The Cure: Classic or Dud?

I was going to go but I asked a friend if they were interested when it was first announced and they said the sound is always shit in Hyde Park because of draconian noise level restrictions so I gave it a miss, the ticket price made that decision easier

Hi dere. I’ve got a question that’s probably been asked or answered a dozen times, perhaps by me, but I seem to recall reading somewhere that part of Robert Smith’s guitar sound was an intentional detuning of some of the strings, perhaps making the high E string a bit sharp. Now I can’t find this anywhere so I am asking for a friendhere while the thread is live.

That's a good question! I know RS (like other guitarists) had an epiphany that what the chorus effect was doing was in essence just detuning his guitar, so I can see how he might make that leap, though in practice it seems a pretty imprecise way to go. I know he did use a six-string bass - tuned up? - as his guitar quite a bit, which also throws off nailing his sound, at least sometimes.

Yeah I saw something about a Fender VI, I think it was

Here’s something about that. Interesting that he wrote “Primary” on one but then used a Precision to record it.

Link I meant to add: http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3687

Sad news

Andy Anderson, Former Drummer For The Cure, Reveals He Has Terminal Cancer

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2019/02/20/andy-anderson-the-cure-cancer/

Saw that yesterday on reddit.

I swear, if we're ranking the members of the Cure just based on how cool they looked in their tenure with the band, Andy wins easily. One cool bloke, to be absolutely clear.

ticket ballot is open for four nights of them playing Disintegration at the Sydney Opera House btw

Really is awful news about Anderson. Hoping Robert mentions him at the HoF ceremony for sure.

So, so sad.

Aw no, absolutely shit news. The most underrated of all the Cure drummers.

this is horrible news, didn't know or realize that he also played druns on The Glove album.

Such horrible news. I always enjoyed listening to live performances from their 1984 tour and his drumming was a big part of that.

Coincidentally, according to this Chain of Flowers post, Andy Anderson, Phil Thornalley, and Matthieu Hartley will not be inducted into the Hall of Fame as former members of the Cure.

That's just bullshit. They played on records and were touring members.

Agreed. It feels wrong to me to not induct the rhythm section that played on 'The Lovecats' ...

It's bullshit if they leave 'em out but let Reeves in, who has played over a hundred shows now but only done three tours in seven years as a member, and never been contracted to play on a Cure record (I think? since Wrong Number was recorded by Cogasm)

otherwise, ehh, don't the Hall make inexplicable line calls about who's admissible every year?

Yeah they have some weird standards in that regard.

Sadly, Andy Anderson has now passed on.

https://www.post-punk.com/former-drummer-for-the-cure-andy-anderson-has-passed-away/

Just saw this on Twitter. Holy shit

It's with a heavy heart, I have to report the passing of a Cure brother.
Andy Anderson was A true gentleman and a great musician with a wicked sense of humor which he kept until the end, a testament to his beautiful spirit on the last journey. We are blessed to have known him.

— Lol Tolhurst (@LolTolhurst) February 26, 2019

Best Cure drummer, I just saw a clip of a show from the early 90s where they were playing music from his era and wow I missed him.

The world just got a lot less cool.

Andy🤜🏻🤛🏿Andy

this is horrible news, RIP.

going to have to play The Top tomorrow.

My favourite Andy moments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFCNikO5TmA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd8uz2e7fsk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pgc3fgh27c

So sad.

The Top was the Cure album I ignored the most when I was a teenager as to young me it sounded like a band that had lost its way a bit - like it crawled out of the darkness, made a couple of great pop songs and didn't know what to do about it. Over the years it has grown and grown on me and the drumming was a big part of that.

RIP Andy

(have to disagree with Matthew about "One Hundred Years" on Concert though. Andy never quite nails the crushing oppressive magnificence of Lol's studio effort - for me it's Lol's finest moment as a Cure musician)

I agree the studio version crushes (altho I have a lingering suspicion it’s not all Lol) but that Concert version is like a cruise missile

Well it's a drum machine in studio - part of why it didnt work live for a while

They were on fire in '84, the London performances that some of the Concert tracks were taken from are all time.

Thanks, thought I was nuts for thinking that. Those 84 shows are wonderful.

Recordings can be found here, if you scroll down about two-thirds of the way.

http://cureforall.eklablog.com/1984-c215966

💙from pearl thompson's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BuXUxlZn5qE💙

This is heartbreaking, this concert was posted by Andy Anderson himself:

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

just finished watching that full concert. not sure if Andy is my favorite Cure drummer but he was good. back to the concert, it is like an end of an era concert. they, of course, recorded The Head on the Door next and it changed the Cure forever. it was their second phase, i count Three Imaginary Boys as the first phase, and they were going in a full pop direction after The Top album. the Cure have always been a fantastic live band and this concert is special.

My take on Cure drummers - Lol: there for the camaraderie, great at the minimal, atmospheric beats early Cure required; Andy: along with Phil, helped Robert break his impasse and move into pop, powerful drummer whose style was an addition but didn't quite gel; Boris: perfect Cure drummer, creative, deft, deceptively technical; Jason: has been there longer than anyone else.

RIP Andy, I didn't understand the Top until I was older but I listened to Concert about two thousand times.

And he really left Hawkwind to join the Glove? That is pretty awesome.

I tend to think of the Cure as having four different eras, each one neatly marked by each drummer: Early Years (Lol), The Lost Weekend (Andy), Classic Era (Boris), and Late Period (Jason).

And he really left Hawkwind to join the Glove? That is pretty awesome.

whaaaaaat

The Glove is one of my favorites, RIP Andy

And he really left Hawkwind to join the Glove?

he did not fuck about, my friend.👍🏻

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEA-ewhvs2Q

http://www.capetalk.co.za/articles/341782/we-ve-always-rejected-the-convention-says-the-cure-frontman-robert-smith

So, the 4:14 Scream idea sounds like it's been canned in favour of a whole new album.

what an unexpected development

jeez guys just release the deluxe edition of Wish already

But if they do that, what else is there to look forward to, really?

A blu-ray release of the Cure in Orange, death

otm, probably.

I just hope that any new stuff doesn't sound as terrible production-wise as the last one. The crap production on 4:13 Dream was doubly irritating as it spoiled some of - IMO - the bands best material for years.

ask yourself, what was the last cure record with good production

The last Cure album with production I couldn't fault from end-to-end was Wish. I also think that Wild Mood Swings mostly sounds good even if the material isn't their strongest. The mix on Bloodflowers is too cluttered, and Ross Robinson proved himself unsuitable for the band (as they were at the time of recording) on the self-titled...

...but the sound on 4:13 Dream is a different level of bad. Badly engineered (the muffled drum sound!), badly mixed (whoever EQ'd and balanced the levels was fucking deaf, I swear) and on top of it badly mastered.