Abattoir Blues Tour (2CD+2DVD) [Live]

Nick Cave, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 20, 2007)
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Live
• Label: Mute U.S.
• ASIN: B000N3SSP8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,993 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #53 in Music > World Music > Australia & New Zealand

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. O Children (Dusseldorf)

2. Hiding All Away (Manchester)

3. Breathless (Dusseldorf)

4. Get Ready For Love (Dusseldorf)

5. Red Right Hand (Cophenhagen)

See all 8 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Carry Me (Dusseldorf)

2. Let The Bells Ring (Lausanne)

3. Easy Money (Milan)

4. Supernaturally (Paris 1)

5. Babe, You Turn Me On (Paris 2)

See all 9 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Hiding All Away

2. Messiah Ward

3. Easy Money

4. Supernaturally

5. The Lyre Of Orpheus

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Bring It On

2. Babe, I'm On Fire

3. Nature Boy

4. Breathless

5. Get Ready For Love Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus, A Short Film

See all 7 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's a delirious treat, watching the full weight of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds open their November 2004 Brixton Academy gig with the menacing thwack of "Hiding All Away," as they do on the first of two DVDs in this live mega-set. They're swept away, Cave and his mates--Warren Ellis and Mick Harvey and the keyboardists and drummers and background singers. Feet stomp, hair flies, the sounds wallop. Without Blixa Bargeld for the first time, the Bad Seeds have a gospel-tinged bigness, an urgent intensity. The multicamera DVD shots are brilliant, the sound impeccable. Of course that last bit is all that matters on the pair of CDs that round out this set, and they sound phenomenal. Cave knows drama, from the lyrics to the vocal bellow to the full-on unrelenting orchestral power of a guitar, a bass, a violin, a couple keyboards, and a couple drummers--backed by four ingeniously true-to-form backup vocalists. If you've even a passing interest in the ecstasy of live musical abandon, this is a necessary indulgence. If you're a Cave fan, you won't be able to get enough. --Andrew Bartlett

Product Description

THE ABATTOIR BLUES TOUR features songs from critically acclaimed 2004 double album ABATTOIR BLUES / THE LYRE OF ORPHEUS, plus an array of classic material from the band's repertoire. The 2 CDs contain live recordings from various dates on the 2004 "Abattoir Blues" tour. The 2 DVDs contain footage from two live concerts: first disc taken from one of the bands' 3 sold out "Abattoir Blues" concerts at London's Brixton Academy (November 11th 2004); second disc offers excerpts from London's Hammersmith Apollo show filmed during 2003 "Nocturama" tour. The DVDs also include all the promotional videos from the last two albums, plus special bonus behind the scenes footage of the "Bring It On" video.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars North Americans Can See/Hear What They Missed..., March 24, 2007

By 

Raindog 1972 "http://raindog.jasonarena.com" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abattoir Blues Tour (2CD+2DVD) (Audio CD)

I usually don't start reviews like this...but I can't get over the price for Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds' The Abbatoir Blues Tour 2DVD/2CD set. For around 25 clams, you get quite a few selections from two Bad Seeds concerts in London, a video documentary, a short film on the recording of the double LP, a bunch of promotional videos, and a 2CD live set from the Seeds' 2004 tour...this is a ridiculously good deal.

Nick Cave opted not to tour the Abbatoir record to N. America, which is regrettable for two reasons:
1. Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus, along with The Boatman's Call, is Cave's best work to date.
2. Now that I see what audiences missed, I am pissed and jealous. These concerts are brilliant...

Cave's work, even the exquisitely beautiful ballads, always have a hint of something sinister beneath the surface. In concert, Cave brings that intangible quality out into the light like he's performing some demonic sermon...only Tom Waits does this balancing act of "beautiful maladies" better. This is a "must have" collection for any fan of Cave, some of these songs were meant for a live performance..."Carry Me," "Stagger Lee," and "Sad Waters" come to mind as beneficiaries of the Seeds' live act...and folks, I'm just talking about the DVDs. The 2CD set clocks in at approx. 90 minutes and every seong is riveting...I wish more songs made it onto this record because the band is in fine form. The set list is a mix of old gems like "Red Right Hand" and "The Weeping Song" sprinkled among the best of the Abbatoir record including "Let The Bells Ring," "O Children" (which leads of cd 1 and was so good, it locked me into my chair for the rest of the disc), and "Breathless." This is one of the few live collections I would recommend to someone only slightly familiar with an artist's work. I want to give this as a gift to people I want to learn about the Seeds...it is brilliant.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cave's Best DVD to Date, July 24, 2007

By 

Kurt Harding "bon vivant" (Boerne TX) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Abattoir Blues Tour (2CD+2DVD) (Audio CD)

Since I became a Nick Cave fan some years back and have had the good fortune to see him live several times, I haven't been able to get enough of his music. So as soon as Abattoir Blues Tour came to my attention, I ordered my copy.
Well, OK, the songs presented here are mostly from the Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus double CD so you may wonder why you need to own this as well. The answer is that the quality of the DVDs and the power of the live performances make this nearly essential for any hard-core fan of Nick Cave. What I like about it best are that the performances are not taken from just one show, but shows done on different days and in different moods all over Europe.
On the sonic side, my favorites are mostly older cuts but also a couple I really like from the album being toured. Disc one favorites include Red Right Hand, The Ship Song, and The Weeping Song. On Disc two, I most enjoy Carry Me, Easy Money, God Is In The House (you'll notice he's dropped a verse), and the morbidly humorous Lay Me Low.
As for the DVDs, the first disc best brings to life Easy Money, Nature Boy, and Carry Me. Though I like Stagger Lee, I didn't particularly like the rendition here. The second DVD not only has great live renditions of Bring It On, Breathless, and Christina The Astonishing, but also some entertaining though sometimes cheesy promotional video footage. My favorite is the promo for Bring It On.
I own all other previous Cave DVDs and this one is the best yet. Though in common with some other reviewers I would like to have seen more of his back catalogue covered, I think that fans are lucky at this price to get as much as is offered here. It isn't enough however to get just the DVD. For the low price asked you would be foolish not to get this dual CD/DVD set. Order it now while it is still available.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Latter Day Cave & Bad Seeds, March 26, 2007

By 

Jarad Matula (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abattoir Blues Tour (2CD+2DVD) (Audio CD)

I was excited the day this was finally released on our shores. When it was first announced in the UK, I was tempted to order it there, but my slim wallet reminded me that patience was indeed a virtue.

It was well worth the wait.

The 2 Audio CDs, are great. The quality is top notch, and performances are very solid. However, Nick Cave's pipes aren't in tip-top shape, so when his back-up singers are hitting every note pitch perfect and he's falling flat, one can notice. Not too big of an issue tho, because the performances themselves are great regardless. The other thing is that the set leans incredibly heavy on the Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus. I would have liked a more varied setlist, including some old favorites like "Papa Won't Leave You Henry," "Mercy Seat" or even more recent ballads like "No More Shall We Part" or "Lime Tree Arbor." But the inclusion of "Deanna" did make me dance around with joy.

The 2 DVDs are the real attraction here folks. The promotional videos from Nocturama are cheesy but enjoyable, and the little doc. entertaining. Great stuff for big Cave fans and collectors. The live set from the Nocturama tour will satisfy old fans because of the inclusion of obscure songs in the setlist, such as "Christina the Astonishing" and others. However, I find it to be a very morose set. So I guess if that's your mood it will please, but I was expecting a tad more energetic performance, which brings me to...

The other DVD, from the Abattoir Blues tour, which is energetic, fun, serious, and grandiose. It contains the sort of performances I expected on the other DVD as well. The song selection is great, even if it is very heavy on the new albums like the audio CDs were. But to see him perform "Stagger Lee" is an utter treat, no matter what. I get a kick out of it every time. The extra videos and "making of" Abattoir Blues doc are highly entertaining, if even for only one initial viewing. I love being able to look into an artist's creative process, and this was a fascinating look.

So would I recommend this set to any fan of Nick Cave? Definitely! There are great performances and interesting videos and insights into one of the greatest artists of our time (whether very many people on this side of the pond even realize it)! But is it a good place to start or to get an idea of his full range of work? No. For that, I would recommend the other performance DVD, "God Is In The House." The setlist and performances are top notch, amazing stuff. I know some people have a problem with the audio quality, which admittedly isn't 5.1 cream your shorts Lucas crap, but it's good enough, and you'll be so enraptured by the performance that somewhat lacking sound will hardly ever even enter your mind.