Customer Reviews

Henry's Dream

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are the epitome of quality music infused with such an unmistakable, overpowering signature that you end up either loving or hating them in the first 30 seconds of the first song. Anyone put off by literary theatrics, sardonic humor, or overwhelming darkness and passion will probably scream "Enough!" before the first song's even over. And Henry's Dream is the acid test - if you love Cave, here he is at his finest; and barring live performances, this is the finest work the Seeds have ever done. The works here range from throttling hysteria (I Had A Dream, Joe) to alluring, poetic ballads (Loom of the Land). What most impresses is how each song's details, filled with pathos, give you an insight into the workings of human emotion. The funniest and most pathetic moments (such as in Christina the Astonishing, when the delerious woman springs awake at her own funeral) are followed by the most profound revelations. It's really hard to explain - but if you can endure the diametric opposition of crude, vivid pulp and the beauty of the sublime, here you've found a home. This is very challenging music, but fun, enlightening, and rewarding as well.

The more I listen to Nick Cave, the more I am convinced of his genius. It is reported by the industry reviewer that Cave does not like this album. Well, thank God that he made it!
I am astonished and thrilled by the energy, rage and darkness of this album. The cuts Papa Won't Leave You Henry, I Had A Dream Joe, and Brother My Cup Is Empty really get the adrenaline pumping. Then the CD segues into an eerie Christina the Astonishing that reminds me in its sepulchral quasi-religious tone of Geronimo Trevino's Maria Consuelo.
When I First Came To Town is a melancholy ballad that whispers darkly of rejection and of revenge to come. Then comes John Finn's Wife, a tense and sexy story whose cast of characters seems straight out of a spaghetti western.
Of the two romantic songs on the CD, The Loom of the Land is the most haunting. But the romantic feeling it engenders is suddenly dashed as the album closes with the anti-romantic Jack the Ripper. But, hey, I know guys married to women like the one in the song.
Henry's Dream is a must-own album for Nick Cave fans. I like it as much as Murder Ballads and Let Love In. It is deep, it is wild, and it is sheer insanity. Buy it today!

For me this is the best album by Nick Cave and the Bad seeds. I've had this CD since 1992. when it was recorded and it's absolutely fantastic. The songs like "Papa, won't leave you Henry", "Brother, my cup is empty" and romantic "The loom of the land" are one of the most powerfull Cave's songs. Vigorous, vulgar and romantic all completely wonderful. Listen it obligatorily!

I echo what one reviewer already said: as an owner of all Nick Cave's records, I still come back to this one the most often. It's the perfect balance point between his frenzied, younger self and later more reflective persona. The Bad Seed's playing has never been better.

Not as heavily-constructed as "Let Love In," not as flippant as "Tender Prey," or "Your Funeral My Trial," and not as wandering as "The Good Son." This record seems to know exactly where it's going, what it's going to do, and it wastes no time in getting there.

I consider this Cave's all-around best work, and the most complete look at him one can get in a single album. In other words, start here if you're looking to see what his music is about.

As someone who owns every Bad Seeds album, I find myself turning to this one most often. It starts out like a tornado and throws you through just about every emotion someone can feel.

Let's be honest, you really can't go wrong with one of these older Nick Cave albums; they are all absolutely quantum in my opinion. Nick's music is so original and unmistakable. On the track, "I Had a Dream Joe," his voice is like Satan himself calling out to you. Totally eerie and awesome. The most amazing thing to me about HENRY'S DREAM is the stellar rhythm/acoustic guitar work. Mick Harvey is wicked. "John Finn's Wife" is the craziest song on the album. Typical murder ballad; straightforward, beautiful, sick.

The imagery that Nick uses in his lyrics is on par with Hemingway. Simple, sometimes gross, sometimes terrifying, always vivid.

If you are considering buying a Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album, but you're unsure of which one, buy this one. If I had to compare this album to something, I'd have to say it is the WIZARD OF OZ in the world of music- A complete journey through an insane imagination.

An essential classic for any darkmeister or general cool urbanite's CD collection. All of the tracks on this album are excellent; I can't pick a favourite but I can listen to "John Finn's Wife", "Papa Won't Leave You Henry" and "Straight To You" over and over again. It hasn't dated one bit and although Nick and the boys may have crafted a darker, more Romantic sound with their recent album 'no more shall we part' this still resonates of early Seeds and the amazing intensity they pack into an album. Nick's voice isn't fantastic musically or technically- but it's rendered irrelevant by the sheer emotion and soul he puts into his music. Not many bands match this.

This is a very special disc. There is nothing I can compare it with. Hysteria, hope, love, wierd worlds...it has everything. You should really buy it, guys..because of that special feeling after you listen to "I had a dream, Joe" or "straight to you".. Highly recommended to people who have something in their heads and souls.

This is one of my favorite albums of all time, and my favorite Nick Cave album. It lacks some of the more freeform, haunting melody of some of his other albums, but for raw emotion, it's unbeatable. There is no hint of redemption or hope in this album, but the lyrics are amazing - like there's some elegant outpouring of bitterness. It's one of the only albums that really seems to be a complete work in and of itself -- enjoy!

It's not the best of Nick Cave (Murder Ballads is) but I still give it five stars. Cave and the Seeds are geniuses. They mix melodic poetry with post punk music that reminds me of Cave's time with the Birthday Party, and it all seems to have an eerey wild west theme. It's the perfect combination of Caves lyrical genius and Harvey's musical genius. It's everything a Cave album should be.

This album is sheer genius: full of junk and poetry, self-deception and brutally microscopic scrutiny, pathos and vulgarity. A yummy smorgasboard of emotional havoc lying in wait for a beautiful bulimic.