Tender Prey

Details

The album opens with frontman Nick Cave's signature song, "The Mercy Seat," which has been subsequently played at almost all of the band's live performances since 1988, and was later covered by one of Cave's influences, Johnny Cash, on American III: Solitary Man (2000). "The Mercy Seat" was released as a single in May 1988 prior to the album's release and "Deanna" was released in September. On the CD version, the video mix of "The Mercy Seat" is also included as the last track.

Upon its release, Tender Prey received positive reviews and charted in the United Kingdom and Greece. However, the album failed to chart in either the band's native Australia or the United States Billboard charts. The album was remastered and reissued on 29 March 2010 as a collector's edition CD/DVD set and in October 2010. It was also listed in the book 100 Best Australian Albums, alongside The Boatman's Call (1997), in the Top 30.

Cave later said, "It was a nightmare, that record. It is reflective of a group - particularly myself - who was just writing songs and there was no larger idea behind it. Sometimes some of the group was there, sometimes they weren't. I hear bad production and I hear bad performances as well." Cave later admitted that the album, "was made at a difficult time in my life when things were spiralling out of control in a lot of areas."

In 2012, the album was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia.

Track listing

1. "The Mercy Seat" – 7:17
2. Nick Cave – Vocals, Hammond
3. Blixa Bargeld – Slide Guitar
4. Mick Harvey – Bass Loops, Piano, Guitar, Backing Vocals
5. Roland Wolf – Guitar
6. Thomas Wydler – Drums
7. Strings – Gini Ball, Audrey Riley and Chris Tombling
8. "Up Jumped the Devil" – 5:16
9. Nick Cave – Vocals
10. Blixa Bargeld – Guitar, Backing Vocals
11. Mick Harvey – Bass, Xylophone, Backing Vocals
12. Kid Congo Powers – Guitar
13. Roland Wolf – Piano
14. Thomas Wydler – Drums
15. "Deanna" – 3:45
16. Nick Cave – Vocals, Hammond
17. Blixa Bargeld – Guitar
18. Mick Harvey – Drums, Bass, Acoustic Guitar
19. Kid Congo Powers – Guitar
20. "Watching Alice" – 4:01
21. Nick Cave – Vocals, Piano, Harmonica
22. Mick Harvey – Bass
23. Thomas Wydler – Drums
24. Hugo Race – Guitar
25. "Mercy" – 6:22
26. Nick Cave – Vocals, Vibes, Harmonica
27. Blixa Bargeld – Slide Guitar, Backing Vocals
28. Mick Harvey – Bass, Backing Vocals
29. Kid Congo Powers – Guitar, Backing Vocals
30. Roland Wolf – Piano
31. Thomas Wydler – Drums
32. Hugo Race – Backing Vocals
33. "City of Refuge" – 4:48
34. Nick Cave – Vocals, Hammond, Harmonica
35. Blixa Bargeld – Guitar
36. Mick Harvey – Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion
37. Kid Congo Powers – Guitar
38. Roland Wolf – Organ
39. Thomas Wydler – Drums
40. Backing Vocals – The Bad Seeds & Friends
41. "Slowly Goes the Night" – 5:23
42. Nick Cave – Vocals, Hammond
43. Blixa Bargeld – Guitar
44. Mick Harvey – Bass, Xylophone, Backing Vocals
45. Roland Wolf – Piano, Organ
46. Thomas Wydler – Drums
47. Ian Davis – Backing Vocals
48. "Sunday's Slave" – 3:40
49. Nick Cave – Vocals, Piano
50. Blixa Bargeld – Guitar
51. Mick Harvey – Acoustic Guitar, Drums, Bass
52. "Sugar Sugar Sugar" – 5:01
53. Nick Cave – Vocals
54. Mick Harvey – Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Percussion
55. Kid Congo Powers – Guitar
56. Roland Wolf – Piano
57. Thomas Wydler – Drums
58. "New Morning" – 3:46
59. Nick Cave – Vocals, Piano, Harmonica, Tambourine
60. Blixa Bargeld – Guitar, Backing Vocals
61. Mick Harvey – Acoustic Guitar, Drums, Bass, Organ, Backing Vocals
62. "The Mercy Seat" (video mix) – 5:05 (CD only)

Note: Early issues of the CD version of the album had a track indexing issue in which "Sunday's Slave" and "Sugar Sugar Sugar" were indexed as the same track.

Writing

Personnel

Guests