40 Imaginary Years
This year, The Cure will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the recording of their first single “Killing an Arab” [I’m sure I don’t have to mention that the song references the Albert Camus story “The Stranger” and not actual xenophobia, but in these times, I feel like I need to mention the context… but I digress]. In light of this occasion, I thought it was the perfect time to revisit one of my old blog posts in a “MySpace Rewind”… yeah. MySpace. Deal with it.
Picture it, Long Beach California. February 6, 2008:
So I was listening to “The Head on the Door” yesterday on the drive home, getting some early prep time for the Hollywood Bowl show in May. I was bopping along to “Push” when I had a mental image of flipping the tape, even though I was listening to it through my iPod [obviously ripped from a CD], and haven’t listened to the Head on the Door cassette [nor any other cassette for that matter] since around 1996 [when I installed a CD player in the long since passed: Mr. Happy Car]! Its funny that I still think of that album in terms of the “A Side”and the “B Side.” The “A Side” with the infectious “The Blood” and “Six Different Ways” and the “B-Side with its more somber “Night Like This” and “Sinking” also with the delightfully twisted “Baby Screams” and “Screw” in the mix. It just struck me as odd that even after all of these years, I still break it album down mentally like that. I wonder if anyone else does… and with these kids today and their illegal downloads and shuffle on our MP3 players, do we even think of artists in the context of Albums…
So anywho… with The Cure on the brain, I am putting together my dream set list for May… picking one song off each album…
At this point I’m going to interrupt myself and put together a new list, ten years later, and see how it compares to the 2008 me.
2008: “So What”… its such a stupid song, but I fucking love it! [2018 me again: yeah, totes called it]
2008: “Play for Today”… to me its moody but with a faster tempo. I have visions of a smoky field pictured in high contrast black and white with lots of grain…
2018: No question “Primary.” Period. Full stop.
2008: “Primary”… a song that I just never tire of! This song will get me energized every time, without fail!
2008: “One Hundred Years”… because something small falls out of your mouth and we laugh…
2018: Ug… why they gotta have so many good songs… hmmm… “Upstairs Room” final answer, maybe.
2008 “The Upstairs Room”… oh the kiss so alcoholic and slow…
2008: though I would love to hear “The Empty World” or “Banafishbones” I think I will have to choose “Give Me It” just because I want to hear Robert freaking out at the end… Give me it! Give me it! GIVE ME IT!
2008: this one is tough… so many good ones… its a toss up between “Six Different Ways” and “Screw”… “Screw” is one of those songs that I can just listen to on repeat, but I think I would go with “Six Different Ways”
2008: Totally my favorite Cure album. Why? I don’t rightly know. Maybe because it was my first Cure Album? Too many fantastic songs… and even though I’ve seen them play it live a couple of times… I still have to go with “Like Cockatoos”
2008: This is a tough one too. “Prayers for Rain” is just fucking AMAZING live, but I think I will have to choose “Untitled,” another song that I can just listen to on repeat as it carries me away on a slow current int a fog covered sea …
2008: “Wendy Time”… the song just makes me smile… full with Robert’s cat call “meow”s and a line “like feel or follow or fuck”… fabulous fabulous indeed!
2008: “Club America”… because if they did “Bare” I think I would just kill myself… seriously. Saddest. Song. Ever. Great song, but it just makes me cry… I’m getting misty just thinking about it…
2018: “Watching Me Fall,” again, cause its fucking epic. “39” is a VERY close second.
2008: “Watching Me Fall”…. because its fucking EPIC… really an underrated album. I didn’t much care for this album when it first came out… but it quickly grew on me and is definitely one of my favorites [2018 me again: HA… “fucking epic” even… talk about consistency]
2018: “Labyrinth” is really one of the stand out tracks, the singles on the album were fair enough, but I love the way “Labyrinth” builds into a full on raga.
2008: This album plays out like a greatest hits of new songs. Its funny, I had the total inverse effect with this album as I had with Bloodflowers. LOVED it when it first came out, but then it really dulled on me and seems mostly forgettable. Which makes me sad, because nothing about The Cure should be forgettable! There are definitely a couple of tracks that really do stand out and of those I would have to choose “Labyrinth”
2018: “Freakshow” maybe its because the first time I heard it was live and Porl was just going mad with the guitar.
This album wasn’t released until October 27th 2008, so I didn’t have a pick when I wrote the original post. But I have to say, “Hey, Robert! It’s been TEN years since there was a new Cure album… what gives…?”
What are some of your top Cure jams?