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THE CURE AT THEIR EARLY 80'S PEAK

J. Brady | PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC United States | 09/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"THIS IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN FOR ME, AT 16 IN 1984, WHEN THIS WAS RELEASED. I WAS SEARCHING FOR NEW MUSIC, STUMBLED UPON THE CASSETTE VERSION ( MORE ABOUT THAT LATER ) OF "CONCERT" AND PLAYED IT TIL THE TAPE LITERALLY HISSED. COMPARING THE VERSIONS OF THE SONGS ON THIS CD TO THE STUDIO VERSIONS IS OFTEN LIKE NIGHT AND DAY. WHAT IS OFTEN MECHANICAL AND HEAVY SOUNDING ON RECORD, IS HERE ROLLICKING, AND YES, GROOVY, AT TIMES. TAKE FOR INSTANCE "CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES". THE ORIGINAL VERSION WAS SLOWER, PLODDING, FULL OF ANGST AND JUST A LITTLE TOO SERIOUS. THE LIVE VERSION HERE MAKES THE SONG AN ALMOST JOYOUS POP OCCASION. AND NO, THAT ISN'T AN ENTIRELY BAD THING. THE BAND HERE IS TOP NOTCH, AND STRIP THE SONGS DOWN TO THEIR BASICS. THE CURE HAD FINALLY GOTTEN A COMPETANT DRUMMER (POOR LOL JUST DIDN'T HAVE ONSTAGE "CHOPS" ) IN ANDY AnDERSON, AND HE IS LIKE THUNDER BEHIND THE KIT. ALL THE SONGS ( ESPECIALLY THE ONES THAT HAD USED WHAT SOUNDS LIKE A DRUM MACHINE ON RECORDS ) BENIFIT GREATLY FROM HIS SKILLS. MY ONE AND ONLY COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS CD IS THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE MADE IT LONGER, BY THE INCLUSION OF THE ORIGINAL CASSETTE B-SDE CALLED "CURIOUSITY". FOR THE UNINITIATED, IT IS A COLLECTION OF THE CURE'S VERY EARLY, SOMETIMES MORE ESOTERIC MATERIAL, ALL OF IT LIVE, TAKEN FROM ROBERT SMITH'S PERSONAL TAPE COLLECTION. OVER THE YEARS, I HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO FIND MOST OF IT ON THE INTERNET. BUT AN OFFICIAL RELEASE ON CD WOULD MAKE THIS "CONCERT" WHOLE, AT LEAST FOR ME."

The basics: guitar, bass, drums, and a mic on a stage

cued | San Diego, CA | 07/01/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For years this CD was near-impossible to find (I listened to my old vinyl version way longer than I should have). BUt now that it is available, get it! The thing that blows me away about this album is how, despite the fact that the Cure had already started down the long, dull road of studio overproduction, synthesizers, horns, mood music, and all of the strange sounds that to me make their 1990s material so flat and dull and whiny, even as late as 1984 on stage they were able to transform the songs into brilliant stripped-down performances with just guitar, bass, drums, and maybe an occasional synthesizer on stage. "The Top" was not exactly one of Cure's better albums, and yet even the tracks from that album are transformed on stage. The Cure started off as a British late 1970s rock band and as late as 1984 on stage at least they still preserved that sound. My personal favorite is "The Forest." the studio version of that track will forever strike you as flat, shallow, and uninspiring once you here the incredible 7 minute performance Smith et. al. give here. This is one of the greatest Cure records of all. Anyone who likes the early Cure should buy this before buying any other Cure records. This is the one."