The Cure: Classic or Dud?

Anything to add, Ned?

The idea is to encourage people to be forthright in their opinion but it's not a vote or anything. It's a catchier way of saying "what do you think of this band?"

Cheers!

(PS: Dud. A couple of the singles are nice musically, even very good, but they have Smith's horrible smeared moan over the top of them. He sounds like a fourteen-year-old with a splinter in his toe: there's something wheedling about his voice which makes me want to smack him and tell him to get a grip rather than empathise with him.)

Seriously.. though it seems the norm to slag 'em off these days, it's amazing just how much good stuff they have done. 'Boy's Don't Cry'/'3 Imaginary Boys' is a great debut, whichever version you have. Scratchy wired glum-pop. In fact it's all classic up to 'The Top', their first major clunker.

'Head on the Door' is great pop. 'Kiss Me X3' is also great pop ('Just Like Heaven'), except where they try too hard to make great pop and fail ('Hot, Hot, Hot'). 'Disintegration' is their last great album. But not pop. No problem.

My last encounter with The Cure was 'Wild Mood Swings'. I swung my copy back from whence it came - Record and Tape Exchange. Still, 'Galore' sums up the later years nicely.

Anyway I like old Bob, a pop man at heart even in his gloomiest moments.

Classic. And if you disagree with me I'll shove all twenty or so CDRs of rare and odd stuff I have of theirs down your throat and kill you. *proceeds to light candles to huge _Disintegration_ poster in room*

The Cure are a band who, like Depeche Mode and a number of others of that ilk, should have just hung it up on December 31, 1989. Their glory days were in the 1980s, Disintegration should have been their last album. It would have been a perfect ending. Instead, they chose to put out three subpar releases in the 1990s. While Bloodflowers was a definite improvement over Wild Mood Swings (did *anyone* like that album?) and Wish (which came out at the peak of my Cure fandom and still disappointed me), it still wasn't close to the material they released during the 1980s.

Yeah, some of their stuff is whiny and pretentious. But I think they manage to pull it off reasonably well, and I think the whininess and the pretentiousness will make them staples of every sad-sack high school kid for the next thirty years, whether they continue to release new albums or not. (And hopefully they won't, judging from the poor quality of their most recent albums--I think that the more bad stuff they release, the less "legendary" they'll become.)

By the way, I *was* a teenage goth girl. I was also an early-20s goth girl. I own a velvet and lace cape and little pointy boots and black lipstick. Heh.

_Wild Mood Swings_ is more problematic. It's a very erratic album and contains a couple of songs that never should have seen the light of day ("Mint Car", "Return"). However, it also contains the absolutely marvelous "The 13th", "Want", "Gone!" and "Jupiter Crash". Some judicious editing (and swapping some album tracks for b-sides) would make this a much better album.

For me, _Bloodflowers_ compares very well to their 80's output. It seems that the group got back into a good songwriting groove for this album, which is particularly evident on "Out Of This World", "The Loudest Sound", "The Last Day Of Summer", "Bloodflowers", and "Watching Me Fall" (Cure cliches and all). The album has a strong sense of flow and there are no embarrassing attempts to rewrite "Friday I'm In Love". It was a good ending for them, assuming that Robert's latest pronouncements about the band's demise are actually true this time.

There are individual songs I don't like, and _Wild Mood Swings_ is easily my least- favorite of their albums, but I'd be hard-pressed to say that I actively dislike any of the Cure's albums.

They have many good tunes. However, they have many bad ones, viz "Friday I'm In Love".

Still, at their best they show an impressive ability to make both poppy goth jumpathons and total doomfests.

I had a girlfriend once who was into these boys hard and she used to play is it 'Pictures of You' (?) over and over and over (a sort of pining for a lost love I think; not me, incidentally). Anyway, it used to bore the hell out of me, not to mention what felt like a large hole in my brain.

The thing is, with the Cure, it's like the Manic Street FUCKING Preachers syndrome - people who like 'em don't just like 'em, they fucking LOVE 'em, and think they're prophets or something. No, they are miserable, half-goths with absolutely nothing to say and even less charisma.

That said, I am admit that I am hardly familiar know their canon, since I can't bear exposure to it for protracated periods.

Still; DUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUD

Hmm, having said that, I do get riled when someone fails to 'get' my favourite bands and indulges in the kind of mindless attack I have already posted against The Cure. Yet, I feel that certain bands are wont to attract a more dependent following, who hang the band's music like metaphorical rosaries. And I'm not sure that even among my most beloved artists, there are those which I could hold in such equally mindless esteem.

What say you?

DUD

Yet I do wonder how much my own nosatlgia plays a role. I still think Wish is great, despite every. review. ever. written. Maybe if I hadn't listened to it for the 1st time as a teenager travelling thru Europe with schoomates I'd think differently.

Also, I really really like the Wolfgang Press song on _Lonely is an Eyesore_, but I've heard their recordings are pretty patchy. Any recommendations there?

the "cure=suburbia" part of Michael Bracewell's England Is Mine is one of the best things ever!

Classic, BTW. Again, my mid-teens coincided with Disintegration and I was full-on obsessed for a couple of years. I bought a shedload of albums at Oxfam last year, and a friend and I drove our GF/wives insane by listening, back to back, to 17 Seconds, Faith, Pornography and the Top. Divorce was on the horizon by the end of that evening.

Thing is, there are SO many B-sides and rarities which have officially surfaced that they'd have to put out a box set. As it is, if the remasters that are surfacing next year are going to include bonus discs for each with room for other oddities, then that will partially settle the problem.

They still sound so... fresh! Even though 4 of them are over 66 and this is the first of 31 (presumably all top of the bill/late at night/2.5 hour or more long) festival shows over the next couple of months. Amazing.

Push sounded amazing

Really is whole set has been

*this

I don't think we're getting Friday on Friday (maybe in other timezones)

"Endsong" is becoming my favorite Cure song!

jumped on this stream late but holy shit such a great set so far. Endsong sounds so amazing right now. So happy with that album, instant classic, none of those songs sound out of place next to older classics.

i missed 2 Late! I'm hoping someone is grabbing this stream and it'll be available later

everybody is recording it, don't worry :-)

(also: 45 minutes to go still)

Ready to dance

Hot Hot Hot remix!?

Loved that they played "Wrong Number"

they're not playing anything from my favourite album (pornography) and I don't even mind - what a band

Sooooooooo much fun!

a triumph!

rip on youtube now

Absolutely amazing, I had a look expecting to affectionately tolerate a bit of roughness, but they sound fantastic and energised, loose and enjoying it. The new stuff sounds bedded in, and as akm said, perfectly at home alongside the classics. Evergreen.

also Jason Cooper looks like RFK Jr these days, which is a bit distracting

Who knows how long this will be up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvHGa6fDhUs

His voice sounds so good! I got a little emotional during "Close to Me." That coy playful dancing is so fucking charming. It brought me back to when I saw the CURE in Orange in the theatre. That film had such an impact on me. I walked out into that night air on cloud 11. I knew then that the CURE and I would have a relationship for life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heEf9EgMFCY

Ok watched whole thing, so great. Simon’s son does a great job, arguably playing much more than Perry was

it's a lot more obvious what he's playing there at least than it was with perry yeah

When they were last touring there seemed to be no interaction between Perry and the rest of the band, it seemed kind of painful. His death was described as “a short illness” and I doubt he would have been touring if seriously unwell, so I wonder what the story was. The band seem more relaxed at this show although perhaps the pressure of performing new material had an effect on the 2024 tour.

he'd apparently left the band again last year prior to his death, due to health problems, but it doesn't sound like he'd been seriously unwell before then

Last night there was a surprise 45 set by Olivia Rodrigo and at least some of The Cure hadn't left yet (they're playing in Portugal on Sunday) : duet with Robert!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZRDnyUICl8/

better link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7_X1P73qtY

xxp the UK tabloids reported an investigation but his widow said he’d had bowel cancer, all clear in 2021 but a recurrence in 2024 at which point he left the band again.

OMG

@ that song/clip

awwww

if he'd been successfully treated for cancer before rejoining the band but then left again to deal with a recurrence that explains pretty much everything

Of course, I was merely wondering why the vibe on stage seemed so distant.

What a treat that Olivia performance is!

I was there (way down the back)! Phenomenal set and yes RS still sounding fresh. "A Night Like This" was my own personal fave. Id forgotten what a great song that is.

crossing my fingers that the rest of their summer 2026 sets also get livestreamed, would be nice to see a new show every two weeks

(that was a surprise 45 *minute* set btw)

Tonight's show in Portugal's North Festival will ALSO be live streamed, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga7tHeD-96I

(starts about 4 hours from now)

Thanks

They played both "Treasure" and "Want," nice

gonna have to look for this one after the fact as well

I've never seen the CURE in concert. I know they came to Milwaukee in the mid 90s, but I was probably in the alley with a 40 and a joint wasting time with Beck and WEEN. This has been a treat. Have they always sounded this good in the 2000s? I love hearing the older material. Songs from 17 Seconds sounded great. Would love to hear "six different ways" or "a few hours after this"

watching that first one it felt like they had a bit of a spring in their step tempo-wise - like the songs were a click or two more sprightly than in recent years - but maybe just a mix thing or some weird subjectivity going on

I will have to look at that 17 seconds set from the 2nd show, play for today always feels like it drags in the modern era (also In Your House a top 5 cure song for me)

I too think they are sounding great but also despite having an opportunity to go and see them in August, I think I'll pass - two songs from the new LP is a little less than I'd like, and while a brilliant festival set the rest of the selections are pretty familiar, I sort of know that I would be a little bored (totally on account of having seen the Cure too many times and no shade at all on their performance or vigour)

it felt like they had a bit of a spring in their step tempo-wise - like the songs were a click or two more sprightly than in recent years

they played High very very fast

xp - it saddens me to say that as much as I love this band, I can't help but zone out when watching them play these days. I guess there is really a finite number one can really *feel * songs. Got more goosebumps from that Olivia Rodrigo duet - loved that.

can't help but zone out when watching them play these days. I guess there is really a finite number one can really *feel * songs

if it helps give perspective:

in 1992 I could have gone on the first night, but having queued for 14 hours, it sold out, and when they added another four (4)* shows, I couldn’t go bcz of exams

*and as you’ll clearly remember, it had taken a campaign of several months’ physical mailed petitions to get the band to tour the continent at all

in 2000 I waited until the first show sold out, and they added two more, and got floor tix, but they were touring Bloodflowers, so

in 2011 I entered the lottery and got tix for one of the two nights (total of 3000 tix, took a paper millionaire friend, fifteen years later am slightly more likely to commit suicide due to poverty than ever see said friend again), went for a piss at intermission and saw ppl who’d gotten off the plane from South America and come directly to venue with backpacks on, asking if they could get in - -
and I was leaning against the door during the third encore, holding for the last chord bcz I’d bought tix to Odd Future’s only tour ever the same night, months before Bob committed

in 2024 I got tickets behind / above the stage day-of bcz of sad dad cancellations

so if you rly feel bad feel free to to buy me.a ticket, I promise to text 2-3x an hour saying shit rips

OR SUCKS

I’ll be honest

soooo jason has inserted a little skip beat a’la Paris Boris into In Your House and it is no good, this was the only uncool thing Boris Williams ever did behind the kit and it is pure madness to copy it

also play for today still sounds a little bit ploddy

BUT this is shithead nerd-only discourse, they are still beautiful and i love them