No More Shall We Part is the eleventh studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 2 April 2001 in the UK (and 10 April in the US). The record, which was well received critically, came after a 4-year gap from recording, following the much acclaimed album The Boatman's Call and subsequent 'Best Of' album.
Nick Cave had to overcome heavy heroin and alcohol addictions in 1999–2000 before starting work on the album. It featured guest appearances by Kate & Anna McGarrigle and was met with mostly positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received a generally favourable score of 79, based on 18 reviews.[1]
Track listing
The album showcases the virtuoso talents of the Bad Seeds, with elaborate instrumental sections on nearly every track. Additionally, Cave's lyrics are less obscure than usual, and he sings in a wider vocal range than he had previously, reaching alto on several tracks.
All tracks are written by Nick Cave, except where noted
"Darker with the Day" utilises the chordal structure and melody of the rearranged piano version of "Papa Won't Leave You, Henry" (from Henry's Dream) performed by Cave in 2000.
A limited-edition version included a bonus disc with two extra tracks, plus multi-media CD-ROM files (the 2 bonus tracks also appeared on the UK double 12" vinyl pressing of the album):
Bonus disc
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Grief Came Riding"
5:07
2.
"Bless His Ever Loving Heart"
4:02
3.
"As I Sat Sadly by Her Side" (video)
4.
"No More Shall We Part EPK" (video)
The bonus disc also includes an enhanced section featuring lyrics, photo gallery, biography, album discography, interview, and internet links.
Singles
"As I Sat Sadly by Her Side" (MUTE 249) (19 March 2001)
"As I Sat Sadly by Her Side" – 6:13
"Little Janey's Gone" – 3:00
"Good Good Day" – 4:05
"Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow" (MUTE 262) (21 May 2001)
"Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow" (Single Version) – 4:07
"God Is in the House" (Westside Session) – 5:52
"We Came Along This Road" (Westside Session) – 5:38
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Exhibitions inspired by the album
In 2019, Greek artist Stefanos Rokos, presented his artistic approach to the album "No More Shall We Part" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, an art exhibition that started its journey in Greece and travelled to Antwerp, Belgium. The NMSWP part project is a testimony of Stefanos Rokos' personal proposal for a dialectic to be developed between two artistic forms- those of painting and songwriting, which have all along constituted the very core of artistic expression and creativity.
Nick Cave said about the paintings: "It was extraordinary to stand in the studio and see the paintings for real – the grandeur of them, with all their congested details and terrifying blank spaces. I feel connected to the essence of them. I feel they are very close to the way I write lyrics – intense bursts of memory, ecstatic detail, sudden erotics, esoteric imagery; the forging of frozen narratives that hover about like dreams, haunted and strange and life-affirming."
^"Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: No More Shall We Part". Q. No. 176. May 2001. p. 104.
^"Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Let Love In / Murder Ballads / The Boatman's Call / No More Shall We Part". Record Collector. No. 389. June 2011. p. 83.
^MacDonald, Ian (May 2001). "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: No More Shall We Part". Uncut. No. 48.
^Pozzi, Gloria (5 June 2001). "Nick Cave, la svolta vincente". Corriere della Sera (in Italian): 37. Retrieved 14 February 2021. Se non è più maledetto, come si e intuito dal recente album "No more shall we part" pubblicato dopo circa quattro anni di lavoro (vendute in Italia 30 mila copie)
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