[Music] The Cure

[Dinner with Gotsmanov]

The 100 minute chat with Robert Smith now available on YouTube is superb, He doesn’t own a smart phone, has fallen out of love with football, but he incredibly lovable in terms of passion for music, family and other arts.

Great on ticket prices too

Have not got time to go through whole thing, but was Big ZBob a Crawley f@n? Was it Winker Williams’ assault on Our Matt that has caused his love To cease?

 

[HH Brighton]

New material sounds as good as anything they have ever produced

 

[HH Brighton]

New material sounds as good as anything they have ever produced

 

[Weststander]

Any top20 The Cure songs by a fan could realistically be drawing for a hundred or so tracks (and hopefully more to add next week).

I'd definitely have 'Dressing Up', 'Shake Dog Shake' and 'Like Cockatoos' in there though.

And anyone who disagrees needs to stop getting The Cure wrong.

Plainsong would be in my top 5. Beautifully atmospheric.

 

[Stato]

I’m not saying it’s not deliberate. What Im saying it is his opinion…which he has explained. As I happens I agree with The Forest, it’s without doubt my favourite song of theirs. I’m sure if you asked a hundred different Cure fans you’d get a variety of choices….some might not be the “obvious” choice; again see the RIP thread regarding Iron Maiden’s Seventh Son album.

I'm sure you're right about the Cure, but I think you misunderstand my attack. It's not that he hasn't made the obvious choice in terms of the Cure, it's that all of his music journalism is more concerned with his own self image than it is with a sheer love of music. You may be right that its his real opinion, however my reading of his all too frequent Guardian journalism makes me believe that his opinions, whether I agree or not are virtually always studied and carefully made considering all other opinions and very seldom made by his heart or his feet.

'Running Free' by the way. I preferred Iron Maiden with Di' anno. His voice may have been limited, but it had a punkier edge than Dickinson's. I know that the latter was technically a better singer and thought as a massive improvement by most of their serious fans, but I'm a sucker for a pop song and nothing else they did ever thrilled me as much as 'Running Free'.

 

[Smile]

Plainsong would be in my top 5. Beautifully atmospheric.

One of the finest openers ever

 

[Kitcatt]

Their hitting arena level success coincided neatly with me being at an age when I liked arena gigs. So I got to see them 4 times in 3 years aged 16 -19

I've looked up the set lists ...

Wembley Arena 7:12:87

The Kiss,Torture, A Strange Day, Catch, Just Like Heaven, Hot Hot Hot!!!, A Night Like This, If Only Tonight We Could Sleep, Like Cockatoos, The Walk, Inbetween Days, ,The Perfect Girl, The Snakepit, One Hundred Years, A Forest, Fight. Encore 1: The Lovecats, Let's Go To Bed, Why Can't I Be You Encore 2:The Drowning Man, Charlotte Sometimes, Faith Encore 3: Boys Don't Cry, 10.15 Saturday Night, Killing An Arab, Pornography

24/07/89 Wembley

Plainsong, Pictures Of You, Closedown, Piggy In The Mirror, Catch, A Night Like This, Just Like Heaven, Last Dance, Fascination Street, Primary, The Drowning Man, Lovesong, Charlotte Sometimes, The Walk, A Forest, In Between Days, The Same Deep Water As You, Prayers For Rain, Disintegration Encore 1:Lullaby, Close To Me, Let's Go To Bed, Why Can't I Be You Encore 2:Shake Dog Shake, Siamese Twins, One Hundred Years Encore 3:Homesick, Untitled, Faith Encore 4: M, Three Imaginary Boys, Fire In Cairo, Boys Don't Cry, 10.15 Saturday Night, Killing An Arab

Glastonbury 23/06/90

Shake Dog Shake, A Strange Day, A Night Like This, Catch, Pictures Of You, Fascination Street, Lullaby, Dressing Up, The Same Deep Water As You, Lament, Just Like Heaven, The Walk, Primary, Inbetween Days, A Forest, Disintegration Encore 1: Close To Me, Let's Go To Bed, Why Can't I Be You Encore 2:10.15 Saturday Night, Killing An Arab, Never Enough

Crystal Palace Bowl 11:08:90

Shake Dog Shake, A Strange Day, In Your House, Pictures Of You, Lullaby, Fascination Street, Catch, Perfect Girl, Dressing Up, The Same Deep Water As You, Just Like Heaven, The Walk, Play For Today, Primary, In Between Days, A Forest, Disintegration Encore 1:Close To Me, Let's Go To Bed, Why Can't I Be You Encore 2:Lament, M, Charlotte Sometimes, Faith Encore 3: Boys Don't Cry, 10.15 Saturday Night, Killing An Arab, Never Enough

all somehow paid for with a Saturday job selling ice creams in a cinema / student loan

On all 4 of your sets is Charlotte sometimes… stunning song - love it and it sums up the cure for me

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I'm sure you're right about the Cure, but I think you misunderstand my attack. It's not that he hasn't made the obvious choice in terms of the Cure, it's that all of his music journalism is more concerned with his own self image than it is with a sheer love of music. You may be right that its his real opinion, however my reading of his all too frequent Guardian journalism makes me believe that his opinions, whether I agree or not are virtually always studied and carefully made considering all other opinions and very seldom made by his heart or his feet.

'Running Free' by the way. I preferred Iron Maiden with Di' anno. His voice may have been limited, but it had a punkier edge than Dickinson's. I know that the latter was technically a better singer and thought as a massive improvement by most of their serious fans, but I'm a sucker for a pop song and nothing else they did ever thrilled me as much as 'Running Free'.

Fair enough. I was responding in the context of these specific Guardian lists which started around 5 years ago. As an aside, I looked back over a few others and whilst the journalists change the format doesn’t e.g. they don’t always have the obvious number 1 but they always explain why. Make of that what you will.

As for Maiden, I’m torn between the two, and I had lost interest by the time Blaze Bayley joined. Running Free is a great song, and is one of just 4 songs I learn to play on my bass guitar.

 

[BadFish]

While we're on The Cure, see:

Just like heaven: the Cure’s 20 greatest songs – ranked!

Ahead of the release of Songs of a Lost World – their first album in 16 years – we rate the best of a band who combine light and dark like no other

www.theguardian.com

As AP states, it's all subjective and open to change. I'd certainly have Friday I'm in Love in there, probably Charlotte Sometimes too but, beyond that, pretty happy with the selection offered.

Good to see Alone there. I am thoroughly hooked on A Fragile thing at the moment too.

Good to see Catch there too, I love that song.

For me Push and How Beautiful you Are should be in there too.

And Jumping Someone Else's Train.

Honestly 20 isn't enough.

Not much from Disintegration on his list?

 

[BadFish]

One of the finest openers ever

And what an album it opens!!! Same deep water as you, Disintegration, Facibation Street, prayers for Rain. Oh my.

It is getting played loud this weekend. (at the mere mention of plain song )

 

[Silverhatch]

Open a headline set at Glastonbury with Plainsong… f***ing class

 

[BN9 BHA]

Good to see Alone there. I am thoroughly hooked on A Fragile thing at the moment too.

Good to see Catch there too, I love that song.

For me Push and How Beautiful you Are should be in there too.

And Jumping Someone Else's Train.

Honestly 20 isn't enough.

Not much from Disintegration on his list?

Push would definitely be on my list

 

[CliveWalkerWingWizard]

I love homesick and it didn’t even make it onto the vinyl version of disintegration

letter to Elise is also up there as a favourite

 

[BadFish]

I love homesick and it didn’t even make it onto the vinyl version of disintegration

letter to Elise is also up there as a favourite

Letter to Elise is one of my favourites, and from the edge of the Deep Green Sea.

Not to mention primary and play for today.

So many.

 

[Bingo]

The Cure: Songs of a Lost World review – dark, personal and their best since Disintegration

The band are at an artistic peak on their first album in 16 years: movingly melancholic, with a punchy sound to match the lyrics’ emotional impact

www.theguardian.com

 

[Peteinblack]

Glad that my fave Cure song, A Hundred Years, is at number 3.

Saw them perform it at Glastonbury in 1986 - after a scorching hot day, a thunderstorm raged overhead as darkness fell, while Robert wailed the opening line "Doesn't matter if we all die...". Sent shivers down my spine.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I prefer Prevention, I just think they’re better.

Criminally underrated comment here.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Best Radiohead album anyone?

It's obviously Kid A.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

One thing that's objectively true is that Alexis Petedris will never be caught picking the obvious answer, no matter how correct it is. He put Blue Monday at No 4 in the list of New Order songs. He reminds me of Lee & Herring's 'Ironic Review' parody of Julie Birchall and Tony Parsons, forever concerned more with what they want people to think they think, than with what they actually think. It always leads him to make the muso hack's easiest mistake of punishing the popular for being popular in an attempt to seem to know more than the herd. 'Just Like Heaven' at number 6? It's not that low in the list of greatest pop singles ever made, let alone in the Cure's catalogue.

An interesting take.

He ‘will never be caught picking the obvious answer no matter how correct it is’ - this statement is odd to me. People will always have their favourites, it is never objectively ‘right’ that a certain track is a group’s best.

You use Blue Monday as your example. I wouldn’t have this in my top ten New Order songs, and I’m not trying to be cool about it.

I think his Cure top 20 is pretty good. I’d have had In Between Days at number 1 myself. Just Like Heaven would make my top 5, but his top 5 is a pretty strong choice.

I would also have had Jumping Someone Else’s Train and Killing an Arab in the top 20. And probably Let’s Go to Bed.

 

[gazingdown]

Criminally underrated comment here.

I prefer Prevention, I just think they’re better.

I remember when The Cure were booked in for a gig but they couldn't make it, so Placebo turned up instead.
But no-one noticed...