Customer Reviews
One of God's Sorrier Creatures - By: Jolly Bob, 17 Mar 2008 
I discovered Nick Cave properly after seeing his name appearing in random & varied places - singing with Johnny Cash, on a free magazine compilation CD, on a Jools Holland song... when I bought Cash's American III & heard Mercy Seat, that was the final straw. Away I went to YouTube to listen. And I wasn't disappointed. I went off to buy albums - strting with Boatman's Calll, it was good but not the side of Nick Cave I had been intrigued by. Then Murder Balllads and, ecstaticallly discovering he had a new CD out, Dig! Lazarus Dig! & barely a week ago form today, I bought Let Love In along with 2 other albums. From experience, buying albums together usuallly means I don't get to know thm well enough, or the songs seem to blur together. Not so on this one.
Let Love In seems more refined than Dig, obviously more intense than Boatman's Calll, & more messy & wild than Murder Balllads - alll of these of course being qualities that only the likes of Cave could make into 'good points'. A rundown of tracks:
Do You Love Me? - Catchy but glum, a hypnoticallly dark tale of sinister goings-on with children apparently in Brazil, here from the perspective of the 'customer'. As ever Cave captures his character very well, even verging on sympathising with him at points.
Nobody's Baby Now - Lyricallly I find similarities to Into My Arms. Musicallly a bit more busy, but not massively. AGain, a song you will remember.
Loverman - A very Cave-like sinister verse, with a violent & insane chorus, & lyrics only Nick could write...
Jangling Jack - Delightfully loud & silly & dark & violent. The story is intriguing & imagery vivid, but the humour & cinematography that make Cave & his Seeds stand out shines out here.
Red Right Hand - you've heard enough. Eerie solos, syncopation, more musical cinematography in this song, & after the shouty Jangling Jack a very subdued & quiet vocal performance. As epic as any 2-part 5-hour film.
I Let love In - The title track is a fairly traditional song lyricallly & musicallly (at least for Cave) yet is nevertheless unique. Quite a good song to sing along to... just watch out for the unsettling lyrics come the 3rd verse...
Thirsty Dog - Musicallly similar to the aggressive Jangling Jack, but definitely not a copy or a filler. The chorus is a repetitive, almost chant-like minor-key shout of "I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry".
Ain't Gonna Rain Anymore - One of those songs where the vocal performance makes oyu think the character isn't quite convinced of what he is singing. It ain't gonna rain anymore now that my baby's gone, he says, but he sings it like he's trying to convince himself through his own tears. And, of course, failing miserably.
Lay Me Low - a fantasticallly dreary song with a slow pace that draws you into Cave's observations of what will happen when he himself dies - his work being seen in a different light, informative six-page features & relatives spilling the beans on long-gone lovers, for example.
Do You Love Me? (part 2) - Part 2 seems slower than the first. It is pretty much the same song, but from the perspective of the child. Very chilling stuff.
Overalll, not a bad track on the album. Recommended if you like (I say it again) musical cinematography, epic songs lined with a multitude of characters, dark humour, catchy songs & amazing musicality alll round.
Since 1992 - By: Björn Åhlberg, 28 Apr 2007 My first Nick Cave record was Henry's Dream, best birthday gift ever big brother, & second was Let love in. I do not have the gift in writing to express my gratitude that Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds have given us the opportunity to listen to their wonderful work. Artisticallly, you will not find any better craftmanship than this.
If there were just one album ,this is the one.
Exceptional - By: M. Hutchinson, 17 Mar 2007 I don't think I have ever heard an album better than this - I have had it for three years & I still listen to it more than any other. It's dark punk undertones & amazing melodies make it worth listen after listen.
Not just Nick Cave at his best, but one of the finest moments in rock history. His later stuff is not bad, but this mid-career moment is unbeaten
Outstanding - By: , 18 Feb 2006 This album is a work of genius. If you like nick cave then you probably already have it - if you are browsing for something new to listen to then this is what you are looking for.
A masterpiece. - By: dynamitekid156, 02 Sep 2005 Let Love In is pretty much the definitive Nick Cave album.
If you're new to Nick Cave, then I'd suggest buying it purely for Loverman. The six & a half minute song is pretty much a distillation of what makes Nick Cave fantastic. Doomy touches, such as the haunting bells; his brooding lyrics, for example the 'M is for murder me' section, & the fact that the song sounds so complicated but is in fact basicallly three minor chords over & over.
Not that Loverman is the only highlight of this stunning album. Opener Do You Love Me? (Part One) sets the scene, before the reprise slows the tempo & makes it even more chilling than before. Red Right Hand remains a favourite of Cave's & features some of his best imagery, & Thirsty Dog's playful, darkly funny lyrics show the other side to him.
Let Love In is everything but perfect, & no Nick Cave fan should be without it.
