i've been listening to Nick Cave since a friend of mine introduced me to
The Birthday Party - Prayers on Fire when i was in 10th grade.
i'm more familiar with his early albums than his material after
Let Love In (a great album if you don't have it)... although i do have the listenable
Murder Ballads. i've even read Cave's novel,
And the Ass Saw the Angel, which is like Faulkner if he simultaneously took acid and opium.
so having laid out my credentials, here are my recommendations, and the order in which i think you should purchase them:
1)
Tender Prey
this is possibly my all-time favorite Nick Cave album. he still has the post-punk edge of The Birthday Party, but it's balanced with melody and songcraft without getting too schmaltzy. "The Mercy Seat" is one of the all time best songs ever written about Death Row (i'd put it up there with some country legends). "Deanna" is a brilliant rave-up that gets me every time. really, this whole album is fantastic... the pinnacle of his early post-Birthday Party career.
2)
Kicking Against the Pricks
the name is taken from a bible verse (go figure). this is an album entirely of covers. it's a great, eclectic collection of songs that really shows what Cave's musical influences are. from country and blues classics like "Long Black Veil" and "Black Betty" to Velvet Underground's "All Tomorrow's Parties" and a really twisted version of "Hey Joe." it also happens to be a great primer of musical Americana.
3)
From Her to Eternity
this was his first solo/Bad Seeds album, and since it came right after Birthday Party, it's probably the most dissonant. it's a great album, and the title track (also featured in my all time favorite movie,
Wings of Desire directed by Wim Wenders) is a Cave classic. this album might be a little cacophonous for you, if you're mostly used to his later material. but it's worth owning if for nothing more than the title track and the fantastic cover of Mac Davis' "In the Ghetto."
4)
The Good Son
this is the first album where Cave really gets in touch with his softer side. it's a generally mellow, melodious album, so depending on which direction of his oeuvre one is coming from, it's either immediately appealing or takes a few listens to get used to. again, since you're used to his newer stuff, this album might not come as much of a shock. it's an excellent album, but overall i prefer the three above. the standout tracks for me are "The Ship Song," Cave's interpretation of a classic soul ballad, and "The Witness Song;" a dark, gothic take on american gospel.