The Firstborn Is Dead is the second studio album by the Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 3 June 1985 by Mute Records. Produced by the band and Flood, the album saw lead vocalist Nick Cave continue his fascination with the Southern United States, featuring references to Elvis Presley and bluesmen like Blind Lemon Jefferson. The album was recorded in the Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany. Cave later said of the album, "Berlin gave us the freedom and encouragement to do whatever we wanted. We'd lived in London for three years and it seemed that if you stuck your head out of the box, people were pretty quick to knock it back in. Particularly if you were Australian. When we came to Berlin it was the opposite. People saw us as some kind of force rather than a kind of whacky novelty act."[3]
| The Firstborn Is Dead | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 3 June 1985 | |||
| Recorded | November–December 1984 | |||
| Studio | Hansa Tonstudio (Berlin) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:37 | |||
| Label | Mute | |||
| Producer |
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| Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Firstborn Is Dead | ||||
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The album's name is a reference to Jesse Garon Presley, the stillborn identical twin of Elvis Presley.[4] The cover art photography was taken by Jutta Henglein-Bildau.
The album was remastered and reissued on 27 April 2009 as a collector's edition CD/DVD set. The CD features the original 7-song vinyl LP's track listing, while "The Six Strings That Drew Blood" is featured as a bonus audio track on the accompanying DVD.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| NME | 7/10[5] |
| Pitchfork | 7.0/10[1] |
| Q | [6] |
| Record Mirror | 4/5[7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [8] |
| Select | 4/5[9] |
| Sounds |  [10] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 6/10[11] |
| Uncut | [12] |
Spin wrote, "Mournfully authentic blue lines of harmonica and guitar, journeys through a mythical southern reality heavy on train wrecks, suicides, prison life, and big black crows. Cave's concept of America has been peeled from the grooves of old blues and Western cowboy 78s."[13]
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Nick Cave, except "Wanted Man" by Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Cave.[14]
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tupelo" | 7:17 | |
| 2. | "Say Goodbye to the Little Girl Tree" | Harvey | 5:10 |
| 3. | "Train Long-Suffering" | Nick Cave | 3:49 |
| 4. | "Black Crow King" |
| 5:05 |
| 5. | "Knockin' on Joe" | Cave | 7:38 |
| 6. | "Wanted Man" | Bob Dylan | 5:27 |
| 7. | "Blind Lemon Jefferson" |
| 6:10 |
| Total length: | 40:37 | ||
Song details
edit- "Tupelo" is loosely based on the John Lee Hooker song "Tupelo Blues", which is about a flood in Tupelo, Mississippi (Hooker's song appears on Original Seeds). Tupelo is the birthplace of Elvis Presley. Cave's song incorporates imagery of the birth of Elvis Presley and the apocalypse at the Second Coming of Christ. However, the "Looky, Looky Yonder" motif that features in the song is derived from a song of the same name recorded by Lead Belly, usually found as part of a medley which Cave himself covered under the title "Black Betty" on his third studio album, Kicking Against the Pricks (1986).
- "Wanted Man" evolved from a song composed by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. Cave was granted permission to alter the lyrics. Cave's lyrics include references to his friends, such as photographer Polly Borland.
- "The Six Strings that Drew Blood" is included on the 1988 CD reissue of the album, but not on the original LP. It was the B-side of the "Tupelo" single and is a remake of a song Cave originally recorded with the Birthday Party during the Mutiny sessions in 1982.
Singles
edit- "Tupelo" (MUTE 038) (29 July 1985)
- "Tupelo" (single version) b/w: "The Six Strings That Drew Blood"
Personnel
editNick Cave and the Bad Seeds
- Nick Cave – lead vocals; harmonica
- Blixa Bargeld – guitar; backing vocals; slide guitar; piano
- Barry Adamson – bass; backing vocals; guitar; organ; drums
- Mick Harvey – drums; backing vocals; guitar; organ; piano; bass
Chart positions
edit| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart[15] | 53 |
| UK Independent Albums Chart[16] | 2 |
References
edit- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b Deming, Mark. "The Firstborn Is Dead – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds / Nick Cave". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
- ^ Dwyer, Michael (July 1998). "Album by Album with Nick Cave". Rolling Stone Australia. No. 550. Sydney, NSW: Tilmond Pty Ltd. p. 41.
- ^ "The Firstborn Is Dead: Information". Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: The Firstborn Is Dead". NME. 1 July 1995. p. 50.
- ^ Fyfe, Andy (May 2009). "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: From Her to Eternity / The Firstborn Is Dead / Kicking Against the Pricks / Your Funeral... My Trial". Q. No. 274.
- ^ Strike, Andy (29 June 1985). "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: The First Born Is Dead". Record Mirror. pp. 18–19.
- ^ 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. 151–152. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Morris, Mark (July 1995). "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: From Her to Eternity / The First Born Is Dead". Select. No. 61. p. 100.
- ^ Barron, Jack (1 June 1985). "Pretty Vagrant". Sounds. p. 32.
- ^ Reynolds, Simon (1995). "Birthday Party". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 43–44. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ Cavanagh, David (26 March 2009). "Album reissues: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds". Uncut. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- ^ Andrea Enthal (September 1985). "Underground". Spin. No. 5. p. 34.
- ^ Taysom, Joe. "When Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds made Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash song 'Wanted Man' their own". Far Out Magazine. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "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.
External links
edit- The Firstborn Is Dead at Discogs (list of releases)