Perfectly EXECUTED second album (The Firstborn Is Dead - Nick Cave)

Member Name: otalgia

Product:	The Firstborn Is Dead - Nick Cave
Date:	17/06/08 (54 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lyrical genius and unique musicianship

Disadvantages: Depressing lyrical subject matter

The Firstborn is Dead is the second album from the enigmatic Australian songwriter Nick Cave and his backing band The Bad Seeds. Originally released in 1985 as a 7 track album on Mute Records, it was later reissued in 1999 with 2 additional tracks from the Tupelo 7".

The song writing is a noticeable move away from the bawling and rock implosion style of his earlier works with the Birthday Party and a small but noticeable step away from his previous album 'From Her to Eternity' . A lot of the songs on this album have in fact been stripped down to sparse and roomy sounding mixes, given more room for attention to Nick's lyrics and vocal nuances.

The backing music is provided by the excellent Bad Seeds who included long-time friend and Birthday party member Mick Harvey, Magazine bass player Barry Adamson, Blixa Bargeld and multi-instrumentalist Hugo Race.


The Songs
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1. Tupelo
A crackle of thunder and a reverb swamped 2 note bass loop set the dark scene. Cave warbles 'Look-a-yonder, a big black cloud comes' which amply sets the scene for the entire album, death, misery and the blues. The song builds into a swashbuckling fiesta of guitar and tribal drum rhythms. The song sings about the pending flooding of Tupelo in Mississippi and makes references to Elvis (who had a big influence on Caves style, along with Johnny Cash and was born in Tupelo). Vocally the track is more akin to Nicks Work with the Birthday Party with gruff desperate bawls at the lyrics. This track was also released as a single, in a shorter edited form.

2. Say Goodbye to the Little Girl Tree
The song is a much sparser down-tempo and lyrically depressing song from the albums opener. A very elastic sounding guitar riff leads this song as Nick sings of the felling of trees, young womanhood, marriage and death. Nicks vocals on this track are much clearer and more distinct than the opener and the song seems more of an ode narrated over a backing rather than a traditional performed rock song.

3. Train Long-Suffering
This song starts with a train like vocal of "Whoo Whoo" and a thundering reverb swamped guitar pattern and military rolls of drums. Alongside Tupelo this song is the only other up-tempo number on the album. Despite the up-tempo beat, the lyrics quite cleverly sing of a train of misery arriving at the station of despair delivering a sackful of desperation.

4. Black Crow King
Nick sings 'I am the Black Crow King, the keeper of the nodding corn' in this almost slave like song. I say slave like, as the songs background lyrics follow Nicks as they follow his lead in a chain gang worker type method. The song, as common with the overall tone of the album is about Death, Crucifixion and redemption. The minimal drums on this track sound like a hand pounding on a wooden box. Overall the song conjures up images of coffins, darkness and depression.

5. Knocking' On Joe
An almost traditional sounding mid tempo blues song, with sad sounding piano and pulsing descending bass patterns. The song is about waiting to meet Jesus and knock on heavens door. It's sung from the perspective of a prisoner on death row and addresses the issues that imprisonment, persecution and hatred for the hideous crimes committed are no longer important, as death is finality in itself.

6. Wanted Man
A good cover version of the Bob Dylan's song performed in straight format rock fashion. The song sings of a criminal man wanted in several towns and cities across America. It's likely that Nick chose this song to cover as it was also performed by his idol Johnny Cash as San Quentin. This song fits nicely in the overall feel of the album due to the subject matter. It is also quite a lifting song musically after the barrage of depression evoking earlier tracks.

7. Blind Lemon Jefferson
The final song on the original album (but not the CD reissue) pays homage to the influential blues performer of the early 20th century - Lemon Jefferson.
The song is a musically sparse, almost heart stopping slow tune. Nick cackles about Jefferson's sad and lonely trail to his death (it was rumoured he was poisoned)
Nick sings -

'O his road is dark and holy.
He don't drive no Cadillac.
If that sky serves as his eyes
Then that moons a cataract.'

The song is a poignant and fitting end to the original album.

CD Extras
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8. Six Strings That Drew Blood
Originally a much faster up-tempo trashabilly song performed by his former band the Birthday Party, the song has been slowed down and stripped of all its feedback and anger and altered into a much more condensed dark and doomy ballad. It fits in well with The Firstborn album as an addition.

9. Tupelo
This version of Tupelo was released as a 7" single backed with 'Six Strings that drew blood' (reviewed above). The song is an edited version of the albums opener. It has been shortened by removing lines of lyrics and truncating the repetitive musical passages. The song is a great opener to the album, but the inclusion of this version on the reissue must be considered for completists and collectors only as it adds nothing to the overall package.

My thoughts
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After the success of the rock implosion that was The Birthday Party it was always going to be hard for Nick Cave to break away from that association.

To his credit he did successfully manage to gnaw at these associations with the release of his first album and this album well and truly severs all ties.

I do feel that this album, despite its lyrical genius can be extremely hard work and a little overbearing. Nicks lyrical topic of death and misery is well and truly rooted on this album and layed the groundwork and foundations for his future releases. Its not that the songs are bad, it's the feel and subject matter than can prove depressing.

I think you have to be in the right state of mind to truly appreciate this challenging but excellent album.

Further information
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Record Label: Mute
Catalogue Number: STUMM21

Available for £4.97 at Amazon.co.uk at time of writing

Copyright: M. Jones (Otalgia) 2008

Summary: Well written and perfectly executed second album from Nick Cave