Posthumous tribute to impressive solo career of former Bad Seeds member.
For Nick Cave’s many devoted followers, this anthology of the solo work of Conway Savage is likely to be a must-have addition to their collection. As a member of the Bad Seeds from 1990 to 2017, it’s natural that the pianist and vocalist from such a high-profile band would command not just the attention, but also the affection of their fans. His untimely death resulting from a brain tumour in 2018 was marked by this tribute from Nick Cave;
“Our beloved Conway passed away on Sunday evening. A member of Bad Seeds for nearly thirty years, Conway was the anarchic thread that ran through the band’s live performances. He was much loved by everyone, band members and fans alike. Irascible, funny, terrifying, sentimental, warm-hearted, gentle, acerbic, honest, genuine – he was all of these things and quite literally “had the gift of a golden voice,” high and sweet and drenched in soul.”
When not required to be on stage or in the studio with Cave, the Melbourne-based Savage was a prolific songwriter and recording artist in his own right. Taking its title from his 1993 début EP, the twenty-four tracks on Too Dark To See reflect his gift for creating music that subtly, gently infuses itself into one’s subconscious, melding emotional tenderness with the raw side of life and moving between contemplative reflection and wry observation.
His voice is deceptive and may not be familiar despite his backing vocals with the Bad Seeds. It’s a gentle instrument, not a million miles from Nick Drake and with the emotional depth of Leonard Cohen. There are collaborations here too, with contributions from such as Suzie Higgie and Amanda Fox alongside former Bad Seed Mick Harvey, who was very much behind getting this compilation put together and released on lilac vinyl. Apart from the beautiful packaging, there are many reasons to covet this album, which is being launched with simultaneous concert performances in Australia featuring many of those who worked with Savage on his solo projects.
With strong folk and roots-music influences, the songs shimmer from the piano, with drums, guitar and bass, banjo, accordion, lap steel, and even a Salvation Army bass drum, all beautifully woven into the mix. As might be expected from a home-loving man, many of the tracks were recorded in Melbourne, with others cut in New York or drawn from his 2009 LP Live In Ireland. The intention in putting these songs into one collection was to create a narrative, rather than simply a retrospective and the beauty of it is that there’s much satisfaction to be had from taking time to listen to the record in one sitting.
The hypnotic traditional song Fair and Tender Ladies will draw you in, being followed by the Celtic folk of Suzie Higgie’s 1000 Days, a tale of Camelot that wouldn’t be out of place on a Jethro Tull album. You Did As You Were Told To Do is beautiful, starting with a gorgeous piano introduction before changing tempo and feel to something almost Latin. Bad Seeds fans will enjoy the middle section of songs like The Cross, Old Soul With A New Hole, Tanist, and These Are The Waves, which are reminders of what Savage brought to the table in Nick Cave’s band.
His 2000 debut album, Nothing Broken, provides several more songs, including the title track. This is a haunting instrumental, while Only Ghosts and Just One Of Those Things draw upon the recurring themes of mortality and memory. Thanks in large part to the efforts of Mick Harvey, Too Dark To See will act as a fitting tribute to the memory of Conway Savage.
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