Great Australian Albums is a documentary series that takes you behind the scenes in the creation of four masterpiece albums. They also highlight the personal struggles of the artist.

The series features new and lengthy interviews with key performers, their colleagues explaining what really happened in the studio and after the gigs. Some of these stories are peppered with new performances recorded especially for the show and the artists reveal alternative mixes and early versions of songs that have become part of the national heritage.

These documentaries place the albums in their artistic, historical and cultural context.

NICK CAVE + THE BAD SEEDS – MURDER BALLADS

Nick Cave is Australia’s preeminent lyricist. The Murder Ballads, recorded in 1995 was made as the band reached the cusp of stardom. The album marked a significant turning point in Cave’s development as an artist and the group’s success.

The album draws on ancient songs, which Cave has dramatically reinterpreted. It also represents the apotheosis of his “narrative” style and is a harbinger to the more intimate and confessional albums, which have followed.