Released April 17, 1990 Release date 17 April 1990 | Length 45:12 Producer Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | |
Recorded by Victor Van Vugt at Sao Paulo, October 1989, mixed by Flood, Gareth Jones at Berlin, November–December, 1989 Genres Post-punk, Alternative rock, Roots rock Similar Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds albums, Post-punk albums | ||
The good son nick cave the bad seeds
The Good Son is the sixth album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in 1990 (see 1990 in music). It was preceded by the release of "The Ship Song" single. A different version of "The Weeping Song" was later also released as a single. After an album as dark and intense as Tender Prey, some fans were disappointed to hear a more relaxed-sounding Nick Cave on this record. The change of mood was due in great deal to Nick Cave falling in love with Brazilian journalist Viviane Carneiro, and an apparently salutary spell in rehab which purged the despair and squalor of the previous two albums. However, some fans consider this album as a classic that was unfairly judged at the time.
Contents
- The good son nick cave the bad seeds
- Nick cave the bad seeds foi na cruz
- Track listing
- The songs
- Singles
- Bad Seeds
- String Section
- Songs
- References
The closing track "Lucy" was resurrected in 1993 as a B-side of "What a Wonderful World", a collaboration of the Bad Seeds and the Pogues' Shane MacGowan.
Cave later said, "I guess The Good Son is some kind of reflection of the way I felt early on in Brazil. I was quite happy there. I was in love and the first year or two was good. The problem I found was ... in order to survive you have to adopt their attitudes towards everything, which are kind of blinkered."
The album was remastered and reissued on March 29, 2010 as a collector's edition CD/DVD set.
Nick cave the bad seeds foi na cruz
Track listing
All songs written by Cave unless otherwise stated.
- "Foi Na Cruz" – 5:39
- Singers - Clovis Trindade, Rubinho
- "The Good Son" – 6:01
- "Sorrow's Child" – 4:36
- "The Weeping Song" – 4:21
- "Father" Vocal by Blixa Bargeld
- "The Ship Song" – 5:14
- "The Hammer Song" – 4:16
- Guitars by Mick Harvey
- "Lament" – 4:51
- "The Witness Song" – 5:57
- "Lucy" – 4:17 (words: Cave. Music: Cave, Bargeld, Roland Wolf)
- Piano on reprise section by Roland Wolf
The songs
"Foi Na Cruz" is based partly upon the traditional Brazilian Protestant hymn of the same title. The title translates roughly as "It Happened on the cross".
"The Good Son" - the opening is based loosely upon the African-American traditional song "Another Man Done Gone". A recording of this traditional song, by Odetta, later appeared on Original Seeds Vol. 1. The lyrics appear, at least in part, to have been influenced by the Cormac McCarthy novel Child of God, with references to a "malign star" and laying down "queer plans" appearing in both, as well as common themes of dislocation and rejection.
The single mix of "The Weeping Song" is a different mix than the one found on the album.
"The Witness Song" is based loosely upon the traditional American gospel song "Who Will be a Witness?".
Four of the songs on the album were left with their working titles ("The Ship Song", "The Weeping Song", "The Hammer Song", "The Witness Song").
The instrumental b-side "Cocks 'n' Asses" was retitled "The B-side Song" for the USA release.
Singles
Bad Seeds
String Section
Songs
1Foi na cruz5:40
2The Good Son6:03
3Sorrow's Child4:40