The Cure: Classic or Dud?

Yeah, I generally prefer Boys Don't Cry to Three Imaginary Boys too.

I often wonder what Smith thinks about songs like 'Object' and 'It's Not You' these days... I'm guessing he's embarrassed by 'em.

Uh, 'Three Imaginary Boys' (the song) rules.

(x-post to DJP) Exactly. I like it too, but we really only need one or the other on the album. I also prefer the Easy Cure demo of "Meathook" than the version that made it on the debut.

Alex we are talking about the albums not the songs. The song "Three Imaginary Boys" is brilliant!

lol well everyone covered all of my points so I'm just going to delete them and say "ditto"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5iHouB9ODk

good old Tochurst Dempsey

yeah i mean when you take off some garbage songs and add one of the greatest new wave songs i'd say boys don't cry is better than three imaginary boys!

What was the story with World War again? It wasn't on the CD version of BDC for some reason, I think I read that Bob doesn't/didn't like it?

also

The song "Three Imaginary Boys" is brilliant!

^

But boys don't cry is a compilation. How can you compare a compilation to a real album. That does not make a lot lf sense. Obviously the comp is better as it is a sort of best of. That is trivial. And anybody who thinkks the song tib is better th a n the song bdc is crazy. bdc sleighs, tib is a sleeping pill in compsrison.

Sorry about the spelling. It's the smartphone's fault.

Nobody is saying one is better than the other. We're saying that both rule, which is true.

add one of the greatest new wave songs i'd say boys don't cry is better than three imaginary boys

Which one, "Killing An Arab" or "Jumping Someone Else's Train" ?

This

BDC is better than 3 Imaginary Boys.

Seven shows into the tour and they've played 72 different songs!

I'm really impressed that they played "2 Late". I hope they play it in Montréal.

I have a fantastic bootleg from the Top tour with Phil still on bass and Boris in on drums (maybe his first or second show ever, if I recall correctly). I'll post it when I get home if enough people are interested.

Go on then. This was the tour i first saw them.

Listened to "The Top" for the first time in ages, and yeah, it's pretty great! Really sets the stage for what comes next, but in a sort of non-linear way.

Faith
The Walk (North American mini-LP)
Blue Sunshine (The Glove)
Pornography
17 Seconds
Disintegration
Join the Dots (first 2.5 CDs)
The Head on the Door
KMKMKM
The Top
Wish
Boys Don't Cry >> Three Imaginary Boys
Wild Mood Swings
4:13 Dream
The Cure
Bloodflowers

I can't include Japanese Whispers with the truncated "Just One Kiss," as much as I love "The Lovecats."

What was the story with World War again? It wasn't on the CD version of BDC for some reason, I think I read that Bob doesn't/didn't like it?

Yes, Robert left "Object" and "World War" off the CD because he hated them - replaced with "So What." I believe he thought "World War" was terrible, and "Object" lyrically embarrassing.

Here 'tis:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ovqbesiwmcxa1qf/tc16111984.zip?dl=0

I'm really impressed that they played "2 Late". I hope they play it in Montréal.

― LeRooLeRoo, Friday, May 20, 2016 3:52 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

oh nice

(x-post)
Thanks! I still have my ticket for Thursday 10 May 1984 (Block 10;B19) - 32 years ago.

Relistening to this Top tour show, it has some downright hilarious between song banter from Bob:

"Sorry we started so late. We got arrested."

(introducing 'Let's Go to Bed') "Here's another country and western song."

"Whoever turned the house lights on is gonna get a fuckin' kicking later on."

Smith's live between-song banter was always a bit WTF during the '80s, providing that you could make out what the hell he was saying! There's some moments on The Cure In Orange where I'm like "what the fuck did he just say?"

my all-time favorite band:

Pornography
The Head on the Door
Faith
Seventeen Seconds
Disintegration
Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
Join the Dots
Wish
The Top
Japanese Whispers
Three Imaginary Boys
Bloodflowers
Wild Mood Swings
4:13 Dream
The Cure

Relistening to this Top tour show, it has some downright hilarious between song banter from Bob:

"Sorry we started so late. We got arrested."

(introducing 'Let's Go to Bed') "Here's another country and western song."

"Whoever turned the house lights on is gonna get a fuckin' kicking later on."

― Austin, Saturday, May 21, 2016 12:38 AM (16 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

My favorite Robert Smith stage banter can be heard on the Curiosity cassette. At the conclusion of one of the songs, he says, "You've been the noisiest audience I ever had to listen to."

thanks! this version of "forever" is dope

I often think I've "completed" my Cure phase but there's still quite a bunch of things I don't have. I should be filling the gaps but it's annoying to get albums for just a few tracks.

I tend to go through phases of either not listening to The Cure, or binge listening to their discography. Just when I think I've reached a point where I feel I've burnt out on the discography, I'll find myself on a Cure kick and loving them as much as ever.

I'm definitely getting in the mood for it and I always meant to fill in the gaps and buy all the expanded editions but I'm always reluctant to go back to old favourite bands when I've got the majority of their stuff. I don't know why. But I'll probably have a great time with it.

I tend to go through phases of either not listening to The Cure, or binge listening to their discography. Just when I think I've reached a point where I feel I've burnt out on the discography, I'll find myself on a Cure kick and loving them as much as ever.

― Turrican, Saturday, May 21, 2016 7:31 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This. Also, I hear the influence of Disintegration in unlikely places, like a lot of post rock and shoegazey metal. I was listening to Panopticon by Isis last week and remember thinking it sounded like that band has definitely spent some time with the back half of Disintegration (and probably Pornography too)

my friend/drummer is a friend of roger's. he txted him today:

"what do i have to do to guarantee exploding boy on the shoreline set list?"

roger: haha

"i don't know why you think i'm joking"

roger: awful song

still hope they play it!

Hope nobody minds if I shill for a Curehead friend of mine.

Nick Keech (who plays in the Telescopes touring band among others) has a little side project where he conjures up the sound of that cold, disconnected, 17 Seconds/Faith era for fun and he's really good at it too.

This is his latest.

http://easterhead.bandcamp.com/track/swing

Roger seriously off the money

I hear the influence of Disintegration in unlikely places, like a lot of post rock and shoegazey metal.

Not as unlikely as all that -- the Cure and metal have had twenty years plus of overt worship by the latter going on in various areas. As more people realized "Holy fuck those are some loud guitars" the rest followed.

getting ready to go tonight, can't believe this is really happening.

going to try and also catch The Twilight Sad, getting ready to leave.

have never been to the Hollywood Bowl and i have see close to 200 live shows. so looking very forward to tonight.

Will there be /was there screaming?

Last night's set list kinda blew

Looks pretty good from here!

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-cure/2016/hollywood-bowl-hollywood-ca-33fea03d.html

omigod @ that The Top sequence w/"All I Want" interrupting.

Eh it was a bummer greatest hits set list but all I want was amazzzingggg

4 encores, 15 songs?!

A 'greatest hits' setlist with "Trust," "2 Late," "All I Want" and "Piggy in the Mirror" alone? I mean, I'll take that.

That doesn't look like a bad setlist at all to me. The guy who runs the Smash Hits archive was apparently at the show.

You all know about the London residency/secret gig towards the end of the year, yes?

[Disclaimer: may have just been someone bullshitting on my Facebook page]

Go on...

my review of last nights show at the Hollywood Bowl. i was really mad at my friend. really wanted to get there on time and maybe catch a bit of the first band. he got here over an hour late and i was pissed. ended up missing "Plainsong," we are talking about a song in my Top 5 Cure songs and he made me miss it, was so pissed. we were so late we should have missed half the show but bought tickets for a shuttle ride and they were able to drive us almost to the front door to miss the all that traffic. settled down and they played "A Night Like This" so was happy again. then they just played all these Disintegration including the hits. if was still daylight out and it really didn't seem right to watch them in the sun. the sun finally went down when they started to play "Fascination Street" and it was perfect. right after "Just Like Heaven" they started to play "2 Late" and i almost died. i could not believe they were playing this song. they they followed that up with "Trust" which probably stole the night for me. it was unbelievable, it sent goose bumps down my spine. they played "Want" after that and followed up with "One Hundred years" which was all painted in red lights. then they end the set with "Disintegration." they then played "A Forest" but you could tell they were on a time limit so it didn't go on like it normally does live but still was about 10 minutes or so. for the second encore they played three songs from The Top and by this time i was going pretty crazy. i could not believe i was hearing song after song from The Top with a Kiss Me song thrown in for good measure. at one point he just went to his usually howl and it lasted and lasted and lasted. what a set of lungs on that guy. he must not smoke because his voice is as good now as it has ever been. they closed out with a bunch of hits to make the crowd very happy. i would have preferred a few more obscure songs, but the people always want to see the hits it did make sense to play almost all of them. was not the best i have ever seen this band but they are on the top or their game and if you see them you should have a great time. they are always a blast live.

and they need to release a new album, those two new songs i heard are really, really good. they didn't sound out of place at all! what a band.