a list of songs were made and we tried to play them. We tried songs by The Loved Ones and The Saints and all sorts of people that never got on the record. Some songs were tributes, like the Tom Jones song; other songs we didn't think the song was ever done particularly well in the first place. Some songs had just kind of haunted my childhood, like "The Carnival is Over", which I always loved.[8]
The strings were arranged by Mick Harvey and played by the Berliner Kaffeehausmusik Ensemble. "The Hammer Song" is not to be confused with the song of the same name from the 1990 Bad Seeds album The Good Son.
The album was remastered and reissued on 27 April 2009 as a collector's edition CD/DVD set. The CD features the original 12-song vinyl LP's track listing, while "Black Betty" and "Running Scared" are featured as bonus audio tracks on the accompanying DVD.
Recordings of seven of these songs, performed by the "original" artists, were later issued on the Original Seeds compilation CDs.
Track listing[]
Vinyl version[]
- "Muddy Water" – 5:15 (Phil Rosenthal)
- Nick Cave – lead vocals, organ, piano interior
- Blixa Bargeld – guitar
- Mick Harvey – piano, backing vocals
- Barry Adamson – bass, backing vocals
- Thomas Wydler – drums
- + Dawn Cave – violin
- "I'm Gonna Kill That Woman" – 3:44 (John Lee Hooker)
- Nick Cave – lead vocals
- Blixa Bargeld – guitar
- Mick Harvey – bass, drums
- + Hugo Race – guitar
- "Sleeping Annaleah" – 3:18 (Mickey Newbury, Dan Folger)
- Nick Cave – lead vocals
- Blixa Bargeld – slide guitar
- Mick Harvey – piano, backing vocals, acoustic guitar
- Barry Adamson – bass, backing vocals
- Thomas Wydler – drums
- "Long Black Veil" – 3:46 (Danny Dill, Marijohn Wilkin)
- Nick Cave – lead vocals
- Blixa Bargeld – slide guitar, backing vocals
- Mick Harvey – acoustic guitar, backing vocals, snare
- Barry Adamson – bass, backing vocals
- Thomas Wydler – percussion
- + Hugo Race – guitar
- "Hey Joe" – 3:56 (Billy Roberts)
- Nick Cave – lead vocals, organ
- Mick Harvey – drums, piano
- + Hugo Race – guitar
- + Tracy Pew – bass
- "The Singer" (a.k.a. The Folksinger) – 3:09 (Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels)
- Nick Cave – lead vocals
- Mick Harvey – guitar
- Barry Adamson – bass
- Thomas Wydler – drums
- "All Tomorrow's Parties" – 5:52 (Lou Reed)
- Nick Cave – lead vocals
- Blixa Bargeld – guitar, co-lead vocals
- Mick Harvey – guitar, co-lead vocals, piano
- Barry Adamson – bass
- Thomas Wydler – drums
- + Rowland S. Howard – co-lead vocals
- "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" – 3:39 (Jimmy Webb)
- Nick Cave – lead vocals
- Blixa Bargeld – guitar
- Mick Harvey – piano
- Barry Adamson – bass
- Thomas Wydler – drums
- + Rowland S. Howard – guitar, organ
- "The Hammer Song" – 3:50 (Alex Harvey)
- Nick Cave – lead vocals
- Blixa Bargeld – guitar
- Mick Harvey – organ, snare drum
- Barry Adamson – bass
- Thomas Wydler – drums
- "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" – 3:44 (Roger Greenaway, Roger Cook)
- Nick Cave – lead vocals
- Mick Harvey – piano, backing vocals, vibes
- Barry Adamson – bass, backing vocals
- Thomas Wydler – drums
- "Jesus Met the Woman at the Well" – 2:00 (Traditional, Arranged The Alabama Singers)
- Nick Cave – lead vocals
- Blixa Bargeld – guitar, co-lead vocals
- Mick Harvey – guitar, co-lead vocals
- Barry Adamson – bass, co-lead vocals
- Thomas Wydler – drums
- "The Carnival Is Over" – 3:16 (Tom Springfield, Frank Farian)
- Nick Cave – lead vocals
- Blixa Bargeld – guitar, co-lead vocals
- Mick Harvey – piano, co-lead vocals
- Barry Adamson – bass, co-lead vocals
- Thomas Wydler – drums[9]
CD version[]
- "Muddy Water"
- "I'm Gonna Kill That Woman
- "Sleeping Annaleah"
- "Long Black Veil"
- "Hey Joe"
- "The Singer (a.k.a. The Folksinger)"
- "Black Betty" (Leadbelly)
- "Running Scared" (Roy Orbison, Joe Melson)
- "All Tomorrow's Parties"
- "By the Time I Get to Phoenix"
- "The Hammer Song"
- "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart"
- "Jesus Met the Woman at the Well"
- "The Carnival Is Over"
Track listing errors[]
Some of the songs were re-titled (possibly through error), and one was miscredited, as follows:
1. "Muddy Water" by Phil Rosenthal. On the Cave LP the song is credited to John Bundrick, who wrote a song of the same title, recorded by the band Free. Previously recorded by The Seldom Scene, and Johnny Cash.
3. "Sleeping Annaleah" is the song "Weeping Annaleah", previously recorded by Tom Jones.
6. "The Singer" is the song "The Folk Singer", previously recorded by Tommy Roe, Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, and Burl Ives.
7. "Black Betty" is actually three songs recorded by Leadbelly as a medley: "Looky Looky Yonder/Black Betty/Yellow Women's Doorbells".
13. "Jesus Met the Woman at the Well" is credited as "Traditional, Arranged The Alabama Singers". While this song was recorded by The Alabama Singers, it follows the arrangement of an earlier recording by The Pilgrim Travelers, which is credited as "Traditional, Arranged J. W. Alexander".
Singles[]
- "The Singer" (MUTE 47) (16 June 1986)
- b/w: "Running Scared" / "Black Betty"
Chart positions[]
Chart (1986) | Peak position |
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UK Albums Chart[10] | 89 |
UK Independent Albums Chart[11] | 1 |
References[]
- ^ Raggett, Ned. "Kicking Against the Pricks – Nick Cave / Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
- ^ Berman, Stuart (6 May 2009). "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: From Her to Eternity / The First Born Is Dead / Kicking Against the Pricks / Your Funeral ... My Trial". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
- ^ "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Kicking Against the Pricks". Record Collector: 79. 2009.
His choice of songs astonishes... turning fellow Aussies The Seekers' lightweight folk song 'The Carnival Is Over' into a funereal credit-roller...
- ^ Sisario, Ben (2004). "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 151–52. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ Cavanagh, David (26 March 2009). "Album Reissues: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds". Uncut. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- ^ Dwyer, Michael (July 1998). "Album by Album with Nick Cave". Rolling Stone Australia. No. 550. Sydney, NSW: Tilmond Pty Ltd. p. 41.
- ^ Tracee Hutchison (1992). Your Name's On The Door. Sydney: ABC Enterprises. p. 115. ISBN 0-7333-0115-0.
- ^ "Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Kicking Against The Pricks (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
- ^ "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Artist". Official Charts Company. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- ^ Lazell, Barry. "Indie Hits: "C"". Cherry Red. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- 1986 albums
- Nick Cave albums
- Mute Records albums
- Albums produced by Flood (producer)
- Albums produced by Tony Cohen
- Covers albums