moved to West Berlin

After the departure of Race and Lane, the remaining members moved to West Berlin, Germany in 1985 and released a second album The Firstborn Is Dead . The album was heavily influenced by the gothic Americana of the American South and blues music , exemplified in songs such as ” Tupelo ” and “Blind Lemon Jefferson”, which reference the birth of Elvis Presley and Blind Lemon Jefferson respectively. Released the following year, the album Kicking Against the Pricks explored such influences with renditions of material by Johnny Cash , John Lee Hooker and Lead Belly . The 1986 album also marked the arrival of Swiss drummer Thomas Wydler , a member of Die Haut , and featured guest appearances from Race, Pew, and Birthday Party guitarist Howard, who had briefly toured with the Bad Seeds as a substitute member in 1985. Pew’s death from an epileptic seizure also occurred in 1986.