Kicking Against the Pricks


Kicking Against the Pricks is the third album released by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. First released in 1986, the album is a collection of cover versions. The title is a reference to a biblical quote from King James version of the Bible, Acts 26, verse 14.
The album marked the Bad Seeds debut of drummer Thomas Wydler, expanding the Bad Seeds line-up to Cave, Wydler, Mick Harvey, Blixa Bargeld and Barry Adamson. Cave would later downplay the importance of the record, but said it helped the band develop musically:
Remarking on the song selection, Cave said:
The strings were arranged by Mick Harvey and played by the Berliner Kaffeehausmusik Ensemble. "The Hammer Song" is not to be confused with the song of the same name from the 1990 Bad Seeds album The Good Son.
The album was remastered and reissued on 27 April 2009 as a collector's edition CD/DVD set. The CD features the original 12-song vinyl LP's track listing, while "Black Betty" and "Running Scared" are featured as bonus audio tracks on the accompanying DVD.
Recordings of seven of these songs, performed by the "original" artists, were later issued on the Original Seeds compilation CDs.

Track listing

  1. "Muddy Water" – 5:15
  2. * Nick Cave – lead vocals, organ, piano interior
  3. * Blixa Bargeld – guitar
  4. * Mick Harvey – piano, backing vocals
  5. * Barry Adamson – bass, backing vocals
  6. * Thomas Wydler – drums
  7. * + Dawn Cave – violin
  8. "I'm Gonna Kill That Woman" – 3:44
  9. * Nick Cave – lead vocals
  10. * Blixa Bargeld – guitar
  11. * Mick Harvey – bass, drums
  12. * + Hugo Race – guitar
  13. "Sleeping Annaleah" – 3:18
  14. * Nick Cave – lead vocals
  15. * Blixa Bargeld – slide guitar
  16. * Mick Harvey – piano, backing vocals, acoustic guitar
  17. * Barry Adamson – bass, backing vocals
  18. * Thomas Wydler – drums
  19. "Long Black Veil" – 3:46
  20. * Nick Cave – lead vocals
  21. * Blixa Bargeld – slide guitar, backing vocals
  22. * Mick Harvey – acoustic guitar, backing vocals, snare
  23. * Barry Adamson – bass, backing vocals
  24. * Thomas Wydler – percussion
  25. * + Hugo Race – guitar
  26. "Hey Joe" – 3:56
  27. * Nick Cave – lead vocals, organ
  28. * Mick Harvey – drums, piano
  29. * + Hugo Race – guitar
  30. * + Tracy Pew – bass
  31. "The Singer" – 3:09
  32. * Nick Cave – lead vocals
  33. * Mick Harvey – guitar
  34. * Barry Adamson – bass
  35. * Thomas Wydler – drums
  36. "All Tomorrow's Parties" – 5:52
  37. * Nick Cave – lead vocals
  38. * Blixa Bargeld – guitar, co-lead vocals
  39. * Mick Harvey – guitar, co-lead vocals, piano
  40. * Barry Adamson – bass
  41. * Thomas Wydler – drums
  42. * + Rowland S. Howard – co-lead vocals
  43. "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" – 3:39
  44. * Nick Cave – lead vocals
  45. * Blixa Bargeld – guitar
  46. * Mick Harvey – piano
  47. * Barry Adamson – bass
  48. * Thomas Wydler – drums
  49. * + Rowland S. Howard – guitar, organ
  50. "The Hammer Song" – 3:50
  51. * Nick Cave – lead vocals
  52. * Blixa Bargeld – guitar
  53. * Mick Harvey – organ, snare drum
  54. * Barry Adamson – bass
  55. * Thomas Wydler – drums
  56. "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" – 3:44
  57. * Nick Cave – lead vocals
  58. * Mick Harvey – piano, backing vocals, vibes
  59. * Barry Adamson – bass, backing vocals
  60. * Thomas Wydler – drums
  61. "Jesus Met the Woman at the Well" – 2:00
  62. * Nick Cave – lead vocals
  63. * Blixa Bargeld – guitar, co-lead vocals
  64. * Mick Harvey – guitar, co-lead vocals
  65. * Barry Adamson – bass, co-lead vocals
  66. * Thomas Wydler – drums
  67. "The Carnival Is Over" – 3:16
  68. * Nick Cave – lead vocals
  69. * Blixa Bargeld – guitar, co-lead vocals
  70. * Mick Harvey – piano, co-lead vocals
  71. * Barry Adamson – bass, co-lead vocals
  72. * Thomas Wydler – drums

    Track listing errors

Some of the songs were re-titled, and one was miscredited, as follows:
1. "Muddy Water" by Phil Rosenthal. On the Cave LP the song is credited to John Bundrick, who wrote a song of the same title, recorded by the band Free. Previously recorded by The Seldom Scene, and Johnny Cash.

3. "Sleeping Annaleah" is the song "Weeping Annaleah", previously recorded by Tom Jones.

6. "The Singer" is the song "The Folk Singer", previously recorded by Tommy Roe, Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, and Burl Ives.

7. "Black Betty" is actually three songs recorded by Leadbelly as a medley: "Looky Looky Yonder/Black Betty/Yellow Women's Doorbells".

13. "Jesus Met the Woman at the Well" is credited as "Traditional, Arranged The Alabama Singers". While this song was recorded by The Alabama Singers, it follows the arrangement of an earlier recording by The Pilgrim Travelers, which is credited as "Traditional, Arranged J. W. Alexander".

Singles