Tag Archives: Roger O’Donnell

The Cure : “You carry your love in a trinket, hanging round your throat.”

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I was very young when I first heard The Cure. I was terrified but I couldn’t tear my eyes away. I still do that now. If something scares me, I am more likely to keep at it. I don’t know why, I guess I just want to know what happens. That video by Shakespears Sister- Stay. It used to scare me shitless when Marcella Detroit appeared looking all creepy and menacing. But I couldn’t tear my eyes from the tv. I was only 5 years old, but I was drawn in to how dark and eerie it all was. This very feeling came over me when I used to watch the video to Lullaby by The Cure.

I love The Cure, that’s as simple as I can put it. But my love for Robert and the boys goes way deeper than this. If someone asked me what my favourite song by The Cure was, I couldn’t answer straight away. They’d have to sit me down for an hour or so with 3 cups of tea so I could gather my thoughts. Make a list, and try to come up with a firm favourite. Right now, I’d easily say  The Perfect Girl is the one I’d choose. Ask me tomorrow and I may say M is my favourite. One thing that has never (and will never) change is my favourite record by The Cure. Always and forever I will declare Seventeen Seconds as being my ultimate favourite record by The Cure.

Giving yourself over to a band is a better feeling than giving yourself completely to a person. I’m probably only saying this because I’ve never given myself to a person before. A band is easier to do so, but I could be wrong. Straight up, The Cure saved my life. Robert’s lyrics summed up every horrific feeling I ever had go through my head during secondary school. Certain songs summed up how shite I’d feel when I’d hurt someone by being careless and an all round wanker. I’ve improved with age. The Cure taught me how to be careful and gentle. That there is no harm in being sensitive and cautious- but I feel it trying to be changed by some people, sometimes.

I always remember being sat on the floor in the living room going through some old CDs. One of them was a record by The Cure. It had a song on it that changed everything for me. It changed how I viewed music, it changed how I listened to it. It drew me in so intensely, I just couldn’t stop playing it. So, I was looking at these old CDs and I remember my Stepdad telling me, “Listen to A Forest.” I was really young, only 10 years old. So I went up to my room and played it. I had it on repeat for hours and hours. The song is just under 6 minutes long. I didn’t want to do anything but listen to it. The echoes of Robert crying out, “The girl was never there.” It’s always stayed with me. I stand-by the bass in this song to be the best I’ve ever ever heard. I listen to A Forest everyday still, and it still leaves me in awe. I can’t move a muscle when I listen to it. The world stops when I listen to it, it just has all my attention. All of Seventeen Seconds has this grip over me. Like a lover that you cannot shake off, that’s how I regard Seventeen Seconds. It is vital to my life, and nothing in this world can rip its meaning away from me.

I’ve always wanted to write down what The Cure meant to me. I would’ve done this years or months ago- but I guess the words weren’t there. I’m not even sure they are there right now to be honest. Trying to explain my love for them is like me trying to tell you how much I love Morrissey or Metric or No Doubt or Garbage or The Jesus And Mary Chain. Each band has played such an important role in my life. Each band has drawn me closer to certain people. Each band has driven me away from one thing and into another. Each band has played a huge part in saving my life when I was a teenager. For instance, take Return Of Saturn by No Doubt and Version 2.0 by Garbage. Both records got me through secondary school. If I didn’t play these records every day when I was there, I probably would’ve been another statistic. Music gets you through. Every part of you wishes that you could thank the band that saved your life. Yet all you can do it play the music loudly and sing equally loud, if not louder. The songs were written for you. Cling onto them as hard as you can.

Sometimes you find a band, sometimes a band finds you. My relationship with The Cure is a combination of the two. At the time, I was too young to be a lost soul. That hit me later in life. As I listen to them now with older ears, I fully get what they mean to me. I’ve got 6 months left of being 25 and I’ve done nothing of worth with my life. I listen to The Cure, and I think..maybe I have. Maybe I’ve done a couple of things right. There’s always that fucking uncertainty niggling in the back of your head, and it sometimes likes to push its way to the front so you don’t forget its there. You learn to control yourself as you get older. The Cure make all these feelings of self-doubt and uncertainty okay. If it wasn’t for Robert Smith’s words I just don’t know what I would’ve done. You get some people who think being miserable is vital to them. That they have to be sad. Let me tell you now, it really isn’t. There is nothing good about being sad. There is however, something good about knowing you are not the only one.

But you cannot be sad forever.

There was a time where I associated The Cure with a really dark part of my life. I hated myself more than a person should, and all I could do was listen to music that summed up all this despair. I guess it threw me into a darker place quicker than I anticipated. Now? Now I listen to The Cure and I just hear how influential they truly are. The bass in their songs is a signature sound that you can hear in so many bands that are around right now. The bass is so hypnotising and causes you to jolt your body in a way that you didn’t think it could. I get this now from listening to Warpaint. It’s still there, it will always be there. The Cure will always be influencing bands. They just have this legacy that goes beyond saving lives.

I’ve been a fan of The Cure for most of my life. They’ve been there through pretty much everything-good and bad. I guess it is why I get super pissed off when someone says, “I love The Cure. My favourite song is Friday I’m In Love.” Then they say the only record they own is their greatest hits. Man. NO! You need to hear EVERY album they have ever done. You need to hear every single record they have ever done in order to see how influential and important they are. Where do you start? From the start, of course. I recommend playing A Forest through headphones in the dark, alone. It becomes like a ritualistic sort of thing.

The Cure always leave you in a euphoric state when you listen to them. I’ve been listening to them properly since I was 10 years old, I doubt I will ever snap out of this trance they have put me in.

Fun fact: When I wake up in the morning I look like Robert Smith. It’s probably a sign that I need a haircut.

The Cure-The Cure.

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This album shits on Bloodflowers. I could’ve written that better, but I decided not to. I’m rebelling against my own intelligence and way with words (do I even have a way with words?!)

This self titled album shows that The Cure still have “it.” Whatever IT may be, The Cure posses it. This record has the charm, the feel, the sound, everything that you associate The Cure with. I remember seeing the video to Taking Off and feeling EXACTLY like I did when I first heard The Cure when I was a baby. For a band to make you feel the same many years on, well, it really does prove that they are one of the greatest around. I’ll go on some more about this specfic track shortly.

The album was produced by one of the best producers around, Ross Robinson who has worked with bands such as Deftones, KoRn, Slipknot and Machine Head. Now, if you listen to this album you will notice that compared to previous releases it sounds heavier. I suppose that is a given considering they worked with a brilliant Metal producer. The general feel of this album is heavier than previous releases, and it works. It just shows how amazing the band are and that they can still be as relevant now as they 20 years ago. Not many can do that.

Okay so back to Taking Off. This song makes you want to lose yourself in the eyes of someone you adore. I know it’s an easy thing to do, but it’s a hard thing to wan to do. This song makes it easy for you to do so. Like a lot of songs by The Cure, it is romantic. However, unlike most tracks by them it is quite cheerful. For a heavy album, this is one of the most uplifting tracks on the record.

Although probably not worth listening to, many critics praised this release. We all know that a fan knows a band better than a critic do’t we. To be honest, I fail to see how anyone could possibly say anything bad about this record. Like I’ve sai before, you cannot expect a band to keep having the same sound over and over. The Cure have been going since 1976, they will never sound like how they did at the start ever again- which is a good thing. A band needs to change. A talented band will embrace that.

I adore (I Don’t Know What’s Going)On. Robert Smith sounds so lost and hopeless on this track. The total opposite of songs such as Taking Off. We’ve all been there. You like someone, they turn out to be a tit and you have no idea what the hell is going on with them or you. This songs makes you picure Robert stumbling along a street in a daze questioning what is going on. You’d probably follow him wouldn’t you? It’s okay, I probably would too.

The Cure-Bloodflowers.

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I guess Bloodflowers isn’t really as strong as previous albums by The Cure but it still has that dark and sombre feel to it that makes you realise exactly why you love The Cure. It’s not a patch on Seventeen Seconds- but I’m only saying this because that album is my baby. I love it like a parent loves their child. In my opinion it’s probably The Cure’s best album, but hey- doesn’t mean I am right.

Bloodflowers only has 9 tracks and it is regarded as the final part of The Cure’s trilogy. Robert Smith has said many times that Bloodflowers, Pornography and Disintegration define The Cure the best. Do you agree? Do any of their albums actually define The Cure? It’s personal opinion I suppose. For me, I’d say Faith and Seventeen Seconds.

For most, Wild Mood Swings didn’t sound like your typical album by The Cure. There aren’t as many keyboards on this record, which is why it is easy for one to assume that The Cure went back to their roots with this record. The drunken guitar sounds, the morose vibe, dark lyrics. When a lot of bands last as long as The Cure have, some may assume that it is difficult for the band to stay as creative as they used to be; and for the band to still be interested and most of all passionate about creating new music. With The Cure it is evident that they are, some may see Wild Mood Swings as a brief halt in their career but they picked themselves up with Bloodflowers. I personally love Wild Mood Swings, but I can see why someone wouldn’t enjoy it as much as previous records by the band.

If The Cure were a season, they would be Winter. Robert Smiths lyrics feel like a cold, dark day; the streets covered in snow. Everywhere is desolate. I know it sounds a bit morbid, but it’s quite comforting. This is evident on songs such as Watching Me Fall: “There’s a thin white cold new moon and the snow is coming down. And the neon bright Tokyo lights flicker through the crowd. I’ve been drifting around for hours and I’m lost and I’m tired.” It’s just such a beautiful song. Oh and it lasts around 11 minutes.

Aside from one track (There Is No If….) all the tracks on this record last well over 5 minutes. As someone who loves song that last over 5 minutes, this album is pretty much perfect. Most tracks have this wonderful euphoric feel to it. Some stay the same, some build up. It is a beautiful record and you can easily see why it is part of the Trilogy of records that best define The Cure. It may not be their best album, but they will never create a record like Faith again. I’m glad they won’t. It wouldn’t be right if they kept making the same record over and over. That’s why they have lasted so long, because they change but still keep the same dark feeling to their sound.

The Cure-Wild Mood Swings.

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Apart from A Forest, there is one song by The Cure that means everything to me. Everything could possbily be an understatement. Treasure is found on Wild Mood Swings, an album by The Cure that is stupidly overlooked. So what if it isn’t as good as previous releases (Fuck that, it’s actually amazing.) The tracks on this album are just as heartfelt as the others before; you cannot deny that. Treasure will always mean the world to me, for so many reasons. Reasons that I cannot put into words, reasons that I don’t like; it’s just such a special song to me. I love it far too much. It is such a frail and heartbreaking song. I reckon the best ones usually are.

Sadly, the band rarely (if ever) perform tracks from this album live- along with The Top. If I ever witnessed Treasure live, I think every single part of me would just metaphorically break and I’d need a cuddle. I wouldn’t be able to cope with anything again.

Wild Mood Swings is the first record without Boris Williams and Porl Thompson, Simon Gallup was taken ill(but later joined the group for recording)- so the record was mainly Perry Bamonte and Robert Smith. It was also the first record drummer, Jason Cooper appeared on. Oh, and Roger O’Donnell came back for this record too!

Although this record wasn’t as popular as previous, Robert Smith has said it is one of his favourites by The Cure. Is he being sarky or does he mean it? Who knows. I like to think he means it. Just because I want someone other than myself to love this album.

It isn’t a dark as the other records, it does have a strange sound to it. It doesn’t really have that Goth vibe to it that we’ve come to know and love The Cure for. But so what? You cannot expect a band to make the same record over and over. It’d be boring and the band just wouldn’t evolve. If you’re a creative person, you don’t ever want to repeat yourself do you? There would honestly be no point.

The lyrics are quite woeful, and there’s one track that isn’t your typical morose track-Gone! is quite a postive track. Baically telling the listener that no good is really going to come from staying in bed and doing nothing all day. Ahh..you say this Robert, but sometimes lying in bed and listening to music is the best thing in the world! But seriously, in all honesty it’s an uplifting track that anyone who feels a bit shit should listen to. In fact, just give this record some well deserved attention and TLC. It needs it. It’s a bloody fantastic record.

 

The Cure-Disintegration.

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Although he was credited on the album, Lol Tolhurst didn’t play on this record. Robert Smith returned to taking halluciongenic drugs. Could they actually make a solid record with all this going on? In short, yes. Fucking hell, yes. Disintegration saw the band return to that wonderful dark and gloomy sound that caused you to fall in love with them years before. Well, it depends on your age really; but you know what I mean.

The album opens with Plainsong and posses a beautiful line at the end of the song, it causes your heart to ache. But you resentfully smile because you can think of someone who you can easily associate it with. That’s the pain of relating to a song so much isn’t it. There’s always someone you can associate it with. Thankfully I cannot associate anyone with this song. Other songs by The Cure, I probably could. But I do my best not to, I don’t want someone to ruin what this band mean to me. So yes, the line is: “Sometimes you make me feel like i’m living at the edge of the world.”  It’s such a gorgeous line. What’s so stunning about this lyric is that you can takew what you want from it. The person can make you feel like you’re on the edge of the world because they make you feel so shite you want to just jump off a cliff OR they make you feel nerous, on edge; but in a good way. Their presence makes your stomach flip and nothing can compare to it. Personally, I take the latter meaning. There’s no better feeling. The Cure can teach y0u everything you need to learn about love.

Pictures Of You will always be one of the ultimate songs by The Cure. It is so woeful and loving at the same time. You ache with Robert as he sings this treasure of a song. Is it about death or is it about the love of your life leave you? Both are about loss, so I guess the general meaning is loss. We’ve all looked at the photos of the one we are fond of, wishing they were there; but they are gone. Long gone, and it kills. You think you cannot possibly go on; but you can. You will and you do. It’s okay.

The video to Lullaby scared me for so long, but I used to be so engrossed by it; I just had to watch. The song is creepy but that’s why you love it. You love the way Robert Smith whispers each word. It freaks you out by no part of you wants to turn it off.  The lyrics are so poetic, if you just look at the lyrics; it just reads like a Romantic piece of poetry. The imagery is so beautiful, the pictures it conjures up in your mind is just enthralling.

There’s a track on this album that just tugs at my herartstrings and takes over, just everything really. It’s seven minutes of perfection. Homesick. I hate where I grew up. Going to University was the best thing I’ve ever done (for the sake of my own mental health!) Obivously it’s proved useless in the job area as I don’t have one. Homesick just defines how I feel about where I grew up. All my family are here, and yes it’s bloody difficult living in a different country, far from them- but when I come back I feel no connection to this place. There’s a line that just sums it all up: “Cling to me so just one more just one more go. Inspire in me the desire in me to never go home.”  I don’t want to leave England to go back home, I need to be inspired to not do so. Thank you Robert Smith. You just want something or someone to mean enough to keep you away from the place you don’t want to go.

Disintegration wasn’t well recieved by critics but hey- what do they know. As a fan, I can safely say it is a bloody good record. How could you not? Maybe I’m just a biased fan, but when you truly love a band. I mean truly, truly love them; everything they do is perfect and means the world to you because it is the band that saved your soul. It is the band that wrote the songs that saved you and comforts you to this very day. No other band will ever mean as much. They could change their style and make an obscure Opera record; but you would still love and adore them with everything you have. To me, that’s what being a fan is about. Feeling every song, every lyric, every note to the very core of you.