Pop culture is meant to give us a snapshot of contemporary society - so what does Three Imaginary Boys tell us about May 1979? Paul Morley’s NME review of the album spoke of claims of “social validity”, but are there any such claims on the actual album itself? The album was released one week into … Continue reading 11 May 1979: Three Imaginary Boys at 40
One of the more notable reviews of Three Imaginary Boys was by Paul Morley in the NME of 12 May 1979, a piece that caused The Cure to publicly respond - on the radio, no less. By his own admission, Morley was irritated by the record when called upon to review it - an occasion … Continue reading 9 May 1979: “Desperate Journalist In Ongoing Meaningful Review Situation”
One of the tasks I’ve set myself in digging into The Cure’s history is to finally nail down the confirmed release dates for the band’s singles and albums (in the UK at least). Sounds simple, right? Just jump on to Wikipedia and cut and paste away, yeah? Well… no. Take the 40th anniversary of the … Continue reading 8 May: The Cure release dates OR… On which day shall we celebrate 40 years of Three Imaginary Boys?
After the long Bank Holiday of 1989, Tuesday 2 May was a milestone day in The Cure’s career - the release of Disintegration. Two years had passed since the release of Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, an unprecedented gap between new material from the group - even the wait between Head On The Door … Continue reading 2 May 1989: Disintegration rings the changes
On tonight’s show, Peel plays "Subway Song" from a promo copy of the new album. The scream at the end of the Cure track catches Peel unawares and apparently gives him quite a fright. He shudders: ”It could have been the last you heard of me! I don’t think I’ll play that again.” He’s also … Continue reading 1 May 1979: Today In Peel
You can’t fail to have missed the minor Twitter uproar that occurred across the weekend of 29 - 31 March 2019. If you did, you would have seen Robert Smith become an internet and social media sensation. What happened was this: The Cure were to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame … Continue reading 21 April 2019: Robert Smith at 60 – viral sensation!
“Lullaby” was the first single to be released in fourteen months and The Cure’s first new material in two years. The promo for it was not inconsiderable. You could buy the record on plain old 7”, clear vinyl picture disc 7”, gatefold sleeve 7”, or on a pretty 12” in pink vinyl. The CD single … Continue reading 20 April 2019: The “Lullaby” video and promo
There’s no doubt that “Grinding Halt” was seen by Chris Parry as one of the key tracks from the Three Imaginary Boys album. A 12” promo single, packaged in plain white sleeve, made its way out to select journalists and jocks in late April. Ian Penman found it in a pile of records up for … Continue reading 19 April 2019: Was “Grinding Halt” going to be The Cure’s second single?
The 12” is a peculiar beast. In the right hands, it can be a monster. Look at the success of "Blue Monday", for example. Some of New Order’s tunes work better as extended versions: "Everything’s Gone Green", "True Faith", "Bizarre Love Triangle". They all sound right. The 12” mix, when done correctly, can be a … Continue reading 10 April: Is “Lullaby” the best 12” The Cure ever released?
I’m sure you were thrilled by my post about the mysterious Prayer Tour show scheduled for St James’s Park in Newcastle but scrapped in favour of three nights at Wembley Arena. So let’s dig deeper into that announcement in Cure News #7, shall we? If anything, it’s an interesting look into how slowly things moved … Continue reading 25 March: The other missing Prayer Tour dates
Crying For Yesterday 