Why Nick Cave is the greatest ‘serious’ rock musician of our time. Period. The End.

Music isn’t a contest, but if it were, I’d offer these to the thread title..

Lou Reed

Mark E Smith

David Thomas

Brian Eno

Kate Bush

(..just for starters...!)

 

As much as I like that list, I can only agree with eno

 

Yeah, it probably seemed a bit like that but... the Triffids, the Go Betweens and a number of other Australian groups aren't exactly exhausted subjects for discussion. I mean you could probably take a single track on Ringo's worst album and find more about it on here than any of these!

 

Yeah, I agree. That's the point, isn't it. We get a thread on Nick Cave being the greatest songwriter ever (ahem)..... and very little about The Triffids or The Go-Betweens. And a load of other bands and artists we could probably mention.

 

Cave is too one-dimensional to be considered a great artist. He should try lightening up a bit. I saw him in Brixton twenty years ago and he was mildly enjoyable, I suppose. Death doesn’t have to be gloomy. Perhaps he could cover “Bright Side of Life” by Monty Python.

For a truly great artist over the period that Cave has been active, a genuine master of songwriting and versatility, I would suggest Elvis Costello.

 

Absolutely - Costello towers above him, and most everyone else mind. For the reasons you've said.

 

Fair enough, but even if I wasn’t a Lou Reed fan, nothing on earth could convince me Cave is better than him, nothing

 

I think if anything, this thread has established that there's a lot of us out here who don't think Nick Cave is actually that good!

 

I think I actually like him less now after reading some of the pronouncements of opinion presented as fact in this thread

 

This thread is about OUR time. As far I know Lou Reed has passed away some time ago. And the most creative years of Elvis Costello are also to find in the past...

 

"That western" was an Australian (ie not a western at all) and, whilst it's not on my list of great films, I think is rather charming for it.

 

our time? Cave and Costello are 3 years apart in age. And as good as Cave's recent albums are, his most creative years are also behind him, sorry.

 

Interesting point. I'm 100% sure Cave's music or lyrics are not trying to appeal to the masses so...... I think it's a given a lot of people haven't heard his music and that it polarises those that do (it challenges you to like it rather than offer a nice catchy melody).

I think his lyrics are, generally dark, and the music difficult which makes him a sort or "Marmite" artist (meaning you love him or hate him). Yes he is pretty one dimensional but what he does is pretty unique and he does very, very well so IMO in his category of music (ie Nick Cave) he meets the title of the thread.

 

That is not really relevant
One of the most incredible things about Nick is how popular he is given that he is 1000 miles removed from mainstream music taste in Australia

 

and on reflection, the thread title is exactly the sort of thing you could imagine a Nick Cave fan saying back in the day.

 

Are they serious because they use suits and fancy shirts onstage?

Even in a bathrobe the guy is one of the all time greats

 

Very unsensible
The fact that Bob Dylan is the best songwriter is not relevant to the quality or lack of it in Nick’s writing
In fact I would expect that Bob Dylan fans of his writing would be more than receptive to songwriters of the quality of Nick Cave
nor is it necessary to like him but it is necessary to have been a serious listener of Nick to so casually dismiss his songwriting skills with a comparison to Dylan
As much as I like the 2 Davids you mention there are much better writers around than them
Guy Clark Townes Van Zandt John Prine and a lot more
And none of them are better than Bob

 

Take it for what it's worth, but I find most of Nick's music to be pretty boring.

 

You keep seeing these opinions that "Nick Cave needs to lighten up". I can't help but think that the folks who feel that way either haven't heard a lot of Nick Cave's music or are taking a lot of it way more seriously than it's meant to be taken. This is the work of a guy with no sense of humour ?



Hell, you do a whole album of songs about murders mass or singular and then end it with a straight-faced but tongue-firmly-in-cheek solemn but smirking reading of Dylan's "Death Is Not The End"?
This is a guy who needs to lighten up ? C'mon....

As to Cave vs. Costello, I'll say this much: Cave's albums in the last couple of decades have been getting consistently stronger - can you honestly say that about Elvis Costello ? And I'm a Costello fan. The last Costello album I really liked was When I Was Cruel. 2002.

D.D.

 

Agreed about Costello. Been a big fan most of my life, but I'm finding it hard to care about any of his recent albums. Seems more concerned with his position in the music pantheon than in creating anything vital.

Saw Nick last year and he was incredible. Blew away my expectations. Absolutely life-affirming.

 

It's a bit feeble that other peoples opinion of a musician dictates whether you like that musician or not.

 

NOW YOU TELL ME

 

He peaked with his duet with Kylie Minogue 'Where The Wild Roses Grow'.
She gave his career some much needed pop clout....

 

Nick had been playing venues called The Bucket of Blood for years and fought drug addiction but the only time he admitted to being scared was when he saw the way Kylie's fans were looking at him on Top of the Pops. If he made the wrong move it could have been his last.

 

Why is this discussion still continuing? The OP settled it at the outset. Period. The End.