Besides being noteworthy as an astonishingly good all-covers album,
Kicking Against the Pricks is notable for the arrival of a new key member for the Seeds, drummer
Thomas Wydler. Besides being a fine percussionist, able to perform at both the explosive and restrained levels
Cave requires,
Wydler also allowed
Harvey to concentrate on adding guitar and keyboards live as well as in the studio, a notable bonus.
Race reappears briefly to add some guitar while former
Birthday Party cohorts Rowland Howard and
Tracy Pew guest as well, the latter on some of his last tracks before his untimely death. The selection of songs is quite impressive, ranging from old standards like "Long Black Veil" to everything from
John Lee Hooker's "I'm Gonna Kill That Woman" and
Gene Pitney's pop aria "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart." Matching the range of material, the Seeds are well on their way to becoming the rock/cabaret/blues showband of
Cave's dreams, able to conjure up haunting, winsome atmospheres ("Sleeping Annaleah") as much as higher-volume takes (
Roy Orbison's "Running Scared,"
the Velvet Underground's "All Tomorrow's Parties"). The version of
Leadbelly's "Black Betty" is particularly grand,
Harvey's drumming driving the track with ominous power. This said, often holding everything back is the key, as the creepout build of "Hey Joe" demonstrates. Even more striking is how
Cave's own vocals rebut the charges that all he ever does is overdramatize everything he sings -- consider the husky, purring delivery on
Johnny Cash's "The Singer." Other winners include a masterful version of
Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and the stately, album-closing "The Carnival Is Over," originally a mid-'60s hit for
the Seekers. ~ Ned Raggett