| | The Birthday Party (Music) |
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TVTItem |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) |
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The Birthday Party (Music) |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) |
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TheBirthdayParty |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) |
comment |
Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })The Birthday Party was an Australian Post-Punk band, active from 1978-1983, and is best known for being Nick Cave's first band. The band features Nick Cave's howling madman vocals, Rowland S. Howard's and Mick Harvey's jagged, shrieking guitars, Tracy Pew's sleazy basslines, and Phill Calvert's crisp, tribal drumming.Originally named The Boys Next Door and a somewhat bland Punk band, their music style became dark, noisy, and theatrical with their second album: The Birthday Party, to which they formally changed their name. Two highly influential but commercially unsuccessful albums followed: Prayers on Fire and Junkyard, and two EPs: Mutiny and The Bad Seed, before the band split. Nick Cave and Mick Harvey went on to form Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds with one-time guest musician Blixa Bargeld, while Rowland S. Howard started a solo career.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })Tracy Pew died in 1986, and Howard in 2009.Not to be confused with the play by Harold Pinter. Some accounts claim the band was named after the play, but there's not really a consensus. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) |
fetched |
2022-07-29T06:11:24Z |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) |
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2022-07-29T06:11:24Z |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) |
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Dropped link to NickCave: Not a Feature - IGNORE |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) |
isPartOf |
DBTropes |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_14beeefd |
type |
Darker and Edgier |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_14beeefd |
comment |
Darker and Edgier: Every record was heavier, freakier, and more challenging than the last, culminating in Junkyard sounding like a Hardcore Punk/Death Metal mix on "Dead Joe." Excludes the Mutiny / The Bad Seed EPs which mellowed out to a sound closer to what The Bad Seeds would do. |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_14beeefd |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_22093e9b |
type |
New Sound Album |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_22093e9b |
comment |
New Sound Album: After the more straightforward Punk/New Wave sound of Door, Door, the Hee-Haw EP and The Birthday Party built up the madness, darkness and noise that would become the band's signature. The Mutiny and The Bad Seed EPs de-emphasized the noise and vocal mania, sounding closer to Nick Cave's later work with The Bad Seeds. |
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type |
Companion Cube |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_2482df9c |
comment |
Companion Cube: "Mr. Clarinet," if the title character is taken as a literal clarinet. |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_2482df9c |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_41744454 |
type |
Spelling Song |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_41744454 |
comment |
Spelling Song: The intro of "Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow)" ("H! A! M! L! E! T! YEAAHHH!") combines this with Careful with That Axe. |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_41744454 |
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Ambiguous Gender |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_4510b368 |
comment |
Ambiguous Gender: "Dead Joe:" |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_4510b368 |
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| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_48d94bb8 |
type |
Creator Backlash |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_48d94bb8 |
comment |
Creator Backlash: The band's debut Door, Door, which within 3 years of its recording would be described by Cave as "complete wank" Presumably even more so in the case of the five songs originally recorded with the intention of making up the second side of the album, which were scrapped in favour of new material (recorded after Rowland S.Howard joined) and have never (save for a demo version of "Sex Crimes", released on a 2005 compilation) been made publicly available. |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_48d94bb8 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_51f90774 |
type |
Step Up to the Microphone |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_51f90774 |
comment |
Step Up to the Microphone: Rowland S. Howard sings lead on "The Red Clock" and "Ho-Ho". Cave regrets not having Howard sing more of his own compositions, particularly "Shivers". |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_51f90774 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_56240281 |
type |
Country Matters |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_56240281 |
comment |
Country Matters: "Mutiny in Heaven," used towards a priest that the narrator confesses to. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_56240281 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_56240281 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_62dd83c6 |
type |
Goth Rock |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_62dd83c6 |
comment |
Goth Rock: The band were lumped in with the genre, but they did not fit the style and eschewed the label. However, their music was influential to Goth Rock's Garage Rock-rooted cousin Deathrock, and they're popular among Goths regardless. Having one of the other seminal vampire songs, "Release the Bats," helped. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_62dd83c6 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_62dd83c6 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_7301ae04 |
type |
Serial Killer |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_7301ae04 |
comment |
"Deep in the Woods" is the first of many Cave songs explicitly sung from the perspective of a Serial Killer. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_7301ae04 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_7301ae04 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_74e34bb |
type |
Singer Namedrop |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_74e34bb |
comment |
Singer Namedrop: "Nick the Stripper" is this to Cave, written as one of two self-deprecating songs alongside "King Ink" during a bout of writer's block. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_74e34bb |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_74e34bb |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_786afb29 |
type |
Looks Like Cesare |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_786afb29 |
comment |
Looks Like Cesare: Nick Cave and Rowland S. Howard with their wild, dark hair. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_786afb29 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_786afb29 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_7aea8bae |
type |
Murder Ballad |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_7aea8bae |
comment |
Murder Ballad: "Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow)." "Deep in the Woods" is the first of many Cave songs explicitly sung from the perspective of a Serial Killer. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_7aea8bae |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_7aea8bae |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_823c6e3e |
type |
Large Ham |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_823c6e3e |
comment |
Large Ham: Nick Cave, who sang like a raving lunatic. |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_823c6e3e |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_8bb8827 |
type |
Post-Punk |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_8bb8827 |
comment |
Post-Punk: Grew out of the Australian Punk scene into something much darker, more theatrical, and violent. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_8bb8827 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_8bb8827 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9014df71 |
type |
Saying Sound Effects Out Loud |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9014df71 |
comment |
Saying Sound Effects Out Loud: "Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow)," with the "Pow" being gunshots. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9014df71 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9014df71 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9603fba3 |
type |
The Something Song |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9603fba3 |
comment |
The Something Song: "A Dead Song." |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9603fba3 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9603fba3 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9c4a7090 |
type |
Springtime for Hitler |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9c4a7090 |
comment |
Springtime for Hitler: The band were surprised at the indie success of "Release the Bats," which they wrote as an over the top joke. |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9c4a7090 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9c550e26 |
type |
Word Salad Title |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9c550e26 |
comment |
Word Salad Title: "Big-Jesus-Trash-Can." |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9c550e26 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9c550e26 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9da3227a |
type |
Careful with That Axe |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9da3227a |
comment |
Careful with That Axe: Nick liked to shriek and howl in nearly every song, and he opens "Mutiny in Heaven" with a single ghostly scream. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9da3227a |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9da3227a |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9eca61c8 |
type |
Production Foreshadowing |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9eca61c8 |
comment |
Production Foreshadowing: "Swampland" would later be adapted into Nick Cave's novel: And The Ass Saw The Angel. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9eca61c8 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_9eca61c8 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_b3e3b9af |
type |
Playing Cyrano |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_b3e3b9af |
comment |
Playing Cyrano: "Mr. Clarinet:" |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_b3e3b9af |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_b3e3b9af |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_bd1e0352 |
type |
Australian Music |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_bd1e0352 |
comment |
Australian Music: A staple of the Australian Punk scene early on, though they emigrated to London when they changed their name. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_bd1e0352 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_bd1e0352 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_c660bc15 |
type |
Fan Disservice |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_c660bc15 |
comment |
Fan Disservice: The titular character from "Nick the Stripper." |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_c660bc15 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_c660bc15 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_c9597a03 |
type |
Self-Deprecation |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_c9597a03 |
comment |
Self-Deprecation: "Nick the Stripper" and "King Ink" are songs written by Cave as this during a period of Writer's Block, describing himself variously as "A fat little insect" and "King Ink feels like a bug and he hates his rotten shell." |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_c9597a03 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_c9597a03 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_ca834552 |
type |
Self-Titled Album |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_ca834552 |
comment |
Self-Titled Album: The Birthday Party is an inversion, originally being credited to The Boys Next Door. The band changed their name to The Birthday Party, and the album was re-released with the credit changed. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_ca834552 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_ca834552 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_cbaa9102 |
type |
Signature Headgear |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_cbaa9102 |
comment |
Signature Headgear: Tracy Pew always wore a cowboy hat. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_cbaa9102 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_cbaa9102 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_cff53786 |
type |
Cover Version |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_cff53786 |
comment |
Cover Version: Multiple of The Stooges: "Loose" is covered on their live EP Drunk on the Pope's Blood and "Fun House" on the Live 1981-82 album. They also performed whole sets of Stooges covers. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_cff53786 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_cff53786 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_d04d13d0 |
type |
Hemo Erotic |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_d04d13d0 |
comment |
Hemo Erotic: "Release the Bats." |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_d04d13d0 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_d04d13d0 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_d1c8f2b3 |
type |
Vampires Are Sex Gods |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_d1c8f2b3 |
comment |
Vampires Are Sex Gods: "Release the Bats" reads like weird vampire porn: |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_d1c8f2b3 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_d1c8f2b3 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_d4917d5a |
type |
Noise Rock |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_d4917d5a |
comment |
Noise Rock: Their music made heavy use of clattering percussion, walls of feedback, and unhinged vocals, constantly sounding on the brink of collapse. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_d4917d5a |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_d4917d5a |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_d8d0a461 |
type |
Fight Clubbing |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_d8d0a461 |
comment |
Fight Clubbing: The band's aggressive music and confrontational personae, and the general punk culture of the era, led to some notorious outbreaks of violence at their gigs, including band member on band member, band member on audience, and audience on audience. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_d8d0a461 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_d8d0a461 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_dbfe8427 |
type |
Intercourse with You |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_dbfe8427 |
comment |
Intercourse with You: "Zoo-Music Girl:" |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_dbfe8427 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_dbfe8427 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_de7b7cbf |
type |
Drugs Are Bad |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_de7b7cbf |
comment |
Drugs Are Bad: "Mutiny in Heaven" details a drug addict's collapse. |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_de7b7cbf |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_e0d20ea6 |
type |
Intentionally Awkward Title |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_e0d20ea6 |
comment |
Intentionally Awkward Title: The live EP Drunk on the Pope's Blood. |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_e0d20ea6 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_e18675e6 |
type |
Word Salad Lyrics |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_e18675e6 |
comment |
Word Salad Lyrics: Almost every song, to varying degrees. Particular examples: "Release the Bats," which degenerates into throwing as many gross words alongside "bat" and "vampire" as possible. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_e18675e6 |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_e18675e6 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_f88f2449 |
type |
Downer Beginning |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_f88f2449 |
comment |
Downer Beginning: "Shivers". |
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The Birthday Party (Music) / int_f88f2449 |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_fcdf597b |
type |
Titled After the Song |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_fcdf597b |
comment |
Titled After the Song: The original title of "Happy Birthday" was "The Birthday Party". Though they changed the song title, they thought it would be a good new name for the band. |
| | The Birthday Party (Music) / int_fcdf597b |
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ItemName |
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The Birthday Party (Music) |
