1. PJ Harvey – Henry Lee, from Murder Ballads
A duet from the Murder Ballads album, that’s a coming together with an artist who would soon become Cave’s partner. The chemistry between the two in the video is as palpable and intense as the vocal delivery in the song itself.
2. Kylie Minogue – Where The Wild Roses Grow, from Murder Ballads
A pairing that couldn’t seem more out of place if it tried, a heroin-addicted rockstar and the queen of commercial pop. Yet it worked and led to one of the most successful periods of The Bad Seeds’ career as a result.
3. Shane MacGowan – What a Wonderful World
Cave and the Pogues man joined forces for this cover once made famous by Louis Armstrong. It’s a wonderfully woozy, somewhat shambolic take that captures the rough edges of both singers as much as their golden croons.
4. Current 93 – All The Pretty Little Horses
Cave was a guest on the electronic industrial outfit’s 1996 album All The Pretty Little Horses. He provided vocals for two songs, perhaps most prominently on the title track, which actually turns out to be a pretty, almost country folk-esque number for the band.
5. Lydia Lunch – Honeymoon in Red
Cave and Mick Harvey were unhappy with the outcome of the original version of Lydia Lunch’s Honeymoon In Red album, so much so they asked to have their names taken off. However, while uncredited, Cave and Harvey’s musical contributions to the no-wave artist’s album remain.
Daniel Dylan Wray