Nick Cave - John the Revelator

Nick Cave singing 'John the Revelator' by Blind Willie Johnson. This is from one of the classic Hal Willner concerts that took place in 1999 and 2001. This can be found on The Harry Smith Project: The Anthology of American Folk Music Revisited box set that just came out.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Nick
• Cave
• Blues
• Blind
• Willie
• Johnson
• Harry
• Smith
• Folk
• John
• the
• Revelator
• Hal
• Willner

[jeanhaliburtonwills]

holy cow...why do people get their knickers in a twist? the old blues guys had no problem copying each other...and this version rocks as does the original, as does the Son House version as do any number of covers of this song...blues is not and was never meant to be embalmed like mummies in a museum...its a living tradition for god's sake!

[echster]

Even white boys have the blues...the blues owes a lot to European religious hymns even if it gets it unique form from African rhythms and scales and the terrible experience of African-Americans under the conditions of slavery and Jim Crow.

[tolvajakos]

@drivebymessiah listen to the words of this wise man. live a life, then come back, and listen to the song again. and then the three of us can raise a glass together listening to the music of this true genious. cheers my friends!

[dzdzenis]

Cave Nick -10 Depeche mode + 10 Amen

[drivebymessiah]

@flamekat2002 maybe. Then again Nick Cave was never a great singer: far from it, and I still seem to like his stuff better than a 101 excellent singers. I'd call it it kind of good and terrible. Either way, I contend it has character and conviction which may be the most important qualities to have.

Or maybe just being a miserable alcoholic helps the appreciation along.

Raise a glass if you have one.

[mangouldbarrington1]

@flamekat2002 word. I agree, nick didn't sing too well on this one this time!

[Zaturnity]

OMG! GENIUS! I FREAKIN' LOVE Nick Cave.

[eduardtoth]

This is amazing

[clcnoize]

Please listen the Cover by ''clitoris less cunt '' :) Son house - John The Revelator

[tibs2403]

@AddictedToTheStones

I doubt it's not... non - intentional. I'm sure they sing that way on purpose. Most of Cave's work is like that... sort of fucked up on every level, even musically. It adds to the eeriness ( how do you spell that? ).

[texnroxy]

ok this is fuckn great. it cant get any cooler but so much cool hurts my hea

d

[waterfallsandrain]

This song, in all incarnations, fascinates me.