Customer Reviews

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: God Is in the House

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Perhaps the greatest example of a true showman. Nick Cave stomps around stage pointing and screaming at the audience one minute, then gently caressing the mic the next. He's a charismatic cross between an early 1950's crooner and a mid-1970's minister - somehow he makes it all accessible and brilliant. For those into masochistic entertainment, please apply here. It's lyrically brutal music, but transforms into an artform once Cave delivers in his Jim Morrison/Elvis/Johnny Cash baritone while proclaiming to the audience, "All of God's children will have to die."

This is, of course, a DVD of a show Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds performed in Lyons, France around 2001 (just after the recording of the album, `No More Shall We Part' - my favorite Cave release by the way). It showcases the mad, frantic, masterful way Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds can direct emotions and coax the audience into applauding even though he's bringing to light all their flaws (well not just them, but humans in general).

But I've gotten caught up in describing only one half of his musical persona. The other half consists of the brooding crooner (think David Bowie, Tom Waits, or Lou Reed) singing lines such as, "We've bred all our kittens white so that we can see them in the night ... God is in the house." - any songwriter who can compare forced Christian individualism and seclusion with cats, has my vote as one of the greatest lyricists of the 20th century.

It is rather terrifying, because if it wasn't for the documentary (more on that later), you'd think that Cave actually meant every lyric he pronounced - he's that good of a performer. Pure emotion and visceral honesty. After you hear him shouting, "Do you love me?" after describing his lover's bleeding thighs with complete conviction, you wonder, Is he talking from experience?

Now the crowning achievement (both of Cave and whoever produced this DVD), is the documentary which shows Cave and his cohorts recording the `No More Shall We Part' album. It shows Cave in a different light than what most people are used to. You think you'd see a brooding madman, berating and ranting (like his live shows), but here in his natural persona (I've used that word again), he is surprisingly normal. Quiet, encouraging, and sarcastically funny, he seems like someone worth knowing in real life. I was worried `cause, as entertaining as it is, his live personality is something I'd rather watch from a distance.

While Cave and his band (the Bad Seeds) aren't at their absolute best on this particular show (performing wise), they still have the energy they had back in the `80s (impressive, considering that there's not a person in the band younger than 40). Hopefully there will be another live performance released on DVD, but for those who need more, check out the album `Live Seeds' - a flawless performance - perhaps one of the greatest live albums of all time.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds would have to rate as one of the all-time great line-ups of musicians ever to grace the stages and stereos of the world, and thus its fitting that their first DVD be suitably impressive.

The main extravagance of "God Is In The House" is a concert recorded in Lyon, France on the 2001 "No More Shall We Part" tour. Featuring a Bad Seeds line up of Mick Harvey (guitars), Blixia Bargeld (guitars), Conway Savage (piano), Jim Sclavonous (percussion), Warren Ellis (violin/organ), Tomas Wylder (drums) and Martyn Casey (bass). This is a truly spectacular line up and they deliver a very good concert. The curtain raiser, "Do You Love Me?", is very good, but the pace doesn't let up - nearly every song is a highlight, except (oddly) the title track, which personally doesn't do anything for me. Maybe other people get something out of it that I don't.

The extras are very impressive as well. All three "No More..." videos are included - the very abstract "As I Sat Sadly By Her Side", the incredibly hilarious "Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow" and the beautifully emotional "Love Letter", which brought tears to my eyes. A forty-minute film of the band recording "No More Shall We Part" provides a great insight into the recording of an album (and the bit in the middle featuring the recording of "The Sorrowful Wife" is brilliant).

Ultimately, if you're a Nick Cave fan, there's simply no excuse not to own this (unless you don't have the money). It's not perfect, but damn it comes close. "The Videos" should be great, too.

I have seen Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds live in Lisbon, during the "No More Shall We Part" Tour. It was one of the best live shows I have ever experienced.

This concert belongs to the same tour and although the set list is similar and the energy of the performance is extremely high, it fails to deliver the magic of a live show. Maybe it is impossible to capture such unique and intense shows.

Nevertheless, it is a good musical dvd, due to the excellency of songs. The set list is very varied, with classics ("Do You Love Me?", "Red Right Hand", "The Weeping Song", "The Mercy Seat"), new songs ("Lime Tree Arbour" and "Into My Arms" from the album "The Boatman's Call"; "Oh My Lord", "As I Sat Sadly By Her Side", "God Is In The House", "We Came Along This Road" and "Hallelujah" from the album "No More Shall We Part") and even a surprise: the long and wordiest "The Curse Of Millhaven" from the album "Murder Ballads" for ending the show!

I don't pay much attention to the quality of sound or image as I'm generally more interested in the quality of performance and composition, but it is a fact that the sound quality is bad at least using my TV speakers (it is not that bad in other concerts), especially the vocals' sound. Maybe I should buy a good a stereo system and connect it to the dvd player!

The appeal of Nick Cave is hard to describe, but easy to understand when seeing him perform live. His music is smart, dark, brash at times, and melodic at others. This new DVD showcases one of the earlier concerts on the "No More Shall We Part" tour, taking place in Lyon, France in June of 2001. The show, to say the least, was intense.

As anyone who has been to a Nick Cave concert can attest, the songs take on a whole new life when performed live. His trademark is a style where the song starts off slow, but then gradually picks up pace, then becomes intense and blisteringly fast. The best song to illustrate this is "The Mercy Seat", my favorite of all the songs on this DVD. As far as the set list goes, it is a mix of old and new. New songs like "As I Sat Sadly By Her Side", "Oh My Lord", and "God Is In The House" are tempered with fan favorites such as "Do You Love Me?", "Red Right Hand", "Into My Arms", and the too seldom played "Papa Won't Leave You Henry". Absent here are some of the better songs, like "Henry Lee" and "Nobody's Baby Now". But what can you do? The highlights are Cave's inimitable dancing during the more intense songs, and when he even forgets the lyrics during "The Curse of Millhaven", a song that required an extra (audience member?) to hold cue cards for him. The full band was in top form, especially drummer Thomas Wydler and guitarist Mick Harvey.

The DVD transfer itself was quite good. The mix of camera angles assures that you get a good view of the band during all the key moments. The sound quality, which one reviewer said was horrible, was actually very good. I noticed no problems at all, and I deduce that his was a defective copy. The supplements are also good, considering that concert DVDs are not known for being overly generous in that department. The 35 minute "No More Shall We Part - The Recording Sessions" is not an actual documentary, but the filming of various stages of recording the album. There is no narrative, no interviews, nothing of the sort. It is very entertaining, and considering that material on Nick Cave of this kind is rare, it is a definite treat for fans. Also included are 3 music videos from "No More Shall We Part", the best of which has "Fifteen Feet Of Pure White Snow".

At long last, Nick Cave fans have a live DVD to enjoy over and over again. I have seen him twice live and consider him to be one of the best showmen around, so to have a concert on DVD is an easy recommendation for both new and old fans.

First off, it seems as if a dozen cameras were used in the live concert footage - we see everything from subtle expressions to sweeping, theatrical gestures.

Then there's the sound - a good, clear mix that takes full advantage of the dynamics of this band in all it's swaggering, subtle power.

The recording sessions documentary is interesting stuff in that the songs which seemed so natural on record were actually labored over, sometimes with obvious difficulty. My favorite parts were seeing Blixa getting upset about his closet-like recording room, the McGarrigle sisters furitively sharing a cigarette, and the many moments when the songs finally came together in brilliant little moments, making all the preceeding labor worth it.

The promotional videos were great as well - 15 ft. of Pure White Snow is actually laugh out loud funny yet creepy upon first viewing, and Love Letter might actually be a song thats sentiment is made stronger by the video.

I would have given 5 stars if it were a little longer, but by all means this video is well worth the money.

Wow! A Nick Cave Concert in my living room! And an excellent show that evening too.. How lucky we are to have a chance to see this performance on DVD....NOT MANY OF US CAN CLAIM TO HAVE BEEN THERE THAT NIGHT........
Appropriately titled...it is, as someone said earlier, in a way a kinda religious experience........great showmanship, incredible lyrics, very listenable music....everything just clicks....this is Nick Cave in one of his finest moments...(although, I suspect he has had many....)If you are willing to experiment a little, and are looking for something just a little different, then give this DVD concert a try. If you are a fan, you probably already have it....or certainly should (what's wrong with you???)
I am constantly amazed at the energy level and almost "psychic bond" seen between Nick and the band members onstage.......that's one of the reasons this is a great DVD release rather than just a CD release......watching them "perform" is half the fun......
There is some good bonus material too....an interesting documentary, and a few videos.........
Not the "reference quality" DVD we would hope for, but certainly not bad either....good quality camerawork and visuals, 5.1 surround mix......with a good system, and the right frame of mind, well.......you will be totally satisfied. And hooked! I have always been a fan....going WAY back.......Finding something worth writing about, and trying to get others excited about it, doesn't happen to me too often.
I'm excited about this DVD release......and you should be too........
So,
what are you waiting for.....
get excited!!!!!!

A must have for any Nick Cave fan and indeed any serious music fan. The concert is Nick and the Bad Seeds at their best. The quality of the recording (both audio and video) it top notch - how concert DVD's should be done. The show was almost identical to one I saw them do about a year or so ago and it captured the performance perfectly.

One other reviewer commented that the sound quality is awful - I have no idea what he is talking about. Maybe he has a defective DVD or something because the sound on this DVD is excellent.

Nick Cave is a brilliant songwriter and an incomparable performer. This concert footage does well at showcasing the energy and pathos of his live concerts, during which he plays material from throughout his career and appears to thoroughly enjoy himself. He transitions easily from blinding fury to quiet beauty and back again, sometimes within a single song. His obvious love for his own work is infectious, and the Bad Seeds are at their manic peak. If a few of the songs seem less polished than they are on his albums, you need only watch the footage of the recording sessions to understand how much work goes into getting each take just right. (Highlights of this portion include Nick's yellow argyle sweater, the McGarrigle sister's baudy overpronunciation of Sweetheart Come, and a deadpan explanation for why one of the rehearsed songs never makes it to the album. It has to do with piranhas in Brazil). The three videos at the end of this DVD are wonderful - I found new meaning in the lyrics to As I Sat Sadly By Her Side (which, honestly, I'd always considered one of his weaker compositions); the video for Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow is disarmingly funny; and the video for Love Letter is almost unbearably beautiful. This DVD is well worth the price. It's a must for any long-time fans, who may not have many more chances to see Nick perform live, and would serve as a decent introduction to curious newcomers.

This is a great DVD. The primary feature is the concert, which alone, would be worth the price, but in addition it also includes three promo videos (Love Letter, AS I Sat Sadly By Her Side, and Fifteen Feet Of Pure White Snow), and a documentary on the recording sessions for And No More Shall We Part, which most cave fans that I've met agree is their best record.
I had never seen Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds live. Wasn't sure what I was in for.
Nick Cave is a rock star. He is so alive and animated on stage. He stomps and swaggers with the charisma of a mad man.

If you're into Nick Cave, there's no question: you need this DVD.

What a fabulous DVD! I saw the band in Seattle on the "No More Shall We Part" tour and the track list on this DVD is fairly close to the play list for that concert. I only wish they had done an encore of Stagger Lee on the DVD like they did when they were here. I have to agree with a previous reviewer that the sound quality for the concert portion of this DVD is not the greatest. But it is not bad for a live show. Regardless of any slight imperfection, this is a must-have item for any Nick Cave fan!! I absolutely love the promo videos!!