The Cure: Classic or Dud?

Alison Shaw?

Landray for sure, my bad. I don’t think he worked with Crawley beyond liking SO and inviting them on tour - Boris ended up on a band with her though. And the Cranes connection ... ? Also Crystal Castles but that’s not exactly an endorsement these days.
I’m sure there are many bands you could level the boys’ club accusation at, though.

Most of them?

Anyway to get back on initial topic, I’m pretty sure Pearl/Porl’s departure and subsequent ill feelings had nothing to do with possible transition. Pure speculation but I would imagine it’s a mix of personal animosity (divorce with Janet occurred at same time, no?) and artistic (Porl’s always followed his inspiration as Ned said and the last 20 years of the Cure have been pretty vacuous creatively speaking)

Yeah, this is nitpicky.

Agreed, sorry for the derail. I was a Cure obsessive 1985-1990 so it’s hard to see them fade. Hope the new record is a stormer.

it's odd to still listen to a band who are still active but whose last meaningful release (for me) was thirty years ago. I remember buying it the day it came out.

I go ways back with them as well. My timeline same as yours, Mathewk. For me "...Deep Green Sea" was the last of their great songs. Still, I check up on the them when there's news and it still makes me incredibly happy to see the "old" crew reunited for whatever reasons (I'm Team HOTD" as my fave lineup). It also reminds me that I'm growing older seeing my musical heroes wearing the signs of age. Love them.

I don’t think he worked with Crawley beyond liking SO and inviting them on tour -

They'd guest onstage during shows (Cranes too). I shouldn't think that Robert was ever in the same room as Alice Glass for Not In Love, and likely not on the same continent.

I was listening to the s/t and 4:13 Dream today and I do not for one second regret sticking with them through their latter-era albums.

i actually think 4:13 Dream is a really good album almost great. the only problem with it is the production. there are some really good songs on that album that is seem to hum to myself out of the blue ie "The Only One." i never really got into the self titled album but i should play it again to see why it never really stuck for me.

Yeah poor production, tuneless shout-singing and lazy lyrics are what drags these albums down. The music is otherwise still pretty great.

I don’t think you can blame “The doleful cant of a bigot / Blinded by fear and hate” on laziness

I was listening to the s/t and 4:13 Dream today and I do not for one second regret sticking with them through their latter-era albums.

This is accurate.

jammin' 'a forest' from concert right now and i have to chuckle at how un-epic it is; especially considering that it would become upwards of twenty minutes at some shows in the later 80s and especially in the 90s.

i mean, damn, you heard that opening note towards the end the set and it was like, "ladies and gentlemen, the gothful dead" after a while.

i'm finally back as my sabbatical has come to an end and just in time too:

https://i.imgur.com/jBrRvVB.jpg

they had me at The Cure but add the Pixies and Mogwai to the bill? i'm going and $150 for this bill is not bad at all. a Saturday Night in the summertime in Los Angeles. a bit like heaven.

i did see the Cure at the Rose Bowl before, it was The Wish tour and Dinosaur Jr with the Cranes opened that show.

not even gonna mention the Throwing Muses are playing, huh.

Xp I think there were a few of us ilxors at that show :)

I went to the version of that show in NoCal (Shoreline, I think).

More than a few of us.

https://nedraggett.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/not-just-the-ticket-53-the-cure-june-27-1992/

(While tempted, I'm not doing this upcoming show; it would be easy enough to fly down and all but that very night Bryan Ferry is playing up here in the Bay Area, and I've seen the Cure numerous times and Bryan Ferry, never. So, priorities. Also, I rather assume they'll play here either right before or right after the LA date, so.)

DJI I think it was at San Jose State football stadium, remember the fireworks?

Email campaign to get Ferry to cover "Sinking."

i never had any interest to go to la for 55 years but the cure plus the pixies plus the throwing muses, three fave groups from when i was a twen of whom i have seen none live might change that, it is is just a 14 hour flight incl. a stop over from bloody old berlin, so why not?

alomar - um - maybe? That was a LONG time ago.

playing the last night of the Disintegration shows RIGHT NOW at the Sydney Opera House

Cool, thanks!

This is so much better than working. Thanks!

He seems so content and chill these days.

I caught the last bit of "Fear of Ghosts" and one of the instrumental demos from that time period when I woke up

looks like the whole thing is up for replay at the same link, at least for the moment

Okay this first hour is directly beamed in from god

Setlist:

00:00 ----
16:50 "Hello..."
17:20 Delirious Night
23:44 Fear of Ghosts
30:55 No Heart
34:20 Esten
38:19 2 Late
41:09 Out of Mind
44:45 Babble
---
54:42 Plainsong
59:25 Pictures of You
1:06:44 Closedown
1:11:00 Lovesong
1:14:40 Last Dance
1:19:52 Lullaby
1:24:46 Fascination Street
1:29:47 Prayers for Rain
1:35:34 The Same Deep Water as You
1:44:47 Disintegration
1:53:11 Homesick
2:00:16 Untitled

There's more than that! Three Imaginary Boys, Pirate Ships ...

2:10:50 Burn
2:17:50 Three Imaginary Boys
2:21:30 Pirate Ships

I hadn't seen that in the comments

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D7zBwC-UIAABlka.jpg

omg

Also can we talk for a second about how Robert is 60 and still sounds like he did on this album?

The "Disintegration" in this Disintegration >>> the "Disintegration" in the Trilogy Disintegration.

Haven’t listened to the album yet but what a treat to hear these b sides played. I don’t think it worked so well live but still, never thought I’d ever hear them play Fear of Ghosts. Babble otoh kicked ass live. They should add it to their regular live set rotation.

(after a short youtube link following trail) btw, I didn't know about the alternative lyrics to A Forest in 1979 + the energy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCCLhCBb1I4

the energy!

Whenever I see clips like that I just think "the drugs!"

I spent a lovely evening chatting with Reeves Gabrels' wife via Twitter DM last night and got confirmation that Robert uses a bunch of vocal technique to keep his voice intact

he sounded wonderful on that livestream

also, i may be misremembering this, but that performance of disintegration seemed v deeply felt and even slightly... energetic? compared to my old trilogy dvd

I didn't know about the alternative lyrics to A Forest in 1979

In the early years their lyrics could be in flux even from night to night as they wrote songs onstage (and even occasionally after recording: Seventeen Seconds' song Three spent years in the set after turning into Forever with improvised lyrics)

Last thing I expected was a new interview with Boris Williams but it's great. I'm not sure I've ever heard him talk at length before, he sounds lovely and very chilled:

https://t.co/e61zznKlwB

Some very interesting (YMMV) insights into his time in the band, including (too briefly) why he left and how he feels about seeing the band play without him.