The Sunday service: CAVEspers

Perhaps you've heard about 'U2charists'? In case not the 'U2charist' is a church service that uses church liturgy interspersed with U2 songs instead of traditional church music. Firstly, a quick word on this. I get the concept - somewhat in line with this blog - and I do like U2. However, in my mind it's cheating slightly! Using U2 is pretty much like using church music or at least Delirious? and the dozens of Christian bands that mimick the U2 sound. What I want is something a little bit more 'edgy'. So here's my first offering: CAVEspers...

Why CAVEspers? Well, there is definitely something of the night about Nick Cave, and it just seems appropriate that Vespers, the evening prayer service, belongs to him (although I'm very aware that the format below doesn't follow a Vespers format, necessarily). So here are some songs by Nick Cave that I would use in a CAVEspers service...

Opening hymn: Get Ready for love (Abbatoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus, 2004) Listen here...

Praise and Worship:
Hallelujah (No More Shall We Part, 2001) Listen here...
Carry Me (Abbatoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus, 2004)
I Let Love in (Let Love in, 1994) Listen here...

Confession:
Foi Na Cruz (The Good Son, 1990) Listen here... Translation here.
People Ain't No Good (The Boatman's Call, 1997) Listen here...

Bible Reading: There is a Kingdom (The Boatman's Call, 1997)

Intecessions:
We Call Upon the Author (Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, 2008) Listen here...
God is in the House (No More Shall We Part, 2001) Listen here...

Sermon
Response: The Mercy Seat (Tender Prey, 1988) Listen here...

Recessional: Bring it On (Nocturama, 2003) Listen here...

And finally, here's a quote from the man himself about Sunday services: "When I go to church, I have to take so much of it as metaphor, and I find it very irritating. The sermons are often pathetic and untrue, based on terrible misinterpretations of the Bible. But I like the order and the ritual of a church service. It gives me an elevated feeling about the mundane. I’m more aware of things... I haven’t had any great epiphanies. I just feel it’s my duty to educate myself about the concept of God."

Nick Cave>We Call Upon the Author

On Friday I went to see Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. They gave a simply magnificent performance and were so loud that even two days later my ears are still ringing. Cave might be 50 but I don't think I've seen such an animated lead singer - the drink and drugs don't seem to have taken too much toll on him.

The centrepiece to the gig was the song 'We Call Upon the author' from the Bad Seeds' recent album (Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!, 2008). Clearly this is an important song in the ever increasing and impressive Cave discography - it also takes centre-stage on the album. Cave introduced the song by saying, 'This next song alone will be worth the entrance fee. Are you ready?' Then the band pulled out the best performance of the night - intense, frenzied and simply brilliant - actually worth every penny of The £27.50 ticket.

The song itself is challenging - musically - and certainly lyrically (see lyrics here). Now I've reflected long on hard on what this song represents for me. Firstly, the lyrics of the song ask serious questions about God. On Friday Cave literally screamed out the line - 'We call upon the author to explain!' Then he launched into this verse:
'Oh rampant discrimination, mass poverty, third world debt, infectious disease
Global inequality and deepening socio-economic divisions
Well, it does in your brain
And we call upon the author to explain'
Now this is where I want to make my point! You just don't get words like this in a church service - but I think we should. The Psalms are just full of questions for God - often angry questions from alienated voices. I would argue that it is an essential part of the worship experience to pose such questions - it actually affirms us as God's children, granted freewill to ask real questions of our Father. And this is why the songs we sing in church - ancient and modern - just do not cut it for me. That's why I have to listen people like Nick Cave. They simply provide a worship experience that I don't get in so called 'sacred' music. When I go to church I want some honest, down-to-earth collective 'worship' - that does not mean just telling God how great He is, it means opening our lives before him and admitting that sometimes we just don't get Him or what is happening in the world He created. On Friday during this song, Nick Cave took me to that place and I'm sure The Author was fine with that.

Playlist = The Salvation Army

As a part of the rather idiosyncratic movement known as The Salvation Army, I'm always interested to note songs with references (however oblique) to the organisation. Thus I have compiled a playlist featuring songs that have some connection with The Salvation Army. It's quite surprising to see the variety of artists I've discovered over time. (And by some of the greatest names ever!)

1. The Beatles -'Strawberry Fields Forever' (Magical Mystery Tour, 1967). It is a pretty well known fact that 'Strawberry Field' is the name of a Salvation Army children's home in Liverpool, near the childhood home of John Lennon. Apparently, Lennon and his friends would play in the grounds and attend the annual summer fete. The song itself is lyrically surreal but nonetheless rather beautiful. And certainly there is a feeling of nostalgia for the places where the ex-Beatle grew up. And in my experience producing nostalgia in people is something The Salvation Army excels at! Cups of tea, bands, Victorian Christmas scenes - these are all triggers for people of a certain age.

2. White Stripes - 'Seven Nation Army' (Elephant, 2003) The White Stripes are a pretty unlikely band to have a song linked with The Salvation Army, but it's true! This song (you know the one with the very distinctive riff) actually won a Grammy award for Best Rock Song in 2004. The song is named such because it was what Jack White used to call 'The Salvation Army' as a child and he just liked the sound of it. Apparently he lived near a Salvation Army Charity Shop. Simple.

3. Leonard Cohen - 'Suzanne' (The Songs of Leonard Cohen, 1967). This a great song (indeed worthy to be called a classic) and highlights Cohen's poetic gift. In the final verse these words appear:

'Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters'

And so our reference - but actually I'm more interested to decipher the references to Jesus, well worth a look (and listen).

4. Nick Cave - 'The Mercy Seat' (Tender Prey, 1988) - see my previous post on this brilliant song.

5. Bob Dylan - 'Rainy Day Women #12&35' (Blonde on Blonde, 1966) No surprises for seeing a Dylan song in my playlist, but what's the link between a song that says 'everybody must get stoned' and the SA? Well, apparently Dylan was after a 'ramshackled sound' and suggested hiring the local Salvation Army band to play on the recording! Not being a fan of brass music I'm delighted to have discovered this fact, particularly when so many Salvationists take band music so seriously. In the end Dylan and friends did it themselves (whilst alledgedly high on grass), but you can hear the link with an SA band alright on the track. As ever with Dylan, no-one really knows what the song is about or what kind of 'getting stoned' Dylan means. You'll have to make your own mind up.

6. Eminem - '8 Mile' (8 Mile, 2002). Not knowing much Eminem I've left this until last. The few songs I do know I like - this one included. The Salvation Army charity shop features again - with the lines:

'I'm feelin a little skeptical who I hang out with
I look like a bum, yo my clothes ain't about shit
At the Salvation Army tryin to salvage an outfit
And it's cold, tryin to travel this road'

Not quite as poetic as Leonard Cohen perhaps, but effective nonetheless.

And so that's my playlist - perhaps you know other songs I can add, feel free to let me know. And from all of this three things must be noted: charity shops obviously evoke a lyrical muse so if you have one near you, go and enjoy it; secondly, 1966-68 was a obviously a bumper period for Salvation Army related songs, perhaps a hang-over from the Joy Strings (but that's another story); and thirdly, I wonder if any other religious organisations could boast such an illustrious playlist?!

Nick Cave&Kylie>Death is not the end

I must admit the inclusion of this song in my Lent playlist is a slightly underhand way of sneaking a Bob Dylan song in through the back door. However, from the perspective of standing on the brink of Holy Week, I can think of few songs that lyrically hit the mark like this one.

'Death is not the end' (Murder Ballads, 1996) also brings together a kind of supergroup - Bob Dylan song, reworked by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds with guest performances by Kylie Minogue, P J Harvey and Shane MacGowan (of The Pogues). Not a bad line up, then. But really it's all about the words - my favourite section being the middle eight:
'For the tree of life is growing
Where the spirit never dies
And the bright light of salvation
Up in dark and empty skies'

And how this song resonates with all the events leading up to the crucifixtion of Jesus is remarkable. Everything looks so bleak and yet, 'Death is not the End' - a timely reminder for those of us who this week may have been forced to consider death a little more than usual.

Nick Cave>The Mercy Seat

There's no doubt that Nick Cave causes great problems for Christians looking for fellow journeyman in the world of music. On the one hand he promises so much: his lyrics are laden with biblical references and gospel-style songs - many of his songs could comfortably accompany the now obligatory powerpoint presentation mid-service. On the flip side there are few artists who write with such venom and at times such foul-mouthed lyrics. The more conservative Christians tend to write him off as an ally of the enemy. Interestingly, his secular fans are equally troubled by him - they take issue with the religious tones of his music. The more conservative among them suggest his lyrics are simply ironic. Both views are decidedly flawed - neither life nor faith is ever that black and white.

His song 'The Mercy Seat' (Tender Prey, 1988) is a perfect example of the enigma that Nick Cave is. He clearly knows his Bible (he went to church as a child growing up in Australia), and he clearly knows what it is to live the rock 'n' roll lifestyle (drugs and sex also feature heavily in his music). But what a song it is - Johnny Cash did a great cover version (American III, 2000) - and those in The Salvation Army will be interested by the title. Take a look at the lyrics here... The song tells the story of a man about to be executed by the electric chair. The "Mercy Seat" refers both to the throne of God in the heavens, which the man feels he will soon visit, and to the electric chair.

The live versions of this song are far more powerful than the album version and I just love the clip below. For me, there is worship in Nick Cave's music. Worship because it is the real Nick Cave featured throughout, not some kind of pseduo-holy version but the whole Nick Cave, unadulterated, with his dark side and his demons yet to be cast out, but ultimately a man who uses his music to tell God how he feels.

">