# No More Shall We Part
The eleventh studio album from [Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds), **No More Shall We Part** came out in the United Kingdom on 2 April 2001 and in the United States on 10 April 2001. It was the band's first album of new material since *[The Boatman's Call](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-boatmans-call)* (1997), recorded in September 2000 at EMI Abbey Road Studios in London, and it features guest backing vocals from the Canadian sisters Kate and Anna McGarrigle alongside violinist [Warren Ellis](https://www.edgepedia.org/warren-ellis), newly elevated to full membership of the band.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-more-shall-we-part-r525864/review) • [2](https://www.hotpress.com/music/no-more-shall-we-part-417453)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 2 April 2001 (UK, Mute); 10 April 2001 (US, Warner Bros./Reprise)[3](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/no-more-shall-we-part-mr0000511534) |
| Recording | September 2000, EMI Abbey Road Studios, London; running time 1:07:41[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-more-shall-we-part-r525864/review) |
| Predecessor | First new material since *The Boatman's Call* (1997), ending a four-year gap[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-more-shall-we-part-r525864/review) |
| Guests | Kate & Anna McGarrigle (backing vocals); Warren Ellis (violin, string arrangements with Mick Harvey)[2](https://www.hotpress.com/music/no-more-shall-we-part-417453) |
| Reception | Metacritic score of 79 from 18 reviews; Pitchfork 7.0/10[4](https://record.club/releases/albums/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-no-more-shall-we-part) |
| Tracks | 12 songs, from "As I Sat Sadly By Her Side" (6:15) to "Darker With the Day" (6:05)[5](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1373-nick-cave-the-bad-seeds-no-more-shall-we-part.php) |
## Background
The album followed the longest gap between Bad Seeds records to that point: a best-of compilation appeared in 2000, but no new studio material had been issued since *The Boatman's Call* in 1997.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-more-shall-we-part-r525864/review) Before starting work on the album, Cave had to overcome heavy heroin and alcohol addictions during 1999 and 2000.[6](https://elusivedisc.com/nick-cave-the-bad-seeds-no-more-shall-we-part-180g-2lp/) In an interview, Cave said that during the recording sessions he had to sing and play the piano at the same time, and he took over the piano duties on the record.[7](https://nickcavefixes.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/i-recommend-turning-40/)
## Music and personnel
Two musical directors, [Mick Harvey](https://www.edgepedia.org/mick-harvey) and the Dirty Three violinist [Warren Ellis](https://www.edgepedia.org/warren-ellis-musician), shaped the album's arrangements; Ellis, who had been a live collaborator of Cave's for some time, joined the Bad Seeds as a full member on this record, and his discordant violin style and an expansive string section arranged by Ellis and Harvey complement many tracks.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-more-shall-we-part-r525864/review) • [2](https://www.hotpress.com/music/no-more-shall-we-part-417453) The McGarrigle sisters, Kate and Anna, provide backing vocals, most audibly in the closing minutes of "Hallelujah".[8](https://somethingelsereviews.com/2011/04/22/forgotten-series-nick-cave-no-more-shall-we-part-2001/)The album is largely piano-driven and continues the quieter direction of *The Boatman's Call*, though with longer songs and fuller arrangements.[9](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1373-nick-cave-the-bad-seeds-no-more-shall-we-part/user-reviews/) The loudest exception is "The Sorrowful Wife", in which restraint gives way partway through to a violent surge of guitars, drums, and violins.[2](https://www.hotpress.com/music/no-more-shall-we-part-417453) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-more-shall-we-part-r525864/review) AllMusic's Thom Jurek described the record's palette as more expansive than at any time in the band's history, and noted that Cave sings in a tenor register on the title track.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-more-shall-we-part-r525864/review)
## Themes
The songs center on love, marriage, faith, and despair. The title track is a dark tale of a failing marriage in which the narrator moves from doubt ("Lord, stay by me/Don't go down/I will never be free/If I'm not free now") into disorientation; "Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow" and "Oh My Lord" carry a similar atmosphere, while "God Is in the House" takes a satirical view of a pious, self-protected community.[2](https://www.hotpress.com/music/no-more-shall-we-part-417453) NME described the album as alternating between trapped terror and weary resignation, with a loose narrative about the healing power of love running between its ballads and theological debates.[10](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-nme-5926-338910) The closing "Darker with the Day" is an autobiographical ballad in which the protagonist acknowledges loss and hope in a single day, concluding that redemption lies in love itself.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-more-shall-we-part-r525864/review)
## Release and reception
A limited edition of the album included a bonus disc with two extra tracks, "Grief Came Riding" and "Bless His Ever Loving Heart", which also appeared on the UK double 12-inch vinyl pressing.[11](https://universalmusiconline.es/products/nick-cave-y-the-bad-seeds-no-more-shall-we-part-vinilo-2lp)The album was met with mostly positive reviews. At Metacritic it received a generally favorable score of 79 based on 18 reviews. Pitchfork's 2001 review, by Brad Pritchett, rated it 7.0/10, praising the shorter romantic material and the closing "Darker with the Day" while criticizing songs that overextend their length.[4](https://record.club/releases/albums/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-no-more-shall-we-part) • [12](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1365-no-more-shall-we-part/) Hot Press concluded that the album "isn't a masterpiece. But it's a great Nick Cave album," singling out "Love Letter" as "an unalloyed hymn of longing".[2](https://www.hotpress.com/music/no-more-shall-we-part-417453) The magazine Uncut later placed "Love Letter" at number 14 on its list of Cave's best compositions.[11](https://universalmusiconline.es/products/nick-cave-y-the-bad-seeds-no-more-shall-we-part-vinilo-2lp) On Album of the Year, the album holds a user score of 80 from 615 ratings.[9](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1373-nick-cave-the-bad-seeds-no-more-shall-we-part/user-reviews/)
## Later editions
The album has been reissued several times, including a 2011 remaster and a 180-gram double-LP reissue on Mute/BMG released in February 2023.[13](https://music.apple.com/us/album/no-more-shall-we-part-2011-remaster/1435814891) • [14](https://www.groovespin.com/album/nick-cave-the-bad-seeds-no-more-shall-we-part-2001-18732?entitys%5B%5D=&pos=2&src=fbt)
## References
1. [No More Shall We Part Review by Thom Jurek, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-more-shall-we-part-r525864/review)
2. [No More Shall We Part, Hot Press (Niall Stanage, 20 March 2001)](https://www.hotpress.com/music/no-more-shall-we-part-417453)
3. [No More Shall We Part (CD, Warner Bros./Reprise), AllMusic release page](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/no-more-shall-we-part-mr0000511534)
4. [No More Shall We Part (2001), Record Club](https://record.club/releases/albums/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-no-more-shall-we-part)
5. [No More Shall We Part, Album of the Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1373-nick-cave-the-bad-seeds-no-more-shall-we-part.php)
6. [Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds No More Shall We Part 180g 2LP, Elusive Disc](https://elusivedisc.com/nick-cave-the-bad-seeds-no-more-shall-we-part-180g-2lp/)
7. ["I recommend turning 40", Nick Cave Fixes interview](https://nickcavefixes.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/i-recommend-turning-40/)
8. [Forgotten series: Nick Cave, No More Shall We Part (2001), Something Else!](https://somethingelsereviews.com/2011/04/22/forgotten-series-nick-cave-no-more-shall-we-part-2001/)
9. [No More Shall We Part user reviews, Album of the Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1373-nick-cave-the-bad-seeds-no-more-shall-we-part/user-reviews/)
10. [Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: No More Shall We Part, NME](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-nme-5926-338910)
11. [No More Shall We Part 2LP, Universal Music Online](https://universalmusiconline.es/products/nick-cave-y-the-bad-seeds-no-more-shall-we-part-vinilo-2lp)
12. [No More Shall We Part Album Review, Pitchfork (Brad Pritchett)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1365-no-more-shall-we-part/)
13. [No More Shall We Part (2011 Remaster), Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/no-more-shall-we-part-2011-remaster/1435814891)
14. [No More Shall We Part 2LP 180g reissue, Groovespin](https://www.groovespin.com/album/nick-cave-the-bad-seeds-no-more-shall-we-part-2001-18732?entitys%5B%5D=&pos=2&src=fbt)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Progressive and art rock albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license