Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds 12 Days of Chartsmas Event!

Bat RampsDecember 28, 2020

2 258 4 minutes read

For this 12 Days of Christmas event for 2020, me (Bat Ramps) and Yaniv decided it was time to put out a big chunk of the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds customs that we have been working on together for quite some time. I am especially excited about this release because not only is it a celebration of one of my favourite artists ever but it is also the first time I am directly participating in any event such as this within the community! While Yaniv has taken it upon himself to gift us with a good number of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds customs before, considering how prolific the band is, there just needed to be more. Here are 6 songs that Yaniv and I have teamed up to work on for the time being that range from well-known classics to fan-favourite deep cuts. All customs consist of me handling the guitar/drums/bass while Yaniv handles the vocals/keys/venues/reductions aside from Lime Tree Arbour where the venue was done by me. I hope these customs reach the Nick Cave fans out there and solidify the band within the Rock Band custom community even further.

**Lime Tree Arbour – Bat Ramps:** “This song is definitely a stand out track for me within my journey with Nick Cave. Coming from mostly just listening to his first band, The Birthday Party, which consists of Nick Cave being much more high-energy, this song was probably the first time I really began to enjoy the quieter side of Nick Cave. Coming from an album that is full of moody and slower emotional pieces mostly in a reflection on his relationship with PJ Harvey, this track has always been my go-to from this album. One of the band’s shorter tracks it is a nice and easy play for the most part with an enjoyable vocal. A good choice for a warm up track”

**The Weeping Song – Bat Ramps:** “One of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ more popular songs, The Weeping Song tells a story of a father and son dealing with grief. In this song, Nick takes the role of the son and guitarist Blixa Bargeld takes the role of the father, being the closest thing we ever get to a Blixa-led track. As a fan of Blixa’s own band, Einstürzende Neubauten, I’ve always really enjoyed this song and found it a shame that Nick never utilized Blixa’s dynamic voice more often in the band. For Rock Band, it is quite fun for bass and drums, with an obviously good harmonies part where two people can decide who will be the father or the son.”

**Stranger Than Kindness – Bat Ramps:** “One of my favourite Nick Cave tracks, and apparently, as stated on his website this year, it is also his favourite Bad Seeds song as well. A song that has gained a growing level of significance to the fans as it has never been a smash hit for Nick Cave, but is adored by many. Quite a dark song, it was written by (to my understanding) guitarist Blixa Bargeld and Nick Cave’s former wife, Anita Lane, which may be why it holds such a specialness to Nick. A pretty consistent song to play with quite a bit of strumming on guitar and 16th notes on the snare. I also really wanted to squeeze some 80s Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in here!”

**Into My Arms –** **Yaniv297:** “This romantic piano ballad has become one of Nick’s signature songs, and for a very good reason. Those lovely, romantic and unforgettable lyrics speak for themselves: “I don’t believe in an interventionist God But I know, darling, that you do But if I did, I would kneel down and ask Him Not to intervene when it came to you” It’s one of those truly special songs, and it’s successful for a very good reason. It might not be an ideal fit for RB – it doesn’t have guitar or drums – but as a song it was too big to pass up. And besides, it’s an absolute delight on pro keys, the bass is surprisingly entertaining, and if you’re really good try singing and playing keys at the same time – it’s just a gorgeous thing.”

**Lay me low –** **Yaniv297:** “This song has a very special meaning to me, it’s probably the first Nick Cave song I’ve ever loved. “Lay Me Low” is arguably the climax of “Let Love In”, in my humble opinion the best album of Nick’s career. It’s a huge, dramatic (seriously, really dramatic) and grandioze ballad, that builds up to an enormous chorus, at which Nick’s humorously describes the scenes after his death, the enormous (“ten miles long”) parade, the writings in the newspaper and the other consequences. It’s one of those customs I’ve wanted to do for ages and I’m glad it’s here. It’s just a huge song to sing, play and you’ll be guaranteed to enjoy it.”

**Oh my lord – Yaniv297:** ““I thought I’d take a walk today It’s a mistake I sometimes make” Those two lines send shivers down the spine of thousands of Nick Cave fans around the globe. “Oh My Lord” is not one of his most well known song, but it’s very much a fan favorite. This 7 minutes epic is definitely the most ambitious choice of this pack, but something we’ve had to accomplish. “Oh My Lord” is a nightmarish epic, that might or might not be about a drug trip gone wrong. It has multiple verses, each one bigger than the previous, and way too many quotable lines to list here. It’s one of Cave’s most nightmarish, and best, epics, and just a phenomenal song – that also works great in Rock Band.”

That concludes this batch of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds customs, but more will be coming in the future at some point, so keep an eye out for that. I also want to say thanks to Yaniv for doing this project with me, and I would highly recommend him as a collaborator to anyone else looking to team up with someone. I’m very glad to finally be able to release these tracks with Yaniv and hope you all enjoy them!