The Boatman's Call

The Boatman's Call is the tenth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in 1997. The album is entirely piano-based, alternately somber and romantic in mood, making it a marked departure from the bulk of the band's post-punk catalogue up to that point. The Boatman's Call remains one of the most critically acclaimed releases of Nick Cave's career.

The Boatman's Call
Studio album by
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Released3 March 1997
RecordedJune–August 1996
StudioSarm West, London
Length52:07
LabelMute/Reprise
ProducerFlood, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds chronology
Murder Ballads
(1996)		 The Boatman's Call
(1997)		 The Best of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
(1998)
Singles from The Boatman's Call
  1. "Into My Arms"
    Released: 27 January 1997
  2. "(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?"
    Released: 19 May 1997

Background and production

Recording for the album began at Sarm West Studios in London, United Kingdom in mid-1996, with "The Garden Duet", one of the album's outtakes, being the first song recorded. Though the bulk of The Boatman's Call was recorded at Sarm West, further recordings—including overdubs—were later done at Abbey Road Studios.

Musically, the album's tone is considered sombre and minimalist and marks a major departure for Cave and The Bad Seeds. Moving away from full-band arrangements and character-based narratives, the album's music and lyrics move towards the more intimate sound of Cave's solo voice accompanied by piano or a few other instruments. The tempo is also generally slow, reflecting many of the moods of the songs. Many of the lyrics seem to reflect on Cave's personal relationships and spiritual yearnings at the time of writing. Some songs are thought to be directed at either the mother of Cave's oldest son Luke, Viviane Carneiro (in "Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere?") or singer PJ Harvey, with whom he had a brief relationship around that time (as referenced in "West Country Girl", "Black Hair" and "Green Eyes"). "Green Eyes" includes a line from “Sonnet 18”, by Louise Labé (Kiss me, rekiss me, & kiss me again).

Cave performed "Into My Arms" at the 1997 funeral of INXS vocalist Michael Hutchence, an old friend from Cave's youth, and requested that the TV cameras be shut off for his performance out of respect for Hutchence. The song "People Ain't No Good" was also featured in the movie Shrek 2. The song “There Is A Kingdom” was featured in the movie Zack Snyder's Justice League. In October 2010, the album was listed in the top 30 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums.[1]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[3]
The Guardian[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
NME8/10[6]
Pitchfork6.6/10 (1997)[7]
9.3/10 (2011)[8]
Q[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
Select4/5[11]
Uncut[12]

The Boatman's Call received almost unanimous critical acclaim upon release with many reviewers citing it as Cave's most poignant album. NME rated it as the 23rd best album of 1997.[13] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[14]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Nick Cave

No.TitleLength
1."Into My Arms"4:15
2."Lime Tree Arbour"2:56
3."People Ain't No Good"5:42
4."Brompton Oratory"4:06
5."There Is a Kingdom"4:52
6."(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?"4:05
7."Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere?"5:46
8."West Country Girl"2:45
9."Black Hair"4:14
10."Idiot Prayer"4:21
11."Far from Me"5:33
12."Green Eyes"3:32
Total length:52:07

Bonus tracks
2011 Remaster
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Little Empty Boat"Words: Cave, Music: Cave, Bargeld, Casey, Harvey 
14."Right Now I'm A-Roaming"Words: Cave, Music: Cave, Casey, Harvey, Savage, Wydler 
15."Black Hair" (Band version)  
16."Come Into My Sleep"  
17."Babe, I Got You Bad"  

Outtakes and other songs

A number of other songs were recorded at The Boatman's Call sessions, some of which were later released as B-sides to the album's two singles and also on Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds 2005 compilation album, B-Sides and Rarities.

  • "The Garden Duet"
  • "I Do, Dear, I Do"
  • "Opium Tea" (released on B-Sides & Rarities)
  • "Sheep May Safely Graze" (released on B-Sides & Rarities)
  • "Wake Up My Lover"
  • "Farewell, Goodbye, So Long"
  • "I Got Another Woman Now, Dear"
  • "Little Empty Boat" (released as a B-side on "Into My Arms")
  • "Right Now I'm A-Roaming" (released as a B-side on "Into My Arms")
  • "Come Into My Sleep" (released as a B-side on "(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?")
  • "Babe, I Got You Bad" (released as a B-side on "(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?"')

Personnel
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Technical personnel

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 5
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] 18
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 4
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] 18
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] 58
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[20] 17
French Albums (SNEP)[21] 26
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] 19
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[23] 4
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[24] 2
Scottish Albums (OCC)[25] 35
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[26] 3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 32
UK Albums (OCC)[28] 22

Year-end charts
Chart (1997) Position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[29] 62

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[30] Platinum 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[31]
2011 release 		Gold 100,000*
United States — 50,000[32]
Summaries
Worldwide — 500,000[32]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. O'Donnell, John; Creswell, Toby; Mathieson, Craig (October 2010). 100 Best Australian Albums. Prahran, Vic: Hardie Grant Books. ISBN 978-1-74066-955-9.
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Boatman's Call – Nick Cave / Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  3. Flaherty, Mike (14 March 1997). "The Boatman's Call". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  4. Gray, Louise (7 March 1997). "A religious experience". The Guardian.
  5. Scribner, Sara (23 March 1997). "Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: 'The Boatman's Call' (Reprise)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  6. Oldham, James (1 March 1997). "Nick Cave – The Boatman's Call". NME. Archived from the original on 2 October 2000. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  7. "Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: The Boatman's Call: Pitchfork Review". Archived from the original on 10 August 2004. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  8. Berman, Stuart (25 May 2011). "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Let Love In / Murder Ballads / The Boatman's Call / No More Shall We Part". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  9. "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: The Boatman's Call". Q (299). June 2011.
  10. Diehl, Matt (20 March 1997). "Nick Cave: The Boatman's Call". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 December 2007. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  11. Wilkinson, Roy (April 1997). "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: The Boatman's Call". Select (82): 110.
  12. "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: The Boatman's Call". Uncut (70): 96. March 2003.
  13. NME staff. "Albums and Tracks of the Year for 1997". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  14. 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.
  15. "Australiancharts.com – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Boatman's Call". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  16. "Austriancharts.at – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Boatman's Call" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  17. "Ultratop.be – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Boatman's Call" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  18. "Ultratop.be – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Boatman's Call" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  19. "Dutchcharts.nl – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Boatman's Call" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  20. "Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: The Boatman's Call" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  21. "Lescharts.com – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Boatman's Call". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  22. "Offiziellecharts.de – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Boatman's Call" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  23. "Charts.nz – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Boatman's Call". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  24. "Norwegiancharts.com – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Boatman's Call". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  25. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  26. "Swedishcharts.com – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Boatman's Call". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  27. "Swisscharts.com – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Boatman's Call". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  28. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  29. "Jaaroverzichten 1997". Ultratop. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  30. "Danish album certifications – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – The Boatman's Call". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  31. "British album certifications – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – The Boatman's Call". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  32. "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Return with New Look at Old Themes". Billboard. 6 April 2001. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
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