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Kim filled us in on the details:
The compilation CD Original Seeds: The Songs That Inspired Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds is now scheduled for Australian release on June 1st on Rubber Records distributed by BMG. Catalogue No.
74321552312
Researched and compiled by me, Kim Beissel.
Featuring 16 tracks by Tim Rose, Scott Walker, Johnny Cash, etc.
Original cover artwork by Lewis Miller (1998 Archibald Prize-winner).
Illustrations by Jenny Watson from her series "The Boys Next Door" 1978.
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Tracklisting:
| 1 |
Long Time Man |
Tim Rose |
| 2 |
Catman |
Gene Vincent & The Blue Caps |
| 3 |
Avalanche |
Leonard Cohen |
| 4 |
Katie Cruel |
Karen Dalton |
| 5 |
The Hammer Song |
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band |
| 6 |
Weeping Annaleah |
Tom Jones |
| 7 |
Sad Dark Eyes |
The Loved Ones |
| 8 |
The Big Hurt |
Scott Walker |
| 9 |
Tupelo Blues |
John Lee Hooker |
| 10 |
The Long Black Veil |
Lefty Frizzell |
| 11 |
The Folk Singer |
Johnny Cash |
| 12 |
Another Man Done Gone |
Odetta |
| 13 |
I'm Gonna Run To The City Of Refuge |
Blind Willie Johnson |
| 14 |
Oh Happy Day |
The Edwin Hawkins Singers |
| 15 |
Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus |
Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin |
| 16 |
By The Time I Get To Phoenix |
Isaac Hayes |
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Review of Original Seeds
Beat Magazine
27 May 1998
Various - Original Seeds (Rubber/BMG)
This compilation is nothing short of enlightening and exhilarating. It is a collection of songs that have either been covered by or inspiration for Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (similar to compilations tracing The Cramps' song roots). A cynical marketing gimmick to fleece Cave fans? Yeah, but a better collection of songs you'll be hard pushed to find this year. There are the obvious inclusions of melancholy balladeers Leonard Cohen (Avalanche), Scott Walker (The Big Hurt) and Johnny Cash (The Folk Singer) and there are some surprises and learning experiences. The surprises: camp 70s rockers The Sensational Alex Harvey Band appearance with the rather gothic Hammer Song, Tom Jones' eery country pop version of Weeping Annaleah and all eighteen minutes of Isaac Hayes' epic reading of By The Time I Get To Phoenix (he obviously took the long way) standing the test of time. The learning experiences: discovering the lived-in croon of Tim Rose (Long Time Man), Karen Dalton's fragile folk rendition of Katie Cruel being gobsmackingly astounding and the name Lefty Frizzell sounded like a bad punch-line until hearing his truckin' styled Long Black Veil.
Also here is the screechabilly of Gene Vincent (Cat Man), the gloomy art rock of The Loved Ones (Sad Dark Eyes), the funky gospel Oh Happy Day as arranged by Edwin Hawkins and the traditional working song Another Man Done Gone performed by Odetta accompanied by no more than her own handclaps.
Rounding it out are classics from John Lee Hooker, Blind Willie Johnson (a recording from 1929) and Serge Gainsbourg. The research that went into compiling this album was meticulous and is reflected in the informative liner notes (they will power you up with fodder for a decade's worth of music trivia conversations). This is a must buy for anyone that ever wanted to hear all the originals of the songs Cave covered so well on Kicking Against The Pricks (not all are tackled here but it's a start and the liner notes hint toward a second volume). Hell, it's also a cheap way to pick up Isaac Hayes' music now that his role in [US animated televison show] South Park has upped the value of his back catalogue.
Rating: 10/10, Andrew Masterson
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