The Birthday Party discography
Studio albums4
Live albums2
Compilation albums5
Video albums1
Music videos2
EPs6
Singles9
Box sets1
Other appearances16

The discography of The Birthday Party, an Australian post-punk band, consists of four studio albums, two live albums, six compilation albums, six extended plays and nine singles. The group began under various names in Melbourne in 1973; formed by vocalist Nick Cave, guitarist Mick Harvey, drummer Phill Calvert, guitarist John Cocivera, bassist Brett Purcell, and saxophonist Chris Coyne —all of whom were students at Caulfield Grammar School.[1] By 1978, following several membership changes, the band consisted of Cave, Harvey and Calvert with bassist Tracy Pew and guitarist Rowland S Howard.[2] Under the name The Boys Next Door, the band released several singles and two studio albums, Door, Door in 1979 on Mushroom Records and The Birthday Party in 1980 on Missing Link Records.

Despite moderate success in Australia, The Boys Next Door relocated to London, England in 1980 and changed their name to The Birthday Party. In London, the band experienced underground critical success with a series of singles and two further studio albums, Prayers on Fire (1981) and Junkyard (1982);[2] Junkyard was also a minor commercial success, peaking at number 72 on the UK Albums Chart upon its release.[3] In 1982, the band relocated to West Berlin, Germany and Calvert departed. The band, now featuring Harvey on dual guitar and drumming duties, released as two EPs, The Bad Seed and Mutiny!, in 1983 on 4AD and Mute Records. Featuring Einstürzende Neubauten member Blixa Bargeld as a guest musician, they were the band's final recordings prior to their disbandment in late 1983.[1]

Cave, Harvey, Barry Adamson and Bargeld formed Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in December 1983 and Howard joined Crime and the City Solution, as well as forming These Immortal Souls in the wake of The Birthday Party's break-up.[1][2] The band's back catalogue has been reissued several times, usually in the form of compilation albums such as Mutiny/The Bad Seed (1989) and Hits (1992), and several unreleased recordings and video albums have been released since their disbandment. Though the band did not experience commercial success during their career, they have been recognised as having a major impact on the gothic rock genre and influencing several subsequent bands,[4] including My Bloody Valentine,[5] Gogol Bordello[6] and LCD Soundsystem.[7]

Albums

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
AUS
[8]		 UK
[3]		 UK Indie
[9]
Door, Door 93 — —
The Birthday Party — — —
Prayers on Fire
  • Released: 6 April 1981 (UK)[12]
  • Labels: Missing Link (14), 4AD (104)
  • Formats: LP, CD
 96 — 4
Junkyard
  • Released: 10 July 1982(UK)[13]
  • Labels: Missing Link (21), 4AD (207)
  • Formats: LP, CD
 — 72 1
"—" denotes a release that did not chart

Live albums

List of live albums, with chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
UK Indie
[9]
It's Still Living
  • Released: May 1985 (AUS)[14]
  • Labels: Missing Link (009), Virgin (2048)
  • Formats: LP, CD
 19
Live 1981–82
  • Released: 10 August 1999 (UK)[15]
  • Labels: 4AD (9005)
  • Formats: 2×LP, CD
 —
"—" denotes a release that did not chart

Compilation albums

List of compilation albums
Title Album details
A Collection…
  • Released: 1985 (AUS)[16]
  • Labels: Missing Link (22), Suite Beat (2017)
  • Formats: LP, CD
Hee-Haw
  • Released: 1988 (UK)[17]
  • Labels: 4AD (307), Virgin (2037)
  • Formats: LP, CD
Mutiny/The Bad Seed
  • Released: 1989 (UK)[18]
  • Labels: 4AD (301)
Hits
  • Released: 12 October 1992 (UK)[12]
  • Labels: 4AD (2016), Warner Bros (9 45087)
  • Formats: 2×LP, CD, CS
The John Peel Sessions

Box sets

List of box sets
Title Album details
Definitive Missing Link Recordings 1979–1982
  • Released: 1994 (AUS)[20]
  • Labels: Missing Link (30)
  • Formats: 5×CD box set

Extended plays

List of extended plays, with chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
UK Indie
[9]
Hee-Haw
  • Released: December 1979 (AUS)[note 3]
  • Labels: Missing Link (3)
  • Formats: 12"
 —
Drunk on the Pope's Blood/The Agony Is the Ecstacy
(The Birthday Party/Lydia Lunch)
  • Released: 18 February 1982 (UK)[22]
  • Labels: 4AD (202), Missing Link (006)
  • Formats: 12", CS
 2
The Bad Seed
  • Released: March 1983 (UK)[22]
  • Labels: 4AD (301)
  • Formats: 12"
 3
Mutiny!
  • Released: November 1983 (UK)[22]
  • Labels: Mute (12 29)
  • Formats: 12"
 3
The Peel Sessions
  • Released: January 1987 (UK)[22]
  • Labels: Strange Fruit (020)
  • Formats: 12", CD
 7
The Peel Sessions II
  • Released: November 1988 (UK)[22]
  • Labels: Strange Fruit (058)
  • Formats: 12", CD
 11
"—" denotes a release that did not chart

Singles

Retail singles

List of retail singles, with chart positions
Single Year Peak chart positions Album Notes
UK Indie
[9]
"These Boots Are Made for Walking" 1978 — Non-LP single Released under The Boys Next Door, backed with non-LP track "Boy Hero"
"Shivers" 1979 — Door, Door Released under The Boys Next Door
"Happy Birthday" 1980 — The Birthday Party
"The Friend Catcher" 21 N/A
"Mr. Clarinet" 18
"Nick the Stripper" 1981 — Prayers on Fire 12" backed with non-LP tracks "Blundertown" and "Kathy's Kisses"
"Release the Bats" 3 Non-LP single Backed with non-LP "Blast Off"
"Dead Joe" 1982 — Junkyard N/A
"—" denotes a release that did not chart

Split singles

List of split singles, with other artist
Single Year Other artist Notes
"Scatterbrain"/"Early Morning Brain" 1979 Models Released under The Boys Next Door, non-LP track

Demos

List of appearances on various artist compilation albums
Song Year Album Notes Ref
"Figure of Fun" 1980 Fast Forward No 2 Released exclusively and issued free with Fast Forward magazine [23]
"Sex Crimes" 2005 Inner City Sound Exclusively released on this compilation, unreleased song [24]

Music videos

List of music videos, with directors
Title Year Director Ref
"Nick the Stripper" 1981 Paul Goldman [25]
"Deep in the Woods" 1983 Glenn Auchinachie

Video releases

List of video albums
Title Album details
Pleasure Heads Must Burn

Notes

  1. ↑ Door, Door was released under The Boys Next Door. Some reissues do not alter the band's name on the release; others, including the 2011 Mushroom LP repressing, omit it from the album's sleeve.[10]
  2. ↑ The Birthday Party was originally released under The Boys Next Door. The only repressing of the album from 1982 changed the band's name to The Birthday Party.[11]
  3. ↑ Hee-Haw was originally released under The Boys Next Door. The only repressing of the EP from 1983 changed the band's name to The Birthday Party.[21]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Artists | The Birthday Party". 4AD. Beggars Group. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Birthday Party | Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  3. 1 2 "The Birthday Party | Artist". Official Charts Company. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  4. ↑ Steele, Valerie; Park, Jennifer (2008). Gothic: Dark Glamour. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 141–43. ISBN 978-0-3001-3694-4.
  5. ↑ DiPerna, Alan (1993). "Dinosaur Jr's J Mascis and My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields". Guitar World. Harris Publications (April 1993).
  6. ↑ Proefrock, Stacia. "Gogol Bordello | Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  7. ↑ Pulver, Sarah (2005). "LCD Soundsystem". Thrasher. High Speed Productions. 298 (September 2005).
  8. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 35 & 44. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Lazell, Barry. "Indie Hits: "B"". Cherry Red. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  10. ↑ Door, Door (Sleeve notes). The Boys Next Door. Mushroom Records. 2011. L 36931.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ↑ The Birthday Party (Sleeve notes). The Birthday Party. Missing Link Records. 1982. LINK 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. 1 2 "Artists | The Birthday Party – Releases". 4AD. Beggars Group. Archived from the original on 4 August 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  13. ↑ Mulligan, Brian; Hayward, John, eds. (28 June 1982). "Independent Labels: New Releases" (PDF). Record Business. Vol. 5, no. 12. London: Record Business Publications. p. 8.
  14. ↑ Valdivida, Victor W. "It's Still Living – The Birthday Party | Songs, Reviews, Credits and Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  15. ↑ Raggett, Ned. "Live 1981–82 – The Birthday Party | Release Information, Reviews and Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  16. ↑ "A Collection… Best and Rarest". Nick Cave. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  17. ↑ Raggett, Ned. "Hee-Haw – The Birthday Party | Songs, Reviews, Credits and Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  18. ↑ Raggett, Ned. "Mutiny!/The Bad Seed – The Birthday Party | Songs, Reviews, Credits and Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  19. ↑ Raggett, Ned. "John Peel Sessions – The Birthday Party | Release Information, Reviews and Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  20. ↑ "Definitive Missing Link Recordings, 1979–1982 – The Birthday Party | Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  21. ↑ Hee-Haw (Sleeve notes). The Birthday Party. Missing Link Records. 1982. ING 008.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 "Discography". The Birthday Party. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  23. ↑ Fast Forward No 2 (Cassette notes). Various artists. Fast Forward. 1980. FF02.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ↑ "Icstracklist »".
  25. ↑ Pleasure Heads Must Burn (Liner notes). The Birthday Party. Cherry Red Films. 2003. CRDVD20.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  26. ↑ Neate, Wilson. "Pleasure Heads Must Burn – The Birthday Party | Songs, Reviews, Credits and Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
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