Now, the first thing to point out here is that Shivers was not actually written by Nick Cave. It was penned by Rowland S. Howard who brought it to Boys Next Door when he joined the band. The reason I'm including it in this series is because of Nick's vocal. My god, it's incredible, isn't it? This was released in 1979 when Nick was but a mere lad, yet it remains one of his greatest vocals. Shivers closed The Boys Next Door's debut LP 'Door Door', an album Nick once described as "complete wank." Certainly side one is the sound of a young band churning out basic three chord punk songs, but side two - recorded after Howard came on board - hinted at what would happen as they morphed into The Birthday Party.
Such an amazing track... I am a very big Rowland S. Howard fan. His solo work got me through the wild and weedy late 80s when so many artists and bands were letting me down. His work with NIkki Sudden of Swell Maps fame (or maybe infamy), and as These Immortal Souls is really standout material.
ReplyDeleteI love Shivers. Great tune. And how young does Nick Cave look?
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