Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A mixed bag of goddies, straight from the Devil to you, February 11, 2003
First off, I think it's appropriate to note the actual definition of "Nocturama," which is a large zoo pen where animals are kept at night. It is with that imagery fresh in your head that you should approach Mr. Cave & Company's latest effort. The first couple tracks are sullen, resigned love songs. This has been a growing trend with Cave ever since "The Boatman's Call;" his newer material has seemed to gravitate toward an irony-free description of unsullied (or sometimes not) love and admiration. Thrown into this mix are his usual topics of religion, suffering, and...well, more religion and suffering.
The album then kicks into a rockier vein with "Bring it On," another tremendously powerful love song, and "Dead Man in My Bed," which is either -- depending on your point of view -- a hilarious metaphor or a ghoulish portrayal of an unsatisfying love life. The album then dips into a slower pace, similar to the beginning tracks and climaxes with the outlandish, carnivalesque 15 minute epic "Babe, I'm on Fire." The latter is an all out rocker that harkens back to earlier heavier-sounding Nick Cave albums like "From Her to Eternity." The limited edition DVD that comes with the album shows the video in its entirety (with Cave dressing up as Bill Gates, a horse, an alligator, etc.) and is, by itself, worth the price of admission.
The downside to having a track as freakish, loud, and chaotic as "Babe, I'm on Fire," as the final tune is that many listeners may walk away from the album wishing that Nick would put some more oomph into his new sound. "Nocturama" is truly a mixed bag. In a way it could be considered a culmination of his previous styles and sounds, but the slower material does outweigh the harsher stuff. If you enjoyed "The Boatman's Call" and "No More Shall We Part" and you appreciate his newer subject material (love and fellowship versus murder and mayhem) then you should definitely pick up the new disc. If, however, you are looking for "Let Love In Part II," you may as well look elsewhere.
So, in closing, even though the Devil is getting older -- and perhaps happier -- and signing about "being the rock of Gibraltar" to his loved one and promising to "sanctify his love", you've still got to give him his due and give the two-horned salute.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So it's different...who cares?!, August 8, 2004
I'm not entirely sure where the concept that Nick Cave singing mournful love songs was wrong came about, but it sure wasn't in his early work (check out "Shivers" by The Boys Next Door). "Nocturama" doesn't contain the frenetic energy of his earlier work, nor does it need to. Nick Cave has captured something with this LP - something beautiful, maybe - which makes it simply excellent to listen to.
That said, maybe I'm just looking at it in terms of knowing where Cave has come from. There are only three songs on this album that could be considered "rock" - "Dead Man In My Bed", "Babe I'm On Fire" (more on that later) and "Bring It On" (and that just barely). Of those, the former is brilliant, fast paced and nightmarish with beautfiul lyrics. The latter (featuring Chris Baily of the Saints) is equally amazing, hitting some kind of odd balance between rock and ballad that sees the Bad Seeds really getting in touch with some kind of new style, a style that they should explore more in times to come.
The ballads dominate the album, with many being excellent - "Still In Love", "He Wants You", "She Passed By My Window" and "There Is A Town" are all beautiful pieces of music - but "Rock of Gibraltar" could have probably stood a bit more work. That said, "Wonderful Life" and "Right Out Of Your Hand" are two of the best tracks on the album. "Wonderful Life", the opener, is a sprawling outlandish affair that is focussed by a beautiful set of lyrics that I've grown to thoroughly admire. "Right Out Of Your Hand" has Conway Savage featuring on vocals, which is always a good thing. Though never really challenging Nick for lead vocal, the almost duet style sees the two pianists complement each other perfectly.
Which just leaves "Babe, I'm On Fire". Clocking in at 14m46sec, "Babe" is one of the longest tracks in Cave's catalogue, and quite probably one of the best. It's long, it's loud, it's thunderous. Yes, it gets wearing there for a minute or two (just as it hits about 10min) but then it just dawns on you that it's still as good and fresh as it was at the start, no matter how long it is.
Some people say that "Nocturama" was just a vehicle to launch "Babe, I'm On Fire". Now, don't get me wrong, I love "Babe, I'm On Fire". But rather, I think that "Babe" was just an afterthought, and that instead it's the tracks like "Wonderful Life" and "Bring It On" that really dominate this album, that make it the masterpiece it is.
Nick Cave has changed across the years. Sure, we may never see an album like "From Her To Eternity", "The First Born Is Dead", "Your Funeral My Trial" or "Tender Prey" ever again. But, just because this is different, doesn't mean it's any worse.
SONGS OF NOTE - Wonderful Life, Bring It On, Babe, I'm On Fire
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Futher down the beaten path..., May 4, 2003
While there is no such entity as a "Bad Nick Cave Album", this is the one I would recommend last in a long line of excellent albums. That is not to say that it is bad, but i pales in comparrison to the former albums like "No More Shall We Part" and "The Boatman's Call".Like every Nick Cave album, this has it's various themes such as love, god, salvation, depression, and if I am interpreting it right, mental torture. The lyrics are sharp as always, but not as strong and potent as that of his earlier albums. Where "Nocturama" misses the mark is in the production, which makes the album seem over-produced, and I have the strong "been there done that" feeling when listening to the album. Since Nick Cave has built his career on the evolution of his unique sound, this album can be considered a step back rather than the leap forward that "No More Shall We Part" was. But I will stress again that this is not a bad album, and should please the casual listened with both it's intense and melodic moments. But for people wanting something that lives up to previous works, I cannot strongly recommend "Nocturama".
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album Nocturama 
