Friday 8 June 2007

The Love Cats

Why that title - well The Cure are playing on the radio at the moment. What a great song, klinky keyboard and the odd little Rawwwl every now and then. This song was from the Japanese Whispers album when a large percentage of the band left (or where pushed out) leaving mainly Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst to keep it all going. A strange little album, it was VERY pop from the kings of Moprock - most famous for the brilliance and depression of albums like "Pornography" and "Faith" (some of my Fav all time albums - I even have "Faith" on vinyl).
Lovecats was also around the time that Robert joined "Siouxsie and the Banshees" and also joined up with Steven Sevenrin from Banshees to form "The Glove" and they released the album "Blue Sunshine".

Once again what turned out to start off as a chat about a song I heard on the radio I turned on - explanation mode - and tell you all about one of (OK THE) my favourite bands. Very pleased to know that I got it all right from my memory, checked all my facts as I link to the Wiki pages for your convince (smiley grin right now!)

Topic for my readers...

So what is your favourite Music and what makes it so good. I think that we should make some ground rules for this. I want One (1) response and a good explanation - link to your blog in the comments section or leave answer as a comment. Your response can be a song, a band, a style/genre of music the choice is yours BUT it can only be one - I know you have many - I do - but I only want to hear from one.

Go

So why do I like The Cure, what makes them great - to me.
Firstly the music is simple and yet still has complexity to it. I like the Vocals - they are not great, not earth shattering - I can sing along !! The lyrics tell me a story, sometimes I can relate to the topic other times not but still the story makes me feel like I am part of the song. The Cure has evolved for many years from the late 70's punk/rock, to the goth, pop, styles until now they are a style and genre into themselves. I used the term above Moprock which I think is what The Cure sound is to me. No it is not in Wikipedia but maybe it should be. I dunno. Alternative Rock, Goth Rock, even Brit Pop can all describe The Cure at various points in there career.
I love the sounds that the musicians have made, from Robert early days with is 10 pound guitar and Tolhurst simple easy drum beats, to the heyday of Disintegration - raw Porl Thompson guitar, keys/sythn sounds and The WONDERFUL Boris Williams on drums (GOD). Clearly this is MY standout album and the DVD The Cure - Trilogy which is a live recording of the three similar themed albums, Pornography, Disintegration and Bloodflowers is such an awe inspiring concert - wish I was there!
I first 'found' The Cure through my friend Zles as a teenager and many of the songs bring me back to that place in my early-mid teens, when everything else was too much to handle this music gave me life and a place.
From Pop to Rock there is always a song that can take me to that moment in The Cures arsenal.
So to sum it all up The Cure means many things to me, teenage life, making music, inspiration as well as a meaningful and realistic sense of place via the music that I listen to. I know that for what ever mood I am in I can listen to a Cure song which highlights and impacts that mood more. The songs and music make me feel whole and alive - and sometimes makes me feel better because I know it is there.

2 comments:

Constance Parker said...

All about how much I love the Smiths can be found over here: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=192465501&blogID=273782475&MyToken=1847e8fb-624e-4c41-94a0-10af5e239fc1

Wow -- that's a long link address -- I'm sure I've done that wrong. Anywho, see if you can read it.

Smarter Than the Average Cat said...

Hmmmm... I am feeling a li'l psychic connection here. I am a *huge* Cure fan, though I haven't been that impressed with their last couple of releases.

"The Lovecats" has got to be one of the greatest pop tunes ever, especially that Tin Pan Alley acoustic bass line. Everything from that era of Smith & Co just slays me -- "Let's Go to Bed", "The Walk", "The Lovecats", et. al. Also, for sheer awesomeness, nothing can beat The Head on the Door. Yikes, and yikes, and yikes again.

True story: When Disintegration came out, I had just gone through some astoundingly awful life events, and I bought the cassette release. I literally wore that tape out, and then replaced it with the CD. At the time, I felt that Robert Smith wrote the songs on that album pretty much just for me. I still like to get that disc and throw it in the Discman with headphones sometimes late at night. It's a combination of nostalgia and new astonishment at what a great album it is...

Sorry for the gush, and turning this into the longest comment ever, but thanks for the commentary on one of my fave bands!

(Also, Constance, just a brief nod to your reply -- The Smiths! EEEEEEK! I have to go play "How Soon is Now" right this second. And final thing, and I promise I will shut up, just for sheer joy in life, check out the tune "Hippychick" by Soho if you don't know it; you might recognize a familiar tune sampled therein!)

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