Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Opium Tea (1997)

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds released their tenth studio album in 1997, with 'The Boatman's Call' being entirely piano-based, alternately somber and romantic in mood, and a marked departure from the bulk of the band's post-punk catalogue. Recording for the album began at Sarm West Studios in London in mid-1996, with 'The Garden Duet' being the first song to be recorded, although it was to be one of a number of songs which didn't appear on the final record. Further recordings were later done at Abbey Road Studios, with Cave moving away from full-band arrangements and character-based narratives, and the album's music and lyrics moving towards the more intimate sound of his solo voice accompanied by piano or a few other instruments. The tempo is also generally slow, reflecting the sombre mood of the songs, while many of the lyrics seem to reflect on Cave's personal relationships and spiritual yearnings at the time of writing. Precious few studio outtakes from Cave predating the mid-90's actually exist, something he attributes to the fact that they were often too strung out to record more than the bare minimum, but having recently kicked heroin, and also had his heart scrambled by Polly Harvey, following their brief relationship, he entered Sarm West in 1996 with an abundance of material. Several strays from the sessions turned up on 2005's 'B-Sides And Rarities', and a couple ended up as b-sides on singles from the album, while alternate versions of four of the tracks from the record have also appeared, most radically a full band version of 'Black Hair'. You can hear why the long, half-realised 'Garden Duet' and sleazy blues of 'I Got Another Woman Now, Dear' might not have fitted in with the rest of the tracks chosen for the album, although they are still well worth hearing, whereas the decision to discard the wracked 'I Do, Dear, I Do' is, quite frankly, a mystery. I've had to make one small edit, as the afore-mentioned 'I Got Another Woman Now, Dear' had an annoying glitch in the first verse on every single online copy that I found, and try as I might I couldn't fix it, so as it was a lengthy track to start with I've just removed the whole of the first verse, and if I hadn't told you I don't think you'd have noticed.  

Track Listing

01 Come Into My Sleep (b-side of '(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?' 1996)
02 Little Empty Boat (b-side of 'Into My Arms' 1997)
03 Right Now I'm a-Roaming (b-side of 'Into My Arms' 1997)
04 The Garden Duet (out-take 1996)
05 I've Got Another Woman Now, Dear (out-take 1997)

06 Wake Up My Lover (out-take 1997)
07 Baby I Got You Bad (b-side of '(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?' 1996)
08 I Do, Dear, I Do (bonus track on Japanese CD)

09 Opium Tea (out-take 1997)
10 Sheep Shall Safely Graze (out-take 1997)
11 Farewell, So Long, Goodbye (out-take 1997)