The older I get, the less I look for new music. But it’s easier to explore deeper cuts of artists you have a passing love for….like Nick Cave for me.

My old friend Graham was obsessed with Nick: when we were teenagers, he’d play me The Birthday Party and early Cave and I never saw or heard the appeal……then in 1992 he played me ‘Straight To You‘ and it stopped me in my tracks…..such a swagger, and pure passion…..

‘Now Heaven has denied us its kingdom
And the saints they’re all drunk howling at the moon

And the chariots of angels are colliding
Well, I’ll run, babe, but I’ll come running

Straight to you, for I am captured
Straight to you, for I am captured
One more time’

I dipped in and out of his albums and have ever since, but one that resonated with me was ‘The Boatman’s Call’

Released in 1997, this was a real departure from the full band of madmen, and a batch of songs looking inward. It’s full of songs so strong, you could build a city on them and the production (by Flood) is astounding. I remember listening to this album over and over, and fell to sleep with it on every night for a year. You just can’t argue with ‘Into My Arms’, ‘Far From Me’, ‘(Are You) The One That I’ve Been Waiting For?’ ….all on one album…he was clearly head over heals in love at the time….and because I wasn’t, it accompanied those soul searching nights whilst I smoked some roll ups and drank cheap cans of beer.

‘As you’ve been moving surely toward me
My soul has comforted and assured me
That in time my heart it will reward me
And that all will be revealed
So I’ve sat and I’ve watched an ice-age thaw
Are you the one that I’ve been waiting for?’

Nick has impeccable taste in musicians….Blixa Bargeld from industrial terrorists Einstürzende Neubauten is ace….he played simple stuff but what he chose to play sounded so good……he left years ago but there’s been a carousel of dudes throughout. Would love to join the Bad Seeds, just for the suit allowance.

I saw the Bad Seeds at Glastonbury in 94….glorious weather all weekend except when Nick came on…it rained.

Nick’s had incredible heartache: he’s lost 2 sons, and his latter work has touched on this…..his structured classics have been replaced by stream of concious lyrical musings….and I miss the songs…but I know every album has gems to uncover……so I need to jump back in and dig round and find the gold in every album…so that’s what I’m going to do…….

…….jump on into my changing Nick Cave playlist and listen to it grow.

What songs should I add?