Performer Notes

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds: Nick Cave (vocals, piano, electric piano, organ, oscillator, bells); Mick Harvey (guitar, organ, drums, tambourine, shaker, bell, background vocals); Blixa Bargeld (guitar, background vocals); Conway Savage (piano, background vocals); Martyn P. Casey (bass, background vocals); Thomas Wydler (drums, shaker, triangle, tambourine, timpani, fish, background vocals).
Additional personnel: Robin Casinader, Warren Ellis (violin); Tex Perkins, Rowland S. Howard, Mick Geyer, Nick Seferi, Spencer P. Jones, David McComb, Donna McEvitt, Katherine Blake (background vocals).
Recorded at Townhouse III, London, England and Metropolis, Melbourne, Australia in September and December 1993.
Audio Mixer: Tony Cohen .
Audio Remasterer: Simon Heyworth.
Liner Note Author: Amy Hanson .
Recording information: Atlantis, Melbourne (09/1993); Metropolis, Melbourne (09/1993); Townhouse III, London (09/1993); Vielkland, Berlin (09/1993); Atlantis, Melbourne (12/1993); Metropolis, Melbourne (12/1993); Townhouse III, London (12/1993); Vielkland, Berlin (12/1993).
Photographer: Polly Borland.
LET LOVE IN is a powerful but somewhat schizophrenic effort. It alternates between frenzied tales of decadence a la TENDER PREY, and stately, Leonard Cohenesque ballad of the sort found on HENRY'S DREAM and THE GOOD SON. The one common thread, as always, is the unrelenting horror Cave takes such delight in presenting in his lyrics. From the morbid funeral setting of the gospelly "Lay Me Low" to the sexual abuse scenarios of the driving, profoundly disturbing "Do You Love Me?" LET LOVE IN is not for the timid. The album's highlight is easily the understated, subtly syncopated "Red Right Hand," a tale of a satanic figure, with appropriate horror-film backing track. LET LOVE IN itself is the audio equivalent of a particularly engrossing, ultimately unnerving horror film.

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (6/16/94, p.110) - 3 1/2 Stars - Good Plus - "...Cave is both singing with maturity and ranting and raving like the lunatic he often becomes in performance....works the balance between prudence and wild man fervor..."

Option (8/94, p.93) - "...The sound of Cave's voice and melodies, the gloomy subject matter, and the VU-like atmosphere of the Bad Seeds' instrumental work are completely predictable on each new album, but the intriguing twists and turns are not..."

Musician (5/94, p.69) - "...Hey, who says there are no hopeless romantics left?...Like Iggy Pop and Tom Waits, [Cave] has a voice that was meant to provoke, irritate and generally give you the creeps--a character voice....

Mojo (Publisher) (5/01, p.46) - "An emotional epitaph to Cave's Brazilian sojourn with Viviane Carneiro....by far the rowdiest Bad Seeds album..."

NME (Magazine) (12/24/94, p.22) - Ranked #10 in NME's list of the `Top 50 Albums Of 1994.'

Record Collector (magazine) (p.83) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "'I Let Love In,' 'Red Right Hand,' and 'Loverman' capture the speed-fuelled intensity of the sessions, the songs dripping with a danger, obsession and narcissism..."