I like Nick Cave. he is the only artist I am really obsessive about. I buy all new albums and singles and stuff when they come out and I want everything he has participated in. Movies, books, albums, music, whatever. Also bootlegs and live albums and shit. Everything. No, I am not gonna go through his trashcan, what do you think? Anyway, here is a list of the versions of the song "The Mercy Seat" that have come into my possession. I only do this because I feel that it is impressive. And I wanted a reason to do something as useless as counting the versions of a song I own. Here we go:
official releases:
> LP-version from the "Tender Prey" album on Mute records (Stumm 52) from 1988
> single version from the "The Mercy Seat" 7" on Mute records (Mute 52) from 1988, which is practically the same thing as on the album, but as I said: I want everything that has the name Nick Cave on it somewhere
> live version on the 12" single to "I had a dream Joe" on Mute records (12mute148) from 1992, recorded live at the Paradiso, Amsterdam on either 2nd or 3rd of June 1992.
> live version on the "Live Seeds" CD & booklet on Mute records (Stumm122), recorded somewhere either in Europe or Australia during the tour 1992/3
> acoustic version on a bonus 7" that came with the "The Good Sun" album on Mute records (P Stumm 76) from 1990
> the same thing is also on the "B-sides and rarities" triple CD box on Mute records (CDmutel11) from 2005
> I have the same thing also on a CDR somebody gave me which just carries the title "rare". That doesn't count for the bottom line, though.
> live version with only Blixa Bargeld and Thomas Wydler accompanying from the "Live in der Volksbühne am 24.11.2000" compilation on Mute/Volksbühne recordings (lux000) from a mute/stumm event that also featured djxdj, pole, thomas brinkmann, add n to (x) and goldfrapp
> video on the "Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Videos" VHS compilation released by Mute records in 1998. This is a proper release.
barely official releases:
> Live video "Nick Cave and the bad Seeds live at the Paradiso" released 1992 by Mutefilms, which I bought on a fleamarket in Paris and still regret it because it is a fucking third or fourth copy and looks like shit. It is probably the same version as on the "I had a dream Joe" 12" mentioned above.
> Live version from "I told nothing but the truth" bootleg recorded live in Vienna on 4th of October 2004. If you listen closely you can hear me applauding in the audience.
> live version on a CDR-recording from the radio broadcast when Nick Cave and the bad Seeds played a fantastic acoustic set in the Radiokulturhaus in April 2001. Don't ask me where I got this from, because I won't tell.
okay, so that makes for 12 different releases and nine different versions.
August 2007