The Firstborn Is Dead (studio album) by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

The Firstborn Is Dead by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Year: 1985
Overall rank: 3,488th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
75/100 (from 175 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1985 (45th)
Award Top albums of the 1980s (541st)
Award Best albums of all time (3,488th)

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds bestography

The Firstborn Is Dead is ranked 15th best out of 28 albums by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds is Skeleton Tree which is ranked number 387 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 4,588.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album bestography « Higher ranked (2,229th) This album (3,488th) Lower ranked (4,707th) »
Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!The Firstborn Is DeadKicking Against The Pricks

Upcoming concerts

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The Firstborn Is Dead track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 79 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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1.
Rating: 85 (46 votes)Comments: 0
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4.
Rating: 76 (35 votes)Comments: 0
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5.
Rating: 79 (35 votes)Comments: 0
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6.
Rating: 79 (37 votes)Comments: 0
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The Firstborn Is Dead rankings

The Firstborn Is Dead collection

The Firstborn Is Dead ratings

Average Rating: 
75/100 (from 175 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 175 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
75/100
 Report rating
04/09/2024 13:30 robtinkham  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 52986/100
 
80/100
 Report rating
03/10/2024 03:01 juanr1096  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 5,17778/100
 
70/100
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02/28/2024 19:17 Helios  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 5,74770/100
 
40/100
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02/08/2024 03:30 EntList  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 24373/100
 
60/100
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02/02/2024 20:15 RockingRoll666  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,40073/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 12% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 74.6/100, a mean average of 73.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 74.8/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.1.

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The Firstborn Is Dead favourites

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The Firstborn Is Dead comments

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Rating:  
95/100
From 04/09/2020 10:54
I think this album is the most underrated and not appreciated of Nick Cave. It is not only an attempt to play blues music. All songs have that much space and quietness to succumb the ominous violence. And even the Dylan cover of Wanted Man breathes heavenly under the impression of The Birthday Party. By the way: all musicians on this record are absolutely great and worth to watch their career
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Rating:  
85/100
From 05/04/2016 17:20
The follow up to, from her to eternity, the firstborn is dead, is Nick Cave's blues album. It's full of blues imagery, especially on opener, tupelo, about the stormy night when Elvis and Jesse Presley were born. Elsewhere, there's the brilliant, black crow king, the superb, say goodbye to the little girl tree, and closing track, blind lemon Jefferson. Knockin' on Joe, is also a great brooding number. The only weak moment is the slightly boring Dylan cover, wanted man. All in all, another essential Nick Cave record.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 04/13/2015 03:21
A haunting, underrated album. "Tupelo" is definitely the standout track but everything is worth a listen.

Favorite tracks: "Tupelo", "Knockin' On Joe"
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 08/11/2014 16:43
Exceedingly dark and haunting. Tupelo might well be Cave's single best song.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 06/23/2012 06:30
I remember buying a black jumper just before getting the Stagecoach bus down to London to see him for this album's tour.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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Best Albums of 1985
1. Hounds Of Love by Kate Bush
2. Rain Dogs by Tom Waits
3. Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits
4. Meat Is Murder by The Smiths
5. Psychocandy by The Jesus And Mary Chain
6. Songs From The Big Chair by Tears For Fears
7. The Head On The Door by The Cure
8. Tim by The Replacements
9. Steve McQueen by Prefab Sprout
10. Misplaced Childhood by Marillion
11. Rum Sodomy & The Lash by The Pogues
12. Low-Life by New Order
13. This Is The Sea by The Waterboys
14. New Day Rising by Hüsker Dü
15. This Nation's Saving Grace by The Fall
16. Fables Of The Reconstruction by R.E.M.
17. Little Creatures by Talking Heads
18. Around The World In A Day by Prince And The Revolution
19. Love by The Cult (UK)
20. Live At The Harlem Square Club, 1963 by Sam Cooke
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