Tender Prey

Quality 0.50 · 1 view · Updated 2 months ago

title: "Tender Prey" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1988-albums", "nick-cave-albums", "mute-records-albums", "albums-produced-by-flood-(producer)", "albums-produced-by-tony-cohen", "albums-recorded-at-trident-studios"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tender_Prey" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]

FieldValue
nameTender Prey
typestudio
artistNick Cave and the Bad Seeds
covertenderprey.jpg
released
recordedAugust–November 1987
studioVielklang Studios and Hansa Tonstudio (Berlin); Trident Studios and Strongroom Studios (London)
genre* Post-punk
* gothic rock{{cite weblast
* garage punk<ref name"quiet"
* gothic country<ref name"quiet" /
* blues<ref name"quiet" /
length
labelMute
producer* Flood
prev_titleYour Funeral... My Trial
prev_year1986
next_titleThe Good Son
next_year1990
misc{{Singles
nameTender Prey
typestudio
single1The Mercy Seat
single1date23 May 1988
single2Deanna
single2date5 September 1988
::

| name = Tender Prey | type = studio | artist = Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | cover = tenderprey.jpg | alt = | released = | recorded = August–November 1987 | venue = | studio = Vielklang Studios and Hansa Tonstudio (Berlin); Trident Studios and Strongroom Studios (London) | genre = * Post-punk

Details

The album opens with frontman Nick Cave's signature song, "The Mercy Seat", which has been subsequently played at almost all of the band's live performances since 1988, and was later covered by one of Cave's influences, Johnny Cash, on American III: Solitary Man (2000). "The Mercy Seat" was released as a single in May 1988 prior to the album's release and "Deanna" was released in September. On the CD version, the video mix of "The Mercy Seat" is also included as the last track. "Deanna" is loosely based on the Edwin Hawkins Singers version of the hymn "Oh Happy Day". Subsequently, Cave issued an acoustic version of a medley of both songs. Hawkins' version was later issued on Original Seeds Vol. 1. "City of Refuge" is noted in the credit listing as being inspired by a Blind Willie Johnson song "I'm Gonna Run to the City of Refuge". This was later issued on Original Seeds Vol. 1.

Upon its release, Tender Prey received positive reviews and charted in the United Kingdom and Greece. However, the album failed to chart in either the band's native Australia or the United States Billboard charts. The album was remastered and reissued on 29 March 2010 as a collector's edition CD/DVD set and in October 2010. It was also listed in the book 100 Best Australian Albums, alongside The Boatman's Call (1997), in the Top 30.

Cave later said, "It was a nightmare, that record. It is reflective of a group—particularly myself—who was just writing songs and there was no larger idea behind it. Sometimes some of the group was there, sometimes they weren't. I hear bad production and I hear bad performances as well."{{cite book | author= Tracee Hutchison | author-link= Tracee Hutchison |title=Your Name's On The Door|page=183|year=1992 |publisher=ABC Enterprises |location=Sydney |isbn=0-7333-0115-0}} Cave later admitted that the album, "was made at a difficult time in my life when things were spiralling out of control in a lot of areas."

In 2012, the album was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia.

Track listing

| extra_column = Words | total_length = 54:34 | all_writing = Nick Cave, except where noted | title1 = The Mercy Seat | length1 = 7:17 | music1 = | extra1 = Cave | title2 = Up Jumped the Devil | length2 = 5:16 | music2 = | extra2 = Cave | title3 = Deanna | length3 = 3:45 | title4 = Watching Alice | length4 = 4:01 | title5 = Mercy | length5 = 6:22 | music5 = | extra5 = Cave | title6 = City of Refuge | length6 = 4:48 | title7 = Slowly Goes the Night | length7 = 5:23 | title8 = Sunday's Slave | length8 = 3:40 | title9 = Sugar Sugar Sugar | length9 = 5:01 | music9 = | extra9 = Cave | title10 = New Morning | length10 = 3:46 | headline = CD bonus track | extra_column = Words | title11 = The Mercy Seat | note11 = video mix | length11 = 5:05 | music11 = | extra11 = Cave Note: Early issues of the CD version of the album had a track indexing issue in which "Sunday's Slave" and "Sugar Sugar Sugar" were indexed as the same track.

Personnel

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

  • Nick Cave – vocals; Hammond organ (1, 3, 6, 7); harmonica (4–6); piano (4, 8, 10); tambourine (10); vibraphone (5)
  • Mick Harvey – bass (2–10); backing vocals (1, 2, 5–7, 10); acoustic guitar (3, 6, 8–10); drums (3, 8, 10); percussion (6, 9); xylophone (2, 7); guitar (1); bass loops (1); piano (1); organ (10)
  • Blixa Bargeld – guitar (2, 3, 6–8, 10); backing vocals (2, 5, 6, 10); slide guitar (1, 5)
  • Roland Wolf – piano (2, 5, 7, 9); organ (6, 7); guitar (1); backing vocals (6)
  • Kid Congo Powers – guitar (2, 3, 5, 6, 9); backing vocals (5, 6)
  • Thomas Wydler – drums (1, 2, 4–7, 9); backing vocals (6)

Guests

  • Hugo Race – guitar (4); backing vocals (5)
  • Gini Ball – strings (1)
  • Audrey Riley – strings (1)
  • Chris Tombling – strings (1)
  • Ian Davis – backing vocals (7)

Chart positions

::data[format=table] | Chart (1988) | Peak position | UK Albums Chart | UK Independent Albums Chart | |---|---|---|---| | 67 | | | | | 2 | | | | ::

::data[format=table] | Chart (2025) | Peak position | Croatian International Albums (HDU) | |---|---|---| | 16 | | | ::

References

References

  1. Deming, Mark. "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds {{!}} Biography & History".
  2. Lopez, Samantha. (8 October 2019). "10 Goth-Rock Albums Every Music Fan Should Own".
  3. Freeman, John. (30 September 2013). "An Eye For An Eye: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' Tender Prey Revisited".
  4. Raggett, Ned. "Tender Prey – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds / Nick Cave".
  5. Nicholls, Chris. (9 April 2010). "Album Review: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Tender Prey (remastered)".
  6. O'Hagan, Sean. (24 September 1988). "Let Us Prey".
  7. Vrabel, Jeff. (1 June 2010). "Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Tender Prey, The Good Son, Henry's Dream Reviews".
  8. Snow, Mat. (November 1988). "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Tender Prey".
  9. Nicholson, Tim. (24 September 1988). "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Tender Prey".
  10. Sisario, Ben. (2004). "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide". [[Simon & Schuster]].
  11. Reynolds, Simon. (1995). "Spin Alternative Record Guide". [[Vintage Books]].
  12. Quantick, David. (May 2010). "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Tender Prey / The Good Son / Henry's Dream".
  13. (October 2010). "[[100 Best Australian Albums]]". Hardie Grant Books.
  14. Dwyer, Michael. (July 1998). "Album by Album with Nick Cave". Tilmond Pty Ltd.
  15. "From AC/DC to Indigenous languages, ten new titles added to the National Registry of Recorded Sound".
  16. "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds | Artist". [[British Phonographic Industry]].
  17. "Indie Hits: "C"". [[Cherry Red Records.
  18. (17 February 2025). "Lista prodaje 8. tjedan 2025. (17.02.2025. - 23.02.2025.)". [[Top of the Shops.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1988-albumsnick-cave-albumsmute-records-albumsalbums-produced-by-flood-(producer)albums-produced-by-tony-cohenalbums-recorded-at-trident-studios