Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus is the thirteenth studio album by the Australian alternative rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 20 September 2004 on Mute Records. It is a double album of seventeen songs.

For the novel, see Abattoir Blues (novel).

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
A photograph of a series of flowers in part of an arc are surrounded by a cream coloured border. Black text above the photograph reads "Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds" and italicised black text reads "Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus".
Studio album by
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
ReleasedSeptember 20, 2004 (2004-09-20)
RecordedMarch–April 2004
StudioStudio Ferber in Paris, France
Genre
Length82:30
LabelMute
ProducerNick Launay, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds chronology
Nocturama
(2003)		 Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
(2004)		 B-Sides & Rarities
(2005)
Singles from Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
  1. "Nature Boy"
    Released: 6 September 2004
  2. "Breathless / There She Goes, My Beautiful World"
    Released: 15 November 2004
  3. "Get Ready for Love"
    Released: 14 March 2005

History

The album was produced by Nick Launay at Studio Ferber in Paris in March–April 2004 and Nick Cave used The Bad Seeds line up of Mick Harvey, Thomas Wydler, Martyn Casey, Conway Savage, Jim Sclavunos, Warren Ellis, and James Johnston. It was the first album by the group for which Blixa Bargeld did not perform – English guitarist and organist Johnston, of the group Gallon Drunk, replaced Bargeld. Cave decided to split drumming duties for the two parts, with Sclavunos on Abattoir Blues and Wydler on The Lyre of Orpheus. According to Launay, the whole album was completed in twelve days.[1]

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 as The Abattoir Blues Tour. Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus's last track, "O Children", was featured in the 2010 film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, and the song is referenced as an achievement in Lego Harry Potter: Years 5–7. In March 2005, to complement the success of the double album, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds released B-Sides & Rarities, a three-disc, 56-track collection of B-sides, rarities, and tracks that had appeared on film soundtracks.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic88/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Blender[4]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[5]
The Guardian[6]
Mojo[7]
NME9/10[8]
Pitchfork7.8/10 (1) (2004)[9]
7.4/10 (2) (2004)[9]
9.0/10 (2012)[10]
Q[11]
Rolling Stone[12]
SpinB[13]

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus holds a score of 88 out of 100 from Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".[2] Susan Carpenter of the Los Angeles Times described the album as "a bounty of gothic 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."[14] Thom Jurek of AllMusic described Abattoir Blues as "a rock & roll record... a pathos-drenched, volume-cranked rocker, full of crunch, punishment – and taste" and The Lyre of Orpheus as "a much quieter, more elegant affair... more consciously restrained, its attention to craft and theatrical flair more prevalent.".[3] Greg Simpson of Punknews.org said that Abattoir Blues "is very bluesy indeed, a rock and roll album with many angry songs and booming bass lines," while The Lyre of Orpheus "insists on being a separate album, due to its completely different more gentle feel."[15] Dan Lawrence of Stereogum ranked the album at fifth in their list of best albums in Cave's discography, and described it musically as "riotous gospel rock".[16]

In a rave review, Tiny Mix Tapes critic Grigsby wrote that while Abattoir 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."[17] 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, on Abattoir/Lyre it is particularly rich and rewarding."[18] In a more mixed assessment, Douglas Wolk, writing in Spin, was complimentary of Abattoir Blues but felt that The Lyre of Orpheus was "effectively Abattoir spillover: more mellow, less grand in conception, but—somehow—more pretentious in execution."[13] In his Consumer Guide for The 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",[19] indicating good songs "on an album that isn't worth your time or money".[20]

Pitchfork named Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus the 180th best album of the 2000s.[21] It was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[22]

Charts

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus reached No. 5 on the ARIA 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.[23] The album reached No. 1 on the Foreign Albums Chart in Greece where it also received a gold certification.[24]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Nick Cave unless otherwise noted

Disc one: Abattoir Blues
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Get Ready for Love"Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn P. Casey, Jim Sclavunos5:05
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, Sclavunos4:54
7."Abattoir Blues"Cave, Ellis3:58
8."Let the Bells Ring"Cave, Ellis4:26
9."Fable of the Brown Ape" 2:45
Total length:43:05
Disc two: The Lyre of Orpheus
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Lyre of Orpheus"Cave, Ellis, Casey, Sclavunos5:36
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, Sclavunos4:25
7."Carry Me" 3:37
8."O Children" 6:51
Total length:39:25

Personnel

All personnel credits adapted from Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus's liner notes.[25]

Charts
Chart (2004) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[26] 5
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[27] 2
Belgian Albums Chart (Vl)[28] 4
Belgian Albums Chart (Wa)[29] 14
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[30] 2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[31] 7
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[32] 6
French Albums (SNEP)[33] 19
German Albums Chart[34] 7
Greek Albums Chart[35] 1
Irish Albums Chart[36] 4
Italian FIMI Albums Chart[37] 3
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[38] 11
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[39] 1
Portuguese AFP Albums Chart[40] 4
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[41] 3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] 12
UK Albums Chart[43] 11
US Billboard 200[44] 126
US Billboard Heatseekers Albums[44] 2
US Billboard Independent Albums[44] 10

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[45] Gold 35,000^
Greece (IFPI Greece)[35] Gold 10,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[46] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Interview With Nick Launay" Archived 29 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine, HitQuarters, 16 November 2009.
  2. "Reviews for Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  3. Jurek, Thom. "Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus – Nick Cave / Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  4. Lysnkey, Dorian (November 2004). "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus". Blender (31): 131. Archived from the original on 4 December 2004. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  5. Browne, David (29 October 2004). "The latest by Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  6. Petridis, Alexis (16 September 2004). "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  7. "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus". Mojo (131): 94. October 2004.
  8. "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus". NME: 64. 25 September 2004.
  9. Murphy, Matthew (5 October 2004). "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus". Pitchfork. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  10. Berman, Stuart (7 April 2012). "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Reissues". Pitchfork. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  11. "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus". Q (219): 115. October 2004.
  12. Blashill, Pat (25 November 2004). "Nick Cave: Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  13. Wolk, Douglas (December 2004). "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus". Spin. 20 (12): 118. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  14. Carpenter, Susan (28 October 2004). "A fertile mind for dark tales". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  15. Simpson, Greg (29 October 2004). "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus". Punknews.org. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  16. Lawrence, Dan (8 January 2014). "Nick Cave Albums From Worst To Best". Stereogum. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  17. Grigsby. "Nick Cave – Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus (& The Bad Seeds)". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  18. Sheridan, Tim (1 October 2004). "Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus". Paste. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  19. Christgau, Robert (8 February 2005). "Consumer Guide: Harmonies and Abysses". The Village Voice. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  20. Christgau, Robert. "Key to Icons". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  21. "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 200–151". Pitchfork. 28 September 2009. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  22. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
  23. "Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  24. "Top 50 Ξένων Άλμπουμ". 4 February 2005. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  25. Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus (CD). Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Mute Records. 2004. 0724386467003.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  26. "Australiancharts.com – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  27. "Austriancharts.at – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  28. "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  29. "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  30. "Danishcharts.dk – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  31. "Dutchcharts.nl – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  32. "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  33. "Lescharts.com – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  34. "Suche nach "Nick Cave"" [Search for "Nick Cave"]. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  35. "Ελληνικό Chart" [Greek Chart]. IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  36. "Discography Nick Cave". irish-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  37. "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus". italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  38. "Charts.nz – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  39. "Norwegiancharts.com – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  40. "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus". portuguesecharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  41. "Swedishcharts.com – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  42. "Swisscharts.com – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  43. "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Artist". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  44. Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Awards at AllMusic. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  45. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  46. "British album certifications – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree". British Phonographic Industry.

Further reading

Masters, Mark. "Nick Cave: Interview.". Pitchfork. 29 September 2008.

Orloff, Brian. "Nick Cave Sings The Blues" Rolling Stone. 22 October 2004.

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