Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: The Boatman's Call [MUTE]

Why you'll love it

This 180g pressing comes with a colour printed lyric inner sleeve. The album reached No. 5 in Australia and No. 22 in the UK, and critics greeted it with almost unanimous acclaim.

This edition

• 180g vinyl
• Printed lyric inner sleeve
• Stereo mix

About the album

After the gothic body count of Murder Ballads, Nick Cave sat down at the piano and simply told the truth. The Boatman's Call was recorded between June and August 1996 in London, at Sarm West with work at Abbey Road, and produced by Flood with the band, with Chris Scard co-producing and mixing.

"Into My Arms" opens it, just piano, voice and a gently rolling bass, and went out as the first single in January 1997, with "(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?" following in May. "West Country Girl," "Black Hair" and "Green Eyes" are widely thought to be about PJ Harvey, while "People Ain't No Good" and "Brompton Oratory" are as tender as anything he has written, and "Lime Tree Arbour" and "Idiot Prayer" round out a hushed, intimate set.

NME ranked it among the best albums of 1997, and it has sold half a million copies worldwide. It's the quietest record the Bad Seeds ever made, which, given the company, is a bit like being the calmest person at a stag do.

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Tracklist

Listen

On Mute (cat# Lpseeds10), a reissue of the 1997 album.