1988 Cure Documentary Unearthed

Apparently from That Was Then This Is Now, which I seem to remember watching at the time, here's 30 minutes of Cure doc from 1988. Some priceless footage including the "10:15" promo video and "One Hundred Years" live on the Oxford Roadshow, plus footage from The Cure In Orange, finally expected on DVD this year.

It Was 20 Years Ago Today...

No, not some filthy hippy shit. 20 years ago this week saw the release of The Cure's Disintegration, officially recognized* as the Greatest Album Of All Time. Bewilderingly, Rhino's reissue campaign of smartly-packaged 2-disc special editions halted a couple of years ago one album shy, with 1987's Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me. Below, Disintegration's opening track "Plainsong" from the Trilogy concerts, recently released on Blu-Ray for anyone who really wants to clearly see every single sweaty dribble pour down Fat Bob's face in high definition.



*by me

NME Cure Tribute CD

NME have released the tracklisting for their free Cure tribute, snot-glued to the front of the 2/25 issue. Pretty good for a freebie - highlights include The Futureheads covering "Lovecats", Editors - "Lullaby" and Dinosaur Jr covering "Just Like Heaven" — presumably the version originally released as a single in 1989. There's not normally much of a reason to pick up the NME these days, but this is worth it.

Full tracklisting:

1. 'Robert Smith spoken word intro'
2. Mystery Jets and Esser – 'In Between Days'
3. Lostprophets – 'Boys Don't Cry'
4. Marmaduke Duke – 'Friday I'm In Love'
5. Dinosaur Jnr – 'Just Like Heaven'
6. The Big Pink – 'Love Song'
7. Editors – 'Lullaby'
8. British Sea Power – 'A Forest'
9. The Dandy Warhols – 'Primary'
10. The Get Up Kids – 'Close To Me'
11. The Futureheads – 'The Lovecats'
12. Art Brut – 'Catch'
13. Metronomy – 'Fascination Street'
14. Alkaline Trio – 'Cut Here'
15. Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly – 'In Between Days'
    

Dinosaur Jr covering Just Like Heaven:

Random YouTube Friday The Cure - Play For Today

Live in 1986, complete with comedy French moshing, from The Cure In Orange, long overdue for an official DVD release. Pre-Fat Bob's got no hair, because Simon Gallup's hair fucking ate it. A few years later, Robert would have his revenge, by eating the whole world.

Songs Of The Year: The Cure - Underneath The Stars

This year's Cure album, 4:13 Dream, only their fourth since 1992's Wish, is better than any of the other three released since that time, which doesn't necessarily excuse it from the disappointment category. A marked improvement over 2006's self-titled, Ross Robinson-produced funless grind, it's a fairly upbeat and diverse affair - the band in Kiss Me or Head on the Door mode, but it's too often Cure-by-numbers - here's the poppy first single, here's the wacky freakout, here's the shouty one, etc., many of which have directly recognizable progenitors, and, given it was supposed to represent the poppier side of the band, there's a marked lack of memorable tunes. 

"Underneath The Stars" doesn't exactly escape the formula trap (here's the Disintegrationy one), but rises above it with an epic, swirling track, a classic Cure long instrumental intro heavy on chiming guitar giving way to Robert Smith's vocals, buried and back masked in the mix.  Fat Bob's voice has improved over the years, more expressive and multi-faceted, a broadening of the palette even as the lyrical subject matter has continued to coalesce around familiar themes and vocabulary.  

If there's a criticism it's that the band as a whole continues to suffer from Smith's sudden aversion to synthesizer that saw the exit of longtime keyboardist Roger O'Donnell from the band a few years ago. It's somewhat less of an issue live, where sheer, muscular force and the welcome return of Porl Thompson on guitar compensate, but there's an atmosphere missing from widescreen efforts like this (on the subject of "Atmosphere", it's interesting that the one apparent synthesized tool still allowed in the box is the windchime effect...). A welcome return to form and the clear highlight of the album - will the rumored "dark side" half of the 4:13 Dream sessions, allegedly due next year, see more of this?