Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Announce New Album B-Sides & Rarities Part II For October 2021 Release

Casey Melnick September 16th, 2021 - 12:53 PM

Australian rock band Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds will release B-Sides & Rarities Part II on October 22. This compilation album is the much anticipated follow up to the band’s B-Sides & Rarities from 2005. Today, the band released another teaser track from the album.

“Earthlings” is an unheard track from the 2018/2019 sessions that eventually morphed into the album Ghosteen. In a statement released with the song, Cave calls the track, “the missing link that binds Ghosteen together. A lovely song that just got away…” The song is a simple track that features an echoing synth and harrowing lyrics. Cave’s delivery is both tender and beautiful. An ethereal choir joins Cave in the song’s mellifluous ending moments.

B-Sides & Rarities Part I and Part II will be released together as a limited edition deluxe 7 vinyl box set that will include 83 rare tracks and exclusive sleeve notes. B-Sides & Rarities Part II was originally compiled by Cave and Warren Ellis. The project contains 27 rare and unreleased tracks from 2006-2020, including the first recordings of “Skeleton Tree”, “Girl In Amber” and “Bright Horses.”

This album also features the previously unreleased song “Vortex.” The song was originally written by various artists back in 2006 but it was never released as the band couldn’t define the song as either Grinderman or Bad Seeds.

B-Sides & Rarities Part I was released back in 2005. Compiled by Mick Harvey, it contains 56-tracks including rarities, outtakes, covers and B-sides from 1988-2005. This will mark the first time that the first part is available on vinyl.

With the announcement, Cave gives some of his thoughts on the upcoming release. “B-Sides & Rarities Part II continues this strange and beautiful collection of lost songs from The Bad Seeds. I love the final side of the last disc because it reveals the small and fragile beginnings of some of my favourite Bad Seeds songs,” says the front man.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds will headline European festivals shows in Summer 2022. In April, Cave released a single, titled “Grief,” that was inspired by a question written by a fan in 2018. The song deals with loss and grief and features sublime strings and evocative lyrics.

Earlier this month, it was announced that The Flaming Lips and a 13 year old girl are recording a Nick Cave covers album, Where the Viaduct Looms. This project features a cover of The Bad Seeds’ “Girl In Amber.” Cave was made aware of this cover recently and he fully approves.

B-SIDES & RARITIES PART I & II

PART I VINYL 1:
A1. Deanna (Acoustic Version)
A2. The Mercy Seat (Acoustic Version)
A3. City of Refuge (Acoustic Version)
A4. The Moon Is in the Gutter
A5. The Six Strings That Drew Blood
A6. Rye Whiskey
A7. Running Scared
B1. Black Betty
B2. Scum
B3. The Girl at the Bottom of My Glass
B4. The Train Song
B5. Cocks ‘n’ Asses
B6. Blue Bird

PART I VINYL 2:

A1. Helpless
A2. God’s Hotel
A3. (I’ll Love You) Till the End of the World
A4. Cassiel’s Song
A5. Tower of Song
A6. Rye Whiskey
B1. What Can I Give You?
B2. What a Wonderful World
B3. Rainy Night In Soho
B4. Lucy (Version #2)
B5. Jack the Ripper (Acoustic Version)

PART I VINYL 3

A1. The Ballad of Robert Moore and Betty Coltrane
A2. The Willow Garden
A3. King Kong Kitchee Kitchee Ki-Mi-O
A4. Knoxville Girl
A5. There’s No Night Out in the Jail
A6. That’s What Jazz Is to Me
B1. Where the Wild Roses Grow
B2. O’Malley’s Bar Pt. 1
B3. O’Malley’s Bar Pt. 2
B4. O’Malley’s Bar Pt. 3
B5. O’Malley’s Bar Reprise

PART I VINYL 4

A1. Red Right Hand
A2. Time Jesum Transeuntum Et Non Riverentum
A3. Little Empty Boat
A4. Right Now I’m A-Roaming
B1. Come Into My Sleep
B2. Black Hair
B3. Babe, I Got You Bad
B4. Sheep May Safely Graze
B5. Opium Tea

PART I VINYL 5

A1. Grief Came Riding
A2. Bless His Ever Loving Heart
A3. Good Good Day
A4. Little Janey’s Gone
A5. I Feel So Good
A6. Shoot Me Down
B1. Swing Low
B2. Little Ghost Song
B3. Everything Must Converge
B4. Nocturama
B5. She’s Leaving You
B6. Under This Moon

PART II VINYL 6

A1. Hey Little Firing Squad
A2. Fleeting Love
A3. Accidents Will Happen
A4. Free To Walk (With Debbie Harry)
A5. Avalanche*
A6. Vortex *
B1. Needle Boy
B2. Lightning Bolts
B3. Animal X
B4. Give Us a Kiss
B5. Push The Sky Away (Live with The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra)*

PART II VINYL 7

A1. First Skeleton Tree*
A2. King Sized Nick Cave Blues*
A3. Opium Eyes*
A4. Big Dream (With Sky)*
A5. Instrumental #33*
A6. Hell Villanelle*
A7. Euthanasia*
A8. Life Per Se*
B1. Steve McQueen*
B2. First Bright Horses*
B3. First Girl in Amber*
B4. Glacier*
B5. Heart that Kills You*
B6. First Waiting for You*
B7. Sudden Song*
B8. Earthlings*

UNRELEASED TRACKS *

B-SIDES & RARITIES PART I
3CD:

PART I CD 1:

1. Deanna (Acoustic Version)
2. The Mercy Seat (Acoustic Version)
3. City of Refuge (Acoustic Version)
4. The Moon Is in the Gutter
5. The Six Strings That Drew Blood
6. Rye Whiskey
7. Running Scared
8. Black Betty
9. Scum
10. The Girl at the Bottom of My Glass
11. The Train Song
12. Cocks ‘n’ Asses
13. Blue Bird
14. Helpless
15. God’s Hotel
16. (I’ll Love You) Till the End of the World
17. Cassiel’s Song
18. Tower of Song
19. What Can I Give You?

PART I CD 2:

1. What a Wonderful World
2. Rainy Night In Soho
3. Lucy (Version #2)
4. Jack the Ripper (Acoustic Version)
5. Sail Away
6. There’s No Night Out in the Jail
7. That’s What Jazz Is to Me
8. The Willow Garden
9. The Ballad of Robert Moore and Betty Coltrane
10. King Kong Kitchee Kitchee Ki-Mi-O
11. Knoxville Girl
12. Where the Wild Roses Grow (Original Guide Vocal Version)
13. O’Malley’s Bar Pt. 1
14. O’Malley’s Bar Pt. 2
15. O’Malley’s Bar Pt. 3
16. Time Jesum Transeuntum Et Non Riverentum
17. O’Malley’s Bar Reprise
18. Red Right Hand (Scream 3 Version)

PART I CD 3:

1. Little Empty Boat
2. Right Now I’m A-Roaming
3. Come Into My Sleep
4. Black Hair
5. Babe, I Got You Bad
6. Sheep May Safely Graze
7. Opium Tea
8. Grief Came Riding
9. Bless His Ever Loving Heart
10. Good Good Day
11. Little Janey’s Gone
12. I Feel So Good
13. Shoot Me Down
14. Swing Low
15. Little Ghost Song
16. Everything Must Converge
17. Nocturama
18. She’s Leaving You
19. Under This Moon

B-SIDES & RARITIES PART II

PART II CD 1 / VINYL 1:

A1. Hey Little Firing Squad
A2. Fleeting Love
A3. Accidents Will Happen
A4. Free To Walk (With Debbie Harry)
A5. Avalanche*
A6. Vortex
B1. Needle Boy
B2. Lightning Bolts
B3. Animal X
B4. Give Us a Kiss
B5. Push The Sky Away

(Live with The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra)*

PART II CD 2 / VINYL 2

UNRELEASED TRACKS *

Photo credit: Raymond Flotat