Nocturama (album)

Nocturama was recorded in one week during an Australian tour in March 2002, and reunited Nick Cave and guitarist Mick Harvey with producer Nick Launay, who had worked with their previous band The Birthday Party 21 years earlier.

Reflecting on the recording experience, Launay noted: "I'll never forget the first day recording Nocturama. Blixa swept into SingSing Studio in that hat. Mick Harvey introduces me and Blixa goes, 'Oh, ja, the engineer.' Mick says, 'No, Blixa – the producer.' Blixa says, 'Well, we'll see about that, won't we?' From a distance they look like the most chaotic band. From an engineering point of view, it's just fucking mental – like recording a live gig but you're capturing this thing for ever. As soon as Nick walks in and sits at the piano, you're recording. The intensity is unlike any other band."^[12]

The album received positive reviews, varying between highly positive (5/5 from Alternative Press^[3] and "CD of the week" in the Evening Standard^[13]) to moderately positive (3/5 from Q,^[9] Rolling Stone,^[10] and Uncut^[11]). Many of the reviewers pointed out the quality of the final track, "Babe, I'm on Fire", which in the words of John Aizlewood (writing for Evening Standard) is a "rip-roaring, tongue-twisting, 15-minute keyboard-led stomp, reminiscent of Dylan at his most coruscating. It's innovative eyebrow-raising and supremely disciplined--like Cave himself."^[13]

• "Bring It On" (MUTE 265) (February 24, 2003)
  • "Bring It On" (Edit) b/w: "Shoot Me Down" / "Swing Low"
• "He Wants You" / "Babe, I'm on Fire" (MUTE 290) (June 2, 2003)
  • "He Wants You" (Edit) / "Babe, I'm on Fire" (Edit) b/w: "Little Ghost Song" / "Everything Must Converge"
• "Rock of Gibraltar" (MUTE 318) (September 1, 2003)
  • b/w: "Nocturama"

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

• Nick Cave – Vocals (1–10), Piano (1–3, 5–8, 10), Hammond (1, 4–8, 10)
• Mick Harvey – Guitar (1, 3–7, 9, 10), Backing Vocals (3, 5, 7, 10), Organ (2, 9), Acoustic Guitar (8), Bass (8), Bongos (1), Triangle (1)
• Blixa Bargeld – Pedal Steel Guitar (1–3, 7, 9), Guitar (4, 6, 10), Backing Vocals (5, 10), Inexplicable Guitar (5), Gated Guitar (7)
• Thomas Wydler – Drums (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10), Brush Snare (4, 7), Shaker (2)
• Martyn P. Casey – Bass (1–7, 9, 10)
• Jim Sclavunos – Drums (2, 4, 7, 9), Backing Vocals (7), Percussion (10), Tambourine (8)
• Warren Ellis – Violin (2–10)
• Conway Savage – Backing Vocals (3, 5, 7, 10)

Guest musicians

• Chris Bailey – chorus vocals on "Bring It On"
• Johnny Turnbull – backing vocals on "He Wants You", "Bring It On", "There Is a Town" and "She Passed by My Window"
• Norman Watt-Roy – backing vocals on "He Wants You", "Bring It On" and "There Is a Town"
• Mickey Gallagher – backing vocals on "He Wants You", "Bring It On", "There Is a Town" and "She Passed by My Window"
• Chas Jankel – backing vocals on "He Wants You", "Bring It On" and "There Is a Town"