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Nocturama (album)

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Nocturama
Studio album by
Released3 February 2003
RecordedMarch 2002
StudioSingSing Melbourne
GenreAlternative rock
Length57:35
LabelMute, ANTI-
ProducerNick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Nick Launay
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds chronology
No More Shall We Part
(2001)
Nocturama
(2003)
Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus
(2004)
Singles from Nocturama
  1. "Bring It On"
    Released: 24 February 2003
  2. "He Wants You" / "Babe, I'm on Fire"
    Released: 2 June 2003
  3. "Rock of Gibraltar"
    Released: 1 September 2003
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic73/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Alternative Press5/5[3]
Blender[4]
The Guardian[5]
Los Angeles Times[6]
NME8/10[7]
Pitchfork7.0/10[8]
Q[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
Uncut[11]

Nocturama is the twelfth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on February 3, 2003 on Mute and ANTI-. Produced by Nick Launay, the album is the last to feature founding member Blixa Bargeld who departed the band shortly after the album's release.

Recording

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Nocturama was recorded in one week during an Australian tour in March 2002, and reunited Nick Cave and guitarist Mick Harvey with producer Nick Launay, who had worked with their previous band The Birthday Party twenty-one years earlier.

Reflecting on the recording experience, Launay noted: "I'll never forget the first day recording Nocturama. Blixa swept into SingSing Studio in that hat. Mick Harvey introduces me and Blixa goes, 'Oh, ja, the engineer.' Mick says, 'No, Blixa – the producer.' Blixa says, 'Well, we'll see about that, won't we?' From a distance they look like the most chaotic band. From an engineering point of view, it's just fucking mental – like recording a live gig but you're capturing this thing for ever. As soon as Nick walks in and sits at the piano, you're recording. The intensity is unlike any other band."[12]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Nick Cave.

No.TitleLength
1."Wonderful Life"6:49
2."He Wants You"3:30
3."Right Out of Your Hand"5:15
4."Bring It On"5:22
5."Dead Man in My Bed"4:40
6."Still in Love"4:44
7."There Is a Town"4:58
8."Rock of Gibraltar"3:00
9."She Passed by My Window"3:20
10."Babe, I'm on Fire"14:45
Total length:57:35

Singles

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  • "Bring It On" (MUTE 265) (February 24, 2003)
    • "Bring It On" (Edit) b/w: "Shoot Me Down" / "Swing Low"
  • "He Wants You" / "Babe, I'm on Fire" (MUTE 290) (June 2, 2003)
    • "He Wants You" (Edit) / "Babe, I'm on Fire" (Edit) b/w: "Little Ghost Song" / "Everything Must Converge"
  • "Rock of Gibraltar" (MUTE 318) (September 1, 2003)
    • b/w: "Nocturama"

Personnel

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Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
  • Nick Cave – Vocals (1–10), Piano (1–3, 5–8, 10), Hammond (1, 4–8, 10)
  • Mick Harvey – Guitar (1, 3–7, 9, 10), Backing Vocals (3, 5, 7, 10), Organ (2, 9), Acoustic Guitar (8), Bass (8), Bongos (1), Triangle (1)
  • Blixa Bargeld – Pedal Steel Guitar (1–3, 7, 9), Guitar (4, 6, 10), Backing Vocals (5, 10), Inexplicable Guitar (5), Gated Guitar (7)
  • Thomas Wydler – Drums (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10), Brush Snare (4, 7), Shaker (2)
  • Martyn P. Casey – Bass (1–7, 9, 10)
  • Jim Sclavunos – Drums (2, 4, 7, 9), Backing Vocals (7), Percussion (10), Tambourine (8)
  • Warren Ellis – Violin (2–10)
  • Conway Savage – Backing Vocals (3, 5, 7, 10)
Guest musicians
  • Chris Bailey – chorus vocals on "Bring It On"
  • Johnny Turnbull – backing vocals on "He Wants You", "Bring It On", "There Is a Town" and "She Passed by My Window"
  • Norman Watt-Roy – backing vocals on "He Wants You", "Bring It On" and "There Is a Town"
  • Mickey Gallagher – backing vocals on "He Wants You", "Bring It On", "There Is a Town" and "She Passed by My Window"
  • Chas Jankel – backing vocals on "He Wants You", "Bring It On" and "There Is a Town"

Sales

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Sales for Nocturama
Region Sales
France 20,000[13]
Germany 55,000[13]
Italy 20,000[13]
Europe 200,000[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Reviews for Nocturama by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds". Metacritic. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  2. ^ Sendra, Tim. "Nocturama – Nick Cave / Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  3. ^ "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Nocturama". Alternative Press (176): 88. March 2003.
  4. ^ Berger, Arion (February 2003). "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Nocturama". Blender (13): 91. Archived from the original on 11 December 2004. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  5. ^ Petridis, Alexis (24 January 2003). "Nick Cave: Nocturama". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  6. ^ Nichols, Natalie (16 February 2003). "Magnificently mordant moods". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  7. ^ Beaumont, Mark (18 February 2003). "Cave, Nick & The Bad Seeds : Nocturama". NME. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  8. ^ Carr, Eric (12 February 2003). "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Nocturama". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  9. ^ "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Nocturama". Q (199): 94. February 2003.
  10. ^ Hoard, Christian (20 February 2003). "Nick Cave: Nocturama". Rolling Stone (916). Archived from the original on 5 December 2007. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  11. ^ "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Nocturama". Uncut (70): 96. March 2003.
  12. ^ Male, Andrew (April 2020). "Nick Cave's 50 Greatest Songs: 'Something Monstrous Was Taking Shape'". Mojo.
  13. ^ a b c d Chris Barrett (22 March 2003). "Nick Cave retains staying power" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 13. p. 12. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
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