The Cure: Classic or Dud?

holy shit Pearl in that Cranes performance!

i know it's kind of a cure obsessive cliche by this point, but the b-sides from wild mood swings really do make one wonder who tf was in charge of the track list.

(i'm joking; we all know it was rs just like we all know he's been a bumbling buffoon since wish)

i mean honestly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHPl35Sty10

wasn't better than fucking "return"??????

(song in video is "it used to be me")

I don't much agree -- I played WILD MOOD SWINGS recently and loads of it stood up very well. I knew 'Treasure' was touching, but I'd forgotten how staggeringly raw and serious 'Bare' was. 'Jupiter Crash' also one of the best crafted songs that Smith has written.

(I agree with poster Imago FWIW: there is so much Cure material, I'm not sure we need more of it to enjoy them.)

B-sides being good is an indication that a band has written and/or recorded good songs and want you to hear and enjoy them, not that they are idiots, imo

Harold and Joe is better than Never Enough

B-sides being good is an indication that a band has written and/or recorded good songs and want you to hear and enjoy them, not that they are idiots, imo

― bobo honkin' slobo babe (sic), Sunday, August 22, 2021 8:10 AM

and yet, 'club america' exists.

Club America is silly fun 🤗

(and a curio to hear Robert writing such clear, direct lyrics about real experience)

I don't mind that song.

'Harold & Joe' is one I should hear again. Must have had it on the cassette single bought a year after it came out!

'harold + joe' a longtime favorite on my "songs that have inexplicable whistle solos" playlist.

also, wish b-sides ftw. you'll be missed, simon!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XqswqTdvEI

("a foolish arrangement")

Oh, the B-sides of 'Letter to Elise' were high quality!

Not that I even own it, but doesn't the existence of the glossy JOIN THE DOTS: CURE B-SIDES make it moot that the band left these tracks off LPs?

(Not to mention the B-sides on STANDING ON A BEACH side 2, or whatever it was called, which I found frequently marvellous aged 17. One thing I loved was how every B-side sounded similar to its relevant A-side.)

fyi Club America is just the worst, fucking terrible nonsense

The 13th, OTOH, slaps

i mean, i've made my peace with wild mood swings to the point that i kind of like "mint car" by now, but they did not put the best material from those sessions on the proper album. one of the singles from that era that i've always thought was underrated was "gone!" it really is a throwback to the japanese whispers material; esoteric, but infectious, pop. they even took it a step further with this "critter remix" from the 'strange attraction' single:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibYvdmpSwDg

'strange attraction' also an abysmal piece of shite, btw.

Guess who's back

Longtime bassist Simon Gallup has apparently rejoined the Cure after announcing his departure in August https://t.co/XQ5DbplRdg pic.twitter.com/ThAmJpnAo8

— Stereogum (@stereogum) October 15, 2021

lmao

He's Si Gallup
The real Si Gallup
All you other Si Gallups
Should all just go shut up
So won't the real Si Gallup
Please stand up?
Please stand up?
Please stand up?

(head on the) revolving door

Friday I'm in the Cure

called it:

i'm sad about this news but i think like before they will work it out...

― Bee OK, Monday, August 16, 2021 11:06 AM (one month ago)

My lack of surprise. Third time wasn't the charm!

That said I can't fucking blame the guy at this point simply because there's at least a couple of albums sitting around...waiting.

what a pushover

Why are you not the Cure's new bassist Mr. schwitterz

Pull down the blinds
I'm leaving The Cure uh, for an hour

I guess he won his power play move to name the new album "Back to Bass-ics."

Magspies much-anticipated reunion called off at the 11th hour

https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-cure-announce-uk-and-european-tour-for-2022-3111944

The Cure have shared details of a 44-date UK and European tour next year, including five arena shows in the UK.

Fans will be treated to a 135 minute show, with mention in a press release of a “67 minute” new album that is yet to be announced. The Cure’s last album was 2008’s ‘4:13 Dream’.

In a tweet to fans, Smith also confirmed that shows in the rest of the world were being “finalised” and would “announced in due course” – as well as promising to air material from the new album.

The Cure have also confirmed that the line-up for the tour will feature bassist Simon Gallup.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">'ROW' SHOWS ARE BEING FINALISED - A LOT OF THEM GOT PUSHED BACK - THEY WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN DUE COURSE - BUT WON'T NOW HAPPEN UNTIL SPRING 2023... AND YES, WE WILL BE PLAYING SONGS FROM 'THE NEW ALBUM' IN 2022 X <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/waitingforgodot?src=hash&;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#waitingforgodot</a></p>— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) <a href="

'ROW' SHOWS ARE BEING FINALISED - A LOT OF THEM GOT PUSHED BACK - THEY WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN DUE COURSE - BUT WON'T NOW HAPPEN UNTIL SPRING 2023... AND YES, WE WILL BE PLAYING SONGS FROM 'THE NEW ALBUM' IN 2022 X #waitingforgodot

— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) December 6, 2021

messed up that one...

good to hear some somewhat official news from them. as for the album, i'll believe it when i can actually hear it.

so indifferent about the prospect of a new Cure LP

i think the only thing that would pique my interest at all would be a lineup change or a really interesting choice of producer - get the dude from Chvrches in!

(yes i know this lineup has not actually recorded together - or does terrible single Wrong Number count here? - but it is also really unpromising IMO)

"Wrong Number" is not terrible!

love the hashtag on the RS post

Wrong Number rules, but it was recorded by COGASM, not The Cure (so 3/5 of the 2012-2022 lineup)

Wrong Number could've been so much better if it had been shorter. Doesn't need to be 6 minutes long.

I support the idea to have the dude from Chvrches to produce it. He kind of merged the sounds of both bands in "How Not To Drown" and made really great use of Robert's voice.

‘135 minutes’ is a curious length to announce in advance of shows.

That's the length of Simon's "A Forest" outro.

yah chvrches/cure collabo crossover wld be a good move

xxp they will play the 67 minute album in forwards order, take a 1 minute break, then play the songs in the reverse order

it's like they don't even remember we wanted them to release the deluxe edition of Wish

they started strong in the late 70s and dominated the whole 80s and went down hill after mixed up in 1990!

i guess the 135 minutes is like expectation management -

we are the cure and are renowned for playing 3-hr shows
but we are old and playing 3-hr shows is now difficult
so here is a number that says you will still get a long show
but you are now prepared for the fact that it isn't gonna be an endless epic

they could pick three songs and just play 45-minute versions of each one

it probably means "we will play 3 hours if we can but some venues will have curfews and support requirements but we have written a minimum amount of tine we get on stage into the contract"

"Wrong Number" is great and probably better than anything on Wild Mood Swings.

minimum amount of tine

no tuning forks

I find it so weird that despite all the teasing they still didn’t announce the new album along with the tour announcement.

"Wrong Number" is great and probably better than anything on Wild Mood Swings.

― billstevejim, Tuesday, December 7, 2021 9:27 PM

oh come on wild mood swings was pretty shite, but "wrong number" made it look like a nasa operation by comparison.

Wrong Number was ok but grated fast. One underappreciated number I keep coming back to is Cut Here. Probably their best song in last 25 years.

Both it and "Spilt Milk" are deeply underrated.

it is on my shortlist of best songs post-wish. that single to promote the greatest hits ("cut here b/w signal to noise") was definitely a lot better than its reception reflected. they only played "cut here" ??maybe twice?? live and rs went on to say that he didn't like the way it sounded when they played it in concert so he just decided not to play it. they did play "signal to noise" fairly regularly for a bit after after pearl re-joined (reportedly at their request), so it has the weird scenario of being one of only like five ever b-sides the band consistently played live. i was hoping there would be a reevaluation in the past few years after they issued that "acoustic hits" thing on vinyl (i.e., the greatest hits album in newly recorded acoustic versions) and that maybe more folks would appreciate "cut here" but alas, no.

i'm sure i've posted it before, but the "missing remix" on the cd single for "cut here" is quite good, and maybe my preferred version of the tune:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_GgwQ6yW7c