POLLography: The Cure poll results, ILM artist poll #23

I was never a superfan, that's why I didn't vote! I respect everyone's right to like whatever they like. I just forgot how much I did not like that song. Carry on :)

I can't stand "Love Cats" these days. I don't understand how some people can go about how it's a classic but say that "Mint Car" is embarrassing. I think it's the sentimentality talking.

No, it's the rhythm section talking. You really can't fuck with the piano, bass and drums on that song, plus the arrangement is sublime.

"Mint Car", OTOH, is a big wet fart and one of the worst things they ever did.

Never thought "High" was twee or cute when "Six Different Ways" and "Love Cats" exists.

Huh, never thought of "Six Different Ways" as cute, tho I guess I can see lyrically. Musically it has one of my favorite grooves of theirs, that syncopated 6/8 is pretty killer.

Also DJP otm about the rhythm and arrangement on "Love Cats," that's exactly what I voted for in it.

"Mint Car" is stupid but harmless, I wouldn't change the station if it came on the radio. "Love Cats" is a stupid song with a boss arrangement, but once you move past the gimmick of the Cure doing jazz, there's nothing about it that is characteristic of their best work. Maybe that's an unfair criticism, since it was really just a one time only thing, but I'm sick of "Why Can't I Be You" for similar reasons.

The thing that got me hooked on all the 80's CURE was robert's voice. It was like another instrument. I mean the song writing was great, but then the delivery added so much more. Whether the song was morose or giddy, smith created so much with his inflections, etc...

And while I might prefer their Pornography/goth side, I definitely don't hate their poppy stuff (I voted for plenty of it).

xpost

TS: "We move like cagey tigers/Oh we couldn't get closer than this" vs "The sun is up/I'm so happy I could scream"
TS: Long patter-style phrases with few pauses for breath vs simple stop-start 2-bar phrases with gigantic 2-bar pauses for breath in between
TS: "Our infatuation as described by an extended Aristocats metaphor" vs "Hey, I'm awake and horny, isn't this boss?"
TS: Crisp-sounding engineering vs "you know what would make this song pop is if we put the 'ass-muffle' filter on it"

I wasn't saying that Mint Car >>> Love Cats. But I think that some people give '80's pop Cure a pass while saying that their 90's pop stuff (which could be just as twee and ridiculous) is unlistenable.

TS: "We move like cagey tigers/Oh we couldn't get closer than this" vs "The sun is up/I'm so happy I could scream"
TS: "Our infatuation as described by an extended Aristocats metaphor" vs "Hey, I'm awake and horny, isn't this boss?"

One is arguably more novel, one is arguably more universal

TS: Long patter-style phrases with few pauses for breath vs simple stop-start 2-bar phrases with gigantic 2-bar pauses for breath in between

TS: Crisp-sounding engineering vs "you know what would make this song pop is if we put the 'ass-muffle' filter on it"

take out the phrase "ass-muffle" and this is tech talk that suggests the difference without actually making one objectively superior. I like both and totally see the argument for why lovecats is more "impressive" but at the same time I can see enjoying "Mint Car" more.

It's really just whether you have more beef with robert writing an easy "oh i'm just a happy guy having sex" song or with robert putting a lot of effort into a frothy finger-snapper about lovecats.

I went to see them play all of Three Imaginary Boys, Seventeen Seconds and Faith in London and in the last encore they played Love Cats. Fuck that basically.

ts: bobbadopdopdopdopdobbaDOPdopdopdopdopdopdopdobba vs. shkakummashkkakummashkkakumm.....OW!

doop de doo doo doo-doo DOO doop doo-doo doo-doo doo-doo doo

xpost!

No, it's the rhythm section talking. You really can't fuck with the piano, bass and drums on that song, plus the arrangement is sublime.

"Mint Car", OTOH, is a big wet fart and one of the worst things they ever did.

I think that some people give '80's pop Cure a pass while saying that their 90's pop stuff (which could be just as twee and ridiculous) is unlistenable.

It has nothing to do with one being more twee and ridiculous. I think we all know and love that side of Robert. It's in the execution.
"The Lovecats" is pop genius musically and lyrically. "Mint Car"'s chorus is one of the most boring they ever did.

Also it seems the production of their post-Wish output is just really messy and hard to listen to. I just re-listened to "The Only One" since it was mentioned as breezy and effortless on this thread and I agree the songwriting is there, but they insist on making it sound so muddy and unpleasant.

The production on "Mint Car" isn't very good -- or the take is terrible. Or something. I liked it when I saw them do it on TV (SNL?).

I don't know if the absence of David Allen is the cause, but WMS has a shitty sound. "Gone!" sounds like it was recorded in a Kleenex box.

Ready for part 2?

#40 - The Walk, 295 points, 15 votes

Japanese Whispers, 1983

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mq49gAtlgk

And here's the album results in full:

#1 - Disintegration, 818 points, 18 votes, 9 #1 votes
#2 - Seventeen Seconds, 663 points, 15 votes, 2 #1 votes
#3 - Pornography, 617 points, 14 votes, 3 #1 votes
#4 - The Head On The Door, 580 points, 14 votes, 2 #1 votes
#5 - Faith, 575 points, 13 votes, 3 #1 votes
#6 - Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, 487 points, 11 votes, 3 #1 votes
#7 - Three Imaginary Boys, 292 points, 7 votes
#8 - Wish, 282 points, 7 votes
#9 - The Top, 166 points, 4 votes
#10 - Japanese Whispers, 127 points, 3 votes
#11 - Boys Don't Cry, 93 points, 2 votes, 1 #1 vote
#12 - The Cure, 78 points, 2 votes
#13 - Standing On A Beach, 46 points, 1 votes
#14 - Bloodflowers, 43 points, 1 votes
#15 - Standing On A Beach (cassette edition) ß important bit, 43 points, 1 votes
#16 - Wild Mood Swings, 43 points, 1 votes

I noticed Killing an Arab isn't on itunes -- I'm guessing in order to avoid its appropriation by the extreme right wing. Anyone know the story on this?

It might be there under its current name Killing Another

i'm waiting for smith to re-release it with "an arab" replaced with "another" a la "mr. black" in the simpsons kamp krusty episode

ha xpost

Although my life is (I hope) much less goth than it was when I was first into the Cure, I find it's the heavier stuff that's stuck with me. Instead of sounding too adolescent, records like Pornography and Faith engage me more than ever while the whimsical pop songs irritate me way more than they did. I have no interest in hearing Love Cats, Friday I'm In Love, Why Can't I Be You, etc ever again.

― Get wolves (DL), Thursday, August 16, 2012 10:36 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Oh god I could not feel more differently.

all of my best friends have been the type to dance to "Just Like Heaven" at their wedding receptions, so they have a bit of sentimental value.

― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Thursday, August 16, 2012 10:41 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol Just Like Heaven was not on our reception playlist. Iirc it was Boys Don't Cry that made the final cut.

The Walk is all time. It made my top ten.

I love "Love Cats" and "Mint Car" and "Hanging Garden" and "One Hundred Years"

― nicky lo-fi, Thursday, August 16, 2012 11:07 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Same. Except I haven't listened to Mint Car since 1996 and remember thinking it was silly then but I admit that I was probably being dismissive.

i should just go ahead and write a script that automatically inserts a "oh shit i forgot to vote in this because i am stupid" post for me in all of these artist poll results.

Love Cats is totally amazing. It sounds beautiful and it's a joyous earworm to boot - I was walking round the tube last weekend bellowing it out, and I don't care.

#39 - The Figurehead, 307 points, 12 votes, 2 #1 votes

Pornography, 1982

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

FUCK YES THIS SONG

also this is super OTM: It has nothing to do with one being more twee and ridiculous. I think we all know and love that side of Robert. It's in the execution.

Love Cats is totally amazing. It sounds beautiful and it's a joyous earworm to boot - I was walking round the tube last weekend bellowing it out, and I don't care.

― Ismael Klata, Thursday, August 16, 2012 2:17 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

<3

recently at karaoke I convinced myself that "The Lovecats" was within my range

guess what? it isn't

I am one of the #1s for The Figurehead. Has been my favourite Cure song for nearly 30 years.

I CAN LOSE MYSELF IN CHINESE ART AND AMERICAN GIRLS

such a thunderously wonderful song, full of immensely quotable lyrics

not that Pornography isn't fantastic top to bottom but I really think the sequence of "The Hanging Garden"/"Siamese Twins"/"The Figurehead"/"A Strange Day" is the most amazing thing the band has ever produced (and, of those four, I think "The Figurehead" is the least wonderful, which is pretty astonishing because it's fucking wonderful)

i voted "The Figurehead" glad it showed up at 39. speak of "39" i think that song would have been my number 41, so no it didn't make the cut.

Although my life is (I hope) much less goth than it was when I was first into the Cure, I find it's the heavier stuff that's stuck with me. Instead of sounding too adolescent, records like Pornography and Faith engage me more than ever while the whimsical pop songs irritate me way more than they did. I have no interest in hearing Love Cats, Friday I'm In Love, Why Can't I Be You, etc ever again.

― Get wolves (DL), Thursday, August 16, 2012 10:36 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Oh god I could not feel more differently.

― (✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Thursday, August 16, 2012 2:07 PM

#38 - Lament, 311 points, 12 votes

Japanese Whispers, 1983

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHUhfTz80Kw

love "Lament" but didn't vote for it because i already picked four songs from Japanese Whispers.

oh another amazing song

Japanese Whispers was the second album I ever heard by these guys and, while I was infatuated with "Let's Go To Bed" and "Just One Kiss", it was when it hit "Lament" that I said to myself, "this might be my new favorite band".

If the album tracks and obscurities keep popping up I'm really curious to see which songs on Staring and Galore get the shaft.

If it were a studio album I'd pick JW as my favorite.

I expect to see every single up until "Catch" appear on this countdown, aside from maybe "Jumping Someone Else's Train"

Only pre-"Mint Car" non-remix ones I didn't vote for were "The Walk", "Lullaby," "Never Enough" and "A Letter To Elise", with only "The Walk" not plausibly making a top 50 ballot.

waving with a last vanilla smile

Surprised this arrived so low.

#37 - The Caterpillar, 323 points, 16 votes

The Top, 1984

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

love "The Caterpillar" but didn't make the cut though two songs from The Top did. so to make up for that a bit i voted for it in the video poll.