| Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 20, 2004 (2004-09-20) | |||
| Recorded | March–April 2004 | |||
| Studio | Studio Ferber inParis, France | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 82:30 | |||
| Label | Mute | |||
| Producer | Nick Launay,Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | |||
| Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus | ||||
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Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus is the thirteenth studio album by the Australianalternative rock bandNick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 20 September 2004 onMute Records. It is adouble album of seventeen songs.
Released to critical acclaim, the album reached the top 10 in thirteen countries, largely in Europe.Pitchfork named it the 180th-best album of the 2000s,[1] and it found inclusion in the book1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[2]
The album was produced byNick Launay at Studio Ferber in Paris in March–April 2004 andNick Cave used The Bad Seeds line up ofMick Harvey,Thomas Wydler,Martyn Casey,Conway Savage,Jim Sclavunos,Warren Ellis, andJames Johnston. It was the first album by the group for whichBlixa Bargeld did not perform – English guitarist and organist Johnston, of the groupGallon Drunk, replaced Bargeld. Cave decided to split drumming duties for the two parts, with Sclavunos onAbattoir Blues and Wydler onThe Lyre of Orpheus. According to Launay, the whole album was completed in twelve days.[3] The song "Let the Bells Ring", was a posthumous tribute toJohnny Cash.
The album also made prominent use of a gospel choir, which Cave credited with adding another dimension to his sound. "With a voice like mine, the choir adds a levity to the whole thing that I can't do on my own."[4]
The album's release was supported by the Abattoir Blues Tour, which travelled through Europe from 2 November to 5 December. In January 2007 a double live album and DVD was issued asThe Abattoir Blues Tour.Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus's last track, "O Children", was featured in the 2010 filmHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, and the song is referenced as an achievement inLego Harry Potter: Years 5–7. In March 2005, to complement the success of the double album, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds releasedB-Sides & Rarities, a three-disc, 56-track collection ofB-sides, rarities, and tracks that had appeared on film soundtracks.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 88/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Blender |  [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[8] |
| The Guardian | [9] |
| Mojo | [10] |
| NME | 9/10[11] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10(1)(2004)[12] 7.4/10(2)(2004)[12] 9.0/10(2012)[13] |
| Q | [14] |
| Rolling Stone | [15] |
| Spin | B[16] |
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus holds a score of 88 out of 100 fromMetacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".[5]Susan Carpenter of theLos Angeles Times described the album as "a bounty ofgothic rock" and noted that "the more driving, menacing numbers have been separated from the slow and scurrilous in a double album that is not two-halves of a whole so much as two distinct records released simultaneously and in one package."[17] Thom Jurek ofAllMusic describedAbattoir Blues as "arock & roll record... a pathos-drenched, volume-cranked rocker, full of crunch, punishment – and taste" andThe Lyre of Orpheus as "a much quieter, more elegant affair... more consciously restrained, its attention to craft and theatrical flair more prevalent.".[6] Greg Simpson of Punknews.org said thatAbattoir Blues "is very bluesy indeed, a rock and roll album with many angry songs and booming bass lines," whileThe Lyre of Orpheus "insists on being a separate album, due to its completely different more gentle feel."[18] Dan Lawrence ofStereogum ranked the album at fifth in their list of best albums in Cave's discography, and described it musically as "riotousgospel rock".[19]
In a rave review,Tiny Mix Tapes critic Grigsby wrote that whileAbattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus "may not be the best beginner's guide" to the band, for "anyone who is a fan of the duration of his career, this album rewards the listener with a bit of the best of everything he has to offer."[20]Paste said: "Aside from the power of the music and lyrics, the set draws on Cave’s compelling persona: part priest, part sideshow barker--crooning one moment and eviscerating the next. While this has always been the core of his talent, onAbattoir/Lyre it is particularly rich and rewarding."[21] In a more mixed assessment,Douglas Wolk, writing inSpin, was complimentary ofAbattoir Blues but felt thatThe Lyre of Orpheus was "effectivelyAbattoir spillover: more mellow, less grand in conception, but—somehow—more pretentious in execution."[16] In his Consumer Guide forThe Village Voice,Robert Christgau designated three songs from the album ("The Lyre of Orpheus", "There She Goes, My Beautiful World", and "Hiding All Away") as "choice cuts",[22] indicating good songs "on an album that isn't worth your time or money".[23]
Pitchfork namedAbattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus the 180th-best album of the 2000s.[1] It was also included in the book1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[2]
All tracks are written byNick Cave unless otherwise noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Get Ready for Love" | Nick Cave,Warren Ellis,Martyn P. Casey,Jim Sclavunos | 5:05 |
| 2. | "Cannibal's Hymn" | 4:54 | |
| 3. | "Hiding All Away" | 6:31 | |
| 4. | "Messiah Ward" | 5:14 | |
| 5. | "There She Goes, My Beautiful World" | 5:17 | |
| 6. | "Nature Boy" | Cave, Ellis, Casey, Sclavunos | 4:54 |
| 7. | "Abattoir Blues" | Cave, Ellis | 3:58 |
| 8. | "Let the Bells Ring" | Cave, Ellis | 4:26 |
| 9. | "Fable of the Brown Ape" | 2:45 | |
| Total length: | 43:05 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Lyre of Orpheus" | Cave, Ellis, Casey, Sclavunos | 5:36 |
| 2. | "Breathless" | 3:13 | |
| 3. | "Babe, You Turn Me On" | 4:21 | |
| 4. | "Easy Money" | 6:43 | |
| 5. | "Supernaturally" | 4:37 | |
| 6. | "Spell" | Cave, Ellis, Casey, Sclavunos | 4:25 |
| 7. | "Carry Me" | 3:37 | |
| 8. | "O Children" | 6:51 | |
| Total length: | 39:25 | ||
All personnel credits adapted fromAbattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus's liner notes.[24]
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Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus reached No. 5 on theARIA Albums Chart, its chart success in Europe includes No. 1 in Norway, No. 2 in Austria and Denmark, and top 10 in Belgium, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden.[25] The album reached No. 1 on theForeign Albums Chart in Greece where it also received agold certification.[26]
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[27] | 5 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[28] | 2 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Vl)[29] | 4 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Wa)[30] | 14 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[31] | 2 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[32] | 7 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[33] | 6 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[34] | 19 |
| German Albums Chart[35] | 7 |
| Greek Albums Chart[36] | 1 |
| Irish Albums Chart[37] | 4 |
| Italian FIMI Albums Chart[38] | 3 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[39] | 11 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[40] | 1 |
| Portuguese AFP Albums Chart[41] | 4 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[42] | 3 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] | 12 |
| UK Albums Chart[44] | 11 |
| USBillboard 200[45] | 126 |
| USBillboard Heatseekers Albums[45] | 2 |
| USBillboard Independent Albums[45] | 10 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[46] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Greece (IFPI Greece)[36] | Gold | 10,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[47] | Gold | 100,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Masters, Mark."Nick Cave: Interview.".Pitchfork. 29 September 2008.
Orloff, Brian."Nick Cave Sings The Blues"Rolling Stone. 22 October 2004.
