The CaterPOLLar -- ILM Artist Poll #23 -- The Cure -- voting thread

I've started making my list. I've flicked through all the albums and got a rough list ready of what will make it from those. Just started listening through Join The Dots which I only got last year so don't know that well. Just wow at Throw Your Foot, incredible song. The Upstairs Room and Lament have also stood out from Disc one so far.

I know ppl started rolling their eyes around The 13th but I do think there's something to all of these songs (and I'm also certain more ppl remember/think fondly of the older material)

― keeping things contextual (DJP)

Good call on Before Three and Out of This World. Will be voting for a few songs of the last three albums. End of The World should also be mentioned, it's one of my favourite singles of theirs.

I have been looking forward to and dreading this poll

My short list will probably have 100 songs on it

^^^
Me too.

Will they place more album cuts and b-sides than any other band that's been polled? It always seemed to me like big fans really love those more than the singles (although they have fabulous singles, but that's not what I love The Cure for.)

Of course I do expect "Just Like Heaven", "A Forest", "Inbetween Days" and "Boys Don't Cry" to place really high.

I think A Forest us probably my least favourite of the "big" Cure songs and I doubt if it'll make my top 40.

you are crazy, "A Forest" is the pinnacle of most The Cure live shows...

Realistic estimate: I've probably listened to "A Forest" 400-500 times in my life and it's going to be in my top five. I can see how it would wear on some people, though.

how many times can I put "Lament" on my ballot? is 40 too much?

I ended up going with the 40 songs which still thrill me the most to listen to today, rather than the 40 'best' songs. So for instance I think 'Just Like Heaven' is a much much better song than 'Do The Hansa' but I always enjoy hearing the latter more these days.

lament and upstairs room love is otm. the japanese whispers stuff is maybe my favourite collection of cure songs

y

ep

I must echo the love for "The Upstairs Room" - an awesomely overlooked Cure song.

Also "Just One Kiss" (the extended version, natch). It seems they've finally started playing this song in concert after 30 years. http://youtu.be/ip1r5kGtkd8

Helpful tip: the Faith LP will only take up 8 slots on your ballot.

I don't know if the Glove will see much love, but "Punish Me With Kisses," "Perfect Murder" and "Mouth to Mouth" are all ace.

You must also remember: Primary, The Baby Screams, The Exploding Boy, 2 Late, Halo, The Big Hand, Burn, The 13th.

I'm not sure I understand why remixes from Mixed Up count when a lot of them were taken from 12" singles (Disintegration & KMKMKM tracks), but does anyone actually prefer any of those mixes anyway?

I love the dub remix of "Pictures of You"

I'm not sure I understand why remixes from Mixed Up count when a lot of them were taken from 12" singles (Disintegration & KMKMKM tracks), but does anyone actually prefer any of those mixes anyway?

The thing I wanted to avoid was any votes for mixes that are just an "extended mix", which as far as I remembered at the time, most Cure 12" were. I had to start this poll with not a lot of notice and my first post was quite hastily written without doing much research. If anyone wants to vote for any remix off any b-sides they're more than welcome to, to be honest I trust the people voting in the poll to vote "sensibly", whatever that means.

I just want to throw out some often-overlooked songs for people to consider as they are making their ballots:

A few of these will definitely be on my ballot somewhere, probably/possibly Cold, The Snakepit, Lost, Out of This World, Underneath the Stars ...

Exploding Boy is my favourite Cure b-side, by far.

This started getting really difficult as I got to the last 10 or so of my list, and I started to realize just how many songs I was going to have to leave off. Then I started second guessing myself like crazy.

I think this is just too overwhelming for me to vote in.

"You don't have to submit 40, I'll adjust the scoring accordingly."

The wording here is troubling...will you be scoring from the top down or the bottom up?

― Johnny Fever, Thursday, July 26, 2012 10:54 AM (3 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I know nate is incommunicado until Tuesday or so, but I'd still like to get this question answered.

In every other poll it's been from the top down, aiui, so your number 1 would get full points

I think Clarke did Fleetwood Mac from the bottom up. I kinda like that idea, if you don't even like 20 songs your vote *should* be worth a bit less.

I don't know any Cure after the Staring at the Sea comp, but I might give this a go anyway.

― Neil Jung (WmC), Wednesday, July 25, 2012 7:52 PM (4 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

That's kinda my boat, too. I don't love them enough to be able to spit out 40 songs without a good bit of catalogue digging. But I'm drawn to contributing a ballot for sure...

Top down makes more sense to me. Johnny Fever - you've run a couple of polls, how would you do it? I'd genuinely like to know the best way to do it because I'd hate to fuck up this poll because of some bad maths.

xposts

Bumping this for anyone who might've missed it. I've only had 2 ballots in 6 days and I'm worried that this thread is getting buried.

I'm going to vote, btw

I'll probably give it a go too. I'll likely not make 40 as I'm not a natural fan, but I'm dipping in & out and making a note of what takes my fancy. So far I've got 7.

I don't know any Cure after the Staring at the Sea comp, but I might give this a go anyway.

― Neil Jung (WmC), Wednesday, July 25, 2012 7:52 PM (4 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

That's kinda my boat, too. I don't love them enough to be able to spit out 40 songs without a good bit of catalogue digging. But I'm drawn to contributing a ballot for sure...

I hope people who like at least 20 songs will vote.

Yeah, that's my target.

I can easily make 40, but mine will be weighted toward the three basic things I know: the first album, the singles, and the Head on the Door/Kiss Me/Disintegration run. I've tried and failed to get into the murky mid-80s stuff that a lot of Cure true believers love. (I think I actually own a copy of Pornography, but I'm not sure I've ever listened all the way through.)

Also a relisten to the first album the other night reminded me that "Grinding Halt" has to go on the list.

have always loved this despite it sort of being cure by numbers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl7jR4BAJ5Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl7jR4BAJ5Y

there we go

Does anyone else think the bassline to Fascination Street sounds an awful lot like the one from Close to Me? I never noticed this.

I find myself often wishing those earlier records had a more naturalistic drum sound.

"The Upstairs Room" is such a great song.

xps to nate

I'm definitely a fan of the top down method for a ballot that's less than full.

"if you don't even like 20 songs your vote *should* be worth a bit less." I don't know if Ismael was kidding here or not, but I think even people who aren't superfans should be afforded the same value as a voter as everyone else. I mean, I could probably submit a 40 track ballot for The Cure, but after a while I'd just be throwing songs at it that I kind of like and the order would be arbitrary. That doesn't mean that the upper portion of my ballot isn't thought out and ranked as I see fit.

So yeah, top down scoring is only fair. My #1 will be just as valuable as the #1 of someone who has 39 other songs behind it.

Thanks, that's the way I'll do it.

Here's when my newfound affection for The Top will come in handy.

I'm totally in the dark post-Disintegration... Could a real stan recommend 3-4 albums to investigate? I wish I had time to comb through everything.

Bumping this for anyone who might've missed it. I've only had 2 ballots in 6 days and I'm worried that this thread is getting buried.

The deadline is still more than a week away, right?

I just put together my shortlist yesterday.

I wasn't kidding fwiw - there are usually a couple of *very* short ballots and I think it's a bit unfair when those three or songs get a huge boost up the rundown at the expense of all the other songs that haven't been listened to at all. But obviously it doesn't really matter.

Deadline:[b] Friday August 8th

did you mean Friday, Aug. 10?

yah nate confirmed it was a typo.

my "shortlist" has 93 songs on it and I think I'm still missing a few

I'm totally in the dark post-Disintegration... Could a real stan recommend 3-4 albums to investigate? I wish I had time to comb through everything.

there's only five albums since then! DJP will stan for the last two but rly check out the album Wish and the singles The 13th and Wrong Number and then relax, almost every single Robert guest appearance on someone else's record post-90s is better than anything on a Cure record in this period

if you want to hear another whole album get the Trilogy DVD, they played Porno and Disint and Bloodflowers in full at some German stadium gigs for that

oh wait post-Disintegration you totally need the single Never Enough too

lol see I knew I was forgetting something

I definitely thought I'd struggle to come up with a full ballot but my first draft had 36 tracks so I spent some time listening to a couple of albums I wasn't familar with plus a few b-sides (this thread really came in handy) and made 40 no problem. Have to say my ballot is heavy on the gloomier stuff - Seventeen Seconds/Faith will always the absolute pinncale of this band for me.

Three Imaginary Boys/Boys Don't Cry — 5
Seventeen Seconds — 2
Faith — 2
Pornography — 3
The Walk EP/Japanese Whispers — 4
The Top — 2
The Head on the Door — 4
Kiss Me — 4
Disintegration — 5
Mixed Up — 1
Wish — 4
Join the Dots (B-Sides) - 6

I'm a huge fan, so can I just go on record right now and say that 'Carnage Visors' is extremely overrated?

Ballot sent. I can't believe this band, every last song on my list I can relate a specific memory to, it's outrageous.

34 ballots received. In your face, Paul Simon!

"six different ways" is my second favorite off the album, after "close to me"

When're you doing the countdown?

TIB/BDC - 3
SS - 2
Faith - 2
Pornography - 2
The Top - 2
Head - 3
KMKMKM - 6
Disintegration - 5
Wish - 2
WMS - 1
Bloodflowers - 1
Cure - 3
4:13 Dream - 2
other singles/b-sides - 6

Semi-serious response to DJP, I was trying to balance out my ballot a bit (i.e. not getting sentimental and voting for 15 songs from KMKMKM) and a bunch of songs fell through the cracks. Is "4:13 Dream" as good as "Wish" and "Pornography" (I voted for two songs from all of them)? Definitely not, but there are a few really good individual songs there, and I didn't want to ignore that (or any) album completely.

So yeah, I already regret not finding room for certain songs, but I feel really good about my top 20-25 though (=where most of the points will come from).

I'm hoping to start about 9 tonight with the albums, videos and tracks 50-41.

rad.

A load of ballots in the last few hours (as someone predicted) means I need to do a lot of number crunching when I get home but hopefully my spreadsheets are up to doing most of the work. I'll never forgive myself if I fuck these results up.

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

btw Boris is the fucking BEST, I still maintain that ppl would like the later material more had he drummed it instead of Jason Cooper

althrough the evidence of Entreat Plus suggests it mightn't have made much difference