The Evolution of The Cure: From Goth to Pop and Back Again
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- Опубликовано: 20 июн 2024
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The Cure are weird. In fact that is part of their appeal. They are outsiders, the forgotten and the lost and so invite that subsection of society. But what makes the band especially weird is that there are many different shades of Cure. The muted greys of Seventeen Seconds, the candy floss pinks of Japanese Whispers through to the deep pained purples of Disintegration. To quote the Cure's frontman Robert Smith: “The music's always reflected to a very large degree, how I am mentally.” They are the only band, Smith also notes, that are routinely perceived as both suicidal and whimsical. All through the 80s, clad in black, smudged with crimson lipstick, they unleashed super-sweet pop (Let's Go To Bed), dour goth (A Forest, The Hanging Garden) and everything in between, loved by both their cult-like fanbase and the music-listening public at large. They played by their own rules. But how did the Cure morph from suicidal oddities to whimsical new-wavers and back again within a decade?
#TheCure #Goth #Documentary
Soundtrack:
idealism - phosphenes ( / idealismus )
a l e x - the burn marks on my epiano wont go away ( / worsethanthis )
Chris Mazuera - Equinox ( / user-265495997-954501667 )
Anxious - sleepless nights ( / anxioussounds )
idealism - ikigai ( / idealismus )
0:00 Intro
1:33 1980: From Goth…
4:30 1982: To Pop…
8:06 1989: …and Back
12:29 1990 onward: The End?
15:10 Outro
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So what do people want me to a video on next?
The Smiths, The Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Nirvana
CURVE!!!!!
Depression in rock or perhaps why many rockstars mainly in the early 90s turned to drugs or suicide
Microphones Glow Pt. 2 (;
what is "emo" today
Falling in love? Listen to the Cure. Want to die? Listen to the Cure. Realizing falling in love can sometimes make you want to die? Oh, yeah, you bet! Listen to the Cure
so good! 👽
Lol SO TRUE!!
Nailed it 🥰🤣
Want a simple pop song with Robert's voice? Play "Love Cats."
Great comment 👍 💗
'the Cure don't make goth music, the Cure make Cure music'...Robert Smith
Yes Sir.That's RIGHT
Exactly!
Cheers
rubberbudgies instant video downvote lol the cure have never been goth
@@ethank5681 Nope, but a lot of goths have wanted to be the Cure.
my grandma faked my dad a doctors note once so he could skip school to see them live and i am so jealous :(
If you can, you should see them live. It’s always an amazing show, except in Vegas. Vegas audiences just suck.
Based grandma.
The studio burned down during/shortly after (?) the recording of Disintegration and Robert Smith ran back inside to get the tapes. Like he was saving his child and I am so glad he did.
forget human kids, his music and lyrics are his children.
I just gave you like 100 !
The fire started on their first day at the studio. Nothing was recorded yet. It was Perry Bamonte and Dave Allen who went back into the burning building to retrieve Robert’s lyrics (on paper) and demo tapes (on cassette).
@@edhubble Also very important, lol.
According to Roger O' Donnell, the fire wasn't as big as people said it was and supposedly was made a bigger deal than it really was.
Robert Smith will never die, he'll just need more makeup...
And a puppeteer to shove his hand up his ass to make him sing.
😂
And better diet plans clearly, I was shocked to see how much he's ballooned now, I don't think the wig is still working the way it used to.
@@optimisticwhovian1726 Big fat old man wearing a dress and lip stick.
@@optimisticwhovian1726 his hair is a wig??
His been with his wife since 14. That's pretty cool.
Always conscious.....
that’s so cute
Hope me and my girlfriend last that long
Or is it. Think of all the groupies that got turned away. No wonder the tunes are suicidal.
that's boring
Siouxsie Sioux was the first to give Robert Smith some lipstick...
...and the rest is Goth History... ;)
I was surprised he didn't mention Robert's time as a Banshee at all!
Right. His time as a Banshee influenced how the Cure changed. He said so himself.
@@odetteuys1111 no!
@@scarymantra Would you happen to have a link to an interview where he says that?
I spy a Band-Maid fan....
Whenever I see Robert Smith, I often wonder if he does his own grocery shopping at Aldi like the rest of us here mortals.
He does!
That and if he wears the make-up while doing groceries
@@InfinityX2
For someone who has been a Goth for so long i wouldn't be surprised if he does, at this point he clearly has enough self-confidence on his looks, why wouldn't he wear it in normal situations anyways?
@@InfinityX2 i wouldn't be surprised if he walks around like he's performing. he probs doesn't give a damn what people think
Maeve Jones and Jhonny Cage X Rage I am looking at it from a more practical way. Without make-up probably nobody would recognize him.
Lol Robert Smith looks like he's about to cry in every interview.
he also sounds like that on every song and we all love him for that
@@glueplay Yeah that kind of strangled sad voice is his trademark. At first I thought his voice is too much for me. But soon I become to love it. It's really distinctive. You recognize him immediately.
@@user-eb8mi3xi5f yeah I instantly recognised him on "not in love" by crystal castles
Ik he always looks uncomfortable in interviews
three imaginary boys is so unappreciated
Agree. That album smokes.
Same with Faith, people always talk about 17 seconds and pornography but never stop to appreciate faith which has a very interesting background story too
Goyi Rom Faith is miles better than 17 Seconds imo
faith is the most sucidal you can go... it starts off with "two pale figures ache in silence"... i mean, come on! :P
Daisyyy I think head on the door is unappreciative
The cure saved my life when I was in high school. Here was a man singing about an end of all thing joyful and still carrying on and making millions. It gave me hope I will get out of my own valley of tears in one peace.
Did you?
@@billclinton3010 I am still around 35 years later, so far so good.
@@alonys good for you man 👍🏻
Are you still based
I love The Cure's lyrics. They are so poetic. It's like listening literature
Literature by high school sophomores maybe
LMGDAO
You never mention it once, but despite "Love Song" being their most commercially successful, "Pictures of You" is, in my opinion, the most beautiful song ever written. By anyone. Ever.
pictures of you's lyrics are sooo deep and beautiful
Pictures of You is heartbreaking, romantic and just beautiful.
I have 3 favorite songs: Pictures, Forrest and Charlotte
@@Gea2222 and endsong to this list for me as well
Its a masterpiece
My mom saw them live in the 80s and I’m so jealous
I saw them live in either 95 or 94 in Portland Oregon. I was either 14 or 15 they were promoting a new album at the time I believe but toward the end of the show they played the old stuff that I was familiar with, just like heaven, picture, close to me, boys don't cry.
The image I remember most was Robert playfully pushing keys on the keyboard while the keyboardist was trying to do a little solo and they both laughed and everyone clapped.
Everyone was dressed in their Goth finest that night and it was a sea of red and black in the lobby.
Everyone was excited but few let on they were except these college guys with t shirt and ball caps on in front of my friend and I, they were dancing and cheering and genuinely having fun... They were probably the biggest cure fans and there and had on no Goth look just dressed in jeans and t shirt but those guys new every word to every song they played they night... Even the new at the time stuff
Same... :(
i'm not sure if they're going on tour again, but they're going to play on rock werchter this summer
Unrelated question: Were you born in the 80s?
My gf saw them in the kiss me kiss me kiss me tour but she's probably your mom's age (and i your dad's age though she does have 6 years on me) I only saw them live once and it was....curiosa in 2004 so way past their good years.
As good as 'Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me' is, 'Disintegration' is truly their ultimate masterpiece. The title track is perhaps the most scathing and poisonous song about love and love lost that's ever been made.
Disintegration is their 4th best record. Try again.
@@docsavage8640it’s called an opinion and yours is the wrong one. Disintegration is so beautiful and moving, the title track rips my heart apart
Disintegration is a perfect album. 10/10. In the late 90s, my local independent record store racks had the Disintegration CD featuring a hand written sticker on the front saying: “Absolute classic! Just buy it”. So I did and have been grateful ever since
My Dad finally got to catch them live the same year he died from cancer. We played Pictures of You at his funeral.
Disintegration is one of the greatest songs of all time. I will never tire of it.
It's not and you likely will.
@@docsavage8640bro is so triggered by disintegration. But I agree with OP disintegration is truly one of the greatest songs of all time. It’s melancholic, it’s relatable, it feels like a letter to the audience
I am a dyed in the wool Goth fan but love the Cure's more poppy albums as much as their deep dark ones. Long live the Cure.
same. but y'know New Wave is one of our genres anyway, and we can enjoy the saccharine cynicism imbued into songs like Friday I'm in Love from our perspectives. movement has always been a nice feature of Goth, and you can find infectious rhythms all over Darkwave *
Same.
The poppy albums contain more than their share of darkness, even if you don't get that impression from the singles. It's odd (but probably not wrong) to call the 1983-1988 era their 'pop' era when it produced dark or deranged tracks like Shake Dog Shake, Give Me It, The Top, Sinking, Kyoto Song, Snakepit, Torture, The Kiss, Like Cockatoos, Shiver & Shake, etc. There's a lot of madness hiding behind their pop singles of that time.
geoff burrill do you have any goth music recommendations?
@@rosiemuffins3033 idk, there is a band called the cure, idk if you have heard of it.
The Cure is a very unique band. They have a fanbase of different music listeners, who prefer different eras of the band, with a few of them truly loving everything they have released. Personally I don't really like their post - Disintegration era (with the exception of some rare tracks and b sides - for some reason a lot of times in their discography the b sides are better from the a sides) but a lot of Cure fans will call me crazy just for stating that!
Not really, The Cure was at it's strongest at the 80's, almost each of their albums released on that decade got critical acclaim, but after Wish they had kind of a decline in both popularity and critical reception. Not saying their post 80's work was bad at all, but not as strong as their previous stuff.
Hopefully they can make a comeback with a pretty strong album.
@@nidhikih2451 Well I know lots of fans that they just like Wish and stuff from their later albums (e.g. Bloodflowers). But yeah their best releases were from the 80s.
@Dr. Jack Kevorkian Oh fuck off. If you don't like this band, why are you here? Also, I'm really curious what bands you think are good if you think a band like the cure sucks...
I agree with you that The Cure is a very unique band and that the fans of The Cure have a diversed music taste. I really love their discography, but unlike you, I prefer the "darker" and more atmospheric albums. It's very interesting how this video and the comments changed my view on The Cure's fans because I always thought that the band is rather famous for their darker albums. But is it just me or am I the only one thinking that most of the "sad" songs by them have a lot of hope inside, so you don't really feel sad while listening?
@@lexahightopp2226 Actually l'm the same kind of fan as you! My favourite album by them is Pornography, and the songs I usually listen from them is the darker ones. It's just that I know fans of them who prefer 90s - 00s Cure. And yeah their music in its sadness has some hope left. "I must fight this sickness find a CURE" as Robert Smith sings in "Pornography"...
when you started describing the muted grays of seventeen seconds and the candyfloss pinks of of japanese whispers, i lit up. since i started listening to the cure at 15, i have formed entire worlds/landscapes in my head in relationship to these albums. every winter, to help my mental health while the sun sets at 4:30pm, i love looking at christmas lights while specifically listening to japanese whispers, especially "lament" and "speak my language". when it's fall, and raining, and i'm hiking with my husband, we listen to faith and seventeen seconds and feel the albums' sounds reflecting the forest around us. on the winter days when the sun is out, i find the ability to smile and feel warmth in three imaginary boys, and those firey early 80's live sets. the cure is my home, when i have nowhere else to go (musically). i am privileged to be able to have seen them live in 2016. i am not even 54 seconds into this video and i'm already emotional. god bless you.
The Cure is brilliant, and Disintegration is one of the best albums in human history.
Fr fr no cap on god
It's not even the best Cure album. So no.
@@docsavage8640 whoa bro the authority on all music now
The Cure has been my favorite band for 30 years. They are literally a part of me and are the soundtrack of my life. There are so many songs that are brilliantly wonderful they have written, but I think they're most underrated song and possibly their most powerful song is Sinking. Other songs such as the b-sides from the Wish era like Play and This twilight garden, are simply Amazing. The song Apart is one of their very best. Out of all the album's, I'd have to say Kiss me is my favorite, especially The Kiss and If Only tonight we could sleep.
But in All honesty, how could I ever pick just one?
That's weird since their last good album was over 30 years ago now.
Their "pop" was nothing more than a gothic rock bait-and-switch to break into the American industry. They were always a gothic rock band. Lots of gothic rock bands had major mode songs; they're still creepy and lyrically dark and sensuous.
I always thought "Friday I'm in Love" was deliberately written for the radio - a way for Smith to say "I can write this kind of song any day of the week." A way to lure people in and take a further listen.
@@shariwelch8760 you nailed it. He wrote the happy sounding stuff just to get it on radio to lure a larger audience into listening to the real music. They wouldn't play the dark stuff on the radio here in the states at first, so he had to write happy sounding songs to get his foot in the door. After that, radio warmed up to the darker stuff and they were set. It was just his Trojan horse way of sneaking into the American market.
They weren't the only gothic band to do it. The Damned wrote a lot of happy sounding but melancholy songs just to stay radio-friendly. Siouxsie and the Banshees did too. Pretty much all of them did it because it was the only way to be commercially successful. But that didn't make any of them any less gothic. They just made it part of the juxtapositional montage theme that's fundamental to gothic art.
I watched The Young Ones Halloween episode with The Damned playing Video Nasty, in '85 when it first aired. So much great music back then. The goth and new wave stuff was always my favorite. I remember seeing Siouxsie and the Banshees Spellbound video on Mtv when they first put it in rotation; you couldn't hear it on the radio because the stations all thought it was too dark. So strange; Mtv would play all the dark stuff, but radio wouldn't touch it. I remember seeing the early Cure stuff on Mtv, then hearing the happy stuff on the radio. A lot of fans didn't get it. I liked all their stuff; it was like a bipolar roller coaster ride. My mother is bipolar, so I picked up on that in their music.
Personally, I got into Goth rock from Siouxsie and the Banshees' album "Juju", then their other stuff, until I finally got into the dark masterpiece "A Kiss in the Dreamhouse". Then I started listening to the Cure. The first album I touched was "Pornography" then "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me". And then I heard it. "Just Like Heaven". I was infatuated with beauty of the song. The love for the love song and pop side of the cure got me into their whole catalogue. I listen to both the gothy and pop stuff equally. They don't say in the video, but there's a really blurry mix of goth and pop in most of their albums. I personally love it all. While I can't say what Robert's first motives were for pursuing pop, I love both sides of their music.
@@Aaron-zh4kj All of their music is amazing. Everything I've heard from them I liked. Interesting, Siouxsie and the Banshees is also what got me into gothic rock; they were the first goth band I was exposed to, when the Spellbound video first aired on Mtv. My mother was watching and it scared the shit out of her. I couldn't get enough of it after that.
@@shariwelch8760 I agree...when that album came out, I died inside....they lost me as a fan, at that point...I was young and felt betrayed.
Personally I really love the Wish album. It embodies the mix of both pop and gloom. I feel it’s entirely one of the most under rated albums in their catalog.
Duster5000 I think it’s my favourite after Disintegration, an incredible album with their best song “From the Edge of a Deep Green Sea”
Karol I agree with everything you said🖤🖤🖤
Idk why ppl say it’s too happy, haven’t heard To wish impossible things? Trust? Apart? A letter to Elise? Doing the unstuck talking about suicide? Open talking about alcoholism?
The Top and Bloodflowers are the most underrated though
I think it's their most underrated. A lot of people dismissed the album immediately on hearing "Friday I'm in Love" but the album has some pretty dark tracks. The song "End" might be my favorite of the band's entire catalogue
Young Robert Smith looks a bit like Ben Affleck.
Ever seen Robert Smith and Ben Affleck in a room at the same time? HA! Checkmate Robert Affleck, or should I say... _Ben Smith!_
Joey X Smith *Sadfleck
He certainly does. Sure Smith must hate him though, even more than Le Bon.
exactly like*
Take.It.Back.NOW!
Nice video, but it should be pointed out that throughout their entire discography, even the poppier albums are littered with darker, moodier pieces that wouldn’t sound out of place on Pornography or Disintegration. It’s not as clear cut as goth/pop/goth again/pop again.
My Mind Pictures no kiss me doesn't sound like pornagraphy!! Faith doesn't sound like 4:13!!! Yet you forget lols key before just like...
My Mind Pictures Laurence Tolhurst....."I found alone, alone, alone the raging sea!!"
@@michaell6807 I didn't say the albums sound the same, I said there were certain songs throughout their career that were darker and moodier that wouldn't necessarily sound out of place on Pornography or Disintegration, barring perhaps how the production sounds. My point is they weren't all pop from late 82-88 (or 90 -2000 for that matter) as the video seems to suggest. Just One Kiss, Lament, Wailing Wall, The Empty World, The Top, Happy The Man, Push, Sinking, New Day, The Kiss, If Only Tonight We Could Sleep, Snakepit, One More Time, A Thousand Hours, Breathe, A Chain of Flowers, Apart, Trust, To Wish Impossible Things, The Big Hand, This Twilight Garden, Play, Want, This Is A Lie, Jupiter Crash, Numb, Treasure...
Indeed! Let's not forget that the Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me album starts with The Kiss which is one of their most intense tracks with some of Smith's best and most aggressive guitar work in the over 3 minutes musical intro. Epic
Truth. Even KISS ME... had poppy, dancey tracks mixed with gloomy gothy post-punk. They're such a great combination of all sorts of sounds and styles that somehow all work together.
"disintegration" will always be one of the best albums of all time. top 10. for sure.
A Bauhaus/Tones On Tail/ Peter Murphy/Love & Rockets/David J/Daniel Ash video is a must!
yes please, do this one!!!
Don’t forget David J’s jazz butcher
I agree... Shake the webs off of Peter Murphy and review Bauhaus, please.
More likes please!!! we need this!!
Yes, please
You should make your next video about Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Psychedelic Furs, Modern English, The Sisters Of Mercy, Clan Of Xymox or Gary Numan.
Siouxsie for sure... ;)
Xmal Deutschland too!
One on The Chameleons is a *MUST.*
Yes, please!
Modern English
This year on my 12 years birthday i got my first cure album and i am so happy!
And also i got my first joy division album.
oh which one?
my happy-sad robbie smith boi
Me too
Sing street?
:'))) i love he
I just gave you like 200.
Pornography is my favourite album the faster songs like 100 years, the hanging garden and a strange day intertwined with the slower tracks like the figurehead, siamese twins and cold really makes for a unique and inspiring album. They really achieved portraying themselves in the music in a way I can't comprehend.
same! for the very reason
same!!! love pornography!
Pornography and hundred years gives me anxiety crysis but I love it 😅 I burned an Amp on playing this album too loud
🤦♂️hasn’t changed my mind
I honestly don’t listen to much of their stuff but that album is on repeat all the time particularly the title track
It's funny the Robert hated Duran Duran... Back in the 80s, The Cure and Duran Duran were my two favorite bands. Two sides of my personality.
They did write some brilliant pop songs.
@@ThreadBomb
RANDY JUDAH TALK 🎼❤️
Some of DD's self titled sounds like The Cure. Night Boat and Friends Of Mine are sonically goth thanks to Nick Rhodes awesome synths.
@@randytorrez6858 I would put omd before spandau
@@whenfatkillsfat803
RANDY JUDAH TALK 🎼❤️
The bipolarity of their discography is one of the main reasons why The Cure is such a legend ! They are never boring cause once it gets boring for Smith , he dive deep in the opposite direction to make something new , while still remaining the Cure !
Disintegration is one of the three most important records of my youth that I still listen to. Also, it needs to be listened to from start to finish, not as singles, never never never on shuffle.
Love the old Cure footage. Not sure if anyone else has mentioned this, but Simone Gallup had already returned to the band before Disintegration was released.
He returned in 1985
"Disintegration is the best album ever"
It really is though. Got me through the pandemic.
THIS IS HOW I DISCOVERED THEM
MECHA ROBERT SMITH
BARBRA STREISAND NOO
Thats amazing that he's still with his childhood sweetheart. The Cure is my ultimate band, with songs for every mood I have. Good job! My favorite era of the Cure is the "Head on the Door" album and "Disintegration" albums!
Back when Varg Vikernes used to have a RUclips channel, he said in a video that among others, he found inspiration for his music in the first few albums of the Cure.
You did The Cure so much justice. Thank you.
Two key points of correction: Firstly, at the time of Lol Tolhurst's departure, the band's lineup also featured guitarist Porl Thompson, who had been a member of several of The Cure's earliest incarnations but only returned nearly a decade later, leaving two original members plus essential collaborator and long-time friend of the group Simon Gallup on bass. Secondly, while Disintegration might have been the band's most complete return to a darker sound, elements of Pornography's more ominous sound were still quite prominent on the band's proper follow-up, The Top, particularly on the glacially slow, desolate title track and the frantic "Give Me It", and persisted to some degree throughout the band's '80s output with songs like "Sinking", "If Only Tonight We Could Sleep" and, of course, the utter classic "The Kiss"; likewise, the dour tone of Disintegration permeates a great deal of Wish, especially on the longer, more dramatic cuts, two of which bookend the album: The morose social anxiety vignette "Open" and the self-lacerating anti-idolisation anthem "End". And, lest we forget, Three Imaginary Boys definitely strays into darker territory, mainly in the lyrics of songs like "Accuracy" but also musically on "Subway Song" and the haunting title track.
...did I mention that I really like The Cure? Because I really like The Cure.
Nobody ever mentions The Top which is essentially a solo Robert Smith album. Such a treat
Ive fallen in love with this band iver the past few weeks. I need to see them live before its too late
The trio of 17 Seconds , Faith & Pornography are The Cure at their best. These and Disintegration are all Desert Island Discs. The Cure were without doubt , the best band of the 80's. Timeless.
The smiths
@@EclecticoIconoclasta They would be in my top 10 with REM , The Comsat Angels , Sonic Youth , Killing Joke , The The , The Sound , The Chameleons & Echo & The Bunnymen. A few runner ups Siouxsie & Banshees , Big Black , Depeche Mode & Bauhaus / Love & Rockets + Joy Division / New Order. The 80's were good !! 🎸 😎 !
@@davidellis5141 that's a great list! I'd have The Replacements in mine for sure. Husker Du and Simple Minds too
@@andrewb439 A Minneapolis man with Bob Mould and Paul Westerbeg ! Simpleminds 3 great LP's were Sons & Fascination , New Gold Dream & Sparkle In The Rain . Them and Replacements top 20 , Husker Du Top 30.
"Best band of the 80's"... ??? They're *_ONE_* of the best. There are *_LOTS_* more, both well-known and not so well-known in the Post Punk/Goth/New Wave/Darkwave/Synth/Coldwave etc. etc. genres...
Dude, you made it look like they didn’t go back to goth till disintegration, but you had goth songs like “the kiss” on kiss me kiss me kiss me
Not to mention Sinking. And that following the pop singles RS made The Top. Neither goth nor pop.
Exactly. Kiss me kiss me kiss me it's clearly a step towards Disintegration. And it's also an awesome album.
I thought the pop stuff started after disentegration.
I saw them in Vancouver years ago. They postponed the concert and most people refunded their tickets. I kept mine because I’ve loved them since I was a kid. When they finally came a quarter of the audience was there. We were told to take whatever seats we wanted. Everyone sat close to the stage. Robert Smith played to us like there were a million people in the crowd. It’s one of my best memories
Wish is a very underrated The Cure album. How could you even say that Wish "lacks in edge" when an epic masterpiece such as "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea" exists?
Earlier today I was telling my mom about how Robert Smith still wears his hair and makeup the way he did in the 80’s- I showed her a picture of him and her reaction was priceless 😂
does he walk around in public when he's not performing like that?!
I could listen to your articulation about the Cure for hours. My four favorite albums are Faith, Seventeen Seconds , Pornography. And Disintegration. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss me gets an honorable mention as it is also fantastic.
Ah, The Cure. My favourite Post-Punk-Goth-Pop band.
disintegration was definitely his masterpiece. you did it robert you can rest now.
A lot of posts in these comment sections are decrying the description of the Cure as Goth, but I think it's a half-truth.
"The first rule of being Goth is denying that you're Goth" - Gothic rock arguably started in 1979 with the single "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus. The Sisters of Mercy, The Banshees, The Cure, Bauhaus - none of them liked the label "Goth" but all of them dressed like Patricia Adams; had tribal drumming (apart from the Sisters, who had Dr Avalanche); galloping bass lines; spacious, reverb-laden atmospheres; and jangle-y, flange/chorus affected guitar lines. Then there's the lyrics: heavily sarcastic and wry, focused on the existential and critical of the status quo...
Basically, Goth was the Unknown Pleasures sound combined with Bowie-esque glam sensibilities; post punk as dark pageantry. Then Goth became Gothic Rock when The Sisters of Mercy replaced the tribal drumming with drum machines and an "ironic" appreciation for Led Zep and big, dumb 70s metal. In came the cowboy hats and flour...
There's truth in the claim that none of these bands are Goth, because they were all incredibly unique acts. However, they all had periods in their career where their sound, songs and/or fashion sense easily fit the term Goth as a purely descriptive term. But the label was invented by an antagonistic music press, and Goths were the butt of so many jokes, until Emo-core morphed into Emo and became an easier target ("Emos want to kill themselves; Goths want to kill everyone else" - Stephen Fry). Hence Robert Smith, Andrew Eldritch, Peter Murphy, etc., all denied being Goth, whilst criticising all the other bands for being "that crap Goth shit fashionable with art students," in an attempt to both distance themselves from the category, and position themselves as superior to the other bands. These are some playground antics, if ever I've seen them, but I still love all of these bands.
Yup, ask the Mission what they think of their goth fans. Only rockstars at a gig with colourful clothing mocking the audience in black :) It's all a way of distancing oneself from a scene and audience that has a bad reputation (AKA biting the hand that feeds you).. I remember Placebo's Molko being very vocal at distancing themselves from "that goth stuff like the SIsters of Mercy" in an interview on Italian TV back then. Even funnier as Andrew Eldritch says SoM weren't goth.
It’s the same as people who say Batman isn’t a superhero because he has no superpowers. Friend, if your definition of goth doesn’t include three of the first five goth bands almost everyone would name, your definition is wrong.
It's pretty much the same with every genre. Portishead and Massive Attack, among many others, deny they're Trip Hop. No one wants to be pigeonholed, especially by lazy music writers (so-called journalists).
God I love the cure, they're their own genre imo
I’ve fallen in love with the Cure all over again. Me and my daughter listen to all the good stuff. Love it..
@RobertSmith’s brilliant Russian Doll of Words!
“Dropping through sky
Through the glass of the roof
Through the roof of your mouth
Through the mouth of your eye
Through the eye of the needle
It’s easier for me to get closer to heaven
Than to ever feel whole again”
💯🖤
"......a drunken Tears For Fears". ha-ha-ha-ha !!!!
Three Imaginary Boys, Boys Down Cry, 17 Seconds, Faith, The Walk, Japanese Wispers, the Top, Head on the Door, Kiss me x3, Disintegration, Wish, and then....... I Gave my Entire Cure Record Collection mostly First Pressings, West German Fiction labeled. To my Son, they Survived ex girl friends almost a Food and almost a Fire.. I started my Cure collection in 85.. and very proud to say I'm a Fan.. and that those records are Safe. Peace Humans.
I’m from San Francisco so who knows if this is accurate, but I was born in 1970 and the term “goth” didn’t even exist when I became interested in alternative music. I still am. At best, it might have been “punk” or just interesting...I’ve never understood this need to categorize it! Just enjoy it.
Disintegration is the best album ever made
It's only *_ONE_* of the best albums (plural) ever made. There's *_LOTS_* more out there that rival it in greatness...
River Of Blacklights he’s quoting South Park
Yes, right after Kiss me kiss me kiss me! Lol
No it’s not. They have better.
(In Kyle Broflovski voice): DISINTEGRATION IS THE BEST ALBUM EVER!!
In Between Days is one of my most favourite songs ever and is souly the reason i am here
This one is quality so far, do a video on The Smiths
Saw them live for the first time 2 weeks ago. I’m glad I grew up with them. I’m glad to grow grow old with them
I'll be always grateful for the existence of this kind of music. I listen to a lot of bands and genres, but THERE IS NO other band that makes me feel things the way The Cure does.
This is a terrific mini documentary. Much appreciated! Thank you!
You need to do Radiohead and their progressing as well as this.
Yesss.. That would be so epic
Fascination Street is a masterpiece.
Your videos are so well put together, I always enjoy them!
Love, love love The Cure / Robert Smith. Thank you so much for this.
I'm a simple guy. I love Just Like Heaven and Friday I'm In Love to bits. So what if they are sugarly pop, they are 2 songs that move my soul. In the end, no matter how it was actually made or for what purpose, what really matters in a song is how it makes you feel.
One of my favorite bands like not only does my dad like them but my college creative writing professor is also a fan they have something for everyone
Drowning man from Faith is my all time favorite song. Faith is one of my favorite albums of all time. The Cure are one of a kind.
Well, I have to start with thanking you for doing such a great job with this, It is pretty well documented for a short documentary, I really enjoyed the interviews and the footage you used, some of which I never saw before, and the aproach to the band's history was very respectful. With that said, I lost it when you said "but Its video featuring the band, now a twobies, dancing about like a drunken tears of fears" xD that was hilarious! I was eating and spit my food back on the plate, you earned my suscription with that. Great content!
i saw them the other day in Malahide and Robert Smith really hasn't changed
did you get to meet him?
they toured here to new zealand in 1980, I was 18, my hair spiked up, punk wrist band, old black jacket and badges. bought the album seventeen seconds, obsessed with A Forest. went down to Dunedin, regent Theatre, about $8 entry, hundreds of students, it was raining. Great set, crystal clear sound, played a Forest, blinded us with blue lights ... it was the begining of the 1980s
Holy crap, this was incredible . Thank you so much for this! I got chills watching
the GOTH aspect is the part that i always loved the best of them
so cool this video recognizes the similarities of Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me and Wild Mood Swings. I appreciate both of these releases very much for their dynamic quality.
i love this band so much..i was a Cure freak from 14 til i was 19 years old. and stil now 32 years later i remember that feeling again. i have seen them 5 times live. and it always feel magical when i see them...i have seen so many bands live ..but no other band give's me that magical feeling as ThE Cure.
It's sad that you completely ignored their Self-Titled album, 4:13 Dream and ther upcoming return album (AFTER 11 YEARS!)
However, I loved the video, it was well researched and very clearly explained. I'm a HUGE fan of theirs (inherited my love of them from my parents), and am glad to see their fanbase still standing strong despite their long term absence and lack of communication with fans via social media.
Upcoming album? Where?
@@jeshkam lmao it was supposed to come out in 2020 but he's spent a lot of time on the lyrics, although the music itself had been done since 2019 I believe. I heard somewhere it's supposed to come out soon, especially with the North American tour currently that features some of the songs
Much as I like 'Disintegration', and think it's their most coherent record, I can't help but feel that there's been some revisionism about it. If I remember correctly (I was 15, 16), it wasn't particularly well-received - or badly-received - by the press at the time. Q Magazine, for example, gave it 3/5 and said it was a retrogressive album, that the Cure were looking back rather than forwards. I remember the other papers being a bit 'meh' about it at the time as well. It's grown in stature over the years to the point where people now see it as their masterpiece.
One of the best things about Disintegration is it does stand the test of time. I literally have the disc in my car 24/7. I prefer the live version, especially the second half of it, which is completely epic. And Untitled is probably the best album ender since Faith.
I was working at a record store at the time Disintegration came out. It didn't matter what the press said. It sold like hotcakes.
unemployablegraduate You are right. I bought it on tape when it first came out in 89 and yes many of the publications thought it was a decent to good album. I think it is an exceptional album and probably their most complete and polished album. I think it definitely stands the test of time. I, personally still like Faith, Pornography, and 17 Seconds a little more. Love the rawness of emotion permeating throughout these three albums. Hell, I am just a huge fan and appreciate the band’s whole catalogue of albums. Lastly, I am huge fan of the lineup w/ Robert, Pearl/Porl, Roger, and Boris. KMKMKM and Wish are very good albums that contain some really good, well written, and exceptionally performed songs.
I think there's also a lot of revisionism in people overstating how heavy it is to suit their narrative of The Story Of The Cure's Journey. It's a lot more commercial and pretty than Pornography, with songs like Pictures Of You, Untitled, Lovesong etc.
@@scatterkeir I'm not sure what you mean about revisionism. I'm 55 and was there, you know? It was a big deal to even non-Cure fans at the time. It sold well across the board.
Saw a Q&A with the director of Beautiful Noise, a documentary on shoegaze that Robert Smith was also in. The director said Smith was particularly accommodating compared to the other rock stars he interviewed, playing a good host when they entered his home, asking if they wanted drinks and whatnot. He's a sweet boy!
Another amazing video. Keep ‘em coming
three imaginary boys is such a good album!!! one of my all time favourites. under appreciated
This was done very well. And I appreciate it. I saw the Cure in 2000 and they were just brilliant.
I really love the trash theory narrator's voice, thank you man, you make listening to this great videos even better!
Love these videos, not matter if I don’t like the band or singer they’re still so informative and entertaining. Best Music documentaries ever! The Cure are fucking great!
Saw them live in the 80’s. They were gods. Glad there still touring. 🎤
I don’t think I could pick a favorite era. I love it all so much. They’re one of my favorite bands of all time.
The goth trilogy is my favorite period.
You have the Balls to post videos with actual song content and your writing is always on point one of the best new channels around!!!!
Thanks for the vid, The Cure is my favorite band and the best I've ever seen live.
my friends mum saw them at glastonbury this year! she said they were amazing
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Good video!!! Shame you missed The Top, still great video
I thought the same thing. I think it's one of their weirdest and personally one of my least favorites, but it's an important part of their history. That's how they rose from the darkness of Pornography.
Loved the Cure since I was a teenager back in the 1980's. Still listen to them today, what a musical Journey they have taken. I prefer the earlier stuff but so many bright spots along the way. They deserve the reputation they have, Robert Smith may be one of the greatest Artistes ever !!
Very well made video with great insightful content.
Keep up the great uploads.
I love The Cure, they are my favorite band.
U should have said more about one of their best melancholic, dark, gloomy works, Faith and one of the most beautiful acts in music, Kiss me kiss me kiss me
Really great and well researched video, loved it!
Love your videos. Great voice and phrasing. Superb research. Eminently watchable.