The Genius Of Nick Cave

#12: These Boots Were Made For Walking by The Boys Next Door

After last week's post, I'm winding it back 35 years - THIRTY-FIVE YEARS! - to Nick Cave's very first record. Things started even earlier than that. Cave and a bunch of his mates - who included Mick Harvey and Phill Calvert - formed a band at their school in Melbourne in 1973, playing songs by Bowie, Roxy Music, Lou Reed and the like. They continued after school with Cave, Harvey and Calvert being joined by bassist Tracy Pew. They turned their attention to the British and American punk scenes and started writing their own songs. The final piece of the jigsaw fitted into place in 1978 with the arrival of second guitarist Roland S. Howard. The shift in sound he brought the band helped fuel pretty much everything they did thereafter. Their first release was this cover of a song made famous by Nancy Sinatra. The song and the video were made before Howard joined, hence why it sounds like nothing that appeared on their debut album the following year. Sure, it'll never be remembered as one of Cave's defining moments, but it's notable for it being the first recorded output by a group of musicians who would later become The Birthday Party, one of the most controversial - and influential - bands of the 80s. And don't you think Nick looks more like Gary Numan here than Gary Numan did in 1978?