― eclectomaniac, Wednesday, 20 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― electric sound of jim, Wednesday, 20 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 20 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Dan Perry, Wednesday, 20 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
I need to find some early Curve records.
― David Raposa, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
That horrible gauzy early 90's production which Curve used is a horrible device used in the main by bands seeking to conceal their inability to come up with dynamics, structure or melodies. Strip it away and it would reveal.....nothing.
Garbage updated this particular trick on V.2.0, and perfected it to the extent that no matter how loud you turn it up, nothing actually hits home. It's all vapour.
― Dr. C, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― a-33, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Andrew L, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― EdwardO, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Alex in NYC, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
I kinda miss having _Version 2.0_ around.
― Jeff W, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Why the hell not? It sounds like what it sounds like, and I said why I don't like the way it sounds. Which I think is mainly because of the 'production'. It could be that there's not much 'production' and that the sounds were all recorded heavily filtered and processed at source. Who cares?
I have never used the 'if it sounds good on an acoustic, it must be a *real* song' argument. Ever.
― g, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
So what does the "new" Curve sound like?
Curve. The online-only Curve disc sounds like Curve too.
To be more specific, Curve '01 sounds like Curve '92 with the vocals higher in the mix.
― Andy K, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Chris, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
!
― Tim, Sunday, 24 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― mark s, Sunday, 24 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
I just had to run a midday solo mission to "Buy Buy Baby" (ridiculous baby gear megastore in Chelsea) and decided to play a little Curve on ye olde iPod on the way to and from. I'd forgotten how much I used to adore this band. Between "Lillies Dying", "Die Like a Dog" and the utterly, uttelry sublime single mix (by Flood) of "Fait Accompli" (miles better than the version on Doppelganger) I was practically weeping (and embarassingly singing aloud and air-bassing) with irrepresible joy. They may indeed have been a bit of a one-trick pony, but fuck if that one particular trick wasn't decadently intoxicating. By the time "On the Wheel" came on (followed swifftly by their rousing cover of Moroder'n'Summer's "I Feel Love" from the Ruby Trax compilation), I was verily scaring the Teletubbies out of a gaggle of concerned new Moms in Buy Buy Baby, as I transformed seamlessly into very the legend inscribed of the back of one of my ill-fitting and fading Sisters of Mercy shirts, that being an "utter groove bastard." God fucking bless Curve and may he take a glistening divine piss on those who suggest that no good music came out of the 1990's.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:08 (nineteen years ago) link
― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:10 (nineteen years ago) link
To go back to a point David R raised:
Appreciation for Curve shot up 100 fold once my feeble mind FINALLY made the connection between them & Garbage, especially since Curve rocks MUCH harder than Shirley & Co
Quite. And it's not just in terms of loud feedback but rhythms -- Garbage were far more cleaner and more pallid. Both Shirley Manson and Toni Halliday were/are Siouxsie-obsessed singers with dodgy end-of-eighties careers they'd like us all to forget a la Tori Amos, and on that front they did pretty well, but if the choice is between Dean Garcia and his beatboxes versus Butch Vig and his nonentities, no contest.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:16 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:19 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:21 (nineteen years ago) link
― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:25 (nineteen years ago) link
Hold the phazizzlone, I didn't know that.
I haven't picked up anything of theirs after Come Clean (and sold same to SecondSpin.Com, actually). I'll stick with their early stuff, but Gift does now sound promising.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:27 (nineteen years ago) link
― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:39 (nineteen years ago) link
― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:43 (nineteen years ago) link
― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:47 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:49 (nineteen years ago) link
― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:49 (nineteen years ago) link
― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:54 (nineteen years ago) link
― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Friday, 7 May 2004 20:59 (nineteen years ago) link
Curve are stone cold CLASSIC.
― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Friday, 7 May 2004 21:33 (nineteen years ago) link
CD 1 The Way Of Curve
1 Ten Little Girls2 Coast Is Clear3 Clipped4 Die Like A Dog5 Horror Head6 Fait Accompli7 Missing Link8 Superblaster9 Pink Girl With The Blues10 Recovery11 Chinese Burn12 Coming Up Roses13 Hell Above Water14 Want More Need Less15 Perish16 Nice and Easy
CD 2 Rare and unreleased
1 On The Wheel2 Triumph3 Arms Out4 Sigh5 Mission From God 6 Today Is Not The Day 7 Low And Behold8 Nothing Without Me 9 What A Waste with Ian Dury10 Falling Free Aphex Twin mix11 Chinese Burn Lunatic Calm mix 12 Coming Up Roses Kevin Shields Mix13 I Feel Love14 In Disguise15 Sinner
Good choices? Bad choices? I've only heard one or two Curve tracks ever, and I don't even remember what they were.
― Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Friday, 7 May 2004 21:57 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 7 May 2004 23:29 (nineteen years ago) link
― Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Friday, 7 May 2004 23:40 (nineteen years ago) link
I didn't realize Kevin Shields was on Gift, either.
― bimble (bimble), Saturday, 8 May 2004 01:02 (nineteen years ago) link
― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 8 May 2004 01:22 (nineteen years ago) link
― bimble (bimble), Saturday, 8 May 2004 01:32 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 8 May 2004 02:19 (nineteen years ago) link
The first EPs were absolutely classic. Doppelganger just took that sound and spread it, rather thinly, over an album, though 'Ice That Melts the Tips', 'Already Yours', and 'Think and Act' are standout album tracks. Cuckoo is where it's at for me. The album is well-sequenced too, building up to a great finish. It's the best heavy wall of goutar album I know from that period, but there's tons of variety throughout at the same time. Come Clean worked out for me, though it's the one I listen to least. I think it sounds louder and dirtier than most of the 'rock band goes electronic' albums, and besides, they were using samplers and drum machines from day one; the technology just got a lot more sophisticated in their downtime.
SEARCH SEARCH SEARCH the 'Coming Up Roses' B-sides: 'Habit and 'Midnight and Royal'. They're some of the best material from that period. Really tense and spooky without relying on conventional big guitars or noise. I like Gift a lot, esp. the Shields tracks plus 'My Tiled White Floor'. There was very solid material on their internet-only album in 2000, Open Day at the Hatefest, but nothing really standout. I'll probably track down the new compilation, though there are only a couple of tracks I don't have in hard form. I think they got Flat Earth back for the cover, which is good.
Oh yeah; Cuckoo had a wonderful sleeve, as did the surrounding EPs. Only the Come Clean sleeve wasn't wholly interesting.
trivia: Debbie Smith last appeared playing with Luke Sutherland in Bows, which is such an improvement over Echobelly or the totally dire Snowpony. I'm going to go revive a Bows thread now.
xpost: Ned, yes oh yes Mission From God is glorious.
― derrick (derrick), Saturday, 8 May 2004 03:00 (nineteen years ago) link
― keith m (keithmcl), Saturday, 8 May 2004 03:10 (nineteen years ago) link
― bimble (bimble), Saturday, 8 May 2004 03:15 (nineteen years ago) link
just had one of my tweeters fixed due to excess a few weeks ago.so, probably not the best time to rediscover how much i love curve.
― mark e, Thursday, 15 August 2019 18:55 (four years ago) link
I was just blasting "Frozen" last week
― brigadier pudding (DJP), Thursday, 15 August 2019 18:58 (four years ago) link
DJP : if you haven't checked them out, then the freebie SPC ECO remixes/art of pop remixes compilations are way better than i ever expected them to be.
― mark e, Thursday, 15 August 2019 19:13 (four years ago) link
so, today i picked up some eurythmics cds from a local charity shop.i never expected to see deans name in the credits.
― mark e, Friday, 23 August 2019 19:10 (four years ago) link
Curve were on Dave Stewart's label!
more connections here: famous bands (or significant portions thereof) who backed up a solo artist or were absorbed into an existing band for a single album: the thread
― quelle sprocket damage (sic), Friday, 23 August 2019 20:31 (four years ago) link
ooh yeah, of course .. duhh ...
― mark e, Friday, 23 August 2019 21:30 (four years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae5FYlDB_QI
― Maresn3st, Sunday, 6 October 2019 15:58 (four years ago) link
Weird, band looks to be playing live, but the music is the recorded versions, afaict.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 6 October 2019 18:32 (four years ago) link
No audience actually - and camera moving through where an audience would be. The vocal is live, anyway.
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Sunday, 6 October 2019 19:06 (four years ago) link
Is it? Missing Link for sure pre recorded vocals, at least backing vocals.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 6 October 2019 19:09 (four years ago) link
guys it's a TV performance
― now let's play big lunch take little lunch (sic), Sunday, 6 October 2019 19:43 (four years ago) link
I know! But the band seems to be doing an unusually good job miming.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 6 October 2019 19:52 (four years ago) link
I discovered Doppelganger back in the mid-2000s and thought it was pretty good, although there wasn't much variety. I'd never heard of the band until that point but I was familiar with Garbage, and the similarities were striking - they sounded exactly the same, down to the vocal style and drum sound. The production sounded massive, that's what appealed to me. The drums, they have a huge booming sound that's badly out of date nowadays but I'm genetically programmed to respond to that sound.
Also, there's a bit in "Already Yours" near the end where most of the mix falls away and there's a rhythm guitar solo a la Carlos Alomar's solo in "Don't Look Back in Anger". It's not as good but I like it. The song has a massive wall of production that reminds me of "Leave Them All Behind" by Ride, where the guitars almost turn into a wash of static. Listening to it again on Youtube I'm amazed they weren't put on the soundtrack of a generic mid-1990s PlayStation racing game. I assume Gran Turismo was out of bounds because it actually had Garbage.
I've always wondered why they so totally failed to make any commercial impression, to the extent that I'd never heard of them; I can't name any of the band, so perhaps they didn't have Shirley Manson's charisma, and from what I know they were on a small indie label at a time when indie bands weren't supposed to sound like massive stadium rock acts. I can't think of another instance of a rock band anticipating the sound of another rock band so perfectly, down to the production and vocal style (I've always liked to assume that Garbage were unaware of Curve).
Also, dismembered dolls or multiple babies on an album cover = commercial disaster, viz The Human League's Reproduction. A single baby is okay, viz Nevermind and Van Halen's 1984. Multiple babies no. When Chumbawamba put a single baby on the cover of one of their albums they had a massive success AND YES I KNOW that Anarchy also has a baby on it but the cover was widely censored so no-one got to see it. Why was Moby's Animal Rights a commercial failure? Because the baby was obscured by towel.
― Ashley Pomeroy, Sunday, 6 October 2019 22:56 (four years ago) link
Never go full baby.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 6 October 2019 23:09 (four years ago) link
(I've always liked to assume that Garbage were unaware of Curve).
lol
― now let's play big lunch take little lunch (sic), Monday, 7 October 2019 00:12 (four years ago) link
HA!
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 7 October 2019 03:26 (four years ago) link
I can't name any of the band, so perhaps they didn't have Shirley Manson's charisma
Let me assure you that Toni and Debbie both had charisma to burn onstage, for a start.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 7 October 2019 03:52 (four years ago) link
Garbage had the advantage of having big time record biz connections from day one.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Monday, 7 October 2019 03:53 (four years ago) link
well to be fair Curve were hardly total strangers to the recording industry
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Monday, 7 October 2019 04:22 (four years ago) link
Was gonna say
― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Monday, 7 October 2019 06:51 (four years ago) link
Heh, yeah, Curve's industry ties are massive.I do think Garbage's debt to Curve is a little overblown. The former never really aligned with anything shoegaze or dark or goth or mysterious. Garbage could never pull off starting their set in a haze of thick smoke, for example. Also, wouldn't call Toni particularly charismatic, though Debbie sure was. But Shirley is one of the most compelling, charismatic front people I have ever seen live.(That said, I think Curve is massive and Garbage was pretty slight.)
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 7 October 2019 11:58 (four years ago) link
Speaking of Debbie, I met her last month! (post gig party for The Raincoats' 40th anniversary show in London) Within ten seconds she correctly ID'ed me "I bet you're a guitar player" and we chatted about effects pedals and amps for twenty minutes. I still miss Curve.
― Elvis Telecom, Wednesday, 25 December 2019 08:42 (four years ago) link
otm
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 25 December 2019 08:44 (four years ago) link
Another one from that playback tv appearance just popped up -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKwbx6GLq6o
― Maresn3st, Tuesday, 7 January 2020 15:43 (four years ago) link
still can't decide whether there is anything being played live on these videos and if not why the band seem so engaged
― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Wednesday, 8 January 2020 21:11 (four years ago) link
It's all playback
― Maresn3st, Wednesday, 8 January 2020 21:37 (four years ago) link
Like the last one, this one seems all pre-recorded, the album version. Though yeah, the band is fake playing its heart out.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 8 January 2020 22:37 (four years ago) link
It's just kinda cool to watch them swaying about, they were always a pretty good looking band.
― Maresn3st, Thursday, 9 January 2020 10:24 (four years ago) link
I dunno if any of you have ever watched this dude, but he's a totally square yet knowledgable and enthusiastic old nerd who breaks down music theory and whatnot. Anyway, out of nowhere, he included Curve is his list of the top 20 rock bass sounds of all time. #18, around the 30 minute mark!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0P5isBr7uw
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 9 January 2020 15:27 (four years ago) link
Nice, I like Rick's videos, his son Dylan has perfect pitch, the clips of him calling out the names and notes of gnarly cluster piano chords are amazing.
― Maresn3st, Thursday, 9 January 2020 15:29 (four years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VZcW7JCpCU
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 9 January 2020 15:31 (four years ago) link
New Toni H. EP is totally unexpected and totally awesome
― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Sunday, 28 March 2021 16:21 (three years ago) link
Well I trust you're going to link this!
― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 28 March 2021 16:43 (three years ago) link
Streamable on your favorite platform and downloads here:https://www.junodownload.com/artists/Toni+Halliday/tracks/
― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Sunday, 28 March 2021 17:10 (three years ago) link
that's a timely revive.. i've been going through my old CDs and ripping ones that are missing from my digital collection and just hit the "C"s – was literally just wondering how Curve was going to hold up
― FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Sunday, 28 March 2021 22:49 (three years ago) link
They hold up really really well! Also, mysteriously absent from Amazon's streaming service.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 28 March 2021 22:51 (three years ago) link
But thankfully fully on Bandcamp, including a slew of rarity comps.
https://curve.bandcamp.com/music
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 29 March 2021 00:38 (three years ago) link
Wow, what's all that "bootleg series" stuff?
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 29 March 2021 03:49 (three years ago) link
A lot of it is mixes and various elements of final tracks -- Garcia breaks each entry down thoroughly in the liners.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 29 March 2021 04:34 (three years ago) link
happy 30th to cuckoo
― mookieproof, Thursday, 21 September 2023 22:09 (six months ago) link
Claaaaaaaasssssssssic (imagine this word said with tons of fuzz and overdrive and reverb and flanger and the like)
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 21 September 2023 22:19 (six months ago) link
I wish I knew what the mad vocal sample at the start of Clipped is all about, I've been wondering that for 30+ years.
― MaresNest, Thursday, 21 September 2023 22:41 (six months ago) link
That Cuckoo tour was a hell of a thing to experience.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 21 September 2023 23:00 (six months ago) link
xp the absolute zenith of Curve for me (shout out to “Turkey Crossing”) - I remember Cherry coming out and thinking, well, this hits every mark dead-on.
― assert (matttkkkk), Friday, 22 September 2023 01:05 (six months ago) link
also Cuckoo is their best album by an order of magnitude
― assert (matttkkkk), Friday, 22 September 2023 01:08 (six months ago) link
To each his own. Never much cared for Cuckoo despite some good moments. But then again all their albums were flawed. Pubic Fruit all the way
― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Friday, 22 September 2023 05:44 (six months ago) link
well yeah the EPs were the real high point.
― assert (matttkkkk), Friday, 22 September 2023 09:48 (six months ago) link
Curve is one of those bands where I kinda liked them, picked up Cuckoo at a record store on a whim, it became one of my favorite albums of all time, and I never really bothered finding any of their other music. Now, my curiosity is piqued and I'm finally listening to the E.P.s that comprised Pubic Fruit after all these years. Might be doing some Bandcamping today.
― beard papa, Friday, 22 September 2023 16:51 (six months ago) link
Physical box set coming in February:
Unreadable Communication: Anxious Recordings 1991-1993
The two albums, four EPs, some remixes and some live stuff. Does not include Peel Sessions, which are supposed to be very good.
I'm not a fan, but if you want remastered CDs, here you go.
― Tahuti Watches L&O:SVU Reruns Without His Ape (unperson), Saturday, 2 December 2023 18:52 (four months ago) link
so, remember this from a while back :
"but more to the point .. did all cd copies of the album come with doubled up inner sleeves as a spin off from the album name .. or is that just me being a little too nerdy ?
― mark e (mark e), Tuesday, August 23, 2005 1:53 PM (eighteen years ago)"
well, a twitter account posted this weekend re the album, so i asked the question re the doubling up.
and look what happened :
𝘾𝙐𝙍𝙑𝙀 liked your replyquestion : was i only the person who bought this on cd to find the inner booklet doubled up ? i assumed it was a play on the album name ..
!!!
― mark e, Saturday, 9 March 2024 19:16 (one month ago) link